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
Day 1: No pain yet! Sore throat and constantly feeling like I want to vomit. I’m super hungryand I can’t keep things down. Very dizzy and I’m starting to feel dehydrated. What should I try? I can do water and tea, should I get emergency or airborne powders in my water?
Ensure Clear has been great for me. I bought the Blueberry Pomegranate blend & it is tasty.
day 8, 11/14/ 2012. still cant eat a thing and can barely drink a few glass of water and a cup of milk after dosing myself up and still feels like there is nails and blade in my drink. good luck to those who are planing on taking them out. one thing is for sure, nothing remains the same for ever, so this pain eventually will have to leave.
peace
its day three for me… what should i expect for the next few days? is the morning the worst for you?? just feel like you cant breathe or talk or swallow? no matter what i do it feels like nothings working and im getting worse
Hi, I’m day 15 after my surgery. You’ve just about reached the hump. Day 3 and 4 we’re probably the worst days for me. Talking, swallowing, breathing and eating were all very hard for me.
Also, evenings were probably the worst.
I also literally was incapable of eating for about a week and a half.
I finally ran across a nurse that said to mix in a blender a bottle of ensure, a scoop of peanut butter, a scoop of ice cream and a few cubes of ice. By golly I was able to eat it! She said as long as you can down one of those a day you should be good. It was like night and day for me. I instantly felt better. The icy coldness felt really good on my throat. I preferred the chocolate one. With the peanut butter, it kinda tasted like a reeces peanut butter cup.
I also liked having flavor-ice popsicles blended up with some regular ice. It felt really good on my throat also.
Hello, this is my third day after my tonsillectomy! I’m still not able to eat ice cream or any dairy because of the mucus build up!! Still in a lot ofPain, which increased today!! The only thing that works great is ice and jello!! I’m loving welch’s grape juice and apple juice blended up with ice( like a slushie)!! The pain med is ok except for the side affect(( be horny with pain is not a good feeling)) liquid lortabs is the pain med!! I did try some soup which got stuck in the back of my throat!!so back to my clear liquid diet!! The best part is I can breathe very clear after they was removed!!! No more snoring for me!!!
I just discovered that a little bit of water mixed with baking soda takes the stink out of your wounds down to a dull ache! Baking soda is a acid reducer so soothes wound that are hurt by the acid in drinks, food, saliva…
It is November 17, 2012 and I had my tonsils taken out on November 7, 2012. Ten days since my surgery. I am 43 years old diagnosed with chronically infected tonsils. I had been explained that at my age and the depth they had to go the recovery would be longer. After day two, I developed thrush. Started antibiotics and Nystatin (swish/swallow) to take care of that. It was extremely painful. Things were going status quo until tonight. I had been feeling..okay..able to drink cold drinks, take my pills with applesauce and pudding and drink my Usana meal shakes. All good. Still had great deal of pain which I thought was normal. I had felt this tickle so I tried not to swallow.I went to clear my throat and started to throw up. I then just started released blood. Lots and Lots of bloods and clots that were dark and red. It had been doing this for quite awhile. I went to the ER and they put some spray in my throat to constrict the blood vessels, checked the platelets and sent me home with instructions to drink the coldest water I can, There is still this blood clot in my throat that I feel and want to clear but I have to fight it. I have been told that I will feel better after this. I have been told it could still be some time before it heals. I know one day it will better.
Hi
Your story is so familiar. I was taken to hospital yesterday after losing blood clot on left side. I’m scared I’ve got one on the other side to. Tomorrow will be day 7 post op and I’m still in lots of pain. I hate sleeping cause I know I’m going to wake up in pain. I sort of lost the plot today and I wished I had my tonsils back. It’s taken a days worth of meds to finally feel comfortable. My gp thinks I have a infection to boot and over the weekend I’ve struggled to keep my fever under controll. So with my general meds I take, diabetic meds, pain killers and now two lots of antibiotics, who need food right?? Lol
I’m 44 and had mine out in March. It sucked…it TOTALLY sucked.
