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
Ok y’all so today I am on day 11 post-op and I think the scabs are starting to come off because it kinda feel like a pulling back there but still very painful to eat. We went to get some Cuban food the other day and I only ate rice and rice pudding for dessert. I have to admit it was pretty yummy. Everything else I had to spit out because it hurt before I could even get close to swallowing. Water seems to be the only thing soothing to me. I am usually a diet coke fanatic and can’t drink it. I looked in my throat today and more pink is starting to appear and less white. I hope that is a sign of healing and not overduing it forcing soft foods. I have lost 15 lbs which couldn’t have come at better time seeing how I am going to the beach next week 🙂 I just really want all this stinging and ear pain to go away. I know I’m on the downhill slide.
I really need some advice! 🙁 I’m a 29 year old from Australia who has little girl who is turning 3 in a couple of months. After basically taking antibiotics every 2-3 weeks for the last 10 months due to getting sick (mainly it was tonsillitis) I finally decided enough was enough and asked my GP to refer me to an ENT specialist. As far back as I can remember, I have been sick far too frequently to the point where I have been let go from two jobs. Plus, I hate not being able to look after my daughter every couple of weeks. It’s depressing! I think my poor husband is exhausted too. The ENT specialist told me I had chronic tonsillitis, and the only way to stop getting sick so frequently is to have a tonsillectomy. But after reading and hearing so many horror stories, I don’t know if I can handle it. I hate pain! Also, I feel really nauseous and terrible on pain killers (codeine, morphine, endone) even when I’ve eaten a whole meal beforehand. My stomach just doesn’t tolerate them well. So how am I going to minimize pain while not feeling dreadful and most likely vomiting from pain killers? Which tonsillectomy method is more effective in terms of reducing recovery time and pain? Any advice I would really appreciate at the moment. I feel like I’m stuck in a no win situation. I don’t want to stay like this, and I don’t want a traumatizing and excruciating tonsillectomy experience… Please help 🙁
I am 32, have 3 kids, youngest is 2! and had my operation on August 8th. I’m glad I didn’t read this site before my op or I may have chickened out! This op is not fun, and recovery is very painful. The pain meds made me nauseated, so I switched to ibuprofen instead. I am glad I got it done though, as I was sick all the time. Definitely make sure you have help with your kids, especially the first week. Also, if you can’t get anything else down, drink water as much as possible. Even today, my post op day 9, water is the best thing for my throat. Good luck, and remember that it will get better, and be worth it in the end!
I was warned to not use ibuprophen theoretically for the first 2 weeks. My surgeon cleared me for it on day nine over the phone. Ibuprophen does not pose as much of a bleeding risk as aspirin but it still does pose a bleeding risk. I would check with your doctor before using it. I used tylenol as my pain meds after the main pain killer.
-Matt F.
Hang in there Diana! I too, suffered from chronic strep throat and tonsillitis. It started when I was three years old and I never understood why my pediatrician never referred me to an ENT specialist. As an adult, strep throat would knock me down for several days and I’m a nurse so I’m constantly exsposed. Plus, I’m one of the unlucky souls who had mono twice. I’m 25, have a 4 and 2 year old and had my surgery 11 days ago. It’s not easy but it’s worth not exposing my kids and patients to strep. The pain to me felt like having a severe sore throat. But if you stay hydrating and drink lots of water and stay ahead of the pain you will be fine. I had to be given nausea meds with my liquid lortab because it made me vomit all the first day. They have nausea meds available and they will also help you get some rest. Like I said, the surgery itself is not bad and even the first few days after. For me, it was days 4-7 when your throat really scabs and your ears become sore but if you rest, stay ahead of the pain, and eat soft foods and use a humidifier..it is tolerable and if you never get tonsillitis again, then it’s worth it for you and your family. I went and stayed with my mom the first days of recovery and my mother in law came and helped my husband with the kids. Hope this helps 🙂
Hello Diana, after suffering for a few years with numerous throat infections I opted to have a Tonsillectomy..I didnt read about it before I had the op, nor did I ask anybody about it, the reasons for this is because I didnt want anybody to put me off by what I read or by what I was told..I have posted a comment on this website and reading back on it it does sound pretty awful and to be truthful thats because I found the whole experience terrible..The pain was unbearable and it makes it worse because the mouth is the one part of your body that you cant rest and simple things like eating and drinking were a nightmare..I am now on day 4 after my op and I am still very sore but am finding eating and talking more bearable..The pain killers the hospital gave me are great and the amount of cold fluids I drink really does sooth the pain..This is probably all sounding drastic to you and Im sorry for the horrific detail, however I want you to go into the hospital knowing the truth rather than people tell you it was a walk in the park etc..for some people it might be an ok experience and will suffer very little pain, you might be the lucky few who experiences this and I hope you are hun but my advice to you would be have it done, im starting to feel a bit better after only 4 days so it only gets better from here and if it means no more throat infections then I dont regret having it done..Youve just gotta keep ontop of your pain killers and drink plenty of cold water..eat what you can, even though I found this very difficult, it does make sense to remove all the gunk off the back of your throat, the sooner that goes the quicker your recovery.. i hope I havnt scared you, I just like to be honest and give people my opinion of how I felt..this doesnt mean everybody will feel the same as me..Im hopefully over the worse now and fingers crossed you will only be in discomfort for a few days like me..Good luck hun and let me know how you get on..Take care..Fay x
