After tonsillectomy surgery, patients have plenty of unpleasant side effects to deal with. Swelling of the uvula, tongue, and throat are usually the first hurdle adults have to deal with post tonsillectomy. Swallowing and breathing can be difficult. This isn’t too surprising, especially considering all that the throat has been through. Icing and gargling with ice water can help reduce this swelling, as can a steroidal treatment. The next problem after tonsillectomy, usually a day or so post-op, is pain in the throat area. Again, no big surprise. Icing is also a good way to treat, as are narcotic pain killers and/or over the counter pain medications. Topical analgesics like throat sprays can also offer some relief.
What surprises many is a phenomena occurring several days into their tonsillectomy recovery- ear pain.
Post Tonsillectomy Ear Pain – Cause and Treatment
Cause
Literally thousands of patients sharing their experiences on this website have commented that their ears hurt after tonsillectomy. Ear pain after tonsillectomy is probably the second or third most common side effect that patients experience- second only to pain and swelling. But why does this happen? There was no scalpel or hot knife near the ears, so why should they feel like they’re being stabbed? The cause of ear pain post tonsillectomy starts at the throat and radiates to the ears. This is called a referred pain. Take a look at the attached diagram and note the lingual nerve. It’s directly connected to the ears and throat.
Treatments and Home Remedies
This referred pain can be quite severe. Often prescribed pain medications do not seem to relieve the ear pain that many experience after tonsillectomy. In addition to the pain medicines patients are taking, there are two home remedies that usually can provide some relief. The first of which is chewing gum. In light of the unpleasant side effect of have sugary residue in and around the throat, most tonsillectomy patients prefer a sugar -free gum. A mint flavor can also feel cooling. Exactly why chewing gum relieves ear pain is hard to say. Certainly activating the muscles around the ears and jaw may help, but more likely, like yawning, gum chewing releases pressure from the ear area.
The second remedy for ear pain after tonsillectomy is applying a heating pad or warm compress to the affected area. Again, the reason for its effectiveness is not entirely clear but most patients describe a relaxing comfort from applying a wet, warm towel or electric heating pad to the affected area. To reduce inflammation, alternate between warm and cold compresses.
-Greg My short bio
Have you found a trick for taking the edge off of ear pain, especially after tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy? Please share it in the comments section below. Thank you!
5 days post-op here. (21 years old) What’s weird is that I only have pain in my left side. My right side feels completely normal. I think I’m going to try the decongestants because I have a lot of phlegm for some reason and it’s such a pain to swallow and it’s so difficult to spit out. I was hesitant to mix any other medicine with the Norco (hydrocodone mixed with paracetamol) the doctor prescribed me, but it has done SQUAT for the burning pain in my ears and throat. The pain feels like it’s more between my nose and my ears. My mother told me to try the oil in the ear trick but I was paranoid of a nose/throat bleed because the nurse said that I couldn’t even take a hot shower, let alone allow something warm near my ear drum. Now that I see you guys have been experimenting with warm compresses, etc, I’m gonna give the oil trick a go. I guess I should grab some gum too. Thank you guys so much for these tips because eating has been limited to two Popsicles a day, if I can withstand the pain. Mostly, I’ll stop halfway through and try again later because it burns so terribly. I really hope it get better soon.
My 5 year old daughter is now 9 days post op and the ear pain is getting the best of her. For the throat pain, numbing suckers were great but now we are struggling on the ears with just Tylenol as she hates the way the hydrocodone makes her feel. Hang in there!
From a 10yr old’s Mom, thank you.
DO NOT GARGLE!!!!!!!!1! I REPEAT DO NOT GARGLE!!!!!! And aplying a cool ice pack to the back of your neck will relieve some of the pain.
I just discovered something. I’m having constant ear pain. Covering the ears really helps. I’ve never been a person to wear ear coverings, but it works. I’m wearing those that look like a headband. They make them for men, too. The fleece ones seem to be the best.
