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, so 36 and just found out the doctor is sending me to an ENT. I get strep too often, example 6x latst year. I am scared to death, heard the pain is unbearable. I know I cant keep taking antibioctics forever as i am already immune to several, leaving only 1 to take. Any tips on getting through to make it easier? Trying not to chicken out and just say forget it!
Hi Erica! I am writing this as I spoon feed myself some shaved ice and slurp on a milkshake (Not as fun as it sounds). I am 16 years old and I am on the 3rd evening post-op. I would be glad to give you pointers on what to expect up to my current state.
Supplies: Humidifier – keeps the throat moist as you sleep
Ice shaver – The honeywell one that is included on the website – it numbs the throat when the pain killer just doesn’t cut it
Ice collar – tie it around your neck to help numb the throat and reduce swelling.
A caretaker – DONT do this alone. I have my angel of a mother running out getting me smoothies and helping prepare my medicine for me. I recommend you have your husband stay home for the first day, 2nd day you might be ok, but days 4-7 could be the most painful, and he should probably be there for that too. If you live alone, go to a nearby relatives house! Fly your mom out for the week.
Diet: Jello, pudding (not my preference, too mucusy), mashed potatoes served lukewarm, I had some stoufers mac-and-cheese at room temp in very small bites for lunch today. its very mushy and a little more sustaining and nourishing then other foods. Ice water, LOTS OF ICE WATER – keeps the throat moist and you need to be hydrated.
What to expect sleep wise: Night 1 I went to sleep at around 10:30 and I woke up every 2 hours. This was probably a good thing, because it gave me a chance to drink my water. I set my alarm for 3 AM and 7 AM to take the pain meds. I regret it now, because the pain is worse today, and the doctor will only prescribe a certain amount because it is a habit-forming drug. Now I have enough to take every 4-6 hours that should get me through day 6 or 7. If your in a lot of pain, by all means take it. But I recommend you try shaved ice or other methods like that. Night 2 I slept a little better. Went to bed around 11, woke up at 2, read a book until 3 so I could take my pain meds, then slept til 11. It is 11:38 PM now and i’m getting ready to go to sleep.
What to expect pain wise: Not gunna sugar-coat it. Its bad. Day 1 just felt like a normal case of strept throat, day 2 felt a little worse, today (day 3) i hit a brick wall and it really bothered me. Most dissapointing fact is that its supposed to get worse until around Day 7. From what I see on this website, adults have longer recovery times and therefore different amounts of pain on different days. I am the size of an adult. I’m an Offensive Lineman weighing in at some 320 pounds and 6 foot 6 tall.
If you have any other questions, explore the website, its great! Or you can contact me again by replying to this post. I will get the email
Good luck
Hi Erica,
I’m a 38 year old guy, currently recovering from my op last week. I had the op due to recurrent (every other month) bouts of tonsillitis, which were making life impossible. The satisfaction rates with this op are, apparently, one of the highest – i.e. in the long run, almost everyone thinks it worthwhile. This is what you should focus on.
Pain-wise, yes, it is bad, and definitely worse than for kids/teens. Myself, day 1 was horrendous, even through morphine. Day 2 seemed fairly good, and I managed to eat and drink a fair bit, but then there was a gradual worsening through days 3-7. I turned a corner around day 8, after which I’ve been feeling measurably better each day. (I’m now on day 11 and could almost go back to work, except that my brain is still fairly fuzzy from the painkillers, so I wouldn’t be much use. Plus my wife says I still have awful breath from the necrotic tissue, which may be reason enough to stay away from colleagues…!)
Tips: drink LOTS. You’ll need to force yourself, but it’s worse if you don’t. Force yourself to eat, too: your body needs energy to recuperate, and I always felt better after eating, even though the process was v painful. Humidifiers do help, especially at night (when I was sometimes mouth-breathing and drying out my throat): I put a wet towel over the radiator each night. Chewing gum (a tip I picked up on this forum) also helped at times, especially when my jaw was stiff and I had pain in my ears. Finally, if like me you’re allergic to anything (e.g. cat hair, dust mites, pollen), it’s worth trying extra-hard to remove these allergens from your environment beforehand: sneezing hurts like hell and risks causing a bleed.
Good luck.
Hi Erica,
My story was similar to yours, was getting Tonsillitis at least once every month or so and the just had to go. Went in having done no research but my friend told me it was pretty horrible. Had them out and woke up with a sore throat as expected but wasn’t as horrible as I was expecting. The nurse told me she can always tell the people who really needed their tonsils out because they can handle the pain really well since they get sore throats so often. It was honestly like having a really bad case of tonsillitis constantly except you don’t get the fever/sickness that accompanies it.
Day 1-3 weren’t too bad, I was sleeping through the night and waking up with a dry sore throat which was made better pretty quickly by lemonade ice blocks and cold water, at this stage I wasn’t really eating.
