A collection of various experiences of adult tonsillectomy patients on their fourth day post op 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. Below I share comments about tonsillectomy day 4. 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.
Please feel free to add your own experience with tonsillectomy day 4.
-Greg Tooke My short bio
Tonsillectomy Day 4
I’m currently at the end of Day 4 since my combined tonsillectomy, balloon sinuplasty, and septoplasty. I’m 25 years old This has by no means been a walk in the park so far, but it honestly isn’t as bad as I had feared it would be. Back in October I had an abscess inside my tonsil that I had to get lanced, and the pain from this recovery so far has not been quite as severe as the pain from the abscess. On the day of my surgery when I got home, I slept for 95% of the rest of the day. Woke up around 2am in a lot of pain and had to migrate from my bed to the recliner and continued to wake up every 45 minutes or so. I think this first night was definitely the worst for me because I had packing in my nose from the sinus surgery so I had literally no choice but to breathe out of my mouth. My tongue was like sandpaper (gross I know) even though I tried to drink as frequently as possible. I did not eat anything that first day and just drank water when I could. At 8:30 the next morning I saw my ENT to get the packing removed from my nose thank God. It took most of the second day for the congestion to clear up but once it did it was a big relief for me. Day 2 I would say my pain was around a 4 or so during the day. I was able to eat some popsicles and cream of wheat which tasted like heaven. Again, the middle of the night and first thing in the morning were the worst for me. I was prescribed liquid hydrocodone and a steroid for the swelling. I alternated the hydro every 6 hours with extra strength liquid Tylenol. That seemed to help most of the time. Day 3 was pretty uneventful, tried to incorporate mashed potatoes into my diet but it made my jaw pretty tired and sore. Went to bed, woke up at like 2am again in a lot of pain so I took more meds and put ice packs on my neck which helped me go back to sleep. Today, day 4, the morning sucked as usual but once the steroid kicked in I was feeling much better. Pain was probably at a 3 most of the day. Today I was also able to leave the house to grab a couple of things from the store and made an appearance at a family gathering. I was able to eat some more “real” food there which included potato salad and a roll. After being out of the house for about 1 1/2 I was EXHAUSTED. I guess I’m still building up stamina. Tomorrow will day 5 and hopefully things continue to go smoothly. I know a lot of people say the pain is worse when the scabs fall off so I won’t be super shocked if I start to go downhill but I’m trying my best to stay positive and am overall pleasantly surprised at how well I’ve been doing!
Tonsillectomy Day 4 post op : OMG! I am dying!
Tonsillectomy Day 4 post op: Oh, so THIS is the pain everyone’s talking about.
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : Well, last night was the best night so far – which is nothing to brag about. The ear pain last night was even worse; so far, that is the nastiest part of this recovery. I did however wake up coughing due to a tickle in my throat. As most of you know, coughing and clearing your throat is a no-no…but to me, it was a yes-yes. There was absolutely nothing I could do, but cough! I was drinking water, but it wouldn’t stop. Thankfully, that didn’t trigger any bleeding! The morning was alright minus the _ _ _ _ _ _ _. That’s right; you got it, the EAR PAIN! And I ended up thinking that I made the wrong decision about just sticking to children’s Tylenol. I decided to nix the child Tylenol idea, as it was doing almost nothing for me and moved to taking extra strength Tylenol – obviously I had to crush it up and mix with it with ice cream. I got my mom to call the doctors office to see if there was anything else I could be prescribed. The doctor faxed a prescription for Percocet’s to my pharmacy and I was extremely happy. At this point I could talk a little bit, but very low and even then it hurt, so I had a pad of paper and a pen with me at all times (I guess I’m lucky I got 100% on all of the spelling bees in elementary school)! My mom came home with the Percocet’s and I could have kissed her! It said I could take 1 to 2 pills every 4 hours, but decided to start with one because I heard that they were super strong. I couldn’t swallow it so I crushed it up into applesauce and consumed it that way. Not even 10 minutes later I started getting a stomach ache and got incredibly dizzy. So dizzy that I couldn’t see straight and my eyes felt like they were crossing. My mom called the doctor’s office up and explained the symptoms. He confirmed that it was normal. NORMAL? Is that what you call normal? I felt like I was seeing double (I have glasses, so would that be considered quadruple?) Nevertheless, if I knew of the severity of the symptoms I would have battled with the codeine! I decided to lie down for about 2 hours and woke up with pain still in my stomach; I guess the only good news is the dizziness was gone. Once the Percocet wore off, I dumped the rest of the prescription in the toilet (or the majestic bowl – however you want to refer to it). I ate some chicken broth today, with a cracker that I broke up into a million pieces and softened it in the soup. I got most of it down, so it was pretty good. The ear pain was getting a little hard to manage so I decided to use ear plugs and a heating pad. Both of them together helped to muffle and alleviate the pain. As of right now, I need 2 Tylenol every 4 hours, but it does work better than the children’s Tylenol!
