Pain after tonsillectomy is inevitable. Tips for easier tonsillectomy recovery from patients who have been through it. What to eat, dealing with scabs and bleeding, managing pain, and shortening recovery time.
Tonsillectomy and its subsequent recovery is no picnic, especially for an adult. Welcome to Tonsillectomy Recovery Resources. Whether you’re considering, planning, or recovering from the procedure, you’ll find all the information you will need to make the best decision about tonsil surgery. You’ll also learn how to get the best care after tonsillectomy. I’ll also help you prepare for your tonsillectomy by laying out simple steps that will make the day of surgery easier and help you to be more comfortable as you recover.
Together we are stronger. Share your experience. Read about why I got my tonsils out and what I learned
Top 10 Tonsillectomy Recovery Tips
Though I’ve added to the initial 10, these are my top tips for anyone preparing for, or recovering from tonsillectomy surgery:
- Drink cold fluids
- Continue to drink cold fluids
- Drink more cold fluids! This is perhaps the single most important tip to make life easier while speeding up your recovery period.
- Get a good cool air humidifier and run it all the time in the room you’re in. Consider having more than one for the primary rooms you’ll be spending time in. To monitor humidity levels pick up one of these. Enter the code: TONSIL for a 25% discount! Humidity Station
- Don’t worry about sleep. Forget the normal time convention. Sleep for short intervals, preferably in a recliner. Sleep can be your worst enemy. Sleeping a few hours in a bed usually results in a dry throat that hurts like crazy. It can take almost an hour to get the pain back under control.
- Keep a written log of your medications as you take them. It’s easy to forget what you’ve taken and when. If you would have problems that require help from the doctor, it can come in handy.
- Read about others’ experiences and share your own. (Check out the tonsillectomy forum)
- Plan ahead! Stock up on items you’ll need ahead of time.
- Take something with your pain medicine. Carnation Instant Breakfast or Ensure will at least provide a base in your stomach and reduce nausea.
- Drink ice cold liquids!
A few bonus tips- read on>>>>
A few bonus tips for a better recovery:
- Plan some minor events. Even a simple event like a walk or a bath can take your mind off the discomfort and help your mindset during tonsillectomy recovery
- Chew sugarless gum. When pain gets referred to the ears, and it often does, chewing gum can ease the ear pain. It also keeps the swallowing process active, which many believe aids in tonsillectomy recovery. A warm compress on the area can also relieve ear pain.
- Ice! Whether it’s a high-tech ice bag or a bag of frozen peas, applying ice directly to the throat and neck is a great way to reduce inflammation and take the edge off of break-through pain. (thanks Kate!)
- Those are my top tonsillectomy tips. For a detailed daily checklist, check out my upcoming book.
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 General Store.
Some Extra Tips – After Tonsils are Removed:
- It’s REALLY important that you drink. I know it’s almost impossible at times, but you must. A trick I used was to use Cloraseptic (sp?) numbing spray. (There’s also a lollipop your doc or pharmacist might know of)- to numb the throat a bit. Then I’d take the medicine. Once the meds kicked in (1/2 hour?), then I’d try to eat. My favorite foods at first were Jell-o and creamed soups. (sweet potato or broccoli by V-8 were good)
- You must keep drinking. It helps your throat heal and keeps you hydrated. One reader, a nurse, said she went to an emergency room and demanded IV fluids. Wow! Maybe not such a bad idea!
About the author
My name is Greg Tooke and I’m a tonsillectomy patient myself. For most of my life I lived with huge tonsils with craters that the Ear Nose and Throat doctor called, “cryptic.” I got tonsillitis and strep throat several times every year. I snored at night and woke suddenly, catching my breath. Like many people, I had sleep apnea and didn’t even know it. Speaking of breath, tonsil stones were making my breath smell awful at times. I’d heard horror stories about adult tonsillectomy , tonsils that grow back, bleeding, excruciating pain, and even death. I was afraid.
Finally, with the advice of my doctor and a resolve to improve the quality of my life, I scheduled my tonsillectomy for the day after Thanksgiving. (a last meal??) You can read all about my tonsillectomy story in the pages that follow.
Greg
My 16 yr old daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed 2 days ago. She was on roxicet but vomited 4 times in 24 hours. The on call doctor has switched her to rotating acetaminophen and ibuprophen which does not seem very effective on pain. However my question is about her increasing coughing. I have not seen much about that and I am wondering if she has a cold as well. Has anyone had coughing as part of their experience?