Days 4-7 were where the pain got worse. The number one thing you have to remember here is to ALWAYS take your pain medication before the 4 hour period is up. I thought it was only going to get better before it got worse and boy was I wrong, if you wake up not having taken the pain meds you will hate yourself for it. You’ll wake up with a mega dry throat and it only makes trying to swallow your next dose of pain meds about 10x worse. Theres really nothing worse than waking up in that much pain, you do eventually get it under control but it’s not worth enduring it haha. I was taking my pain meds around every 3 and a half hours at this point because I just hated it when they wore off. Another thing you have to get used to here is not having a normal sleeping pattern, throw your usual sleep out the window and get it back into a good routine when the pain starts getting better
8-10 you feel like it’s never going to end but it starts to disappear really quickly. Day 8 I was completely off my pain meds, there was still discomfort in my throat but I definitely didn’t need to be taking the pain meds which was a relief. During these days you’re not so much in agonising pain but rather just fed up with the whole process wondering why you decided to go through with it in the first place! Remember to hang in there and it clears up pretty quickly after this point
12+ Still a bit of pain but you should definitely be back to eating normal foods and sleeping properly again! The pain disappears day by day pretty quickly at this point and you’ll start feeling really good again!
The number one thing that you have to remember is to never let your throat dry out because this is when the pain amplifies. Always keep water near you at all costs. The thing that helped me most was having a cold ice block as soon as a I woke up because this is when your throat will be all dry and in need of moisture. I went through it without a humidifier, some of the people on this page swear by them but I don’t think it would have made a huge difference for me. Due to the amount of antibiotics you’ve had I’m assuming you’ll also have a pretty strong stomach for them and should’t really have any problems with nausea. A lot of people complained about vomiting from having their meds on an empty stomach but I never had a problem with this luckily!
Also, my surgeon gave me like 2 days worth of the really strong meds, I switched to panadol forte (the paracetamol with codeine in it) after about day 3 and these seemed to be enough for me!
I’m almost a month out now and never felt better! So glad it’s over with, and no more getting tonsillitis (it ruined my trip to Europe, got it 4 times whilst I was there :()
Good luck with it all!
I’m having a modified tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy tomorrow. The EMT says it is much less painful and has a shorter recuperation time since the entire tonsils are not being removed. I just picked up my meds, Hydrocodone Acetiminophen (liquid) and a liquid anti biotic and I’m starting to feel sick just looking at the bottles.
I wouldn’t be too nervous if I were you! Of course, there will be pain, but most of the pain patient get is from the rawness and the scab-forming process on where the tonsils once were. I envy you thinking about your recovery. With hydrocodone (I’m taking that too) the pain should be minimal.
helen in Albany georgia…Hi Every-one.This is day 5 for me and the pain is still so very real. i am so glad I found this site as i now know that i am not alone in this deal.belive me when I say I can feel your pain i mean it..I to have to take my meds every 4hours I try and stay Ahead of the pain and there is light at the end of this Good luck every-one
Well, 2 weeks post-op today. Feel great. Day 11 i started to turn a corner. I still stuggle with certain foods, but overall doing very well. Swelling is almost gone, breathing much improved. After reading this blog for the past 2 weeks, i know what most of u r going through and it does take time but it does get better. Take care and good luck!
Hey, I’m 2 weeks post op today as well. The pain isn’t too bad anymore, but my throat feels tight. I hate it and can’t figure out why it’s happening. It just feels like my throat is closing up and I’m constantly spitting up flem. Are you experiencing this at all?
I do still have occational tightness in my throat. The phlegm is still on going…thinking scabs still coming off. Hang in there!
I am on my 8th day and I won’t lie, it’s the most painful thing I have ever had to endure because it lasts for so many continuous days. I am still in constant pain and very reliant on my meds every 4 hours.
I didn’t do ANY research about this prior to my op (I’m from South Africa so the hospital experience should be similar to what you’ll have), because I knew if I did I would go crazy!!!
The open gown thing is because they need to be able to pull it off incase they need to do any emergency procedures (they won’t have time to undress you first in an emergency situation). I had the IV in my arm and the gas mask, no catheter (thank goodness because I had one for the birth of my daughter).
Depending on what type of pain you have, you need to decide whether heat (I warm up a small bean bag in the microwave) or cold (crushed ice in a packet which is knotted and put in a cloth) will help with the pain. I have been alternating with both.
They advised me to drink ALOT of ice cold Coke, which worked really well until the scabs come off and then I had to swithch to room temp water to prevent shooting ear pain.
Also chew on chewing gum to keep saliva going to moisten your throat and to prevent your jaw from going stiff (is really working for me, but makes you nauseous because your stomach is empty from not being able to eat).
Don’t stress too much, every persons experience differs and take my advise….do EVERYTHING they tell you to do in the hospital and phone your doctor immediately if you’re not sure about something, otherwise the pain worsens!
If you have any more questions, just shout:)
By the way: I am 27 years old and had my operation on the 12th of February.
I saw that some people actually said to chew that Dentyne Ice gum…. i just figured it would be because of the horrible breath which would probably happen ahahaha. Did coke not hurt going down??? I mean, its kind of, bubbly….. therefore i can only imagine the pain :/
Ahahaha and thank you for the too-late-warning on the pre-op research… I’ve been researching for like a month now. This site is either my hero, or, will be the death of me by next week Thursday :/ ahahahahaha