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.
Hey everyone.
I just wanted to post my experience on here as I read a lot of comments on this site prior to my operation. I had my tonsils out in April of this year at 26 years old. I use to suffer terrible from tonsillitis as a child, resulting in scarred tonsils and chronic tonsil stones. I finally get fed up of scraping them out every other day, that I went to the doctors and he agreed to give me a tonsillectomy. He warned me it would be a rough recovery, but I was prepared for two weeks of hell for a tonsil stone free life!
Before the operation, I thought the pain I experienced would be no worse than my harshest bout of tonsillitis, but without the fever accompanying it. This wasn’t really true. The pain was pretty bad, but tolerable. But I just felt so ill in myself. I was constantly exhausted – swallowing tablets was an epic task as well as trying to swallow any food or drink. I just felt really poorly in general as well as the pain in my throat.
I wasn’t told to avoid dairy in the first days, so I managed to stomach some porridge, which was quite soothing. However in the long run, I think this was a mistake as it increased the amount of mucus where my skin was healing.
The most horrendous part of the whole experience was the taste/smell. I was in no way prepared for this. Around 5 days in, I started to get the most abhorrent taste in my mouth. This lasted for at least 5/6 days. Also, my partner and mum informed me that the smell was also unbearable. I assume this is just from the wound healing and the scabs coming off. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find any relief from this vile taste. It made me feel so nauseous all the time. Eventually, when the scabs started to come away, the taste went with them, thank goodness!
I found it did get worse before it got better. I experienced terrible pain in my throat around days 9/10/11. But, once I was over that, the only way was up. I seemed to go from really down to back on the mend in no time. And I’d say by day 14, I was well on my way to normality. A couple days after it was my birthday and I left the house for the first time to enjoy a pain free lunch!
Although the experience wasn’t pleasant and it was probably slightly worse than I imagined (due to that awful taste) I 100% don’t regret having it done. The pain seems a distant memory. I don’t ever have to think about getting tonsillitis again or those rotten tonsil stones. It’s certainly not something to have done lightly, but if you think it’ll benefit you, it’s just two weeks of pain for a lifetime without tonsils.
Good luck!
Hi I am 5 days post removal of my tonsils and adenoids. I am a 22 year old female and have been struggling with severe bouts of strep, tonsillitis and sinus infections over the past 10 years. I saw an ENT when I was 5 for sleep apnea and they recommended that I did not have my tonsils removed. However, after 6 months of sinus infections I went and saw an ENT again and they recommended that I have my tonsils and adenoids removed ASAP because the size of my tonsils were constituting my airways. On Tuesday at 8 am I went into surgery. I woke up feeling pretty loopy but with minimal pain compared to what I had expected after reading message boards. They kept me overnight due to oxygen issues and put me on liquids, Percocet and anti nausea meds. I was released the next day at 11 and sent home with Percocet. My boyfriend has been my primary caretaker (WHICH NO MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE YOU NEED A BABYSITTER AFTER THIS SURGERY) he picked me up soups, Gatorade popsicles, apple sause and instant mashed potatoes. Due to the swelling I couldn’t get anything down but chipped ice, water and Gatorade. About 3 hours after returning from the hospital I started vomiting and didn’t stop for about 38 hours. Since I had nothing in my stomach I was purely throwing up stomach acid which was burning my incision sites. After this my doctor switched me to hydrocodon and a anti nausea medication. Continually, I have serious congestion which makes everything worse. I recommed spitting out your mucous so that it doesn’t bother your stomach. I woke up day 4 in intense pain, I began to pass out and throw up again at about 3 pm when my boyfriend took me to the ER. They told me I was clinically deyhdrated and extremely swollen and gave me liquids and more pain meds. I immediately threw these up 🙂
Although I am only 5 days post op these are some tips and tricks which have helped me:
RITAS ITALIAN ICE squished up with Gatorade has been my savior. It has been the only thing I’ve been able to get down and the Gatorade has electrolytes which are needed.
