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
Delicia: you are the sweetest thing ever. Could you guys survive financially if your husband just had one job? If so, maybe you should have a heart to heart talk with him and tell him how much you love having him around. My heart breaks for you. My husband gets home between5-6 everynight and it’s just wonderful to have him here to help me with the kids. I work 7-3 so it works out well for us and the kids. I just pick William up right when he gets out if school and drive down the road and get Madeline at preschool. I had my major depressed day yesterday. Boy was I a mess! We or at least I am here for you if you want to vent or chat anytime. We could be fb friends to stay in touch. Actually I would love it if all you guys sent me a friend request. I am so curious about you all. My fb name is holly Cornish Los Angeles ca. So if I get a request I will accept it. You will be ok Delicia. It just takes time to get back into the routine of things. Good luck and I hope to hear from you soon. Keep us updated.
Holly, I just found you and sent a FB friend request!
P.S. Beth, I had written a response to your positive note on Sunday, but our internet was being crappy, and now it’s probably too late. I don’t want you to think I didn’t want to respond. It’s probably totally irrelevant now, but here it is:
Beth, don’t feel like there’s anything wrong with you … I’m probably just a freak of nature ;). I’ve been wondering what’s wrong with me! My sister had a lot more pain and I tried to mentally prepare by what she said… in fact, she encouraged me to come to greg’s site in the first place! I’m sure you’re healing just fine and on your own time schedule, your pain-free days are almost here I’m sure of it.
Honestly, the constipation was THE worst part of the tonsillectomy process for me. The feeling of the scabs on the back of my throat have been the most annoying and grossest feeling I’ve had.
Delicia, thank you for your thoughtful reply. It’s really nice to hear of someone who had a ‘good’ experience (if it can be called that!) I hope lots of pre-tonsillectomy patients come to this site so they can see the full spectrum of what they can expect to experience. Some other sites I looked at (threads on medical forums) were nothing but severe horror stories and nearly made me cancel. I think this forum is great in that nobody has exaggerated about their experience. We just lay it out in factual, plain terms and that’s what you need when you are thinking about this surgery or going through the recovery. Really glad you are well and sorry that you are missing your hubby – I know that is hard. 🙁 My husband is a photographer (engineer by day) and during the spring/summer he sometimes does weddings both days of the weekend from April – October….If I’m lucky he only does one weekend day for several weekends in a row but it depends. It is really hard having so little time together and, like your husband, he already has a full-time job on top of his photography. I can really relate! Hang in there….it’s hard but all we can do is be happy for those times they ARE home. 🙂
Hi,
Sorry it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I was having a hard time readjusting to life as I knew it before I had the much appreciated help of my husband. I went to my follow-up on Monday and my uncle was amazed that I didn’t have much pain with the whole tonsillectomy recovery. He was very happy for me and told me everything was healing very well and that my chance of bleeding was very remote at this point, so I’m cleared to start working out and picking up my kids again. Which is good, because I couldn’t stand not being able to pick up my 1 yr old when she’d throw her hands up for me to pick her up… I really missed how she cuddles her arms into my sides when I’d pick her up in the mornings.
Danielle, we just have to soldier on through that slightly scratchy curtain-feeling – what we’re feeling are the scabs and unfortunately there’s not much we can do about it but let them slough off. I don’t know about you, but I almost can’t feel mine anymore … so yay!
Holly, I’m sorry you had such a rough time, but I’m very happy for you that you’re feeling better and with more energy to boot! I wish I had that energy, but if anything I’m still feeling run down after a little exertion and still a little nauseous. It was the weirdest thing, I started to feel a little depressed the day before my husband went back to work at the station and now he’s back at his second job too. I kept thinking, I got spoiled with him here to help me with the girls … this is how it should be. But instead I have to go back to barely seeing him and I got really sad – so much so that I felt like crying all of day 13… and that’s not like me. I usually just suck it up and take care of my girls… i knew what i was signing on for with him working for the fire dept, but the second job has really cut into our lives and I guess I just wasn’t ready to let him go yet. Sappy huh? I don’t know why the transition is so hard since I’ve dealt with it for 2 years already, but oh well … soldier on right? Maybe that’s an overshare, but I feel a little better getting that out.
Anyway, I hope everyone is healing well and on the brighter path to recovery. And from my above experience, I hope the transition back into your regular, daily lives goes smoothly.
Take good care of yourselves!
Hi Marla…..That is good to know about the streroids. It’s like crazy energy I have. I’m all over the place. WEIRD! I am suppose to take them twice a day so maybe I will take my second one close to dinner time instead of right before bed like I had planned. I go back to work Monday and I totally feel ready for it. I have 3 more days to sleep in and get my house back in order. I have the windows open and the front door open and I just feel so alive today. That really was a nightmare experience. It’s exactly as horrible as people describe. But the horrid days were only Day 4-7. So, 4 days of hell to have a lifetime of no more strep thraot is for sure worth it.
How are YOU doing?
Holly, glad to hear you are much improved. It is a wonderful feeling to finally turn that corner. Your increased energy is probably coming from the steroids. When I took them before Christmas, I couldn’t sleep and was up cooking and baking at midnight, which is very unlike me. I’ve been thinking about you and glad you didn’t end up going back to work today. When is your first day back?