Tonsillectomy Tips
As I’ve written, there was much that I did not know as I planned, experienced, and recovered from my own tonsillectomy. My Ear Nose and Throat doctor, (ENT), and his nurse gave me some general information about the surgery. We talked about how tonsillectomy surgery was performed, what the risks were, and what to expect after my adult tonsillectomy surgery.
In addition to this information, I tried to arm myself with as much information from other sources as I could. The internet is filled with medical information and advice. Some of it related to tonsillectomy. Some of it is accurate. Some of it is valuable to a person considering or recovering from tonsillectomy surgery. Most of it is not. Some of the scariest information I got was from my family and friends. Everyone seemed to have some horror story about an adult dying from tonsillectomy, or having a near-death experience from bleeding or anesthesia. As if I wasn’t nervous enough! Fear and anxiety are usually born of uncertainty The more we know about what to expect, the better we are able to execute a task without irrational fears.
I’ve read thousands and thousands of comments on the various pages of this website. One message is expressed again and a gain: Knowing what to expect helps enormously! This is your chance to do others a great service. Take your wisdom, born of personal experience, and help others. When you shine a light for others, you also light your own path.
For a live discussion about tonsillectomy and tonsillectomy recovery, join us in the Tonsillectomy Recovery Forum
The doctors, nurses, bloggers, publishers, family and friends all helped shape my expectations about what to expect before, during and after my tonsillectomy. None of it compares to the value of actually experiencing it. I learned more in the weeks before and after my adult tonsillectomy than I could have learned from years of research. This website is filled with over 50 pages of that wisdom.
If you are reading this, you probably have some experience yourself. How would you like to help someone who is trying to decide whether to have a tonsillectomy? Help someone planning or recovering from tonsillectomy surgery? By answering this one question, you may be able to save someone from a struggle you had:
IF I WAS PLANNING MY TONSILLECTOMY TODAY, THIS IS WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY…
Hi everyone! I had my tonsillectomy and surprise adenoidectomy last Wednesday, so that makes it 6 days post-op for me. I was terrified before I had this procedure. My doctor told me it would be the worst thing I’d ever experienced. She was right for the first three days. After that though the throat pain went down immensely. I haven’t taken any pain medicine at all today. Today I’m just having a lot of nausea, heartburn, and a disgusting taste in my mouth. I really think that the key is to drink as much as possible. If you’re not going to the bathroom every hour you’re not drinking enough. I also had a humidifier and tons of cold water. Make sure your head is elevated when you sleep, and stock up on some Ensure too. You will lose weight with this surgery. I was already underweight and have still managed to lose 6 lbs. After hearing how grossly infected my tonsils and adenoids were I am so glad that I got them removed and I never have to worry about them again.
Hi All,
I’m on day 6 of my post tonsillectomy healing process and like Nic’s comment, have thought about sticking delicious solid goods in a blender. I am so hungry! I went through the ear pain last night. I was prescribed Oxycodone acetaminophen, and it worked for the first few days, but made me incredibly sleepy. Day 3 I was admitted to the hospital for severe dehydration, and my tongue was incredibly swollen, so swollen that nothing could pass by it. I was a big, drooly mess. Sipping cold water regardless of how much pain I was in helped with the swelling. My room was set up with a humidifier, which helped a ton. In the evenings, I wake up with an abundance of saliva, which is super annoying. Popsicles hurt, and ice cream leaves a mucusy film. The biggest advice I can give to anyone having this procedure is to focus on drinking, and staying hydrated instead of eating solids. The scabs will come off when they’re ready. I’m on day 6, I am starving, but tonight I did manage to have some brothy soup with tiny little pasta stars in it. So far, so good. Looking forward to eating a big, green leafy salad though 🙂
day 5- so hungry i am considering blending pizza, steak and a cheese burger! by far the worst night i have had and my ears are killing me. Taking Pandene fort (codene) Oxyconton (morphine) diflam throat spray and diflam numbing lollies and nurofen kids throat medicine. Feel like a drug addict. Still the pain comes even if i try stay on top of it. One of my stitches came out day 4 which freaked me out a bit but there has been no bleeding which is a good sign. This sucks. My wife is a saviour though. I just hope the snoring has stopped so this hasnt been a waste of time!
I just had my tonsils removed around 10am on June 5th 2012…. I am 19 years old so far this recovery has been completely miserable I have ben vommitong up everything. Then last night started vommiting blood. It hurts so bad in my throat and neck is swelling, ice doesn’t seem to help swelling I am trying to keep myself hydrated with water and ice chips but i seem to be vomiting up everything. And it burns so bad I also cannot keep the liquid percocet down I feel like its very harsh on my empty stomach that can’t even hold water right now. I called my doctor back and they gave me some nausea medication that did not help at all I guess I don’t really know what else I can do luckily I have been sleeping ok. Hopefully the sleep will help . Any other suggestions that may help?
Ah bless you – you are in the thick of the worst bit….this is good although it really is not funny at the time I know. I am on Day 8 today and feel like a human i feel great. Yesterday was good too. The sickness is awful because it causes further irritation and is so stressful. You poor thing, You need lots of love and cuddles. I would get someone to call your doc and get him to review your meds. That’s what i did as mine either made me sick or feel sick a lot of the time. Not pleasant when you need to concentrate on feeling better!!! Get someone to call now and collect some new painkillers and see if this helps you… i have taken Paracetamol every 4-6 hours, Diclofenac 3 x a day and Dyhydrocodeine x1 when the pain was bad. At it’s worst the doc suggested i up the dose of codeine…..OMG on an empty stomach this was not funny. I slept a lot on this high dose but boy was i sick when i woke. I feel for you and i hope you feel better soon x
I am on Day 6 now and my god hope I am through the worst. Days 1 and 2 were a breeze but 3 to 5 were just awful. Threw up last night but think that was beause I was full of meds and had had no food intake as throat just coudn’t hack it. Feeling much soother today. Advice?? Prepare for the worst, hope for the best. Have someone there to look after you. My boyfriend and mum have been worth their weight in gold through this. Drink, drink, drink and take your meds on time to keep that pain barrier up. Sleep too as this is good for recovery just make sure you drink a lot when you are awake. Good luck to anyone that has this op. It is quite stressful but rest assured there is light at the end of the tunnel. Keep going. Maybe i’m not out of woods yet but hope worst is done!!