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.
Just got back an hr ago from getting mine out. Woke up mega groggy and super nauseas but didn’t vomit thank God. I’m laying in bed now and I’m very tired and a bit achey but the thing bothering me the most is I feel like there is stuff in my throat and it is constantly there making it hard to get comfortable. It’s driving me nuts! Makes me feel like I gotta vomit ugh
19 day post surgery.
Prior to my surgery I read a lot of blogs and knew that it would be painful but I did not mentally prepare for the intensity or length of discomfort and pain. My surgeon told me to take 2 weeks off work but I thought I would be fine with one – she told me 2 was mandatory. I have a high pain tolerance (multiple c-sections, appendices removed, migraines, intense strep throat) so I believed that it would be uncomfortable but I would handle it and get a few projects done around the house. WRONG.
Day 1: Surgery went well. Woke up with little to no pain. Went home and pain started immediately. I was directed to take 5-10 mgs of morphine. I took 5 and immediately threw it back up – very painful. My body was able to tolerate 3 mgs, every 2 hours as well as liquid Tylenol. Water was all I could drink.
Days 2-4: Manageable. I thought “I’ve got this.” Still just water and nights were very rough but I was able to stop taking morphine. I slept on the couch so I was in a sitting position which helped my throat. Forced myself to drink water every time I woke – which was often.
Days 5-7: Unbearable. Absolutely horrendous. Back on morphine. Ice packs around my throat were the only saviour I had. Heat on my ears for the ear and jaw pain. I still has not eaten anything. I felt depressed at this time.
Days 8-10: Started to feel better. It just felt like intense strep throat at that point. Able to eat. Hot is more tolerable than cold.
Day 11: I felt like myself mentally finally. At this point though my scabs were really falling off and I would choke and gag on them in the sink. This was painful and often produced fresh blood. It was good to get them out though.
Day 14: Back to work and I couldn’t have gone any sooner. My energy level was still very low as sleeping was still interrupted and painful.
Day 19: I still feel discomfort when yawning, sneezing, and swallowing certain things.
I
know that it will definitely be worth it. I kept reminding myself of this throughout the process. It was difficult on my two small children as they didn’t understand why Mommy couldn’t play, read stories, etc… If you need this surgery – do it – just be prepared. The pain is real. The recovery length is surprising. Stock up on ice packs and heating bags. Avoid ice cream as it produces phlegm which is awful. Avoid popsicles (etc) that are red as you will be unable to tell if you are spitting up blood. Hot showers loosen things up. Brushing your teeth and tongue helps.
It will pass. It will be worth it.
I’m 19 and have recently been diagnosed with a fever disorder called PFAPA that basically gives me recurrent bad tonsillitis and fevers that can get over 103 without tylenol. While taking 50mg prednisone for a couple of days makes it go away, it always comes back, and the flares of these symptoms are becoming more and more frequent. After speaking to a specialist a few weeks ago, I learned the only thing that will “cure” it would be to remove the tonsils. Until I do, I’ll keep getting fevers and tonsilitis all the time and missing work for it; my managers aren’t happy with me. I’m in the middle of a PFAPA flare right now and have had to call in 2 days in a row, one of my tonsils is almost completely covered in white exudate, it’s disgusting.
I’m dreading this so much, I’ve never had surgery before. My whole life, I’ve had trouble with my poor appetite and struggled with maintaining a healthy weight. I saw a nutritionist for years, and all sorts of doctors, but I’ve mostly just learned to adapt to live with it. Marijuana helps more than anything else ever has, and has changed my life in that I can sometimes eat like a normal human being, but I know I won’t be able to smoke after surgery and I don’t live somewhere I can easily acquire/prepare edibles or a tincture. I’m already underweight right now, eating is going to be the worst part of this, for sure.
