Tonsillectomy Recovery Time
After a lifetime of tonsillitis, it was time. I made the appointment. Was I scared? Yes. Was I prepared for tonsillectomy recovery? NO. Can you be? YES!
Planning for and recovering from a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy procedure, (often referred to as T & A Surgery), can be daunting experiences. The days leading up to your surgery can be frightening. If you haven’t read up yet, you can find information on tonsillectomy methods, risks, costs, adult tonsillectomy, sleep apnea, and numerous tips for tonsillectomy recovery on the other pages of this site. I’ve even added pictures of a post tonsillectomy throat by each day. Study, talk with your doctor and consult with your friends about the decision to undergo tonsillectomy and adenoid surgery. Explore the pages created here to aid in your journey.
If you should decide to have tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, let us help you through the entire process. Whether due to problems with sleep apnea, chronic tonsillitis and strep throat, tonsil stones, trouble swallowing, or a combination thereof, you can benefit from the experience of others. My own experience taught me that, as patients, we need to advocate for ourselves. Ear, nose, and throat doctors are, by and large, extremely talented individuals. However, very few of them have experienced an adult tonsillectomy, and the subsequent recovery. I have. Many others have too. We share our experiences here at the adult tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy recovery resource center. As you’ll read in the tonsillectomy recovery forum, everyone’s experience is unique. There are many factors that influence the level of pain you experience, as well as the length of time required during recovery. The method, and skill of your surgeon can have an affect, but there are also many things within your control that will reduce pain and recovery time. I’ve tried to include as many helpful tips as possible within the pages of this online resource. Tonsillectomy recovery can be pretty rough, especially if you are unlucky enough to be an adult! It takes longer for an adult to recover from most things. Tonsillectomy is no exception. There are many things you can do to make it go more smoothly. I’ve published numerous tips here on various pages. I encourage you to read up BEFORE you are in the throws of tonsillectomy recovery.
Talk with your doctor, friends, family, and work as you prepare. You are not alone in this. Like you and like me, many others are facing or have faced a tonsillectomy recovery. I created this forum for you. The community of adults or parents of patients will amaze you and warm your heart. I read these comments every day and every day I am humbled by everyone’s story and their compassion for others in the midst of recovery, or the anxiety that often precedes a tonsillectomy. Please join in. Hundreds of other people, perhaps in your same situation, have shared their wisdom, concerns, tips, and questions about tonsillectomy, as well as their tonsillectomy recovery.
-Greg My short bio
Beth, I am speechless! Thank you for those kind words.
Holly, I was able to talk the entire time. You’ll be fine. Yes, set your alarm during the night to sip water and take meds. Not sure if your Doc will let you take ibuprofen or not. If so, then take it in between your pain meds so you are then taking something every 2 hours.
Susan, I’m 47 and had a great recovery. You just have to do all of the things you’re supposed to do. Do not sleep for 8 hours straight. Ice your neck, sleep with a humidifier 24/7, drink water all day and night, do not let the scabs dry out, blah, blah, blah. I’m sure you’ve read enough on here to know what to do. I was prepared for the worst but had the best experience possible.
Good Luck Holly & Susan!
Deide, I took a 400 mg dose of Advil today a few hours ago. I also took one yesterday too. It does help some and I may take another before going to bed. I feel badly since my doctor said no ibuprofen but Tylenol is useless for me and I am just looking for a little relief!!
Thanks for being in this board and being such a great resource, support and encouragement to me and everyone else. You’ve been great Deide and I’ve been so thankful! 🙂
Good Luck Susan! I am going Thursday too. We can be tonsil buddies. I am 40 years old.
Just went for my ekg and blood work this morning. It’s getting so close now.
I need to clean my vaperizor, buy some popsicles and jello and change my sheets on my bed.
My 6 yr old told me last night that he can’t wait for me to have my tonsils out because I won’t be able to yell at him. 🙁
It will be so hard to keep my mouth shut.
Beth You are a great example to us that all all scared. Off the pain meds by day 5 is it? Or was it day 4? You are a strong woman. Did you set your alarm for every 4 hrs the first couple nights? I struggle with that one since I am not one to fall asleep easily.
I am 53 years old and going in for a tonsillectomy on Thursday. I am so nervous because everyone else seems to be younger than I. I am reading all the comments and hoping for a fast recovery. Wish me luck!