Dealing with post-tonsillectomy EAR PAIN!
Since this has been the worst pain and yet surprisingly easy to remedy for me, I thought I would share my experience, as my treatment has not been mentioned much on different forums I’ve researched. I hope this helps save some folks from the intense ear pain!
I suffered from intense shooting, stabbing ear pains for three years before having my tonsils removed. In hindsight, I wish I would have known about the referred ear pain, because I probably would have realized my ears were hurting due to my tonsils and their cryptic party friends!
On day 3/4 when the first twinge of pain released in my ears, I had a ceiling fan going in the living room. The breeze from it, combined with the pain for swallowing socked me so hard in the ear that I yelped and grabbed my ear! As a child, my mom always put “sweet oil” or mineral oil in our ears when they ached. So, in a desperate hurry, I found mineral oil and a dropper.
You can buy sweet oil at a pharmacy. I found I had to ask them for it and it was behind the counter. Or, you can use mineral oil found in the laxatives section, and I even read one post of using olive oil. The sweet oil comes in a bottle with a medicine dropper, so it is more convenient, however, I was desperate and had two pharmacy techs just give me medicine droppers for free to go with the mineral oil.
The key is you need the oil to be warm so it can soothe the tissue in the ear. DONT heat the oil– heat a small bowl of water and place the jar or small cup of oil down in the water to warm it. Get some cotton balls. Pull off a small piece that will fit in your ear and twist it kind of like a wick to fit down into your ear. Lean your head so you can drop the oil into the ear canal until you can hear/feel that it is full. Move your ear around to loosen any air bubbles. Hold your nose and swallow (if you can tolerate it) to release any excess air in your ear to allow the oil to settle. Push the cotton wick in until it soaks up and expands down in your ear. Cap it off with an additional larger piece of cotton to ward off breezes or air flow. Do this in both ears. When you need to add oil, simply take off the cap cotton, add more warm oil to the wick already in your ear, and the oil will follow it down into your ear! This is my mom’s way of describing what her doctor told her to do years ago during a terrible ear infection.
He reasoning is this, and it only makes sense: the ear tissue is irritated and dry, is being expanded and contracted by the swelling in the throat. When those irritated tissues move from swallowing, ear pressure, air flow, crying, etc., they rub against each other causing agony! Lubricating the tissues with the sweet oil allows them to not only be soothed, but to move freely against one another when you chew, swallow, etc. those nerve endings need relief too!
Of course, after a day or two and after showering, you’ll need to replace your wicks for new ones. But this has been the best thing for me. If I remove one just to listen for even a little while, the intense ear and throat pain returns In a few minutes, especially if the fan is on! This has even soothed the intense pain right after waking up when I sip a drink of too cold water!
I also applied heat packs to my ears and cold packs to my throat, but trust me when I tell you, the oil in my ears has made a HUGE DIFFERENCE! I have been able to eat well for the most part because when I chew, air bubbles aren’t moving in and out of my ears and the tissue isn’t rubbing on itself.
Please try and let me know if this works for you! I think this is a very valuable piece of information, as I have seen SO many people tormented by the ear pain, especially when the scabs start coming off! I welcome any questions, as I am only on day 9 of recovery and still can’t sleep well. I find reading and posting and sharing with others going through this ordeal is more helpful than watching mindless tv all day!
Questions, comments, I am willing to help anyone after how bad I know my ears have felt! Angel
Look at an anatomy book! Placing oil in the ear will not “lubricate anything that would be “rubbing together”! There is a reason this was an OLD home remedy!modern medicine has seen many harmful results from the old warm oil in the ear! It is a breeding ground for bacteria! Especially with a wick that is left in place for days!!! OMG!
I know the pain is severe. I gave my daughter a set of earplugs. Think thatt will ease it some.
I was wondering when I would read about someone using sweet oil! My grandpa is the one who told me to do it and lord already I see a huge difference!!