After a few weeks it got significantly better, but it took almost two full months before I felt “normal”.
Here’s the GOOD news: I no longer snore like a boar (mine were HUGE) and my horrific fall allergies were just shy of nonexistent. Not really sure how they’re connected, but if I had to do it again, I would!
Best of luck to those contemplating…
-Jeff-
I’m getting a deviated septum repaired and tonsils removed on Friday. I’m a little worried its too much at once, but what ever. Has anyone done this combination before?
I am doing both of these on Friday as well!
I just had those 2 exact procedures on November 14th at age 40 and let me tell you, the deviated ceptum is a breeze compared to the tonsils. I barely felt that I had anything done to my nose and so far that has been smooth and I’m on my 6th day. When i woke up from the surgery it was claustrophobic to have my nose completely plugged and barely being able to breath through my mouth, but that was the only negative thing about the ceptum surgery. Now the Tonsillectomy has been another story. I have been lucky so far no to have bled but it has been one of the worse experiences of my life. Unbearable pain almost non stop, the pain meds (percosets) messed with my stomach and head and overall feel for at least 5 days, and the pain relieve that i was starting to feel after day 4-5, came back 10x worse when the scabbing started. I have no idea how much more of this is in my path and I sure hope its done quick, but given the outcome, I would still say its well worth having it even if you are going to have 1 to 2 weeks of hell until the end.
I felt the exact same way about the claustrophobic feeling!
My name is Brenda and I’m 39. Just went in for septoplasty and tonsillectomy combo a week ago today.
The first day was horrible especially because they couldn’t find a vein. Rule one, drink lots of water the night before because you can’t have anything but one glass of water the day of surgery and without water plus stress, your veins are harder to penetrate/find. So, I got the mask initially, which sent me into a panic. But its ok, they walk you through it and its not that bad.
I woke up to mild pain. But FREEZING. That’s the anaesthetic wearing off. They got me warmed up right away and I dozed off and was brought to a bed in the hospital. Dizziness and confusion, and then pain.
Anasthesia plus the cocktail of meds sent my stomach into an uproar. I felt terrible. They had this chart on the wall of check offs: 1) Drink water 2) Eat 3) Walk (with four boxes to check off) and I can’t remember what else. They ended up having to give me an IV because of the nausea and dehydration. I threw up everything they gave me, meds, etc. Only was able to walk once before throwing up. Took 13 hours for me to even pee for the first time.
I had the sinus surgery done too, as I said, never even noticed until sometime around 1 am the next morning when my nose had oozed blood for so long that it felt like my nose was,packed with two rubber stones (clotted blood over stints) and since I really didn’t understand what my nose had been packed with or hadn’t, I had a panic attack. I was able to calm down and rationalize that whatever it was, it would come out. I took a wet wash cloth and was able to soften the blockage and remove enough to breethe, but be careful with stints. They need to stay there and the panic you feel from nit being able to breathe will subside when they take them out on day 6. And you can BREATHE.
As for pain meds, I stopped taking oxycodone on day 3. It made me feel horrible. Dizzy, heart palpetations, etc. Tylenol was enough. The pain for my tonsils ( never really noticed sinus pain at all) was dull. Kind of felt like strep throat as it is going away.
I really felt on top of the world until the night of day 5 when I got a tickle in my throat and woke up coughing with tears. All day 6 was scratchy and itchy.
I have been up since 2:30 this morning of day 7 and I have this weird feeling in my mouth like there’s flem or something foreign in the back of my throat. Woke up choking and coughing. Luckily, no blood at all, but the taste and feeling is disgusting. Is this the infamous “scabbing” process? I will look forward to it being over.