U DONT HAVE TO EAT IF U DONT WANT TOO. it hurts and it’s hard and will make you depressed. just go with what feels right.
Let yourself feel pain. This surgery is extemely painful and if you try to ignore or downsize your pain it’ll be worse.
Have someone to take care of you! My boyfriend has been my savior, picking up ritas and ice constantly, switching out ice packs and basically taking care of me constantly. Allow yourself to be taken care of! I hate having to ask people for things but you have to get over it and allow someone to help you. If they can stay with you overnight, that’s even better because they can wake you up to take your pain meds.
Finally, hot baths with bath salts have been my savior. I use essential oils and soak for about 40 min. This brings down the swelling and pain in your neck.
My biggest advice is trust your body! I didn’t want to complain or go back to the hospital because after reading so many message boards and blogs I thought I was supposed to be in extreme pain constantly. So instead of listening to my body I tried to ignore my pain. This lead to rehospitilzation and a lot more pain. Be honest with yourself, be kind to yourself and let yourself heal. Good luck all
Hi everyone! It really sucks, it really hurts – but if you are prepared for it, you can definitely handle it. I’m a healthy and petite 37 y/o, had my tonsils removed 4 weeks ago today and am 95% healed. Knowing that your quality of life will improve is a great motivation when you are in the thick of the painful recovery. Like many have said, I was not warned about the severity involved in the recovery so this site was my only source of preparation. I am SO thankful for this site. It feels like a brother/sisterhood of some sort. 🙂
Based on the stories here, I purchased a ton of stuff – ice packs, throat numbing spray, water spray bottle, gum, cepacol drops, several other things, but the one purchase that i actually needed was the Humidifier. Twice it ran out of water in the night and my throat was so dry and sore that it woke me. It was a glimpse of how bad it would feel to not have it and the difference is huge. If you are in a ton of pain, get one – it really does help. I didn’t need or use any of the other items aside from some OTC meds.
Surgery was late in the day, about 4:00 and took around 30 minutes. It was a Thursday and I spent the day with my hubs, who was far more nervous than i was. I was not nervous, only dreaded the IV, which I was a total baby about. So embarrassing but pretty funny to the hospital staff. They said I was the easiest and most entertaining patient of their whole week. Keep in mind I’m a business professional and am normally very composed and easy-going. But needles turn me into a wuss. It took them an unusually long time to get me sedated enough to be ok with it and I was still a baby to the point they were using child methods to distract me…even added a banana scent to the laughing gas, had a guy holding my hand. I said to him ‘she has a needle doesn’t she?’ and he started petting my arm and telling me it was ok. I was jerking the gas mask to my face with my quick half crying sucks of air. Like a toddler. I said to myself ‘I’m a big girl’ out loud several times through the mask and they laughed at me but I was serious… Oh the shame. They cranked up the gas, I saw a very entertaining show in my head then the IV was in, they said ‘night night’ and it was lights out. My surgeon used a ‘cold’ method which causes less bleeding and trauma to the surrounding tissue. I was given IV morphine and liquid oxycodone by mouth in the hospital. After the morphine wore off, we left the hospital around 8 and we went immediately to fill the Rx and went home to get this party started. Silent party for me. I didn’t talk for a week. Used an electronic dry erase type board to write messages, draw a a middle finger, etc. It was fun and really helpful. Also, the ‘speak’ feature on iphone was good for long sentences. Just type and let Siri say it for you. You lose the tone, but sarcasm still comes across!
Medications: Liquid oxycondone. liquid Ibuprofen and liquid Tylenol. Also picked up some Miralax to take in a small glass of water daily. So glad for that tip from this site also. My hubs was very strict to stay on a schedule with the meds and woke me up in the night to give the doses. If I let it lapse when he wasn’t home, it was very noticeably painful and took a bit to get ok again. As soon as you can manage the pain, start dropping the meds. They are not good for your organs for extended periods. It took 8-9 days for me. I worked remotely from home the following week, which was 10 days post.
