Tonsillectomy Day Five

Tonsillectomy Recovery Day by Day

 Day 5

A collection of various experiences of adult tonsillectomy patients on their fifth 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. Below I share comments about tonsillectomy day 5. 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 5.
-Greg Tooke 



Tonsillectomy Day 5
Tonsillectomy Day 5
  • Tonsillectomy Day 5 :  Can I take the pain killers every two hours?
  •  Oh God. PAIN. …And why am I constipated??
  •  So, the pain is a little better today. I took Tylenol at 2:00am and didn’t need it again until 12:00pm – I’d consider that progress! The coughing is still present. I’m trying to avoid it, but it’s harder than you think. There isn’t much to say about today. I’m talking a little more, but don’t want to strain my voice even more, so I’m still writing a lot down. I had soup again today and canned peaches are awesome – even though I had to puree them. All in all, the throat is feeling okay; the ears – still painful.
  •  Day 5 and so far it has been pretty tolerable
  • Day 5: so today i woke up feeling pretty good, my throat was a little tender but once i took the meds the pain was almost gone and i didn’t need to have any ice or Popsicles. i ate some noodles and pesto sauce. drank water and coca-cola and had some ice cream. I ate potato smileys for dinner. they went down pretty well although thier was a little pain but once i drank some pop it went away. The scabs fell off today as well and i didn’t feel it at all just the occasional tickle and i could feel them hanging down but then i looked in the mirror and they were just gone, so i’m assuming that i just swallowed them :s ( kinda gross)
  • Day 5 and still not getting better. When does it start getting better?! Im nauseous all the time because I have no food in my stomach but i have to take my pain meds because the pain is incredible! I started out weighing apprx 108lbs and weighed myself today and I weigh 101lbs. I hope I dont lose much more. This is depressing
  • Day 5 for me and definitely the worst day yet…woke up so nauseated and was so nervous about throwing up and ripping a scab off..got a hold of my doctor who ordered me some anti Nausea med’s
  • Day 5. I’m very thankful that I’ve had a great recovery so far. No major pain other than a sore throat. Today I substituted a dose of the Hydrocodone for a dose of ibuprofen and am doing well. I’ve been eating since the very first day (applesauce, grits, milkshake)
  • Day 5 and I had my best night sleep yet last night. Had to stop by Drs office yesterday. My tongue felt swollen and getting a lot of itching with the Roxicet. He said I was doing fine. Still taking Benadryl at night though. I find if I talk I pay for it later on so trying to talk as little as possible. Went to my office for an hour to do payroll but had to leave as I wanted to talk. Still eating good and no stomach issues at all. Hoping to get out of the house tomorrow even just to take a short walk.
  • Throat is a little more tender today, and ears hurt when i swallow now. From what i have read/heard it is just the progression of the healing.
  • Day 5-7–nothing exciting to tell, tried to eat a few more interesting things, but throat hurt too much since I wasn’t taking pain meds. Soft boiled eggs were my friend. Getting bored being home by myself all day so I went shopping for an hour and had to come home and take a nap!
  • day 5 and so far it has been pretty tolerable. First day I had only soft food and lots of coke and water but from day 2 I ate normally. Doctor prescribed Voltaren 100mg suppositories which works like a charm for 8 hours, the 4 hours before the next dose however is excrutiating to say the least.
  •  Day 5- horrible morning, good during day.
  •  Recovery Day 5 (post-op day 6):This day was pretty much a blur. More pain and not a lot of food or water. Was in too much agony to do much of anything. Taking the liquid Tylenol and chasing it with a teaspoon of lortab each dose time.
  • Tonsillectomy Day 5 : Day 5: I am still trying to just get through the day. I sleep much better at night and have noticed a major difference in how I feel; I have more energy and I feel rested after sleeping. I cried today over mashed potatoes and small curd cottage cheese. I am not a happy camper.

>> Next – Recovery Day 6 >>

356 comments

  1. I was told day 5-7 were going to feel like I was taking steps back, but man im on day 5 and the pain in my ears is unbearable. I’d say my recovery has been good up until this point. I was eating solid foods by day 2, taking pain meds just a little after sch times, and talking. I have been able to sleep through the nights, although when I do wake up, I sit at the edge of my bed and stare at the wall until the pain meds kick in. Pathetic huh? Lol I’ve learned as bad as it hurts, do NOT cry.. It will make the pain worse and last longer.. Scabs are still there.. Although I haven’t really been looking at them because my tongue is so swollen. It hurts so bad to talk and even if I do, no one can understand me so I’ve literally given up.. Also counting down until I can take my next dose.. I haven’t eaten at all today (day 5) which is not like me.. Hoping to have some better days soon

    1. How have you got through day 5!!! It’s 3am and I can already feel it’s going to be a long day!! Any tips to keep me going? The pains just unreal at the moment!

      1. Water, water, water!!! Trust me ik it hurts, but water has become my best friend esp for day 5. I’ve noticed Ice cold water makes it hurt worse, as a few days ago, it soothed it. Also pain meds, I’ve been alternating between ibuprofen 600mg and Vicodin every 3 hours. Also a warm shower did me wonders and I actually felt like I had some energy afterwards.