Hi Jules- there are anti nausea med’s that might make the pain meds more tolerable, or if she can get a little food in her stomach before taking them…The coughing- yes I do hear of it. I hate to say it but I usually hear about it after it has caused bleeding. I’d talk with her doctor about giving her something to suppress it
I’m going on day 3 and my situation is not as bad as what I have been reading from you guys. Maybe I’m lucky or it just hasn’t gotten there yet. To me it feels like a bad case of strep throat. Mine is complicated by also having my sinus cavities scraped during the same surgery. That has my nose swollen and stuffy and I have to breathe through my mouth. Yes drinking cold water and drinks helps more than anything except pain medicine. Getting the antibiotics down hasn’t been too bad but it’s bitter. I tried eating mashed potatoes last night but that was too difficult to swallow. I think I’m going to slow down on getting real food for now. Good luck to you guys and I’ll keep reading to get more information and advice.
I’m on day 12 and I am just wondering when the uvula will go back to normal size? That is what is bothering the most on this day. Its starting to get frustrating. The pain now is like when I had tonsillitis. Just tired of having pain. The pain has been the worse before bed and when I wake up. Yawning is the absolutely worse. Its getting better but I’m tired of the long process. Will I ever be able to eat things like chips and crackers? At this point, it doesn’t ever seem possible. I really hoping to be much better by next monday when I go to my post-op appointment.
I’m currently on Day 15 and my uvula is back to normal now. I think it was back to normal a day or so ago so you shouldn’t have much longer to wait. I found the swollen uvula the most uncomfortable part of the whole experience. It made everything much harder. I am now back to eating solid food.
I had my post-op appointment today and my doctor says I still have swelling and I need to stay on a soft food diet for another 10 days. But other then that he says I’m fine and don’t need to go back to him unless I have an issue. He is giving me 3 months to monitor my sinus issues. If they are constant then I’m to make an appointment so he can further investigate my issue. And in the future if I have any problems with my with snoring again, a cold, headaches, and intense pain I am to go to him instead of my regular doctor. I really like my doctor. He kept apologizing for me being in pain. I am still taking my pain meds which he said was fine. I’m only taking them 3 times a day which he is fine with. Other than that I am good. My doctor did say that it could take another 6 weeks for my throat to be back to normal. I’m just happy the pain is manageable and he thinks I am doing well. I can see the end of this rough recovery.
Im 19, I’m on day 6, and the pain in my ears is quite unbearable. I spent day 2,3 and 4, crying to my mother in law. I have lost 6 kilos since the surgery and have little appetite anymore. But I have been trying to start eating solid foods and slowly get up there. Ive been on mash potato, jelly, not trying to eat icecream, custard, yoghurt etc. everything is such a struggle, my throat is so swollen! I’ve been taking my medication with a spoonful of jelly, I’m on amoxicillin so the tablets are quite big. I get dizzy when I stand up for too long and get very light headed. I’ve been drink on different kinds of stuff. Gatorade or powerade helps! It hydrates and you and gives you electrolytes! Berocca has also been helping. And I have also tried a bottle of mixed water and apple juice (you’re still being hydrated and getting sugar into you!)
I also had bad ear pain it was excruciating worse then the throat. I applied hot packs for days just to soothe it but it does go away!!!!! I promise
Its Day 7, If I could use an analogy as to a bruised area, I could rate the pain factor as to the swelling and discoloration. Its some pain eh!!, Scaling up after a couple days as you come away off your anesthetic. Take further medication [non blood thinning], sleep in short bursts if possible. Your throat is usually dry after a nights sleep. That caused enough referred pain to bring on a headache earache and jaw ache whilst your gagging often and still trying to swallow easier. Drink fluids for this. I was advised to eat a range of food, some coarser in texture [hence problematic], and asked to bear with it. The reason was to regularly scrape a forming scab off the area to stop a increased chance of a larger bleed. Also, to cause the healing area to form a finer healing and to scrape away infection. Drink lots of fluids for this also. It flushes and lubricates. Your bowels become irregular from the anesthetic, your pain management and an altered diet, Just drink drink drink! Get regular, and if the bowel movement is easier, there’s less pain than a strain, As of today [day 7], I feel some settling of the throat, Try not to cough, sneeze, yawn or laugh. These things do sharply hurt. The recovery is a process. I really don’t want my tonsils to grow back. I wonder if someone has gone through this twice?
Greg. I am on day 7 and have been trying to eat different things but too afraid of the pain. What do you mean when you say “coaser” foods? Do you mean crackers and toast or something inbetween that and jello. Please advised. Thank you.