He stayed home to care for me from Thursday to Sunday. I was so thankful for that. We watched movies, he took me for drives, made sure I was comfortable as possible. It was great. I needed him and this experience drew us closer to see a side of him that I had never seen before. He has never seen me this vulnerable and displayed a genuine loving care. He ordered some blueray NatGeo Blue Planet and another water series that he knew I’d love as a surprise and set up his gaming system to our bedroom tv for me to watch them. He left for a business trip Monday morning, and I was left to fend for myself. I was really sad to be left alone but had to suck it up and stay positive. I remembered some stories of those recovering alone and my heart went out to you….
If you are gagging, the sappy part is over, get ready for some yuck.
I took pics daily and inspected the site. I brushed my teeth and tongue often and found that gargling water to rinse the tonsil beds kept the scabs free of food particles made me feel so much better. Don’t fall into the trap of just staying in bed. Get up. Take a shower every day. Do some light housework when you feel like it. Walk outside to get some sunshine. Do not let yourself have a pity-party for too long, you will only focus on the pain. Distract yourself and stay positive, do things that make you happy as you have the energy to. Keep your mouth clean and you will feel better. Cleaning my mouth did not make it hurt any worse. I barely ate, but made sure to drink several glasses of water each day and some miralax to keep OIC at bay. That really is a thing, do not let it sneak up on you.
As for foods: I bought too much stuff I didn’t even eat. Applesauce, Jello, Pudding, sherbet, a ton of ice pops, different popsicles – all still in the cabinets and fridge/freezer. I wasn’t hungry. I didn’t want to eat the same thing over and over. Everything tasted weird. Still does a little but it’s getting better now and the distinct bitterness is subsiding. I did love having the Italian ice pops. I could manage one ‘meal’ a day which was mostly a few bites. Scrambled eggs, steamed spinach, a half tomato sandwich, some chex mix, cheese balls. I lost 10 lbs but it’s on the way back. :/ I tried the ‘special’ stuff I bought the first day or two then I learned that the act of swallowing hurt, so eat what you feel like, within reason. One notable difference – none of the special tonsil food stuck to the scabs. The ‘meals’ did and that meant it required a cleaning as soon as the pain of eating subsided. After 2 full weeks, 14 days, I could eat anything I wish with no issues.
More gross talk…scabbies took about 15 days to come completely off the top part. I can still feel some on the lower part that isn’t visible but hope they will be gone soon or I’ll get my oral irrigation water pick out and blast those bad boys. I’m a little scared to do it yet, giving it another week or so. Still hurts a little to yawn but not bad at all.
Good luck to those in preparation and in recovery. It’s going to be ok. <3 Sending a heartfelt Thank You to Greg and everyone else that shared your experiences and knowledge that helped me to get through this little understood and highly underestimated feat of recovery from the flaming beast, tonsillectomy.
Cheers!
Amy
I was literally laughing out loud reading your experience. “I’m a big girl” out loud. Hahahaha. I’m a 63 yr old very heathy guy who had my tonsils removed December 5, 2017. Ouch. They say to train like you were running a marathon, which was good advice. First twenty four hours I vomited until only stomach acid was coming up. Had my son take my to ER. The pain medicine Oxy was way too strong and I may have overdid it when I got home exhausted from my surgery. Anyways, hahahahah “I’m a big boy”……… Yes, take pain medicine before you need it, and use a humidifier. My ear aches have been horrible.
Hi everyone, I’m a 39 year old male and had my tonsillectomy almost 1 week ago. All I can say is that I am glad I never did any research prior. Going into the operation I was very naïve and was told it was a minor procedure and everything should be fine! Ignorance is bliss!!
My surgery went well and took approx. 45 mins. I was due to stay in over night but had to call for a lift at 22.00 hrs for my father to pick me up as there were no spare beds for me ( I’m from the UK ). I was not bothered as I wanted to be at home with my wife and young daughter.
