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
My son 17, is on day 6. He is an athlete and in greay shape. I really expectedna quicker recovery. Henis living on applesauce, jello, and Icee’s. This morning thebpain seems to be worse. Im wondering if it has to do with thebscabs gettingbto fall off. He is really congested and the colorbofbthe mucus is green and yellow. Wondering if that needs to be addressed with the doctor. Feeling discouraged in the lack of progress we are making.
I would definitely call the doctor about the congestion. Mine prescribed an antibiotic ASAP for me. (Unfortunately I kept throwing up every time I took the antibiotic, but that’s probably not common.) My doc is very concerned about pneumonia.
This is definitely a discouraging recovery. I’m on Day 7 and really hoping to see some progress by tomorrow. It’s long and painful! Hang in there, hopefully your son will turn a corner soon.
I agree with Colleen, I would call the doc about the yellow/ green mucus and see if they should prescribe an antibiotic or a different one if he is already on one. I would also try to keep his protein intake up which should help with recovery…maybe some lentil or pureed soup, mashed potatoes with cheese, refried beans, fried or soft boiled eggs, etc. served not too hot. I found that as soon as I started eating more normal foods it helped me to started feeling better overall. Also, staying hydrated really helps, and might also help cut back on the mucus too. Days 5 and 6 were rough for me, and for a lot of people I think, so he just needs to hang in there. I find reading the day by day info here on the site really helps to prepare me for what’s ahead. Best of luck to your son!
If you’re concerned, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to call the doctor. With it being green and yellow, though, it does sound like there’s some sort of infection.
And if he’s still having problems with eating solids like it sounds like, if the doctor prescribes any medicine ask for it in liquid form. Most medication anymore has a liquid form, and that might be a little easier on his stomach. If the doctor doesn’t write it out to be in liquid form, you could ask for it when you take the prescription in to the pharmacist.
And I know he won’t want to, but if you could make sure he does get up and moving some, if nothing else just sitting up in a chair for a while rather than laying down in bed. It could help keep any fluids from settling in his lungs and causing an infection.
Day 13 here and still in hell. Wondering if this is ever going to end. Left a message with the ENT this morning asking for more pain meds cause I couldn’t even sleep last night due to pain. At 29 years old this tonsillectomy has had me bedridden for almost 2 weeks now. I sneezed for the first time since surgery today and thought I was going fall on the floor from pain. And the ears, oh goodness the ears. I swear if the ear pain would go away I could stand the throat pain. Where is the option for medically induced coma for recovery?
Wow Cassandra, I am so sorry you’re going through so much pain! Hopefully the doc can give you something to help. I have only sneezed once and that was very painful, so I can relate! I actually only half sneezed, and cut it off because I could tell I might do some damage if I sneezed all the way. I was having horrible ear and jaw pain, but that seems to have subsided for me except when I eat it comes back, so I use the soft ice packs and that helps the pain go away. I’m not sure what they have you for pain meds, but I’ve been taking the Tylenol with codeine which works well for me, every four hours at first, but now I’m at every 6 hours. Best of luck, and hang in there!
hi everybody im Jo! im 26 years old and i am going in for this sugery in about a week. i have 3 kids and 2 jobs and my main job allows me to take no time off of work for this procedure..so the day after surgery i will have to go in for a 16 hr shift and work the rest of the week… plus to be quite honest i cant afford to take off financially.. is there any hope for me to get through this? i am so scared and freaking out..
Jo, I think that’s very unrealistic to think you can work right after….sorry…don’t mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I was in no shape to work for the first three days after surgery. I was in bed, miserable, barely eating, and sleeping off and on. I just don’t see how anyone could work that soon after having general anesthesia…..I’m on day 7, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable working right now. I took off a week and a half from my job for recovery, but may take off a little more if I’m not 100% by next Monday. Is there anyway you can just take a few days off, or schedule the surgery right before your normal days off so you have some time to recover? I wish you the best of luck….maybe someone else can chime in about their experience and when they went back to work.