Susan, I’m 45 and there ARE others on you as old if not older than you. If you go to the regular Tonsillectomy Recovery Forum there are tons of posts (this is Greg’s Story forum).
Deide, Becky, Marla and Trish have been my inspiration, guidance and support.
Yes, I stopped the Percocet two days ago but only because of the constipation issue. If it wasn’t for that, I’d be drinking that stuff like a sailor on leave! And I can say that because my husband was in the Navy 20 years ago! Laugh!
Everything Deide said is spot on. But you need to tailor it to your own situation. For me, I woke up every 2-3 hours and because I never mouth-breathed, my mouth did not get dry. I tried the vaporizer but for me it didn’t help much because I have super high ceilings in my house. I felt like I would have needed 10 vaporizers in the room to feel the difference. That being said, you should definitely use/try one because it’s been a life saver for many on here.
Like Deide, I’ve been able to talk from the get go. I’ve been able to shower and get cleaned up every day, do some laundry here and there, make my own foods and get my own water, ice packs, etc. The first few days I was in and out of sleep because of the Percocet haze but it felt good and was necessary.
I am no hero with the meds issue. I just decided if it was a choice between having pain and having my bowels locked up indefinitely I was choosing my bowels! Laugh! BTW and sorry if TMI, but I finally had a tiny BM this morning. 🙂
Susan, you’ll do fine. Just listen to all the advice of those who’ve been there on this forum (like I said go to the other page and there are tons of posts). Becky and Deide had so much good advice. If hadn’t read all this I would never be prepared for this second phase of healing I’m going through and it would have taken me by surprise. I’ve said this before, but just KNOWING what you’re in for and knowing what exactly to expect takes so much fear out of the process. You won’t be blind sided and that’s a huge plus.
I am thinking of both you and Holly and hope you have very uneventful, smooth sailing surgeries! 🙂
Hi Holly and everyone reading, I hope you are all doing well. It’s day 7 for me and I think I might have hit a little bump in the road.
Yesterday I felt really tired and my body finally followed doctor’s orders and slept for awhile. Wow, that felt awesome! Of course, I felt guilty because my poor hubby was picking up the slack and he’s perpetually tired too (works two jobs and now is getting a taste of the at-home lifestyle). Luckily, for me he took this time off from both jobs and a funny little thing happened the second day in. I walked in from a little nap and he’s trying to get the girls in their pajamas and he looks at me and says “I want to go back to work… I don’t know how you do this all the time!” I love him dearly and as he’s been home a few more days, he’s gotten into a rhythm of sorts and keeps telling me to get all the rest I can before he has to go back to work. And I think to myself … he’s right, maybe I’ve been trying to do too much. After all I am recovering from surgery, and like Kerry from an earlier post said “…this might be the only chance you get to do nothing ever again.”
So, I had my sister bring me a pile of books, I flipped on Netflix and I still found myself making lunch today and folding laundry … what the heck? Glutton for punishment I guess 🙂 But for real, the pain in my throat has increased a little, yet it’s still not unbearable. What’s bugging me more is the feeling of I’m assuming what must be the scabs on my throat. I still cannot bring myself to look at it big baby that I am. Every time I swallow, I feel something in the back of my throat and I’m really trying to avoid thinking about it because ya know the more you focus on it, the more you’ll feel it… maybe I’m just being obsessive-compulsive about it, but man does it feel nasty. Anyone else out there feeling this too? How do or did you deal with the feeling of these things hanging out while you drink water or eat food?
Other than that minor complaint, all is going well. Still want that hamburger I made the other day, but I’m making due with mac n cheese, protein shakes and jello when my littlest girl isn’t using her adorable big eyes and bright smile to steal it away from me! Oh, Holly, your kids will want to be your nurses when you first get home and take care of you, but by your 7th day, they may be trying to convince you that you’re fine and “your throat doesn’t hurt anymore mommy, right?” and that you want to take them outside and … And you’ll just nod and say “yes, baby, you’re right” because it’s easier than explaining for the 200th time that mommy had surgery and you’re still healing and that’s why you can’t pick her up when she’s having a tantrum and … you get the drift 😉
Take care and take your stool softeners! 🙂