Tonsillectomy Adult – What to Expect
Tonsillectomy as an adult is quite different than tonsillectomy for children. The methods employed for tonsillectomy in adults and children are generally the same, (See Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy Methods page), and the risks for adults are similar to the risks for children, (See The Tonsillectomy Risks
Tonsillectomy – Adult Recovery and Risks
Most studies indicate a two to four percent risk of delayed hemorrhage [severe bleeding]. Where tonsillectomy in adults differs most from tonsillectomy in children is in the recovery. Recovery from childhood tonsillectomy generally takes five to seven days. Recovery from tonsillectomy in adults usually requires at least ten days and more often two weeks.
Before deciding to get an adult tonsillectomy, it’s important to choose a time frame in which you have the time and the support. Recovering over your favorite Holiday might be a good choice in terms of time, (eg holiday leave from work or school), but it may not be a time that people will be available to help you.
The pain associated with adult tonsillectomy recovery, by almost all accounts, is more intense than that experienced by children. Some theorize that children haven’t had as much time without pain as adults and thus their frame of reference is different than adult tonsillectomy patients. Others assume that children may be less able to articulate their discomfort. Having read the accounts of THOUSANDS of adult tonsillectomies in the forum,(See Tonsillectomy Forum page), I can say with some confidence that generally, the younger the patient, the easier the tonsillectomy recovery. There are of course exceptions. I’ve read from many middle aged adults who had a fairly smooth recovery. Perhaps they read up on this website and prepared well. Perhaps they had good genes. In any case, many time an adult tonsillectomy recovery is better than the horror stories we hear about.
“If I could recommend one item to buy before tonsillectomy, it would be a humidifier. My readers know how important moist air is to a healing throat. I bought one of these years ago and still use it daily” -Greg
I’d like to take a moment here to make a suggestion. As you read through the people’s accounts in the various chat rooms, message boards, and adult tonsillectomy forums, consider this: People having a harder time, may be more prone to seek out information and share their experience in these venues. Adults experiencing milder tonsillectomy recoveries, might be less apt to be posting. I don’t want to drag Richard Nixon into my website, but this silent majority may be quietly recovering and you’ll never hear from them.
My advice is to research as much as you can, talk with your doctor, talk with your family and friends, and talk with your employer before scheduling your adult tonsillectomy. I wish you all the best.
I’ve put together a collection of items that I think would be helpful, if not essential, to making tonsillectomy recovery a little more pleasant. Check out the Tonsillectomy General Store.
i regretfully se the ages up here and i am a baby boomer – AARP’er and won’t give my exact age but does anyone know if 45 or 55 plus make a difference and please some tips as looks like I am oldest up here. I have not told MD I will def go thru with surgery as had to think on it but had then all my life and more frequent , the older I get. However my daughter had hers out at 15 and at 30 – still has just as many sore throats – I really want some replies and thansk and God Bless
Hi Suzanne- I was 44, but I’ve seen people in their upper 50’s. Younger is better for recovery, but only to a point.
I had my tonsillectomy done yesterday 7/2/2013. My pain tolerance is pretty high and I haven’t had any pain medication yet. But yes, the pain and discomfort is definitely there but only when swallowing. I’ve had recurrent tonsillitis since 6-7 years old and I’m 31 now. The pain is comparable to my worst episode of tonsillitis minus the neck/ear aches and fever. I’m hoping to remain afebrile (fever free) during this recovery time. My uvula is about quadruple the original size and obstructing some of my airway. I try not to be fixated on it so I won’t feel too anxious. I keep my head elevated and just breathe without thinking too much. I was nauseous and felt like I was unable to burp yesterday after downing 3 liters of fluid. I found walking to be really helpful. I was a surgical nurse for 5 years and I never understood firsthand why I tell my patient walking really helps after surgery. It promotes GI tract movement especially post anesthesia which helps with bloating, nausea, and constipation. 5 minutes of walking outside and taking in fresh air eliminated my nausea completely, decreased discomfort and pain. It was better than laying in bed and being fixated on everything that was wrong. I really believe the doctors when they say keeping hydrated is key. I drink up to 1 Liter of fluids every 3-4 hours; so much that I’m constantly running to the bathroom. I rather do this than have all the complications that I’ve researched on. Day 2 and only taking the antibiotics so far. Praying for a smooth recovery for me and everyone else on this site!
Saturday August 3rd 2013 10pm.
Firstly thanks to the owner for writing this website, it’s pretty good by all accounts. Today is the first day i have mustered up any energy to read and write anything so thought I would check in. There is a good deal of information on this site but my biggest question so far is; Why doesn’t the GP or Surgeon prepare you for how bad the pain is actually going to be? It seems awfully ridiculous that they don’t prepare you properly for an effective recovery! Anyway here is my story, feel free to steal any ideas to help your self through your own operation.
So I had my tonsils out at The Alexandra Hospital in Cheadle on Wednesday. I know my surgeon has a great reputation and so far it appears he has done a great job. I was in a great deal of pain when i came back from surgery so i ended up sleeping over. (Lesson 1*** You need to manage the nurses or you will not get what you need****) Private or NHS, if you don’t push you are unlikely to get the proper care you need. If you are in severe pain you need the appropriate medication, even if this means PUSH PUSH PUSH.