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : 4th morning..and I was miserable…
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : 4 days post-op and overall it’s not as bad as it could be. As long as I take the Roxicet every 4 hours (even in the middle of the night) and the steroids every morning, the pain is bearable.
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : 4 days post op and today was the worst as far as just pain. I’m attempting Mac n cheese here in 5 min. But overall the pain isn’t too bad. 🙂 but then again I’m only 4 days out.
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : To date the hardest part of the recovery are the panic attacks i get. I believe they come from my inability to clear my nasal airway. My nose has splints in it to keep the septum straight, so along with the swelling my nose is constantly congested. The pain has not been an issue yet, but i did a little research and heard from the doctors office that the pain comes typically around days 5-10
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : Day four–out of anti-nausea meds, felt like sick again after taking pain meds. Decided to forgo the pain meds and take advil and tylenol alternating, like my doctor recommended. Throat hurt A LOT but I felt like a human being. Still not eating much, popsicles and smoothies too cold, soft boiled eggs were the BOMB!
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : Day 4- woke up in pain, felt better during day- night was painful.
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : Days 4-6: Very small, almost imperceptible, improvements each day. I was able to drop my Lortab doses from 15ml down to 10ml and even stop taking it during the days and just took Tylenol. The evenings were rough for me though, and I still needed the Lortab (hydrocodone and acetaminophen). Sleep was intermittant, and required me to get up and re-hydrate and take more Lortab. Food intake during these days was very very little. I did OK with oatmeal and instant pudding, but that’s about it. Make no mistake – these were difficult days.
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : I was able to sleep a little bit during the night. Taking the liquid benadryl helps. Pain was bad. Started to be able to feel the scabs in the back of my throat very well today. Ear pain increased a bit and chewing Dentyne Ice gum helps a bit for that. Had horrible diarrhea during the afternoon but was also relieved at the same time because it was the first time I was able to go number two since the morning of surgery. I was able to actually eat a bowl of cream of wheat today and ate some chicken broth with soggy oyster crackers in it. I get bad hiccups at times which hurt really bad. Swallowing is still very tough to do.
Tonsillectomy Day 4 : Day 4: I am out of pain meds and I want to cry. I have been taking 2 vicoden pills every four hours and it is barely helping with the pain. The pain meds are making me very tired and itchy all over so my husband has went to the doctor’s office to get me something different. The nurse at the doctor’s office told my husband that I was not going to feel better for at least a week. Wow, I feel hopeless right now. I was relieved when the hubster came home with Percocet. Percocet has worked a little better and now the pain is bearable.
I finally slept a bit! Unfortunately, upon awakening, my throat was very dry and I was in a lot of pain. The meds had worn off while I slept and breathing through my mouth didn’t help matters. After getting something to drink and my meds, I felt much better. I’m realizing that without the meds, I’d be much worse off. Still, this hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be.
I was able to eat some solid food today. Mac and Cheese never tasted so good! The rest of the day I felt pretty good and I napped off and on catching up with some much needed sleep.
For me, being that they did biopsies of my tongue and nasopharynx, those ares are the most painful. Speaking is somewhat difficult and because my tongue is still a little swollen, my speech is slurred. I expect that to improve daily.
The key for me is to stay ahead of the pain as much as possible. I stay on schedule with the antibiotic and pain meds as much as I can.
I’m off to bed as my eyes are struggling to stay open. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
I am on day 4 and it is hell! I vomited twice last night with spots of blood and I have looked in the back of my throat and there are dry blood patches and white and green all over, is this ok or should I call the surgeon?
Hello, if you spit up or bleed more than a tablespoon you have to call the doctor and go to the hospital right away if the doctor doesn’t anserw or what not. I am on recovery day 23 I think. I got my surgery on December 14th 2012. They gave me liquid Codiene which didn’t help much just made me sleep and, I would drool when I was sleeping and choke because I can’t swallow anything. But no matter how much pain you are in and how much you don’t want to listen to anyone try to drink as much water as you can. So your throat stays wet, and your scabs won’t bother you when they start to form. I didn’t feel mine come off that much just one time I let it get dry and it was a scratching pain. But then I started to drink more and more water and it got better. So whichever works for you cold or like warm… Or Mabye tea I drank a lot of that too. Also my friend made me ramen noodles on Mabye the 6th day and I was in complete heaven… I hope you feel better. And I hope this helps you.
