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
I’m 23 and had mine out last Monday. The best advice I can give is to make sure he has a humidifier especially at night, make sure he takes his meds as prescribed (every 4 hours)- don’t skip a dose for the first 4 or 5 days then slow it down as he can. The mistake I made was that I was feeling pretty good the first and second day after surgery so I was up and around, talking a lot, and eating/swallowing with no problems (applesauce, pudding, etc). Days 3-5 were very bad, with 4 being the worst. Make sure he takes it easy even though he won’t feel that bad right after because the pain gets exponentially worse, please believe that! I had no bleeding but also didn’t eat very much. Also, make sure he is prescribed an anti-emetic. I wasn’t, but luckily had some left over from a previous surgery. The pain meds made me sick at first and I think having those anti emetics are what kept me from vomiting, which obviously is not good for healing. Make sure he keeps drinking water, another very important thing. Swallow the water through the pain, it will make a world of a difference in recover. Mainly just make sure he rests enough and like I said before: take it easy the first couple days even though you feel good!!! Good luck to him.
My 22 yr old son goes in feb 7th, as a mom we don’t like seeng our kids in pain..what is some advice I can use to get him through this? Food? Pain meds? Blood clots?
I responded to this but in the normal thread, oops!
Hi I’am scheduled on 23 January 2013, a bit scared but excited, i will keep you posted.
Day 9 yesterday and I decided to treat myself to whatever I wanted to eat- sweet and sour chicken, french toast, cheese and crackers, ext. Last night I woke up after having swallowed several mouthfuls of blood and rushed to the ER. I was coughing/throwing up/ spitting up blood and blood clots that were larger than golf balls. I had lost a substantial amount of blood, around 8 ounces and had to go in to surgery immediately, allowing the doctor to cauterize the area that was causing the bleeding. I spent the night in the hospital and it was a traumatizing experience that will stay with me. With this, I would suggest that anyone who is recovering from a recent surgery really takes it slow- if you are able to eat solid foods shortly after the procedure that is fantastic, but don’t rush it. I would not want to see anyone else go through what I did last night and I think the best advice to prevent such a thing from happening is take it easy and don’t rush in to anything too quickly.
I’m 21, female, and about to go to the surgery center for my tonsilectomy and adenoid removal. I’m a bit nervous but overall I’m feeling really positive about this. My doctor is good, the nurses are wonderful and I have 2 1/2 weeks off of work to heal. The only problem I foresee happening is that I’m moving home 11 days after surgery. But I’ve got lots of people willing to help so I don’t have to do any lifting, just boxing stuff up when I feel up to it. I’m feeling really encouraged by everyone’s comments and I’ve written down a list of things to have my dad get me tonight including a humidifier, and dentine ice gum. My main problem I have with these tonsils of mine is tonsil stones and I hadn’t even realized how bad it was until a few weeks ago. Thankfully I have a doctor who views these as a problem (because it is bacteria and it does cause infection, with or without the bad breath) and he was willing to take them out. And thankfully my insurance covers the procedure 100%.
Hello, you will do fine…mine were out on the 4th…I had the same thing :).
Laying in bed 7 hours after the procedure. Still reading more of everyone’s posts. I’m feeling better than I expected but taking it really easy. Got my humidifier (which is a god-send!) and I’m able to breathe easily. I’m a little phlemy for some reason but that’s ok. Been drinking lots of water and had a little chicken noodle soup. But even the soft noodles hurt going down so I’m just going to avoid all solids for a few days. I’ll check in tmrw with an update.
Ps- I’m nervous about bleeding. How can you tell without getting up and looking in a mirror? Will you taste it? I don’t think I’ve been bleeding, but it makes me nervous.
You’ll KNOW if you’re bleeding. My doc says most of the time it stops on its own. It’s scary but you’ll be okay if it happens. I made myself miserable after my two bleeds for two days and I never had another issue. YOu need to DRINK a ton, and stay moist, so the humidifier helps. The scabs are likely to fall off if they’re dry. Keep hydrated. Try not to worry about what if’s. Go REAL easy. Bleeding days are around 7-10 or 11. Don’t get over confident and think you’re okay. I did and that is when I bled. Give yourself time. Stay hydrated. You’ll be ok.
Thanks for that response Melanie. I haven’t been bleeding at all, just been worried about it. I’ve been drinking water like crazy and my humidifier follows me wherever I go. Took a hot bath this evening and the steam from that made me feel good and made it easy to breathe. This website has given me so many great ideas and helps me feel confident that everything will be ok. I believe positivity goes a long way, so in trying to stay happy despite the pain, knowing it will only be a short time before ill be up and back to normal. 🙂 thanks again everyone! I’ve been reading everyone’s comments!