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
Day 12 here. Woke up in the night super uncomfortable, took half a hydrocodone and was feeling really sorry for myself. (“It’s Day 12 and I’m still taking Vicodin?! Come ON!”) Came here and read Melissa’s story and instantly realized it could be so much worse and that I need to suck it up.
Thank you all for sharing your stories.
Today made day 6 for me and I am still in a lot of pain. When the pain comes, my whole head hurts. Ears,teeth, jaws throat and head hurts. I had to go back to er on day 1 because I was totally swollen. They gave me steroids, and morphine. Now I’m on Tylenol 3 and that only help for about an hour. I’m emotionally tired and dont know how much more I can take.
Michelle, I agree with all the posts above. Call your ENT and see if you can get something stronger. If you have to, go in for a face to face appt and make him/her realize how hard this is going for you. You shouldn’t have to suffer this badly. 🙁
I agree with everyone else. Please call your ENT. They want to help you (or they should). Recovery from this procedure is a lot more work than people know so you kind of have to steel yourself to get into routines and do what is necessary to help yourself. It sucks but it will help you cope better. Ice packs, hydration, schedule for your meds. You can do it! Remember that whatever you are going through now WILL come to an end at some point. You will get through it.
Day 19 here and today is the first day I woke up and didn’t think about taking a pain med. So, I’m here at work without any pain meds and doing just fine. I do get some pain after I eat still and I have managed to gain back 3 of the 14 lbs that I lost. Not happy about that! Arrrrgggg! I think I might start walking or jogging after work today to try to burn that back off again. All and all I think I am totally healed. 🙂
Do you feel ready for heavier physical activity at this stage? I have been super lazy lately (since before my surgery) and I am hoping to start a consistent workout schedule after I fully recover, I just have no idea when that will be possible! 🙂
Julie, I tried to go for a short walk most days of my recovery so by the 2nd week I had done some more vigorous walking but would definitely tire easily. When I went back to working out and the gym (start of week 3) I would break out in a sweat super fast. Now I am getting back to where I was at. I have just started lifting weights again and definitely feel it that I stopped for 3 weeks. I think our stamina and endurance comes back for each of us differently. I did get into a very ‘lazy’ mode as well because I felt justified sitting and watching videos for hours and hours on end during recovery. It definitely put me in a different mindset. But once I got back to work it was easier to get back into my more normal routine. You’ll get there! I’m at 4 weeks tomorrow and I feel like last week was my first week back into ‘reality’ really. 🙂
Holly, I don’t know how you managed to take Percocet for THAT long and not be bound up beyond belief! I had to stop on day 5 or 6 I think because it was so binding. You must have superwoman digestive track! 🙂
Don’t worry about the weight. Your healing is what matters most now. Even if you only keep off half of what you lost, consider that success! The most important thing is you have healed without complications and you will be well on your way to any exercise program and diet your little heart desires! 🙂
Beth, I haven’t left the board yet. I still get the emails but I haven’t written in lately. I’m 2 weeks ahead of you on the surgery date and I’m still not fully healed. I’m careful when I yawn so I don’t over stretch the skin as certain foods still agrivate it. I’m not exactly sure which ones are the culprits but the aggravation is not as bad as it was a month ago. As for the itching that you’re experiencing, not sure if it’s spring allergies or over stretching the skin. That’s a strange one. Have you tried benadryl?
I’m so glad we found this forum to help us get through our surgeries and vent about it. It’s amazing what little information the doctors give you to prepare for this surgery. I’m so glad you are doing better and past the pain and sickness you experienced during your first few days. I’m going to miss chatting with everyone but I guess it’s time to move on and let the next group of people commiserate. If you want to stay in touch, FB me. Deide Vasha Rodriguez.
Deide, my ENT warned the yawning discomfort was the last one to go and he was right. I was pain free with yawning at week 3 and now it only feels slightly odd (not painful at all) when I yawn. Isn’t it funny how we see the healing process unfold and what we notice as each week goes by? I also notice that when I wake up that my soft palate seems really ‘relaxed’ until I start swallowing and eating. I guess it really is true that the tonsils were in there providing a ‘support’ (almost like support beams) for the soft palate, and with them gone it doesn’t have that.
I don’t have any discomfort with any foods now but still have not had a good, hard pizza crust yet. 🙂 When you say that certain foods aggravate it, what do you feel when that happens? I did read on another site that the healing continues, very incrementally, over a period of months after this surgery. So I think that the fact we are at a month and beyond and doing well is really positive. 🙂
Just sent out a friend request Deide!
It’ll be 4 weeks post-op for me tomorrow. Recovery has gone well and no pain at all now. However, the past 10 days or so my soft palate/roof of mouth has been so itchy! This happened to coincide with me being able to fully yawn again so I’m wondering if the itching is from the skin stretching and healing still? It is not red, there is nothing to indicate anything out of the ordinary and the healing all around looks very good. The itch comes/goes but when it’s ‘on’ it’s so irritating! I was wondering if it is allergies as my twin has this same thing happen, at times, to her when she has a flare up of seasonal allergies.
Anyone else out there experience any itching in the throat during healing? I have a follow up with my ENT on 5/23 and will ask about it then as well.
Holly how are you? I know a lot of people have probably left the board because they are so far past their surgeries. Miss you guys! Hope everyone is doing really well – Deide, Becky, Marla, Trish….
🙂
Melissa, I’m so sorry you’ve had a bad experience. I don’t know what to say about the burns but I would be calling your ENT’s office ASAP to discuss why you have those burns. 🙁
Try to hang in there – it truly does get better. Everyone on here has had their days of ups and downs and it can be rough, but you always have support on this board to get you through it. 🙂
I know right now it seems awful, but your body is working hard to heal and with a little help, it will do that just fine. You mentioned vomiting – Are you now able to take your pain meds? If not, you should ask for anti nausea meds as soon as you can to help you be able to take the pain meds. The picture is much less bleak with pain meds on board.
If you ARE able to take the pain meds, the most important advice you’ll see here is to never skip doses. Set your alarm, watch, cell phone, whatever you’ve got, to wake you every 4 hrs for your next dose. And as hard as it is, you need to be sure you’re drinking all the time.
Personally I found this whole experience to be somewhat of a mind over matter battle. It hurts so bad to swallow but you have to know that it is helping your body heal – every sip and spoonful of food is doing its job. So keep at it!
We’ve all been there and will be here for you as you heal. 🙂