Tonsillectomy Forum Archive 6

Tonsillectomy Recovery Forum Archives

• I would say yes, I am the Chief of Police in my home town, and i only got 2 weeks til I go back to work. just drink, drink, drink, lots of fluids…i know it hurts but make it ice water, it really helps
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• My name is Jeff, I also had the tonsillectomy on Dec. 29 2011…which was my 39 birthday. The first day was pretty easy actually, until about 12 hours after surgery. I have been drinking lots of water and havent really eaten anything to speak of since thursday, but i really dont have an appetite. i am starting to get a little relief from the pain, but not a lot. i use ice packs under my chin as well, this really seems to help.Dr. gave me liquid tylenol with codeine every 4 hours and liquid amoxacillon every 8 hours. I am starting to feel like there is stuff in the back of my throat i need to clear out but i cant. i am hoping i can get some of the pain gone by this sunday, because my family is having our christmas dinner then….i really dont have an appetite but if i see food on a commercial i want it….just because i have been without it for 4 days.. i am sure i will lose some weight and could use it too, but not this way…if you are getting surgery done for this, just prepare yourself first mentally…
• Hello all!!
• I am on my 18th day. I just want to share my experience. To be honest it hasnt been bad at all. My doc had been telling me for the past 3 years that I needed to get those suckers out, and finally she got tired of teling me so she actually set an appt to see the ENT for me. I hadnt been too sick but she thought it was a good idea since they were so big they nearly touch.
• The day of surgery i was super nervous considering that i’ve never had any previous surgeries and Ive never had general anesthesia. Everything went well and when i woke up i was in no pain at all. the first day went by quick i took my meds every 4 hrs ( they prescribed percocets ). The following 2 days were horrible!!! I woke up throwing up, the pain meds were not sitting well in my stomach. anything and everything i tried to drink and eat i threw up for 2 days straight. Worst part was that i had my surgery on friday so the following 2 days the docs office was closed. I was without any pain meds for 2 lllllllllllooooooooooonnnnnnnnnngggggg days. Not fun at all  . The monday following my surgery finally i was able to drink water and pedialyte and hold it in. I called the office and they prescribed me liquid Lortab. the directions were to take 2 – 4 teaspoons, before taking the meds i mashed a banana and sprinkled protein powder in it then took 1 teaspoon of the Lortab since i feared it’ll upset my stomach again. After that i kept taking 1 teaspoon every 4 hours. by the 8th day i was able to eat more solids like mashed potatoes, pieces of chicken, pasta, and just anything that was soft. I stopped taking pain meds by my 9th day bc the pain was minimal and well i was tired of being home and i wanted to drive! On the 11th day i woke up in the middle of the night with a super itchy throat i tried not to cough but it just came out on its own…. after having a small coughing attack blood started gushing out of my mouth…. it was soooooo scary it was a ridiculous amount of blood. On the drive to the ER i almost filled up a 32 oz bottle of all blood. once i got there they had me gargling ice cold water to try and constrict the blood vessels.. finally it did stop they kept me there for about 2 hours just to be sure, then sent me home.. even though it was super scary i was in no pain. After that i went back to a liquid diet since i was so scared for that to happen again and i have alarms to wake me up every 2 hrs while im sleeping to drink water. I am now on my 18th day im starting to eat soft solids again. I still fear that I’ll bleed again hopefully keeping my throat super hydrated will prevent that. Other than that scary incident everything has been well. For those of you who havent had your surgery, honestly just expect the worst and hopefully the worst wont come. I expected the worst and well it really hasnt been that bad, sure its uncomfortable but it is a surgery. If you follow all the direction this site has to offer you will be just fine! drink lots of water that is the key!! literally have a bottle of cold water in ur hand at alllll times! I drink over 90 oz of water a day… if you are not getting up to pee at least once an hour then maybe you should drink more..lol. I really think that helped a lot. Good luck to all of you. you will be fine 
• Shara,
• I had septoplasty and sinus surgery on 12/19/11 and I am still recovering from that…..my doctor did not recommend doing both tonsils and nose at the same time….you will need at least 2 weeks to recovery from the tonsils and the nose surgery is at least a week….if I were u I would do one at a time…I am getting my tonsils out in February…good luck
• Hi Maureen. Glad the site has helped you. I would “guess,” that after 14 days you’d be ok to care for Mom. Though educated, it is a guess. Each person’s recovery is unique. God bless you for caring for your Mom.