Day 16 here… It took every bit of two weeks to feel somewhat normal. I didn’t have the nausea/vomiting but did bleed a little bit, mostly from clots that had formed and come loose on the tonsils and biopsied areas. Ice and gargling with cold water stopped the bleeding. If you’re still bleeding a lot, go to the hospital immediately.
That nasty look in the back of your throat is pretty normal. You should be on an antibiotic to prevent infection. Best advice I can give you is drink plenty of liquids/water. Nothing hot. a humidifier is a MUST!, If you have pain meds, keep on schedule as much as possible, even awakening to take it during the night. Staying ahead of the pain (which really started 4-5 days afterward) was key to dealing with this.
Day 4: 12/23/12
This pain is crazy. I am tired of throwing up and want to eat but can’t without throwing it up. The scabs in my throat and nose Hirt so bad I can’t even get the medicine in to keep it from drying. I can’t wait to feel better
Bring along some Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup and some applesauce to Christmas dinner in the event you are not quite ready to eat the usual fare. Bread dipping in the soup is also very tasty… (lukewarm) I am so grateful that Greg started this site.. it was what kept me going through the pain. I reached the end.. 16 days out and am so thankful to have the surgery behind me.
I was thinking about taking a can of broth. I haven’t managed to make it to soft foods yet, and am still on liquids. The pain has just been to much.
Good part of the day was I realized my swelling has gone down just enough for me to see back there. According to all the pics posted here I look about normal. Hubby I think also likes having me quiet….. I can’t argue with him since even a whisper makes me run for the ice packs and pain meds….
This site has defiantly helped me to prepare for this. Although I dreaded getting it done, I was well educated in various ways and items to make the recovery the best it could be. Just wish the family would read it so they would have a better idea of what was happening.
Hoping everyone’s pain is minimal tomorrow and i Wish you all a Merry Christmas eve tomorrow!
Day 4: After not much sleep and ALOT of pain ( the kind that leaves you shaking and /or crying)last night, I’m finding it more and more difficult to swallow today and the pain continues to increase. I’m drinking as many fluids as I can and have ice bags on my throat and ears. At this point it’s hard to say which one hurts the worst and am counting down the minutes for the next dose of pain meds.
The thick mucus is still there and I frequently burp, have rounds of hiccups, and cough. I know the light is at the end of the tunnel somewhere, but feels like I’ll never get there at this point. Definatley don’t feel up to celebrating Christmas with the in laws yet, but I’m expected to appear, be social and eat. I can’t hardly swallow my own saliva, there’s no way I’ll be able to eat tomorrow! 🙁
Will post more either later tonight or tomorrow…..
I had my surgery on Friday the 21st. Here we are in day 3 and compared to some of the horror stories I’ve read, I’m doing pretty good. I had my tonsils taken out (for biopsy), along with biopsies of my tongue and nasopharynx. A laryngoscopy was done as well. All to help diagnose the primary in metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The good news is that everything looks to be Ok. The tonsils are the main suspect at this point. Interestingly enough, since the surgery, the lymph node on the left side of my neck as eased up a bit, further strengthening the diagnosis of the tonsils being the primary.
By far, the 1st day was the worst. Sleeping has been troublesome but last night I got a good 4 hours straight without waking. I had a bout of the hiccups yesterday off and on and that was annoying. Eating has been a non issue. Soft foods and liquids are no problem. I’m looking forward to some real food though!
The pain meds have been wonderful (thanks Doc!) and other than some discomfort uponwaking from a nap, I’m doing fine. Actually, my tongue hurts more than my throat. My voice is pretty weak but that’s to be expected. I’m just thankful that I’m not experiencing some of the awful symptoms I’ve been reading about.
Day 4 December 24th:
I finally slept a bit! Unfortunately, upon awakening, my throat was very dry and I was in a lot of pain. The meds had worn off while I slept and breathing through my mouth didn’t help matters. After getting something to drink and my meds, I felt much better. I’m realizing that without the meds, I’d be much worse off. Still, this hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be.
I was able to eat some solid food today. Mac and Cheese never tasted so good! The rest of the day I felt pretty good and I napped off and on catching up with some much needed sleep.
For me, being that they did biopsies of my tongue and nasopharynx, those ares are the most painful. Speaking is somewhat difficult and because my tongue is still a little swollen, my speech is slurred. I expect that to improve daily.
The key for me is to stay ahead of the pain as much as possible. I stay on schedule with the antibiotic and pain meds as much as I can.
I’m off to bed as my eyes are struggling to stay open. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
I am on day 4 and it is hell! I vomited twice last night with spots of blood and I have looked in the back of my throat and there are dry blood patches and white and green all over, is this ok or should I call the surgeon?
