A collection of various experiences of adult tonsillectomy patients on their first day of recovery
From thousands of post comments to the tonsillectomy recovery forum, I have assembled a sampling of various accounts and impressions of tonsillectomy recovery for each day. We shall start with tonsillectomy day 1. These comments are taken from tonsillectomy patients who were kind enough to share their experiences to help others as they navigate the bumpy road of tonsillectomy recovery.
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Please feel free to add your own experience with tonsillectomy day 1.
-Greg Tooke My short bio
Tonsillectomy Day 1
Tonsillectomy Day 1: This is not too bad. Pussies on the forum!
Tonsillectomy Day 1:(surgery day): Thank God I woke up! Whoa – drugs.
Tonsillectomy Day 1: I had a freezie when I got home and lots of water. I watched some television and took the amoxicillin that I was prescribed to prevent infection. I decided to try to swallow the capsules because they looked small enough…BIG MISTAKE! After the first one, it felt like it was stuck in my throat, but I tried to take the second one…even bigger mistake. So I start getting anxious because I feel like the pills are stuck in my throat and not going down – even with loads of water. It turns out they did go down, but because my throat was swollen, they felt like they were just sitting there. I was prescribed liquid codeine and told to buy liquid Tylenol. However, the only liquid Tylenol my mom could find was for children, so instead, she decided to buy Tylenol caplets that melt in your mouth – which turned out to be for children as well. The first night I only took Tylenol because I wasn’t in that much pain at first. Needless to say, I was in pain during the night and slept maybe 1-2 hours in total.
Tonsillectomy Day 1: i had the surgery at 3:20 pm ( they were over an hour behind schedule).I woke up feeling like crap and the nurse had to give me lots of morphine through the IV drip. I spent the night in a hospital and it was the worst night ever. My throat was in pain all night even though they gave me the liquid codeine. There was only 2 of us in the “day surgery” ward ( where they keep the overnight patients) but the other lady was snoring all through the night! which made things even worse haha. I only got about 4 hours of on and off sleep. My mom picked me up at 6am and i went home and slept for a bit.
Tonsillectomy Day 1 : My surgery was at 9:30am ET this morning and I was home by 1:30pm which included a 20 minute drive home. I had a tonsillectomy and he just trimmed a little of my extremely long uvula. I woke right up from the surgery with no problems at all. The pain I had was a 1or 2 on a scale of 10. hardly any pain after the surgery and I was able to eat apple sauce, ice and water immediately after waking. No side effects from the surgery med’s. They did give me some anti-nausea drugs. I still feel like I have just a mild sore throat.
Tonsillectomy Day 1 : Days 1&2 were definitely the honeymoon phase. All was grand in tonsil land
Tonsillectomy Day 1 : I just had it done this morning, massively consming water, pain meds every 4 hours, popsicles, little apple sauce and trying to maintain a healthy probiotic regimine. Its weird because it feels like a bad case of strep throat….so far. But I do feel instant relief with my breathing.
Tonsillectomy Day 1 : Well i just got home from surgery. I had my tonsils removed, deviated septum fixed, uvula removed and turbinates (nasal wall tissue) reduced. I have no recall of surgery, only remember maybe a minute of being in the operating room, then waking up in the recovery center.
Pain is not what i expected it to be. I think i have worse pain from strep throat
Tonsillectomy Day 1 : Post op eight hours……everything feels fine but I’m scared for the horrible days ahead. Sandra you developed ear pain at 3rd day? That makes me nervous
Tonsillectomy Day 1 : (Day of surgery) I actually felt pretty darn good, was able to eat a little, but I wish someone would have told me that I needed to re-learn how to swallow. VERY SMALL sips is the key.
Tonsillectomy Day 1 : Slept only about 2 hours due to still being very restless and fidgety from the effects of the anesthesia. Stayed on a steady dose every 4 hours of pain med’s which seemed to edge my pain. Still in a great deal of pain all day. I ate more Popsicle and jello and applesauce and was able to eat some luke warm soup which tasted great and drank 2 ensure shakes and a yogurt shake. The anesthesia effects seemed to finally wear off sometime in the early evening making me a bit more comfortable. Still in a good deal of pain. My entire mouth now hurts along with the throat and I am having jaw pain and slight ear pain and tongue pain from the clamps they used during the surgery.
I am 19 year old male in college hoping to get through this ASAP and back to classes. Had surgery at 9 on a thursday. Initial post op pain was almost none at all. My uvula was so huge it felt like a constant loogie, and it blocks exhaling through my nose when on my back. Nurse whipped me up a road cocktail and sent me home. Very little pain until about midnight when it intensified. Woke up throughout night for water and prescription of Hydrocodone/Acetomenophen solution.
