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.
Check out our new tonsillectomy recovery video- Caution: Not always pretty
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.
HI All, I am 50 year old female. I am overweight and have type 2 diabetes, so not exactly the picture of health. I had tonsil stones that were a nuisance, so opted for tonsil removal. After reading all the info on the web, I was scared to death! I am glad to report that as of day 4, things have not been so bad. I live alone, but had a friend stay for the first 4 nights just in case I needed anything. It turned out there was nothing for him to do. I had purchased all of the food and liquids, borrowed a humidifier, gotten all meds etc beforehand. I was up and about and answering work emails. The first two days/nights were very easy. I was eating mac and cheese and drinking pureed soup etc. I drank lots of water, Boost, Gatorade and ice from Sonic. I have been taking my meds religiously. I have not gotten solid sleep in big chunks, but it is not due to pain. I think it is mainly from the meds getting my sleeping patterns messed up. Day three and four have been a little more painful for swallowing and talking. I am not able to eat mac and cheese or open my mouth too wide. The onsil area is completely white and uvula is swollen. Esophagus is sore from tube.
Mashed potatoes, ice chips, soup (cooled down), grits, pudding and sugar free popsicles ans jello are great. I think I bought too much sugary /carb foods. I was hoping to lose some weight, but got a little carried away at the store and like always, find some of the goodies more enticing than others..Even though I bought the organic, health food store versions of a lot of it (soups, puddings, liquids, apple sauce etc) I still feel like I have eaten a lot of junk food. I did make sure to get some all-veggie pureed soups to make sure to get the vitamins.I am watching my glucose levels carefully and my doctor gave me a different, fast acting insulin to use until i am back on regular diet. This is something diabetics should ask their GP or endocrine doctor about. Also, it is a good idea to have EKG and blood tests before surgery if you are older or have issues.
So, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that things are not as horrendous (so far) as some others have reported. If that changes, I will let you know. Take care all! Sara
I’m on day 4, one thing that bugs me is that I hear a clicking sound when I chew then not much later I get earache (this is because of a nerve that goes from the mouth to the ear and is just behind the jaw bone).
So far I can only make these recommendations:
Eat what you can earlier because it gets more difficult to eat as the day goes by
If you put your tongue onto the roof of your mouth as you swallow it helps
Reward yourself with ice cream after eating, still hurts but lowers the time taken to go back to normal
Eventually cold water only gives you earache, once cold water starts to hurt your ears try lukewarm water. Helped me a bunch!
It’s easier to eat meat than veg/starchy things (maybe just me but perhaps its cause of the juiciness of meat)
I was terrified of the surgery itself. Didn’t sleep the night before. My momma drove 9 hours to help out a bit with my 3 little ones for a couple days. My hubby took me to get the procedure, which was quick and seemingly easy—I was home by lunch time! I could not talk over whisper, and food of any sort was not an option. My husband stocked me up on Sonic Ice. Overall, I didn’t feel too bad. Until that night. I guess that’s when the good drugs from the hospital wore out? I don’t know. But I couldn’t put my head down, couldn’t sleep, and realized the pain medicine I was prescribed was not helping in the sleep department, either.
I am now on day 3 doing great. my first day was very rough. i woke up in instant pain because i have a high tolerance to everything so none of the pain meds worked. so of course my prescribed pain meds werent any better. when i came home i was in a lot of pain and yes it freaking hurt but i drank and drank and drank. i also started eating solids day 1 and i think this may have been why i have been getting better each day. the first day i ate beef and noodles and egg salad upon coming home. i drank Gatorade all day literally a gallon in one day. also upon drs orders i ate french fries. it burned like hell but i was able to eat about 6.
I am currently day 10 post tonsillectomy but thought I’d post at day 1, this being the most important day for information!
I’m a 29 year old female and was quite worried about bleeding so took every precaution I was aware of to try to prevent this.
This website has been fantastic for consolidating the info I already had and also finding some new tips.
