I just wanted to share my tonsillectomy story, because like other I did A LOT of reading before and after my surgery which had me assuming the worst would happen and I would like to shed some light to some readers.
I am a 22 year old female. My surgery was on July 31, 2018. I return to college in two weeks so i was really hoping for a speedy recovery. My surgery went well, but because I had an excessive amount of bleeding during my surgery I had to stay over night. I didn’t get much sleep because if I didn’t keep on my pain medications I would regret it. So I would take about 20 min naps here and there. Fast forward to morning.
Day 1 after surgery: I was discharged from the hospital around noon. Everything seemed fine, I even managed to eat two puddings this morning for breakfast. I was prescribed liquid lortab to take home. This day was uneventful, I napped a lot and watched a lot of movies. I ate a mac and cheese for dinner. Overall pain level 8-9/10
Day 2: this was the worst day of my recovery. I woke up around 5 in the morning feeling very very nauseous. I drank some water and took some medication because I was due and fell back asleep for a little longer. Fast forward to noon and that is when it all began. I started to vomit what little food I had in my stomach and the feeling of being nauseous never went away. I vomited about 5-6 more time through out the day. I had a family member call the hospital because my tongue and throat were so swollen I couldn’t speak. My salvia was so thick I couldn’t swallow it I had to spit it out. No matter how much water I drank it would come up causing my to be dehydrated. I felt like I was going to faint. My surgeon advised me to go to the emergency room. I was admitted and they gave me nausea medicine, steroids and more lortab and a few doses of morphine. They kept me over night again to make sure I was okay. Overall pain level for this day was a 10/10
Day 3: I was discharged from the hospital and they prescribed me some nausea medicine to take home. My doctor said the nauseas could’ve been caused from not eating and taking the medication. I managed to eat 2 pieces of French toast and a small piece of sausage for breakfast. Over all this day was pretty uneventful, I stopped taking my liquid lortab in fear that it would make me sick again. I stuck to taking only Tylenol every 3 hours. I would set alarms during the night to wake up and drink water and take medication. Overall pain was a 6/10
Day 4: another uneventful day. I didn’t eat much on this day because the taste in my mouth was so awful. Anything I ate tasted rotten. I managed to eat a couple applesauce’s and half a mac and cheese cup this day. my tongue was still very swollen and my jaw was in a lot of pain. But the worst part about this day was the taste in my mouth I could not get rid of. I kept up with my meds and drank a lot of water and took a lot of naps. Overall pain 6/10
Day 5: very similar to day 4.
Day 6: pain is slowly but surely decreasing. I only feel pain when I eat. I am experiencing a lot of ear pain. But it is manageable. Drinking a lot of fluids and I managed to eat a small piece of steak and mashed potatoes.
Day 7: the awful taste from my mouth is finally starting to go away. My tongue swelling is going down and im eating better. My jaw pain is also at a minimum. Im eating as much solid foods as I can. Eggs and toast, mac and cheese, deli meats. Whatever protein and nutrients I can. Overall im feeling pretty good besides the discomfort of eating. Overall pain 2/10
Day 8: im feeling great. I don’t have to take Tylenol every 3-4 hours. Im eating solid foods again as much as I can tolerate. I finally felt good enough to walk about the house and do things. Pain level 1/10
Day 9: last night I got my first night of sleep without waking up from pain and having to drink water or take medication. I ate breakfast with little to no discomfort. Im feeling better and better everyday. I think I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
TIPS
- DRINK DRINK DRINK I drank nothing but water. I had probably about 8-10 bottles of water a day.
- EAT I know its hard but I think eating really helped speed up my recovery. Eating steak, chicken, turkey ect whenever you can. dont take medications on an empty stomach.
- SET ALARMS that way if and when you fall asleep you’re not missing doses of medication and not letting your mouth dry out. You’ll be tired but you wont wake up the next morning in agony
- OCCUPY yourself. Find movies and books you’ve always wanted to watch, youll have plenty of free time.
- HYGIENE I couldn’t open my mouth wide enough the first two days to brush my teeth but once I finally could I brushed them after every meal.
- SALT WATER once I hit my one week mark I started doing warm salt water rinses, this helps with bad taste and bacteria, I also did this after every meal.
- BE OPTOMISTIC I know it sucks and it seems like a very long and hard journey, and it is but you will get through it!! It is a marathon not a race.
- BUY a humidifier and ice packs, they will be your best friend.
good luck to anyone reading this during their recovery you got this!!