I ate some banana’s and custard that evening and had quite a good nights sleep. The following morning was ok, managed a luke warm coffee and ate scrambled eggs. I was pleased with myself and not in any real pain as such. I woke up several times during the night but had some water and again all appeared ok. A bit like having Strep / Tonsillitis so not unmanageable.
Day 2 was also ok although I did notice a bit more pain and my appetite was less. The evening of Day 2 into Day 3 was where everything changed for me.
I woke up several times in the night with intense pain as though my throat had been cut. I kept going to the bath room mirror, torch in hand to check but it looked as though my throat / tongue had swollen and I could not see right to the back.
This continued, massive bouts of pain all round my jaw, throat and ears. It was like torture. At points I had tears running down my face it was so intense. I was taking co codamol and nurophen every 4 hours and this did help although swallowing the tablets was a task all on its own. I was really concerned by day 4 / 5 and went to see my Dr. I was told I had an infection and was given some Antibiotics / Penicillin. I was unable to swallow the pills so I crushed them up and put them in a small amount of water before drinking through a straw ( like swallowing battery acid )
I am now on days 6 / 7 and it has got a little easier. I am still only getting a few hours sleep each night and have not eaten for 5 days. I have to drink water through a straw although this is also very uncomfortable. ( I have to build myself up to taking tablets ect as its still intensely painful )
I am not a wimp and feel I am quite tolerant to pain but this has been one of the worst weeks of my life. At least with a broken arm you can isolate it, rest it ect. With the throat there is no way of getting away from it. I can see why the Drs don’t tell you the full details as I don’t think anyone would have this procedure. Also, when you try to explain to people, when you feel you can talk, they look at you with a look that says ” STOP MAKING SUCH A FUSS, YOU HAVE ONLY HAD YOUR TONSILLS OUT YOU BIG BABY”. No one understands. Bastards. Will keep you posted over the next few days. Good luck everyone, I feel your pain and I know how brave you all are even if no one else does…… Mike
Hi Mike.
I’m so sorry you had such an unexpectedly bad experience. My experience was (is) bad as well but my doctor did tell me it would be. I really appreciate the last sentence of your post “I feel your pain and I know how brave you all are even if no one else does.” I was feeling like a total wimp until I read that and now I am trying to be more patient with myself. Thank you!
I feel the same way, that they don’t understand. Most pain for a long period of time I ever felt.
NOT SO BAD! Hi I’m 34 yrs old, 8 days post op. Just wanted to say if you’re waiting for this op, don’t freak out reading all the stories. It was super sore for the first week, but managed with paracetamol and ibuprofen (I didn’t have any narcotics or the like). Tablets were easier to take for me than liquid – one swallow and it’s done! It’ll sting like hell when you drink and eat but just do it. I was told to eat a rough/normal diet, not soft food. I managed to eat, slowly but surely. Toast with loads of margarine (I don’t eat dairy) was my go to dish. I think eating normal food has really helped the recovery process so far.
The pain is like bad tonsillitis plus a crampy ache that goes into your ears, but now it’s like a sore/slightly lumpy throat and it only aches if I stick my tongue out. The back of your throat will look and taste grim, but that’s slowly improving too. Worse point for me was the fourth and fifth day. I couldn’t afford to buy a humidifier so I can’t comment on whether that might have helped. I found cleaning my teeth first thing on a morning and whenever I felt a bit grim really helped. Also I found that if I actively tried to relax the back of my tongue and throats the pain improved a lot.
So basically just prepare to take it easy for a couple of weeks, don’t expect miracles. It hurt but I’ve had worse. You might have a couple of miserable days but it’all soon pass.
Oh and the main piece of advice? Silence is golden. For that first week it really started hurting as soon as I tried to talk, whisper, even nodding and shaking my head. All that movement and tension in your tongue and throat is what hurt the most. But people can’t help but try and engage you in conversation – I was much more comfortable when left to my own devices. Forewarn your loved ones that you won’t be chatting, and get yourself a good book or something!