Jo I have to agree with Sylvia, there is no way that could be a realistic expectation to go back to work that soon after surgery. The general anesthesia will be messing with you for a while afterward. I was shaky still on day 7 and on day 9 before I stopped having issues with forgetting things and stopped being foggy headed. Even now on day 12 I find myself fighting sleep throughout the day. I’ve heard of some being good to go as early as day 7 but the day after?! really don’t think that’s going to happen….especially expecting to work a 16 hour day? I think you’d be cruising to find yourself back in the hospital. You’d be better off finding another way to go about it.
And that’s just the effects of the anesthesia, that’s not accounting for the pain you’ll feel and the effects the pain medication will have on you. And not being able to eat solid foods much right after, you’ll likely have little to no energy for working let alone concentrating on much besides what else works to keep the pain away. Really not trying to scare you but perhaps there’s another way to make it all work.
Hello Jo,
I will chime in and agree with posters above. I don’t see how there is any way you could work the next day, much less 16 hours. I had 14 days off when I had my surgery back in November and the first week I could barely function enough to take care of myself. People think tonsillectomys sound lame and don’t realize the time needed to heal. Maybe have your employer read this site so they understand the surgery.
Hey, Jo!
As the others have already said, you physically will not be able to work for a few days after the procedure. The General Anesthesia takes at least 24 hours to get out of your system, and with the pain medicine you’ll be on, you won’t be able to do much. If you have a note from your doctor, I believe your job is *required* to give you the time off until you have been cleared without repercussions such as losing your job. I live in Tennessee, and here I was told I couldn’t work or go to school for a minimum of one week, but up to two. A 16 hour shift is difficult for anyone, but it really is impossible the day after the surgery, especially if it’s later on in the afternoon. I’m not trying to scare you, but you’ll be doing good just to walk around afterwards more than likely.
If you live in the US, I would look into FMLA. The website is http://www.dol.gov/whd/fmla/ and it may help out. One of the guidelines is: a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job. Well, you definitely would not be able to perform the essential functions of your job, whether it a desk job or one that has you running all over the place.
Hi Jo I’m going to be very blunt, I would not do this operation if you cannot take leave from work.
I am recovering (day 5) after Tonsillectomy and have never been in so much pain. I have given birth twice without pain relief neither were ‘easy’ births and yet still I would suffer the pain of child birth anyday over this.
I would be very surprised at any employer allowing a colleague to return to work the same week, never mind the same day.
Please take everyone’s advice here and wait until you are ready to take leave this is not an operation to take without serious consideration and a plan for after care.
All the best.
Won’t repeat what everyone else has rightly said, but will add this. If by some pure miracle you did find a way to tolerate the ridiculous constant pain AND work through the remnants of a general anaesthetic, if… You’re looking at almost guaranteed infection by going out into the open/among people so quickly. As someone presently dealing with a double infection postop, I’m on day 12 and on the verge of being returned to hospital for what could be several more weeks of treatment if things don’t improve.
Take everyone am advice, but specifically Helgs when she says to consider cancelling until you can have support in place.
My doc had me on mandatory bed rest for 1 week post op. then week 2 light duty my digression, as it was in my discharge papers. Your work can’t argue anything like that, that’s doctors orders.
Hi Jo,
Not going to say what everyone else is saying but its impossible you will be able to work the day after. Im on week 4 and still off work i have had so any complications after surgery. On week 2 i ended up back in hospital due to serve bleeding which didn’t stop, i was very close to having a blood transfusion. If you cant get time off work i wouldn’t recommend having the surgery as it will completely wipe you out. Im not ure if you are in the UK but when i came out of hospital they gave me a sicknote for 2 weeks straight away.
All i will say is don’t push yourself too much after the surgery or you will end up back in hospital, speaking from experience here.
Good luck.