I had my tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy yesterday at 7:40 AM. It’s been about 24 hours since i woke up from the anesthesia. Yesterday, I woke up in the recovery room and was fed ice chips. They then wheeled me back to my room in pediatrics (I’m 16). The nurse had me shimmy over to the bed in the room, tests my vital signs, and then I slept for about 2 or 3 hours on and off to sleep the anesthesia off. I was awoken every 30 minutes or so when she took my vitals again. The nurse wanted to make sure I could walk and if the anesthesia had worn off. I stood up, had wobbly knees, and then sat right back down and got nauseous. The nausea was from a combination of my body reacting to the anesthesia and the blood in my stomach that the doctor didn’t suck up. The nurses warned about vomitting due to the blood in my stomach, but luckily, I didn’t really get nauseous for the rest of the day. However, my stomach was making a lot of noises with gas bubbles and I could feel the need to burp the whole day and into the night. Burping felt good when it came out but I didn’t like the pain it caused on my throat. So sometimes I didn’t encourage it. The bubbles ended up settling down and coming out the other way (if you catch my drift). THAT felt good. Anyway, I was on cortisone for sure, and morphine if I think. The pain was bearable. I’ve been taking my pain meds every 4 hours since I returned from the hospital (this includes me waking up at 3AM and 7AM). Pain is worse today. Sleeping last night wasn’t terrible. I had an ice collar on my neck and I went to sleep at around 10:30 or 11 (I was wide awake from napping all day when I had returned from the hospital). I woke up every 2 hours, drank some water, and took pain meds every 4 hours. I had my cool mist humidifier running the whole night. For drugs I am taking, I am on liquid antibiotic Augmentin, and Hydrocodone elixir which i believe is tylenol with pain killer. I’m already almost done with the bottle even though I haven’t taken more than prescribed. Anyway, I’m hanging in there on Day 2. My angel of a mother has been taking care of me today, my dad is at work but they were both with me at the hospital yesterday. One thing that sorta freaked me out was how swollen my uvula was. It really bothered me and was effected by gravity. For example, if i looked up, the uvula would sag down and lean up against the back of my throat. When I looked down it would sag and lay along the roof of my mouth. Thats the annoying thing. I asked the nurse to look at it when i saw it, and she said it was pretty big and to keep an eye on it. She said it could’ve been because the breathing tube that was inserted during the procedure was leaning up against it, and the swelling should go down in 48 hours. Anyway, please respond if you had a similar first day experience so maybe my days ahead could be similar to yours. Also, any questions just let me know even though I’m only on day 1.
I am 35 and had my tonsils removed yesterday so I’m not sure if I’m day1 or day 2. I am on liquid hydrocodone and augmentin along with anti nausea meds. Pain is not intolerable with pain meds every 4hrs and adult strength liquid Tylenol. I can whisper but have just been using a dry erase board to communicate. Drinking as much as I can an I have 2 humidifiers going 24hrs One warm steam and one cool mist. I also have an ice pack continuously on my neck. But so far not too terrible.
I went into theatre about noon and was a bit groggy for a couple of hours after coming around. But by 3ish I was feeling surprisingly alert. The op was a bit more complex than expected, as they actually found an abscess in my right tonsil. Lots of smelly pus, glad I was none the wiser. I remember going under and I remember coming around seemingly seconds later. No conscious fear of the process, but some very tame nightmares about unrelated things in the 2 nights beforehand, and I never have nightmares, so I guess there was some subconscious fear. Immediately before going under I was nervous about being sent to sleep and losing consciousness, and the idea of being filleted alive, but it was fine. By about 4pm I was encouraged to eat a sandwich. That was a real surprise. I was expecting liquids, ice cream etc, but they were having none of that. So I ate a whole egg mayo sandwich and it went down surprisingly well. Dessert was chocolate ice cream, but only because I like it and because it was on the hospital menu on the day. By 6 I was on my way home, and by 8 I was in the kitchen making a big batch of macaroni cheese – softer than a sandwich and should keep me going if things get tough the next couple of days. Drinking plenty of water, eating almost normally. First night (with humidifier) was not comfortable. Swallowing saliva was painful and I found it easier to sleep on my front so that the saliva would not accumulate at the back of my mouth. Drugs (400mg iboprofen, plus 1000mg paracetamol/16mg codeine) every 6 hours, and antibiotic clarithromycin 500mg every 12 hours. Overnight I would have liked to take the drugs more frequently than that. I wasn’t in constant pain, just having to sit up in bed every now and then to swallow my saliva. Day one then, pretty much as expected except for the totally normal eating, even hot food, which I did not expect. Ice cream stash is in the freezer as yet untouched. But it’s early days and after the complication with the op I’ve been warned it won’t be plain sailing.
I am 19 year old male in college hoping to get through this ASAP and back to classes. Had surgery at 9 on a thursday. Initial post op pain was almost none at all. My uvula was so huge it felt like a constant loogie, and it blocks exhaling through my nose when on my back. Nurse whipped me up a road cocktail and sent me home. Very little pain until about midnight when it intensified. Woke up throughout night for water and prescription of Hydrocodone/Acetomenophen solution.