Hi Diana I am 34 and have had my op on the 3 of August 2012. I ended up having them out as I have not been well for the last 6 month and ended up on antibiotics every few weeks, just like u have been for a long time. When I woke up from my op the only pain I had was earache. It does depend from person to person on where the pain will be. But it looks like earache is very very common one. Before I go on talking about my recovery I wanted to reassure u that there are ways of not feeling sick of the pain med. I get ill of painkillers. What did it for me is a medication called Pantoprazol I take one in the morning before I eat and then take my painkillers after food. And since I have taken them I have not felt sick or been sick at all!!! Also if u get sick after a full anaesthetic, which I do, ask ur dr if they can do a TIVA(total intravenous anaesthetic) I have had this 2 now and it really worked.I also have to say that for myself yes the recovery is and was painful and uncounftable. But still manageable. The worst pain were my ears about day 5 to 9 and because of it, it was painful to swallow. Food wise I have been eating normal food as soon as day 2 and all the way through! Make sure that u do not eat or drink anything acidy. Avoid soda drinks as the bubbles are acidy. I life by myself and had to go through it by my own. But I would advice with u having a small child that u make sure u have plenty of help with her. So u can recover and not worry about your little girl. I also don’t know if one of the reasons why I have not found it as bad as some other people is that I’m drinking at least 3 lt of cold water. Which is very soothing!!! Go and have them taken out. You might feel unwell for a few weeks but think this way once u are recovered no more tonsolitis. And u be able to get on with ur life and enjoy your daughter. I hope this helps and makes u feel a little less worried. I am not sure about all the methods sorry. If u got any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thanks Anke for your reply 🙂 I’m booked in for surgery in exactly 3 weeks from today and I’m really scared! The pain killers is my biggest issue as I am 100% sure I will feel absolutely aweful on pain killers like Panadeine Forte ( 500mg of paracetamol and 30mg of codeine) like I have previously when I tried it. My ENT specialist knows this yet still stresses that it is the best form of pain relief. So now I want to look into anti-nausea medication and pray that it will stop me from feeling dreadful after surgery on top of the pain. I think it would be worse than the actual pain! Also, thanks for the advice on the full anaesthetic, as like you I vomit severely afterwards so will definitely talk to my doctor about TIVA. Another big concern is not being able to eat or drink because I might feel like I’m choking which apparently is common. Did you have that problem? I aim to drink lots of cold icy water but I heard that drinking is hard so most people don’t end up doing it when it really helps with recovery. I don’t know why I’m so stressed, and I can’t seem to calm myself down. It’s getting frustrating as I know I HAVE to get this done, I don’t have a choice anymore! 🙁
Hi all! Reading your posts have been very reassuring! Im on day four post-op and still in a considerable amount of pain. I was hoping to be off my pain meds but still née them on a regular schedule. Definately worse at night and in the morning. I tried applesauce and it did not help at all! It was very hard to swallow, same with pudding. I thought ice cream would be good to eat but am finding dairy products don’t go down as easy. I tried cream of wheat but ran into the same problem. Mostly Popsicles and slushies have been my saviors. Any other recommendations? How long before everyone started feeling better? I’m 21 and really getting ansy to get back to my normal routine and diet
Hey Everyone I’m having the op on the 30th of this month and I’m already stressing about the pain factor…. And the time off work…. My doctor said at least 3 weeks recovery and told me to expect lots of pain!!!! I’m 31 and in Australia…. I was ment too have them out a few years back but chickened out….
Any suggestions 🙂
Read and research, I’ve learned each recovery is different. I’m on day 5 and I’ve been on an applesauce/pudding diet mostly. I did have a small amount of oatmeal last nite didn’t go too badly. Stay hydrated as most everyone says. Good luck!
Thanks so much Leslie I think I will def try the apple sauce that and possibly raiding my sons baby food collection lol 🙂
Like was already said do some research and prepare. I am 15 days post op and chomping at the bit to get back to work. I was ready at day 12 but was still on lift restrictions. This site is full of great tips as far as how to handle recovery. I think it made a big difference for me. My recovery was easy and fast. My biggest tip is get a lot of popsicles and make sure to take your pain meds on time every time for at least the first 5 days. Pain is a lot easier to keep from happening rather than make stop. Also, if you are a smaller person it might be worth while to talk to your surgeon about splitting your dosage and taking a half dose every 2 hours instead of a full dose every 4. I am 193cm tall and 127 kg so I was unable to do this but I hear it works well for some people.
-Matt F.
Thanks Matt It’s a great site I feel
much calmer now I have read so many good stories and getting advice is great I think I will just be bombing myself out on the pain meds and curling up in bed with some good DVDs 🙂
27 yr old male. Day 5 post op. I’m doing much better then I thought. I read so many horror stories online that I wanted to back out. Mornings are the worst but staying hydrated is the most important thing you can do. I typically set mmy alarm and wake up every 3 hours to drink water. I’ve stocked up on Italian ice, popsicles, ice cream etc. I drink as much as my throat can handle, then swap out the water or gaterade for a cold one. I keep rotating them so that my drinks are always ice cold. I tried to eat egg salad and soup yesterday but the eggs were to hard and the soup had to much sodium. Sodium hurts! Don’t force food as you’ll aggravate your throat worse. Good luck!