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
I’m 39 and now scared to go see the ENT. I have been fighting strep throat for over a week and am starting my third antibiotic class. My tonsils are so swollen my primary care physician has no clue how I’m able to breathe or swallow. She told me there is an 80% chance my tonsils are coming out. I have crevices on my tonsils and my Uvula is on one side and not close to the middle. Is getting them removed a good idea?
Hi Debbie, sorry you’re having such a rough time. ugh! Whether getting those nasty things out is a good idea or not is hard for me to say. I’d trust the opinion of my ENT. You could get a second opinion if you’re not convinced. I used to have strep a few times a year, and every time I’d get a cold or other virus, I’d always end up with tonsillitis. These days, without tonsils, I hardly ever get sick. I also don’t snore like I used to. For me, it was a great decision.
I wish you the very best,
Today is day one. I feel awful, I woke up with fat lips, bruised inside of mouth, cuts and scratches etc on my upper lip and chin and it looks like I bit my tongue. I’m 42 and well I’ve had 4 children and would have a 5th over this any day. I usually have huge pain tolerance but I’m not tolerating this at all. I cant sleep because I cant breath and I’m constantly sucking ice. I cant people how all the people I know think its a piece of cake.. ITS NOT! On the bright side, reading all the other peoples posts are definitely helping make me feel sane. Its 1:12 am and I’m hoping to get an hour or two of sleep. Holy cow… Someone please invent laser surgery for this, or something where others dont have to suffer.
I hope you begin to feel better soon. I can’t offer any advice as I’m only having my op on Thursday……. starting to get worried now! Wishing you a speedy recovery xxx
Thank you Kathryn. I cant say I feel any better but I am trying everything possible. I wish you luck and a speedy recovery. No pain no gain right?
Laurel, I am also 42 and had my tonsillectomy on June 20. There were some days there in the middle that were rather rough, but starting around day 7/8 I began to feel progress each day. I’m now on day 13, and while my throat is still sore, I feel as if I am otherwise totally back to normal. I returned to work yesterday. I still have scabs where my tonsils used to be, so I assume that’s why I still have throat pain, but it’s very tolerable – I am taking Tylenol twice a day and occasionally sucking on a lozenge, but that’s it. You can do it – just do what you need to do to get through each day and don’t worry about the next one (though I did like to “read ahead” on this site each day and see what the next day might have in store so that I wasn’t surprised). Good luck!!!
Thank you Sarah. I ended up in emergency at about 230 am.. I could barely breath and couldn’t swallow. Thank his i went in, there was an amazing young doc that hooked me up on IV and gave me a steroid to stop the swelling, morphine and anti nausea meds. I Feel so much better, they saidy airways were restricted from the swelling. It definitely has helped with everyone’s posts. Thanks to Greg for this site as well. Sounds like you are well on your way to recovery Sarah.. I know I’m only day 3 but each day counts.
Hi Laurel. I am just curious how things went for you after the hospital visit and days 3-10? I am on day 3 now and have been fairly ok as long as I stay on my meds. I hope things got better for you.
I had surgery a month ago today. I think all the scabs have fallen off, but I am experiencing a terrible taste in my mouth. Have any of you had the same issue? What can I do to get rid of it?
I cut my pain med cold Turkey and the side effect was constint yawning. That aside from the grueling regular post op pain I had to deal with the yawning pain another week or so
I am a 71-year-old female, on day 13 postop, and this is the worst surgery I’ve ever had. Pain has been wretched, and couldn’t drink fluids at all – am sill having difficulty with fluids…..stayed in hosp. for 3 days after surgery and had IVs, which prolly saved my life – am still on pain meds and cannot talk very long cos makes my throat hurt. Take your pain meds on time to keep pain under control as much as possible. Absolutely sleep in a recliner 2-3 hours at a time and then take pain meds so you keep it managed and as pain free as possible. Divert your mind with TV or reading or whatever cam pursuit you can think of to keep from thinking about the pain. Do keep your pain managed and don’t think to put off taking pain meds, you’ll just regret it when you’re hurting. SUGGESTION: Ask your anesthesiologist to use the smallest intubation tube possible so as not to stretch out your vocal cords. That will help reduce throat swelling and pain. Start talking as soon as you can – I started talking right out of recovery (and the sound got really BAD) and today my voice sounds just like it did before surgery. Can’t sing yet – but that’ll come as my throat recovers and my voice grows stronger -right now it’s weak and soft. But I have a voice! Good luck to you and take all steps for your comfort and have somebody stay with you as you recover, at least until you can get around by yourself.