What are the Best Foods to Eat After Tonsillectomy?
The tonsillectomy diet can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the nutrition derived from solid foods is essential for out overall health and recovery from tonsillectomy surgery. The very act of swallowing also helps the throat recover. On the other hand, pushing foods past the raw and tender area of the tonsil beds after they’ve been cut and in many cases cauterized, can cause excruciating pain and, even bleeding. We need to go slow.
Liquids: The best friend of any tonsillectomy diet
Liquids. Let’s start here. Since you’ll be drinking at least 8 ounces per hour during tonsillectomy recovery. Put some thought into what you want. Sport drinks are good. They provide electrolytes and needed calories. Since most of the calories are from sugar, you’ll want to try some other drinks too. Avoid anything acidic, caffeinated, dairy, or thick for the first week. I was amazed by how many things I drank went down like battery acid or left a troublesome film on my throat. (tonsil bed) Water is always good, but it’s hard to stay interested in it. I also enjoyed chicken and beef broths. Don’t heat them beyond, “fairly warm.” Hot has an inflammatory effect on tonsil area tissue.
Gelatin was the first thing I was given to begin eating after tonsillectomy and I thought I’d gone to heaven. It tasted wonderful and, for some reason, I found it easier to swallow than water. It’s cool, soothing, and counts as hydration. Hands down, Jell-O, Jelly, or gelatin is my top pick for foods for a tonsillectomy recovery. For the first five days I didn’t venture too far beyond the liquids and gelatin. It’s contrary to what your mother might advise but, like sleep, a normally healthy endeavor can result in an hour of searing pain. I tried mashed potatoes on day two and had tears in my eyes. For about a day after that, I stopped eating . I don’t recommend this. Maintaining a good diet is important for several reasons. Nutrition, activation of muscles in the affected area, and feeling of well being are all benefits of a smart plan. Also keep in mind that most prescription pain killers can cause nausea, especially on an empty stomach. It’s important to get some kind of food down before taking pain medicine, even if it’s just a liquid food like Ensure.
Try to add as many calories to your day as you can. As your throat allows, try some foods like oatmeal, macaroni and cheese, (NOT al dente. cook it!), ramen noodles, mashed potatoes, gravy, or cous cous. Oatmeal was, without question, my breakthrough food as I began eating after tonsillectomy. I’m still eating it almost daily, probably because of the good feeling that it gave me in my second week.
When I was recovering, I used to daydream about eating steak. It seemed so unattainable. I couldn’t even handle mashed potatoes. When could I ever enjoy a nice juicy Steak?? I told myself, once I got through this, I would reward myself with a delicious slab of beef. To this day, I love my steak. I’ve put together a collection of items that I think would be helpful, if not essential, to making tonsillectomy recovery a little more pleasant, including items for your tonsillectomy diet. Check out theGeneral Store. -Greg Tooke My short bio
I’ve discovered that I can eat Ramen Noodles (3rd day). I just heat them up normally in the microwave, put the beef/chicken flavoring in, and then put it in the fridge until I feel it is cooled down enough to be just about warm. The noodles are thin so they don’t bother my VERY swollen uvula. and it’s nice to taste something like chicken/beef instead of popsicles.
I am in day 4… feelig really panic but forcefully trying to eat some fluids food like overcooked rice after blinding … and soup but the pain beeing hard and ear beeing like block and more panic. Hoping will be alright in few days…. very bad experience I am having… How many days more????? Frn think before tonsillectomy if u r living alone out of country or home for work propose.
I am 37 and was terrified of having mine removed. It has been about 11 days or so since the surgery now. The first 9 days were so brutal it was almost a blur. I know some days were a little better than others and I was able to get applause down and maybe an instant carnation with soy milk. But there were days that no food made it down my gullet. Water was sipped slower than when my kids were babies drinking out of their sippy cups for the first time. I’ve tried runny mashed potatoes, which some days were okay if I chased it with a sip of water, which reminded me of college days. I have had the extreme burning when I take the liquid pain meds, which always gives me pause to take them. I’m finally now up to needing it only every six hours as opposed to every four. And I can get away with only needing the lesser amount of 2 tsp instead of 3 tsp. Which is progress I think. The past two days are the first since I got home that I have had to constantly use ice against my left ear. This whole time my ear has felt like someone put a mini chainsaw inside and set off without anyone paying attention. At times I wanted to pour ice water into the canal just to get some sort of relief. I’m thinking I’ve finally turned a corner. I haven’t been able to open my mouth wide enough to see scabs so I don’t know if I’m there yet, but I’d like to think this tightening, itchy feeling that is occurring is the culprit. Good luck everyone.
Ok I need some help here. I’m on Day 9. (I count the surgery as day 1)… Pain is SLOWLY starting to break but is still coming in waves, specially in the mornings…..but here is the biggest issue.
I can’t sleep laying flat still. I can’t lay down! Every time I get a TON of slavia which I swallow then I feel like I can’t breath. As if something (which I sure is) blocking my air from my nose and mouth! I wake up, if I am asleep, in a panic! I feel like I am drowning then. Does this stop? Or is there something wrong that I need to call the doctor about? I just don’t want to live the rest of my life sitting up! lol
thanks!
I had mine out nov 21st 2012. I wasn’t worried about the pain. I would just take as much as I needed and get something stronger if need be. My problem was about day 6 when my tounge had a white coating stuck on it. Once it came off, my taste was gone. Everything tasted like crap or copper. I loved diet coke and it was horrible, meat tastes crapy and only plain plain chicken was on. I read and read and seemed like ifcwould never come back. It does slowly after months and months. It does come back just ave to be patient