I’ve had a very good, smooth and uneventful recovery with the inveitable razor blade and shooting pain in the ears around days 6-8. But since the scabs fell off on day 9 I’ve been in minimal pain. Other than that I’ve had minimal symptoms (apart from inevitable medication induced). And no bleeding to speak of! Not even when the scabs came off!
From my reading and experience (while acknowledging everyone is different) I would recommend the following: (this does not replace medical advice however this is often limited if you don’t have a good ENT!)
– a humidifier – this is crucial! I ran this every night.
– try to eat solid foods from day 1 – this is current practice in Australia to get muscles working and promote healing, and to clear the tonsil beds post op – I ate mashed sweet potato mixed with slow cooked meats/chicken/salmon, pureed fruits, mushed cereal, bread soaked in soup.
– drink drink drink!! I averaged around 3L per day and woke myself every hour overnight to drink water
– avoid hot showers and activity that may increase your blood pressure (you don’t want to dialate your blood vessels and increase risk of bleeding
– avoid coughing, sneezing, clearing your throat – try to suppress this by drinking
– suck on ice chips regularly
– take your pain medication on time
– wear an ice collar regularly
– gently gargle lukewarm salt water gargle (this is controversial as can dislodge scabs if done too vigorously)
– walk a short distance daily
– work on accepting it’s going to be painful and commit to getting through – your mind is powerful in overcoming pain.
I was prescribed a prophylactic antibiotic in case I contracted an infection (I didn’t) – not common practice but not overly harmful so I’m glad my ENT did this. I was on cephalex
– I took a probiotic to prevent any adverse affects of the antibiotic
– I was prescribed celebrex for 7 days post op – a non steroidal anti-inflammatory that doesn’t increase the risk of bleeding – I feel this helped
– I also took prune juice to relieve the side effects (constipation) of pain meds (oxycodone and paracetamol+codeine)
Hope this helps and good luck!
Thanks Greg for your fantastic website. I referred to this daily and it really helped to get through this process!
HI All, I am 50 year old female. I am overweight and have type 2 diabetes, so not exactly the picture of health. I had tonsil stones that were a nuisance, so opted for tonsil removal. After reading all the info on the web, I was scared to death! I am glad to report that as of day 4, things have not been so bad. I live alone, but had a friend stay for the first 4 nights just in case I needed anything. It turned out there was nothing for him to do. I had purchased all of the food and liquids, borrowed a humidifier, gotten all meds etc beforehand. I was up and about and answering work emails. The first two days/nights were very easy. I was eating mac and cheese and drinking pureed soup etc. I drank lots of water, Boost, Gatorade and ice from Sonic. I have been taking my meds religiously. I have not gotten solid sleep in big chunks, but it is not due to pain. I think it is mainly from the meds getting my sleeping patterns messed up. Day three and four have been a little more painful for swallowing and talking. I am not able to eat mac and cheese or open my mouth too wide. The onsil area is completely white and uvula is swollen. Esophagus is sore from tube.
Mashed potatoes, ice chips, soup (cooled down), grits, pudding and sugar free popsicles ans jello are great. I think I bought too much sugary /carb foods. I was hoping to lose some weight, but got a little carried away at the store and like always, find some of the goodies more enticing than others..Even though I bought the organic, health food store versions of a lot of it (soups, puddings, liquids, apple sauce etc) I still feel like I have eaten a lot of junk food. I did make sure to get some all-veggie pureed soups to make sure to get the vitamins.I am watching my glucose levels carefully and my doctor gave me a different, fast acting insulin to use until i am back on regular diet. This is something diabetics should ask their GP or endocrine doctor about. Also, it is a good idea to have EKG and blood tests before surgery if you are older or have issues.
So, anyway, I just wanted to let you know that things are not as horrendous (so far) as some others have reported. If that changes, I will let you know. Take care all! Sara
I’m on day 4, one thing that bugs me is that I hear a clicking sound when I chew then not much later I get earache (this is because of a nerve that goes from the mouth to the ear and is just behind the jaw bone).
