Depression After Tonsillectomy
One challenge that many tonsillectomy patients don’t anticipate is depression after surgery. Even people with the sunniest of dispositions may find themselves in a dark place after enduring the hardships of surgery and its recovery. **Before discussing the topic of depression after surgery any further, let me say that if you are under a doctor’s care for depression before surgery, be sure to work with them to plan treatment after surgery.
Tonsillectomy Recovery- Day 17: Why don’t I feel better?
Tonsillectomy surgery, like almost any other surgery, requires more of your body than normal. The healing process takes energy. After tonsillectomy, eating and sleeping become difficult. This makes the healing process more of a strain. I have tips for both eating and sleeping on other pages. For now I’d like to address the almost inevitable event of depression after surgery.
Two weeks of battling pain, not getting enough sleep, taking narcotic pain medicine, and being removed from your normal social interaction can have a profound effect on your mental state. Being prepared for depression after surgery can help you feel better.
Doing your best to stay nourished, get sleep, and stay ahead of pain will all help. I further recommend planning some simple daily activities like a short walk outside, a relaxing bath, a daily television show. These simple activities can get your mind off the discomfort, give you something to look forward to, and give normalcy to an otherwise abnormal time.
Another trick to beating depression after surgery is to record your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Oddly, this seems to release the struggles a bit. I also suggest participating in the online forums and offering others support. As I’ve often said, when you shine a light for others, you also light your own path.
Finally, let people in. Family, friends, health professionals, even co workers have more compassion than you may realize. Let people help. Ask for help in advance- before you have surgery. I personally would be delighted if a friend asked me to run out for Popsicle’s or chewing gum because they’d run out during their tonsillectomy recovery. Help others to help you. You’ll both benefit.
Finally, try to remember that this is temporary. How you are feeling in the midst of your recovery is not how you’ll always feel. Try to imagine the better life you’ll have without the problems the surgery will have corrected. Again, you can read of success stories in my book and on the forum.
Take care,
Greg
i had my toncils out september 2012 and my taste isnt back yet every time i eat or drink i fill sick when is it goingto come back its getting me down
Hi, thank you Greg, this made me feel a bit better…
I’m 16 and I had tonsillectomy a week ago. I’ve had to stay home since then, and I’ve got one more week to go. It kills me that I can’t go to school and see my friends. My parents don’t fully understand how I feel, I can’t eat nearly anything and I’ve had enough of the narcotic painkillers prescribed for me. I just feel really depressed, being isolated from everything, and like that’s not enough I’ve developed this ridiculous fear that everyone will forget me while I’m healing up at home. I just can’t help it…but like I said, it made me feel better to read that I’m not alone in this.
Alex
Hi Alex. Yeah, hang in there. This really is temporary. It feels like a long dark tunnel, but the other side of it is WAY better than the side you came in on! Try doing short little outings- even a walk around the block can help you feel more normal. Take care!
Aside from being miserable from being in pain, lack of sleep, food and drink, I have suffered from depression from the lack of social interaction. I don’t have lots of close friends and am not out all the time, but I do see my friends regularly and my job is very customer focused so there is a lot of interaction with others. I missed being physically able to talk and sing. Then I missed being able to have visitors because I was scared of having another post op bleed. I was not on medication for very long and experienced no withdrawals at all. I have never had depression before and like others have said I consider myself a naturally bubbly person. I went to the doctor for a check up 3 weeks post op and unexpectedly broke down. I believe I was suffering from post traumatic stress having been taken to A&E in an ambulance in the middle of the night to have emergency surgery to stop a bleed. I am now 4 weeks post op and have been doing some gentle exercise and meeting friends and starting to feel much more positive and less tearful. Really feel for everyone who went through the operation and experienced the same. I had no warning of this and didn’t know how to cope.
I am 20 yrs old and have suffered from anxiety and depression in the past. I am medicated but stopped taking clonazapam for a few months because I was doing really well. Yesterday, day 15 post-op tonsillectomy, a few family members and my boyfriend were over. I was able to wade around the pool but I started feeling sick so I had to lay inside. I am menstruating at the moment with is making me feel awful. I stopped taking my hydrocodon that day. Around five o’clock, I broke down to my boyfriend and spiraled. I started crying nonstop like episodes I’ve had in the past. My panic was exasperated because I started having flashbacks of horrible crying bouts for hours and days and horrible times in my life. I am making myself feel worse by thinking about my old feelings and being terrified I won’t be able to control them. I called my doctor today and picked up a prescription for my clonazapam. Hopefully, this will take the edge off and calm my nerves. Does anyone have any advice? I am afraid I’m going to have to go through what I used to when I had trouble in the past. Will it pass? I just wanna know if I’m the only one feeling like this.
-Casey
I’m 19 male, recovery day 9 I just feel miserable and depressed. I’m really lonely I hate being stuck inside I just feel like crap mentally. I don’t care about the pain or anything.