Hi lm going to have my tonsils removed tomorrow lm 41 but lm worried it wont go ahead as l have tonsilitis and a ear ache right now and lm not on any meds do you think they will still go ahead with op tomorrow
Hi Tanya
I was going to get my tonsils out today, but i also have tonsilitis and my ent told me he wouldn’t do the tonsillectomy. He said it was way to risky and could cause a lot of bleeding. But i’ve heard of people who did it anyway… maybe you’ll be “lucky”!
Hello, Tanya. I had tonsillitis too, but not an ear ache. It all depends on how swollen your tonsils are. Get your doctor’s advise. I had my tonsillectomy on Tues., Nov. 6 and boy, it has been an adventurous experience!!! I am 40 years old and my right tonsil was chronically swollen.. I did not read people’s postings until a few days after my surgery. People give different accounts on what they know or someone they knew who had a tonsillectomy when you verbally tell them, but once you read about people who have had this procedure, their stories are quite interesting. If you have chronic pain in your throat area, it is worth going through difficult recovery as a 41. I have read of people who have a short recovery process, but some pain, but manageable. As for me, it has been hell! Today is my 9th day and still am going through lots of pain in the throat area. I stopped taking oral meds 2 days ago. Today, I feel a little much better than before. With a light, I inspected the back of my mouth and still notice that scabs are still there. I am hoping that tomorrow I will be even better. Also, my voice has gotten better. Good luck with your tonsillectomy. At the end, it will be worth it.
OHEMGEE. Counting the morning of the surgery as day 1, this is day 5 for me and I am still thoroughly impressed with the amount of pain I’m in. Things have not gone smoothly for me, had a bleed right after I got home from surgery that wasn’t major, but didn’t completely stop for about 5 hours. Then yesterday I threw up 3 times- still don’t know if it was a reaction to the meds or food. Either way, it was hell. I called the office sobbing because the pain was worse than I could take, crying just made it worse but I couldn’t help it. Today has been better but now it’s more of a sharp, shooting pain when I swallow. It so quickly becomes all encompassing and to the point of almost shaking, it’s mind-blowing. I’m assuming things would be a bit better if I hadn’t gotten physically ill yesterday. *sigh* Just had to throw out my complaints. I’m ready for this to be over.
Hi, I am on day 7, let me tell you the right meds makes a world of a difference. I was in agonizing pain, felt like someone stabbed me in the throat. So I totally understand. Crying was even painful. I was on Vicodin and threw up 4 times, which is hell after throat surgery. I am now on percacet and it has been life changing for my recovery. I really feel for your pain and hope things get better for you! Hang in there it gets better I promise.
I’m 42 and my tonsils came out on Thursday, 11/15, so today is post-op day 3. I found that in addition to taking the pain meds that my ENT prescribed ( oxycodone), combination of generic Celebrex (anti inflammatory that is by prescription only but does not increase the risk of bleeding – 1/day) and round the clock Tylenol 500 mg 2tabs every 7-8 hrs (stick to no more than 6 tablets /24 hrs) make a tremendous difference. If you got Percocet or Vicodin, don’t take Tylenol as it’s already in these combo drugs. Another thing: stick with cold foods and drinks. Even if it hurts, try to bear through it. If you eat/drink about 30 minutes after your meds, you are likely to do better.
One question for anyone out there: I looked at the back of my throat repeatedly, and I’m noticing that the gray staff in the back does not look anything like scabs but rather a wet concrete-like goo that seems to be spreading. I guess I’ll befalling my ENT in am to see if this is infection.
I had my tonsils out on November 15 and have been fairing it pretty well. I ended up in ER 4 hours after discharge with dehydration from vomiting and throat bleed. Today is 5 day postop and no pain meds as of yet. Throat is sore, feels like something is stuck in my throat and there is a horrible smell, but I’m able to hold up. The worse for me is being very tired. I found jello and soup to be my foods of choice thru these first few days . Back of my throat is white, not sure what scabs are suppose to look like, but everyone keeps telling me it is bad and it’ll be weeks before I’m recovered from this.