So far I can only make these recommendations:
Eat what you can earlier because it gets more difficult to eat as the day goes by
If you put your tongue onto the roof of your mouth as you swallow it helps
Reward yourself with ice cream after eating, still hurts but lowers the time taken to go back to normal
Eventually cold water only gives you earache, once cold water starts to hurt your ears try lukewarm water. Helped me a bunch!
It’s easier to eat meat than veg/starchy things (maybe just me but perhaps its cause of the juiciness of meat)
Any other recommendations that I’ve missed?
I was terrified of the surgery itself. Didn’t sleep the night before. My momma drove 9 hours to help out a bit with my 3 little ones for a couple days. My hubby took me to get the procedure, which was quick and seemingly easy—I was home by lunch time! I could not talk over whisper, and food of any sort was not an option. My husband stocked me up on Sonic Ice. Overall, I didn’t feel too bad. Until that night. I guess that’s when the good drugs from the hospital wore out? I don’t know. But I couldn’t put my head down, couldn’t sleep, and realized the pain medicine I was prescribed was not helping in the sleep department, either.
I am now on day 3 doing great. my first day was very rough. i woke up in instant pain because i have a high tolerance to everything so none of the pain meds worked. so of course my prescribed pain meds werent any better. when i came home i was in a lot of pain and yes it freaking hurt but i drank and drank and drank. i also started eating solids day 1 and i think this may have been why i have been getting better each day. the first day i ate beef and noodles and egg salad upon coming home. i drank Gatorade all day literally a gallon in one day. also upon drs orders i ate french fries. it burned like hell but i was able to eat about 6.
Why French fries? Any thing to help. I’m on day 1 myself
Rougher foods tend to strengthen the throat muscles more, chewing gum helps too!
I am currently day 10 post tonsillectomy but thought I’d post at day 1, this being the most important day for information!
I’m a 29 year old female and was quite worried about bleeding so took every precaution I was aware of to try to prevent this.
This website has been fantastic for consolidating the info I already had and also finding some new tips.
I’ve had a very good, smooth and uneventful recovery with the inveitable razor blade and shooting pain in the ears around days 6-8. But since the scabs fell off on day 9 I’ve been in minimal pain. Other than that I’ve had minimal symptoms (apart from inevitable medication induced). And no bleeding to speak of! Not even when the scabs came off!
From my reading and experience (while acknowledging everyone is different) I would recommend the following: (this does not replace medical advice however this is often limited if you don’t have a good ENT!)
– a humidifier – this is crucial! I ran this every night.
– try to eat solid foods from day 1 – this is current practice in Australia to get muscles working and promote healing, and to clear the tonsil beds post op – I ate mashed sweet potato mixed with slow cooked meats/chicken/salmon, pureed fruits, mushed cereal, bread soaked in soup.
– drink drink drink!! I averaged around 3L per day and woke myself every hour overnight to drink water
– avoid hot showers and activity that may increase your blood pressure (you don’t want to dialate your blood vessels and increase risk of bleeding
– avoid coughing, sneezing, clearing your throat – try to suppress this by drinking
– suck on ice chips regularly
– take your pain medication on time
– wear an ice collar regularly
– gently gargle lukewarm salt water gargle (this is controversial as can dislodge scabs if done too vigorously)
– walk a short distance daily
– work on accepting it’s going to be painful and commit to getting through – your mind is powerful in overcoming pain.
I was prescribed a prophylactic antibiotic in case I contracted an infection (I didn’t) – not common practice but not overly harmful so I’m glad my ENT did this. I was on cephalex
– I took a probiotic to prevent any adverse affects of the antibiotic
– I was prescribed celebrex for 7 days post op – a non steroidal anti-inflammatory that doesn’t increase the risk of bleeding – I feel this helped
– I also took prune juice to relieve the side effects (constipation) of pain meds (oxycodone and paracetamol+codeine)
Hope this helps and good luck!
Thanks Greg for your fantastic website. I referred to this daily and it really helped to get through this process!
Natalie
Great stuff Natalie! Thank you!!