Hello, if you spit up or bleed more than a tablespoon you have to call the doctor and go to the hospital right away if the doctor doesn’t anserw or what not. I am on recovery day 23 I think. I got my surgery on December 14th 2012. They gave me liquid Codiene which didn’t help much just made me sleep and, I would drool when I was sleeping and choke because I can’t swallow anything. But no matter how much pain you are in and how much you don’t want to listen to anyone try to drink as much water as you can. So your throat stays wet, and your scabs won’t bother you when they start to form. I didn’t feel mine come off that much just one time I let it get dry and it was a scratching pain. But then I started to drink more and more water and it got better. So whichever works for you cold or like warm… Or Mabye tea I drank a lot of that too. Also my friend made me ramen noodles on Mabye the 6th day and I was in complete heaven… I hope you feel better. And I hope this helps you.
Hi,
Day 16 here… It took every bit of two weeks to feel somewhat normal. I didn’t have the nausea/vomiting but did bleed a little bit, mostly from clots that had formed and come loose on the tonsils and biopsied areas. Ice and gargling with cold water stopped the bleeding. If you’re still bleeding a lot, go to the hospital immediately.
That nasty look in the back of your throat is pretty normal. You should be on an antibiotic to prevent infection. Best advice I can give you is drink plenty of liquids/water. Nothing hot. a humidifier is a MUST!, If you have pain meds, keep on schedule as much as possible, even awakening to take it during the night. Staying ahead of the pain (which really started 4-5 days afterward) was key to dealing with this.
Hang in there… it does get better!
Day 4: 12/23/12
This pain is crazy. I am tired of throwing up and want to eat but can’t without throwing it up. The scabs in my throat and nose Hirt so bad I can’t even get the medicine in to keep it from drying. I can’t wait to feel better
As a caregiver to my 18 year son who is only on day 2!! Please get a humidifier it is a God send,trust me this will help a BUNCH!!
Bring along some Campbells Chicken Noodle Soup and some applesauce to Christmas dinner in the event you are not quite ready to eat the usual fare. Bread dipping in the soup is also very tasty… (lukewarm) I am so grateful that Greg started this site.. it was what kept me going through the pain. I reached the end.. 16 days out and am so thankful to have the surgery behind me.
..and I am grateful for your kind words. I’m so glad that you’re out of the tunnel. 😉 Take care
I was thinking about taking a can of broth. I haven’t managed to make it to soft foods yet, and am still on liquids. The pain has just been to much.
Good part of the day was I realized my swelling has gone down just enough for me to see back there. According to all the pics posted here I look about normal. Hubby I think also likes having me quiet….. I can’t argue with him since even a whisper makes me run for the ice packs and pain meds….
This site has defiantly helped me to prepare for this. Although I dreaded getting it done, I was well educated in various ways and items to make the recovery the best it could be. Just wish the family would read it so they would have a better idea of what was happening.
Hoping everyone’s pain is minimal tomorrow and i Wish you all a Merry Christmas eve tomorrow!
Day 4: After not much sleep and ALOT of pain ( the kind that leaves you shaking and /or crying)last night, I’m finding it more and more difficult to swallow today and the pain continues to increase. I’m drinking as many fluids as I can and have ice bags on my throat and ears. At this point it’s hard to say which one hurts the worst and am counting down the minutes for the next dose of pain meds.
The thick mucus is still there and I frequently burp, have rounds of hiccups, and cough. I know the light is at the end of the tunnel somewhere, but feels like I’ll never get there at this point. Definatley don’t feel up to celebrating Christmas with the in laws yet, but I’m expected to appear, be social and eat. I can’t hardly swallow my own saliva, there’s no way I’ll be able to eat tomorrow! 🙁
Will post more either later tonight or tomorrow…..
I had my surgery on Friday the 21st. Here we are in day 3 and compared to some of the horror stories I’ve read, I’m doing pretty good. I had my tonsils taken out (for biopsy), along with biopsies of my tongue and nasopharynx. A laryngoscopy was done as well. All to help diagnose the primary in metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. The good news is that everything looks to be Ok. The tonsils are the main suspect at this point. Interestingly enough, since the surgery, the lymph node on the left side of my neck as eased up a bit, further strengthening the diagnosis of the tonsils being the primary.
By far, the 1st day was the worst. Sleeping has been troublesome but last night I got a good 4 hours straight without waking. I had a bout of the hiccups yesterday off and on and that was annoying. Eating has been a non issue. Soft foods and liquids are no problem. I’m looking forward to some real food though!
The pain meds have been wonderful (thanks Doc!) and other than some discomfort uponwaking from a nap, I’m doing fine. Actually, my tongue hurts more than my throat. My voice is pretty weak but that’s to be expected. I’m just thankful that I’m not experiencing some of the awful symptoms I’ve been reading about.