      2. It’s 1:30am on the morning of day five and I can not sleep a wink!!! I am in exrutiating pain and am suffering so bad I cannot swallow without screwing my face up in pain and I have the worst smelling mouth!!!!!! Help?!

  2. Hello Iwona D. I’m guessing we’re suffering on either side of the pond at the same time? The Tonsillectomy Diet – guaranteed to lose weight but also guaranteed not to catch on as the next big thing! From 220lbs I’m now at 212lbs, a puny loss of 8lbs to your 11!
    I put that down to the minced fish, white rice and sweetcorn that last night man won, in the UK edition of man v food!
    For the last 24 hours everything for me seems just a little better, still horrible but at least not getting worse. Another dreary dull day here – perfect for doing absolutely nothing, which I seem to becoming very good at. Take care Phil

  3. My throat hurts really bad today and my ears are defiantly hurting!!! I’m holding off on the pain medication because it’s making me look cracked/messed out. A lot of stress on my body today; it’s just a bad day. I ate an avocado with honey and it was like the best thing for my body. Drinking lots of fluids, eating Jell-O, chicken broth, pom apple sauce. Pretty sure before surgery I was 174punds and I weighted myself today and I’m down to 163pounds. Holy Shit. My body is working so hard to heal my throat!!!! I’m lucky to have these awesome healing capabilities haha. My sister told my my breath is rancid.. sucks to me be. I looked into the back of my mouth and it looks like there are “pockets” like bilateral little “holding” SACS where my tonsils use to be. I’m so scared that after my recovery there just going to be there and making food get held there before I swallow. Like WTH.. I hope not. I’ve just been sleeping in my bed all day/night. Ready for tomorrow!! haha lates everyone.

  4. First of all, hats off to you Greg for this site. I am a male Brit, approaching 47 years old. I’m day 5 after my op. Thought I would post for the benefit of UK readers. I was operated on in the UK at 2pm, discharged from hospital at 10am the next day with advice on pain relief and 7 days worth of co-amoxiclav to guard against infection. For pain relief, Days 2-3 were 2x500mg soluble paracetamol 4 times a day, 2x200mg ibuprofen 3 times a day. This is the max standard daily dose on both counts in UK. Overnight day 3 into day 4 was my lowest point so far, simply reduced to tears between doses as the relief wore off. Both throat and ears, horrible. On day 4 changed the para -only to soluble paracetamol-codeine 2x500mg para/30mg codeine, 4 times per day.(Codeine is available without prescription in the UK (unlike in the US the last time I was there (but this was some years ago and may have changed) I find it interesting looking at the drugs used in different countries posted around this site, in contrast to codeine that we in the UK can buy like sweets, half of what the US appears to be routinely taking is a mixed-up restricted class A drug in the UK.) Suggest to all in UK that you start with paracetamol-codeine – the extra relief, even if it’s only a few minutes, is worth the possible constipation!! Use soluble paras, the effects are quicker and it forces you to hydrate just that little bit more. Last night was still awful but slightly better, so I’ll celebrate a small win. On day 2 it took me 2 hours to eat 2 sloppy weetabix. Yesterday evening, end of day 4 I managed mash, baked beans and very minced beef. Felt really good for about an hour on the back of eating. Anything bland goes for me, liquidized or diluted. From the start I’ve been able to sleep in 2-4 hour bursts, the worst times for me are after waking. You force sips of water. Thankfully our weather is pretty benign this February-March and reasonably cold, just above freezing at night. I haven’t got a humidifier but do sleep with the window open. If you are going through this somewhere/sometime hotter or drier, I really feel for you. Had the joy of coughing up some blood today but not unduly worried – I’ll see how the day goes. I’m well aware that in my mid-40’s, my overall recovery time will not be in the teenage leagues, the flip side of which is that I’m old enough to patiently await my body sorting itself out. Talking remains difficult, posting this was easy! Good luck everyone.

  5. I am soooooooo not a happy camper. I wish that they just left my tonsils in.
    I haven’t been able to sleep unless I’m sitting straight up, as my mouth fills with thick saliva and I can’t breathe at all. I thought I was doing great besides that, but no. The only thing that I was able to swallow I threw back up almost instantly, and it feels like I tried to swallow one of my scabs and it got stuck in my throat and chest, but both scabs are there and the feeling makes me want to throw up again.
    I have tried this whole time to not complain, but today was the worst of all days. I’m exhausted, I’m out of pain meds, my stomach is turning, I can’t breathe, and I am still unable to swallow anything but chicken broth. ='(
    Why can’t they keep us asleep when we are healing like this?
    Ok rant over =)
    Other than today it’s been normal =)

    1. I’d recommend talking to your doctor about the nausea. You could be allergic to one of your meds if it occurs after you take them and if its not that, your doc can give you an anti nausea med. Something from home that helps with nausea is chewing on some ginger root. Don’t swallow it or anything just chew on it and let the juice drip down if you can. Also use ice packs around your jaw and ears that helped me with the swelling and pain. And then for not sleeping cause of the mucus or spit, I slept on my side with a towel on my pillow and an ice bag under my neck and my mouth open. Sure its not pretty but the spit just drains out and leaves you open to breathe. Hope this helps a bit

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