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
Hi I am a 39 year old female who is on day 4 after tonsillectomy. I am in pretty bad pain. I force myself to drink water to stay hydrated. I have only had 3 bites of smoothie today. Couple of questions for those of you have been through this already…I have quite a bit of tooth pain in my upper teeth…Is this normal? Also, I am experiencing some back pain today. I am a very active person, and think maybe this is from laying down for the past 4 days, but I’m not sure???? Also, my tongue looks really white. Should I be concerned that this is thrush?
Please advise,
Thanks!!
Hello, yes that is normal, i had toothache on and off for about 2 weeks! It will suddenly just go away. I am pretty sure the back pain is from lying down a lot more than normal. I hardly moved from my bed for 2 weeks and towards the end i was very uncomfortable with aches/pains. My tongue also turned bright white. I assumed it was from taking the tablets. I didnt speak to a doctor about it or anything as it didnt bother me too much. Since i have come off of my tablets my tongue is slowly returning to its normal colour! Hope this helps 🙂
White tongue can also be from dehydration.
I had to call my dr. because there were spots on my tongue that looked like they were bleeding and my tongue hurt as badly as the rest of me. So I got a losenge thing that has to dissolve on my tongue and it supposed to help…I think it does other than the longer sleeps I take…..then it hurts all over again.
Day 2 now. Still feels like threads hanging in the back of my throat. I have drank so much water throughout the time I left the hospital and have not stopped. I do drink cold, use to like room temperature But, finding out the colder the better. Ice chips & shaved ice with snow cone flavoring, jello yogurt with soft fruit, blueberries & mashed strawberries. Tried raspberries but the seeds were a bit to much. Tried egg whites but didn’t go down to easy. I actually had a caramel latte from my Kureig coffee machine at warm like ice coffee. Not bad. Going to try spaghetti this afternoon & see if that goes down better than the eggs. I don’t know if it the meds taken all the time on time or a few minutes sooner has helped greatly. I have also heard it hits you on the 4TH day until about the 8-10 TH day. Hopefully I’m prepared very well so far. Ice packs. Brushed teeth with a soft manual toothbrush instead of electric for now. Tried Listerine zero mouth wash but probably not good for at least a week. Not sure about loosing weight yet because I lost 45 prior to the surgery from CURVESCOMPLETE since last September. I was told I could use a few lbs. anyway. At the moment hardly any pain but, I should expect it soon & hope that it won’t be to bad. Every ones different in how we manage pain. I do know the cool mist humidifier works great. Had not woken at any point with dry or sore throat pain more than a 2or 3. Probably won’t get much sleep for about a week for fear of throat drying out. Then I hear it’s hard to swallow & rehydrate again. It is a little harder to swallow hard pills but found out in applesauce or something soft. Haven’t experienced ear or jaw pain & hope that I don’t. I hate to chew gum but it does help the saliva / I chew only a few minutes then throw it away. I did get many ideas here on the site before surgery. About 2 weeks prior to. If I can I will post day 3 & on until it’s pretty much over. Pain pills kick in time to stop. Good luck everyone & I do appreciate all advice. So far all I have gotten has definitely used & has seemed to be helping so far. Having someone around helps a lot. In my case is my husband which has made a really good nurse. Being I was for 24 years some of it may have rubbed off after 30 years of marriage. Some of the people that I corresponded with 3 weeks prior to my surgery I haven’t heard back from after theirs but they did help me out. That may be because they are better now & moved on with life which is what I’m hoping for in a couple of weeks as well. Before this site I read some pretty scary especially watching videos. The bottom line is the after math being able to breathe with ease . Although I like sleeping with one pillow but should staying propped up the first week Not very comfortable but it doesn’t make me fall into deep sleep for my throat to become to dry. Right now my hubby & I get about an hour at a time for meds, drinking & of course many bathroom trips. Hopefully now that it’s over I’m looking forward to being less tire get more sleep without gasping for air, this has been worth possible throat pain only for a limited time. I will try to add day 3 if I feel as good then as now(today) Hope this has made some sense being I am on some pretty heavy pain pills.
At the moment it feels like a bunch of threads hanging down in the back of the throat. I am sticking to homemade snow cones, ice water, freeze pops. Tried 3 bites of mac & chees. I think I will hold off on that for a couple more days.Jello & chicken broth help when the hunger pains are bad.
Glad to hear it sounds like you’re doing pretty well today.
If you get a craving for ice cream, and since dairy is not recommended during recovery, I recommend the So Delicious brand of dairy free ice cream (found at Jewel, Whole Foods etc). It’s made with coconut milk and is very very tasty!
Hope you continue to do well during your recovery!
T had myUPPP/Tonsilectony this morning It was hard for me to wake after anesthea than normally but have only had a bout 2-4 for pain so far. But that is because I’m still very sedated.Once that wears off maybe or told the 4TH day I may start feeeling it for about 4 more days. The surgery went well 1 1 /2 hour long recovery almost 2 hours. I had to wear a pain patch from not until at least day 3 to help with nanesau . All the horror stories . Everyones body is different on healing. I can breathe a little better Hopefully it might not be so bad. It’s worth the pain for breathing. No steriods for me or coblaton . Havig a good surgeon makes all the dufference also. Good luck. At least mine is behind me by one day so far. Looking forward to feeling a little better each day. Good luck. Try not to stress or be to scare. I was also but everyone has a tentsy to worry way to much sometimes. Medicine has come a long way. The key is to stay very hydrated & take pain pills on time. I found the cool mist humidifer & cool throat wraps work also. Just be prepared the better it will be.
I look forward to your continued updates and am wishing you a good recovery! I bet your positive attitude and preparation will help a lot. Good luck 🙂
Well, my surgery is two days away. Getting a little scared! I did find out that my surgeon uses the coblation method, so I think this is a positive thing. He told me that I have an option between liquid painkillers or pills. Anyone have any insight into this? He said I would have to take a lot of liquid if I went that way. Maybe it is better to just swallow a pill quickly? Not sure. Any help would be appreciated!
From what I’ve seen after months of extensive research is coblation should lessen your pain. I’m getting coblation in July. So we can hope 🙂 My doctor recommended the liquid Vicodin to me. However i have heard the pills may be a tad more effective, yet the pain they may cause when swallowing might not be worth it. Hopefully your doctor will allow you to switch half way through if necessary. Good luck with your surgery!! Please update us with your recovery, I am very interested in coblation recovery stories. I wish you the best!
My doctor put me on the liquid. That may be a good choice for you. My throat was extremely sore and the liquid goes down fast. I am on day 9. I Wish u well. Don’t be scared.
Liquid lortab has been working fine for me.