I also have a phobia of vomiting. It brings panic attacks and makes me incredibly anxious anytime I take any medication with stomach troubles listed as a side effect. I already take zofran for nausea way too often, even when I’m relatively healthy. I’m wondering if perhaps I could go somewhere daily to get an IV for pain meds rather than having to put my digestive system through the stress. Maybe this isn’t a possibility because the medicine needs to be taken more often or something, but I won’t take it if I can’t eat as it might make me puke, and I probably won’t be able to eat if I can’t get pain medicine in me somehow. :c I know with antibiotics in the past, I would sit at the table crying for an hour or more, trying to eat something, anything, so I could take the medicine without throwing up. I’ve had IV infusions of antibiotics before, which didn’t make me sick at all. Fingers crossed I can figure out a similar solution for this
Anyways, if anyone has been able to find a way to administer their pain medicine that eliminates nausea and vomiting, or if you continued to smoke (cigarettes or otherwise) post-op, I’d love to hear your experiences. Thanks for reading my wall of text. <3
I had a tonsilectomy on the 25th Oct 2017, so I’m on my 7th full day of recovery. I’m feeling alot better and can finally eat soft foods, but my past 6 days were horrendous. Day 1 was amazing, easily eat drink etc., Day 2 abit more sore but copeable, Day 3 was bad to the point I was barely able to eat and just about drink, Day 4 i was in agony unable to drink, Day 5 even worse but I had alot of bleeding and had to go to a&e where they found out I had an infection and blood vessel burst, spent a night and a day in hospital with loads of antibiotics and next day I felt so much better. I think the pain I have now is the normal pain but before I was in absolute agony, I would sometimes just sit and cry due to relentless pain. BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel! Now I’m just dealing with constipation from codeine (over a week with no bowel movements in uncomfortable!!!)
Also, the pain experienced was stinging, ‘constant acid dripping down’ throat, my jaw ached and my ears killed. I still have some slight jaw and ear pain but mostly gone and just usual sore throat.
GET YOU SOME MIRALAX AND PUT IT IN SOME GATORADE. TWO FULL DOSES TO 2 PARTS GATORADE, AND BELIEVE ME, U’LL GO.. I STARTED THE MIRALAX THE DAY AFTER MY TONSILLECTOMY, WHICH WAS THE 26TH. I STAYED ON TOP OF THE PAIN BY TAKING THE PAIN MEDS EVEN IF THE PAIN HADN’T STARTED. I AM ON DAY 8, DAYS 5-7 MY THROAT HURT PRETTY BAD AND I HAD TO STRETCH THE LAST LITTLE BIT OF PAIN MEDS THAT WERE GIVEN TO ME. I ALSO WENT TO WORK (I KNOW I SHOULDN’T HAVE) BUT I HAVE MY OWN OFFICE AND SIT AT A DESK. I HAVE FELT REALLY EXHAUSTED TODAY, AND AM GLAD ITS FRIDAY.. STILL SLEEPING PROPED UP AND WILL TIL NEXT THURSDAY PER DOCTORS ORDERS.. I AM GETTING BETTER BUT STILL EATING SOFT FOODS AND NOW LIQUID CHILDRENS TYLENOL IS MY FRIEND. 😉
I’m a 39 year old guy who had a tonsillectomy 4 weeks ago. I was on this forum before the op to read what other people had gone through and what advice was being offered, have to say it was a great comfort heading in for the op. The reason I wanted to post now was so that people know that not everyone goes through all the pain and suffering which was all i seemed to encounter on forums like these. I don’t know if I’m the exception to the rule or if people who have a pretty ok recovery just don’t post about their experiences.
Anyways the day of the operation went really quick, the surgery was completed with no problems. I woke up with some discomfort but the pain medications was still workng so all fine. Managed some tea and toast and while it was difficult to swallow it was more discomfort than anything else. The next few days were the same just eating toast as i didn’t have much of an appetite and the discomfort was there. By day 6 I was back eating normal food just struggling a little bit to swallow. From day 7 it was onwards and upwards with little or no pain.
All through this I was taking my pain medication in liquid format every 4 hours. Over the ten days I was taking the meds I never missed any at those four hour intervals. The only thing I haven’t been able to do until yesterday morning was yawn properly and what a relief it was when I did 🙂 Throughout my whole recovery my pain (on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being no pain at all) was never more than a 4.
I know every one is different and especially how people react to this kind of op is not going to be the same as my experience. I just wanted to let people know that they might be lucky and it won’t be as bad for them as it is for some people 🙂 Just my two cents.
What a great post! Thanks so much Alan. Glad you are well.
I think you hit it on the nail, never miss your pain dose! Take it even if you don’t have much pain, cause hello! that means it’s working. 🙂 Most pain I have felt was right after the surgery when I woke up my tongue was killing me. It literally felt like they had put it in a vice grip.. And now the pain is like a bad sore throat. Since I am out of the good pain meds. Tylenol is helping. Can’t wait to yawn either.. Hurts like crap to hold it in.
I’m going for my surgery on Friday December 1st 2017 and I’m beyond nervous of the pain and recovery. I’m also having a sepotplasty and sinus surgery. I wanted to thank you for sharing as everything I have read has been pain levels through the ruff and unbearable. After reading your experience I will be positive and be sure to take my medication and directed.
Can you tell me by chance what medication the doctor had you on for recovery?
He has given me Tylenol with Codeine 325 mg just curious to see what they gave you?