I had my tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy yesterday at 7:40 AM. It’s been about 24 hours since i woke up from the anesthesia. Yesterday, I woke up in the recovery room and was fed ice chips. They then wheeled me back to my room in pediatrics (I’m 16). The nurse had me shimmy over to the bed in the room, tests my vital signs, and then I slept for about 2 or 3 hours on and off to sleep the anesthesia off. I was awoken every 30 minutes or so when she took my vitals again. The nurse wanted to make sure I could walk and if the anesthesia had worn off. I stood up, had wobbly knees, and then sat right back down and got nauseous. The nausea was from a combination of my body reacting to the anesthesia and the blood in my stomach that the doctor didn’t suck up. The nurses warned about vomitting due to the blood in my stomach, but luckily, I didn’t really get nauseous for the rest of the day. However, my stomach was making a lot of noises with gas bubbles and I could feel the need to burp the whole day and into the night. Burping felt good when it came out but I didn’t like the pain it caused on my throat. So sometimes I didn’t encourage it. The bubbles ended up settling down and coming out the other way (if you catch my drift). THAT felt good. Anyway, I was on cortisone for sure, and morphine if I think. The pain was bearable. I’ve been taking my pain meds every 4 hours since I returned from the hospital (this includes me waking up at 3AM and 7AM). Pain is worse today. Sleeping last night wasn’t terrible. I had an ice collar on my neck and I went to sleep at around 10:30 or 11 (I was wide awake from napping all day when I had returned from the hospital). I woke up every 2 hours, drank some water, and took pain meds every 4 hours. I had my cool mist humidifier running the whole night. For drugs I am taking, I am on liquid antibiotic Augmentin, and Hydrocodone elixir which i believe is tylenol with pain killer. I’m already almost done with the bottle even though I haven’t taken more than prescribed. Anyway, I’m hanging in there on Day 2. My angel of a mother has been taking care of me today, my dad is at work but they were both with me at the hospital yesterday. One thing that sorta freaked me out was how swollen my uvula was. It really bothered me and was effected by gravity. For example, if i looked up, the uvula would sag down and lean up against the back of my throat. When I looked down it would sag and lay along the roof of my mouth. Thats the annoying thing. I asked the nurse to look at it when i saw it, and she said it was pretty big and to keep an eye on it. She said it could’ve been because the breathing tube that was inserted during the procedure was leaning up against it, and the swelling should go down in 48 hours. Anyway, please respond if you had a similar first day experience so maybe my days ahead could be similar to yours. Also, any questions just let me know even though I’m only on day 1.
I am 35 and had my tonsils removed yesterday so I’m not sure if I’m day1 or day 2. I am on liquid hydrocodone and augmentin along with anti nausea meds. Pain is not intolerable with pain meds every 4hrs and adult strength liquid Tylenol. I can whisper but have just been using a dry erase board to communicate. Drinking as much as I can an I have 2 humidifiers going 24hrs One warm steam and one cool mist. I also have an ice pack continuously on my neck. But so far not too terrible.
I went into theatre about noon and was a bit groggy for a couple of hours after coming around. But by 3ish I was feeling surprisingly alert. The op was a bit more complex than expected, as they actually found an abscess in my right tonsil. Lots of smelly pus, glad I was none the wiser. I remember going under and I remember coming around seemingly seconds later. No conscious fear of the process, but some very tame nightmares about unrelated things in the 2 nights beforehand, and I never have nightmares, so I guess there was some subconscious fear. Immediately before going under I was nervous about being sent to sleep and losing consciousness, and the idea of being filleted alive, but it was fine. By about 4pm I was encouraged to eat a sandwich. That was a real surprise. I was expecting liquids, ice cream etc, but they were having none of that. So I ate a whole egg mayo sandwich and it went down surprisingly well. Dessert was chocolate ice cream, but only because I like it and because it was on the hospital menu on the day. By 6 I was on my way home, and by 8 I was in the kitchen making a big batch of macaroni cheese – softer than a sandwich and should keep me going if things get tough the next couple of days. Drinking plenty of water, eating almost normally. First night (with humidifier) was not comfortable. Swallowing saliva was painful and I found it easier to sleep on my front so that the saliva would not accumulate at the back of my mouth. Drugs (400mg iboprofen, plus 1000mg paracetamol/16mg codeine) every 6 hours, and antibiotic clarithromycin 500mg every 12 hours. Overnight I would have liked to take the drugs more frequently than that. I wasn’t in constant pain, just having to sit up in bed every now and then to swallow my saliva. Day one then, pretty much as expected except for the totally normal eating, even hot food, which I did not expect. Ice cream stash is in the freezer as yet untouched. But it’s early days and after the complication with the op I’ve been warned it won’t be plain sailing.
Day 1 – 3 hours after surgery had a cheese and ham toastie, let this please be a sign of things to come!