Next day i went home, they gave me 60mg codiene to take every 4-6 hours along with some an anti inflamatory meds. It was not strong enough to make the pain subside (Lesson 2**** pre agree with a mate who is a Doctor or your GP that you can see them a couple of days post op to reassess meds. You do NOT NEED TO BE IN PAIN***) I went to the private GP at the Alexandra and got prescribed Tramidol which has been a huge help. The pain has eased up a little meaning i can swallow properly and drink water.
(Lesson 3**** Borrow a recliner if you can. It’s very difficult to sleep in a normal bed.***) Sleep might be something you can’t do as often as you would have hoped because of the pain, but having the ability to be comfortable will help. If you cant get a recliner/dont have one, get a V shaped pillow.
(Lesson 4 ***** push a little harder when you feel you can. IE: if you have no pain for 30 mins, try eating some bread, the more you work your throat the quicker it will heal*****)
There is no real jaw dropping insight into handling this, except have plenty of chicken soup and loction in the freezer ( at least 15 portions) make sure you are surrounded by very supportive people because the pain is immense and you need to be around gentle people, ensure you have decent soft towells to keep cold and wet to wrap your throat. If you are scared go get double checked by the doc. Take appropriate medication – make sure they give it you, do NOT suffer in silence. Keep using your throat as much as possible, do not let yourself dehydrate, basically it will hurt a great deal, high on the pain scale, but it doesnt last forever and i hear the significant benefits of not having constant infection are definitely worth it! I love the idea of saying special prayers for each other, at times it does feel like you can’t see any light.
Good luck to anyone about to have the op and all the best for a speedy recovery.
oh man. maybe i shouldn’t have read any of these stories. i am now not looking forward to this surgery, because i’m not a big pain person. i really don’t know anyone who is, but i really am not. my tonsils have caused me a great deal of pain, and i’m constantly getting sore throats, so my doctors and i have decided with the surgery. i’ve been told that the pain is worse than child birth, which freaks me out even more because i haven’t given birth!! i’ll stop being a big baby though, and suck it up.! thank you for your tips!
I posted on the tonsil stone page as well, just wanted to share on the main page. I had my tonsils out this morning, Coblation method. Woke up with minimal pain, they gave me a dose of my liquid Lortab that i am taking just about every 4-5 hours and the pain was gone. I am no light weight to painkillers and was actually surprised how well the Lortab handles the pain. Since I have had no problems swallowing, sorbet, popsicles, had creamy tomato bisque soup for dinner, no problems. My uvula is the only thing swollen so far, and if i lay flat it actually kinda blocks my airway, thats about the only problem ive had so far. When i get to the forth hour i can start to feel it, my pain goes form a 1 to about a 5, i try to wait as long as possible to take it but dont want to wait to long and get behind the power curve. My ENT is great, hes done lots of tonsillectomy’s and appreciates the added difficulties and pain in dealing with adult tonsillectomy. So far, im one of the lucky not horror stories. Things are going great. (hopefully i wont be on here day 6 begging for someone to shoot me)
Had tonsils removed on May 23 am. Stayed overnight as my spo2 wouldn’t come up above 80%. Been home now since, it is now the 28th. Woke up in a tremendous amount of pain. I’m 47 and have had multiple surgeries, including spinal, orthopedic, compartment syndrome, open appendectomy, etc… This is by far the worst pain I’ve been through. I’ve gone through a pint of Lortab Elixir, and my second one is almost gone. I’m taking 15 mg q 3 hours, plus another 10 of oxycodone. Plus 800 mg of ibuprofen every 6 hours. Can’t swallow anything but ice chips an popsickles. I tried some pasta last night and choked on it. Don’t like dairy products so am not eating ice cream. Yesterday was my birthday, my wife made me a crab crepe which I was able to choke down in about 30 minutes. It was SO good. But very difficult to eat. That’s the only solid food I’ve had since 5/22/13. I’m pretty overweight (downright fat) so I’m not worried about losing weight. I believe I’ve lost about 8 or 9 lbs since the surgery. Not worried. The pain is 8/10 in the morning, once I get a handle on it it drops to about a 5. I’m a critical care nurse and understand te pain scale pretty well. This is some pretty damned significant pain. Ice chips and popsickles. Advancing to food as tolerated.
Sorry to hear you were in such high pain. What is spo2? And just wondering what method of tonsillectomy you got? Hope you’re feeling better now.
SPO2 is the measurement of oxygen saturation. They put a probe on your finger with an infrared light, measures the amount of oxygen in the hemoglobin. Normal spo2 is 95-100%. Mine was in the 60’s. Method? Don’t know actually. I am at day 11 now. Still not eating, but pain is WAY better. Still taking oxycodone about once every 12 hours, and ibuprofen 600mg every 6 for inflammation. I feel 100% better. I can swallow, my eating habits are not back to normal, but eating soft foods with some difficulty. Must say, worst experience ever!
Mine also runs very low. Does this make it worse and what is the oldest age you have seen on this board that has not helped me in the least – UNFRIENDLY PPL THANKS
We’re all pulling for you. Good Luck!!
All done. I woke up an had no idea they eveven did the surgery. I’ve downed two sprites and I feel like devouring all the food in the cafeteria. Pain post op was about a 2/3 out of 10. Doc says day 3 or 4 should be when the fun kicks in.
How did your recovery end up going?
Hehehe i was the same….had pizza….steak…everything….untill day 4 i think…then something kicked in….demmit…
I’m on day six now and havn’t slept the whole night….hopefully this is the worst day….cause if it gets anyworse I don’t know 🙁
anyway good luck to everyone 🙂
WHAT IS THE OLDEST AGE U HAVE SEEN UP HERE?? THNAKS