• I am 48 and had my tosils out 12/29/11 because of a growth. I am having a bout of sciatica pain so I was hoping the pain would be easier that the left sided pain I have been dealing with for 4 weeks. Night time is uncomfortable and I haven’t slept more than 3 hours since Thursday. I am drinking ice water, vitamin water and sucking on ice chips constantly. I have been able to eat scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes and mac and cheese in addition to ice pops and jello. The liquid oxycodone did nothing for me except upset my stomach. I have been taking tylenol around the clock since Friday and took some motrin today for my sciatic pain. It is not painful to talk or swallow anymore and I am hoping that the next stage is bearable. Compared to the sciatic pain it is more of a discomfort. Ice packs on the neck on and off since I came home and a water mister has been helpful me as well. Good luck to you all !! I am a nurse and they say we make the worst patients. I hope this helps someone out there
• 28 yr old female- surgery 12/14
• I’ve suffered with tonsil stones for almost 20 years, and over the last six months they became bad enough to consider surgery. As I began researching the impending procedure, I read and saw nothing but horror stories. I was a little hesitant to go through with it, to say the least. However, because I prepared for the worst, my experience wasn’t the terror I expected. So for all of you thinking of having the surgery, here’s a positive story… 
• The day of surgery was the worst for me. When I woke up after anesthesia, I panicked at my inability to swallow and how swollen my tongue was. They gave me cold Gatorade, and the cold sensation wasn’t pleasant (which the nurse assured me was odd). Before leaving the surgery center, I was given a dose of liquid Percocet. It did not work. It was a miserable hour long ride home. However, as soon as I filled and took my prescription pain meds, things began looking up. I was given hydrocodone tablets which had to be crushed and eaten in apple sauce. The pain relief was so immediate i didnt mind. I immediately began drinking- both water and pedialyte (the pedialyte is thicker than water and the syrupy consistency felt great on my throat. It is also a great way to stay hydrated. Grape was my favorite flavor). I kept a glass and straw in my hand at all times. I set my phone alarm to wake up and take my meds every 3 hours (though I usually started getting uncomfortable at 2 hours 45 mins on the dot). I slept in a recliner for the first 4 days and kept ice packs on the outside of my throat at all times (I had 3 on rotation).
• As far as food goes, I’m not one to skip a meal (ha) so I ate well. I had scrambled eggs cut up very small and grits (I’m from the south!) every morning. Just let them cool a little. I also ate chicken noodle soup with toast soaked in the broth (made it seem more hearty). Mashed potatoes and peas were not her staple as we’re banana Popsicles. By day 4, I began weening off of the pain meds and replacing it with Tylenol. By day 7 I was off of medication all together.
• For me, the worst part was the scabs and the breath and taste that came with them. My scabs never fell off in one large clump as many people describe. Instead they broke off little by little. Thus, I never had any issues with bleeding. The last of my scabs came off by around day 12, however I was eating normal foods well before then.
• I did develop thrush on my tongue- it was a yucky white patch. Since I discovered this on Christmas eve, I bought an over the counter remedy where you paint your tongue purple. I did this for a few days and it cleared right up.
• Things that seemed to help in a comfortable recovery:
• – constantly drinking (water and/or pedialyte)
• – sleep sitting up for first several days
• – constant icing of outside of the neck
• – eating soft foods as much as possible (keeps your strength and spirits up and helps return normal swallowing motion)
• I would re-do this surgery in a heartbeat. I think it will totally be worth it in the end. If you’re thinking of having it, rest assured not all experiences are unpleasant!
• I have been reading this forum for a few months now in preparation for my surgery, which is on Friday (1/6/12). I am not nervous at this point. I have a question though… I care full time for my almost 88 year old mom who has dementia. My sister will be caring for us for 2 weeks. Will I be able to go back to caring for mom after the 2 week mark?
• I am so glad to have found this forum. It sure has helped with so many questions and concerns I have had. Thanks to all.