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
Whoa whoa whoa Ben.
Postpone any job events, assignments, shopping (get someone else to get what you need in, you won’t be eating much..) and anything else you can for TWO WEEKS.
You need to rest or you run the risk of bleeding. Also if you go out in shops etc and around other people you run the risk of contracting an infection, which will make things worse.
As you come into days 5-7 you’ll DEFINITELY not want to do any assignment work. You should have a doctor’s note from the hospital signing you off work and anything else for two weeks. Get it postponed.
Seriously, you’re going to need the rest or you could end up worse. I had bad nausea so I was completely taken out until something like day 9, where I finally got up and started moving around. Even now though at the end of day 12 I’m taking it easy. Like I said Tonsillectomy takes TWO weeks to heal, you’ve litterally had chunks cut out of your throat.
Well I’ve survived day three. A most unpleasant experience. Warm salt gurgling had the best results, but even that was hit and miss (on one occasion it completely nullified the pain, on another it just hurt more).
I managed some chicken soup/broth, and a lot of green tea. All in all it was a very long day. The pain is actually okay as I type, but I’m in my ‘warm room’ with the humidifier on max and not long had my last set of paracetamol and ibuprofen. I’ve set an alarm for 4am to drink and take some more pills, can’t imagine that will be fun.
Started bringing up a few of the scabs/white stuff just now, not fun, smells funny to be sure.
I need to get back to my place this week, which means shopping too (unless I can convince someone to help me). I’ve got a big assignment due in next Tuesday and really can’t miss it. I’ll be working from home at least, but I think I really underestimated how much this would take me out of the game. There’s also a large networking event at my job this Friday I was hoping to go to, but will have to knock that on the head.
Lights out, let the pain commence.
Yes, I am actually afraid of going to sleep 🙁
Chainsaw for dinner just made me laugh my arse off. XD
And yes unfortunately that’s when the pain starts setting in, around day 3. Days 5-7 will be the most sharp with it, but it will subside dramatically after. I only took my painkillers before meals today (day 11 I think) as I felt I could handle it otherwise. 🙂
Ben, you could try Amy’s tactic of setting an alarm to drink water every few hours overnight? It may help dramatically. I also found sucking an ice cube before bed helped relax my throat a bit too, and gargling salt warm water, then water with ice cubes in a morning. But yeah waking up is blergh. Make sure you’re taking your painkillers as scheduled even overnight too.
Well it’s 4am on day three (Monday morning, I had the surgery on Friday). The song lyrics “you ain’t seen nothing yet” are circulating around my head like a psychotic movie scene. Woken up with pain beyond anything I’ve felt so far and a screaming in my ears like I’m sitting next to a jet engine. I have had kidney stones before so can’t say this is the worst pain I’ve felt, but stone pain is so extreme it pretty much whites out the senses; this is worse in that I can feel every fibre of agony.
I know this will eventually pass in a week or so, but as with most of us I’m struggling to see why I had it done at this moment.
My folks told me I slept better yesterday (no snoring at all), but from my point of view it feels like I just had a chainsaw for dinner.
Glad you seem to be dealing with it at the mo Amy, it is very tough.
Expect the pain to get slightly worse / more piercing between days 5 and 7. (excluding the day of surgery).
Days 8-9 ish you’ll hopefully start feeling an improvement as I did, but until then it’s just going to be rough going I’m afraid. Keep hydrated, and keep resting. You’re going to need to take it easy for at least two weeks though, even when you start feeling better. 🙂