Day 6 here… by far the worst day yet. Yesterday my doc called in a stronger narcotic (Roxicet) and an antibiotic (Augmentum). He wants me to cough up whatever is sitting in my chest, but carefully so I don’t bleed. He prescribed the antibiotic because he doesn’t want the chest cold to turn into pneumonia. Last night after I took the new narcotic I was feeling great! My pain was at like a 1. I took the antibiotic about 30 minutes later (crushed up in applesauce – no way could I swallow that horse pill). An hour and a half later I was vomiting. So scary! But since I had eaten and had a lot of fluid in me, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. My stomach felt awful afterwards though and I was very shaky. I got through the rest of last night and just took a little less of the narcotic and ibuprofen. This morning after taking the antibiotic (with applesauce), I threw up multiple times. It was not pleasant and I was dry heaving this time. So, so painful! I spent most of today in bed and definitely did not drink enough water. I threw up my narcotic and antibiotic, so I basically went all day without pain meds. Finally at 5pm tonight I was strong enough to take the narcotic again. Finally got the pain back under control and am able to relax a little. My doctor says I’m at the worst part right now, and that I really need to eat a half a piece of bread before each dose of medication (especially the ibuprofen).
So nice to read all your stories about Days 10 and after… nice to know that good days are coming! Keep posting the good news!!! I think I can, I think I can, haha!
Sorry to hear you had such a rough time with the meds at first. Hopefully your doctor’s advice of eating bread with it helped? Stick with it, you’ll get through it one day at a time.
Colleen, eating bread is what helped me keep my meds down the first few days….it’s hard to eat it, I bought the softest white bread so I could pinch it into a ball before sticking the bits into my mouth, which helped get it down. The bread really helps with nausea when taking the meds I think, and fills the stomach up. Good luck, and hopefully the news meds and eating bread will do the trick for you!
I have been crushing the pills in applesauce. About three ounces at a time when taking meds. My 17 year old son is at day 6.
Day 7 here….probably overdid yesterday with my jaunt to the store. Last night my throat starting hurting in this one spot…was dry and felt irritated when I woke up. Then this afternoon I started to bleed from that spot…scared the heck out of me! I immediately hung my head over the sink to let the blood come out, and then started eating ice chips. I got the bleeding to stop after a few minutes, and it seems to have clotted. There is a dark spot now where I bled right at the top near the arch. My question…was it most likely a scab that came off that caused this, and will this happen every time? I feel ok, taking pain meds every 5-6 hours now as the pain seems to have decreased from yesterday. I’m just worried about the bleeding and worried that I’ll have to back in to get cauterized. 🙁
I think generally once isn’t necessarily an issue as long as it stops bleeding within 15 min. I think the general rule is if it takes longer than that to clot, is bleeding profusely, or begins bleeding over and over then you should get to the ER or call your doctor. Right now it sounds like it just bled the once, so just keep up with the ice water and be careful with the types of foods you are eating. If it happens again you should probably contact your doctor.
Thanks Amy. That’s what I’m hoping too…my doc said to rest and keep doing what I’ve been doing to stay hydrated, and to back off from food that’s too hot, or rough. I was starting to eat more semi soft foods yesterday, so I guess it’s back to the mashed potatoes and soup for now just to be safe. I haven’t really seen any scabs come off yet, so not sure if mine are hanging on or it’s just that I swallowed them.
When I had mine break it was bad like massive bleeding. So we called the doc to see what to do. He told me to gargle with ice water for 10 mins & if it didn’t stop in 30 mins head to the ER. And sure enough it did for the most part & my morning everything way fine. Well except for my bathroom which looked like a murder scene! Scary stuff to go through though.
Cassandra, that’s scary! I had a second bleed today, but it didn’t seem as bad as the one I had on Tuesday. I got it to stop….still scary for me though. My doctor said to rest more for at least 48 after the bleed and not overdo it. Here’s hoping the two I’ve had will be it!