Tonsillectomy Recovery Day 11 and Beyond

Tonsillectomy Recovery after Day Eleven

 

At some point I hope to add pages for day 12, day 13, day 14, day 15, day 16, and another page for days 17,18,19, and 20.  For now, please share your tonsillectomy recovery experiences here.  I wish you the very best of health!



  1. ty
    Hey. Its me again. Had the surgery last week and OMG! The worst days of my life. I will make it but geeze!! This sucks bad. I had to read your comments again because I began to get depressed, lol. Im driving my husband and doctor crazy by keep asking them how long will this last. Its good hearing from someone that understands the process and pain. Your experiences are helping me through girl. Thanks again:)

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    1. Kate
      Horrible flashbacks reading your message Ty! I have just returned from a business trip, meeting lots of new people, and I didn’t have to worry about my breath: so liberating and confidence building. I discovered that one of my colleagues had her tonsils removed 2 years ago – when I happened to mention that I was just a few weeks on from my operation, she gave me a big bear hug because she could empathise with my more recent experience. You WILL eat, sleep and enjoy life again – I promise! Stay positive: you made the right decision.

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  2. Kate
    I am now four weeks post surgery (in the UK), and life is good! I had a tonsillectomy due to tonsil stones (I had small, pitted tonsils, and was unable to remove the stones myself, whatever method I tried) – private medical insurance and a past history of throat infections helped get me the surgery. I knew it was a drastic option, but I was prepared to do ANYTHING to solve my bad breath problems. I did nearly cancel when I read this forum the day before surgery though! But I didn’t, and I survived, and my tonsil stones and bad breath are finally GONE!Having found this forum so much help during the dark days post-surgery, I wanted to share my experience/what helped me. If you are about to have surgery, or are still in recovery, I can promise you it will get SO much better in a few days – hang in there!1. Don’t plan ANYTHING for the two weeks post surgery – and make sure you book at least two weeks off work. Days 5 – 8 were the worst for me, although in total I had about 10 days of constant pain/medication and sleep deprivation.
    2. I cried A LOT on day one – a mixture of the anesthesia/trauma, relief at getting through surgery, and pain! I had one night in hospital.
    3. Sucking on crushed ice helps a lot – make sure you have some in stock. I did not use a humidifier – we didn’t want to pump damp air into our bedroom!
    4. Take as much pain medication as you can – I used Tramadol, ibuprofen and paracetamol – you will not get addicted, and you WILL need them. But keep a drug diary so you can recall what drugs you took and when – you will not remember!
    5. Sleeping with my face/throat on a hot water bottle helped me a lot in days 5+: your throat muscles tighten up in response to the surgery, and I think this helped relax me a little
    6. The nights were the worst, as I would wake up in a lot of pain and then struggle to swallow more medication/get back to sleep. Listening to the radio really helped get me through the dark, lonely hours. My husband moved into the spare bed for the first 10 days, to ensure he could get some sleep and I could thrash around the bed as much as I needed to get comfortable!
    7. In the UK we are advised to eat rough food e.g. toast when we can. I did manage this a couple of times, but I mostly lived on soup (no bread!), fish in sauce (you can buy this frozen in handy microwaveable pouches), yogurt, porridge and hot chocolate. I tried making smoothies but the fruit was too acidic and hurt my throat. There were a couple of days when I could not face eating anything due to the pain. I did not get constipated, and I did not lose much weight – because I spent two weeks resting, and most of what I DID eat was high calorie!
    8. You will be too tired to read much – have a good set of DVDs on standby
    9. I did not have any bleeding. I felt so ill that completely resting in the first week was an easy option – and I made sure I had someone on call in the first few days, just in case
    10. I was able to speak on all days, although about half an hour of conversation was enough
    11. I went for my first short walk one week after surgery. Four weeks on, I am now exercising as normal – running, swimming and pilates.
    12. I stopped regular pain relief on about day 15, having gradually cut down on what I was taking.
    13. I gradually re-introduced different types of food after two weeks. I still have a sticky feeling in the back of my throat, which I expect to disappear over the coming weeks.My tonsillectomy recovery was the worst 10 days of my life. But ridding myself of tonsil stones is one of the best things I ever did!

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    1. Ty
      Thank you for sharing. I also have tonsil stones and thought I may be going to far getting surgery to remove them. I’m a married woman and nothing’s is more damaging to a marriage than insecurity. TMI, I know just wanted to say thanks for sharing your experience. I’m going forwadr with the surgery.

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      1. Kate
        I am also married (and 47 – forgot that bit!) and would not even discuss the problem with my husband. So I feel your insecurity! It will hurt a lot – stay focused on the goal and remember that in a few days you will be much better, and also liberated!

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  3. Ellen Howard
    Day 9 of my recovery.I’m not sure how relevant this will be to anyone because I’m not entirely sure how common it is. I’m just turned 18 and have been having a lot of problems with my tonsils for the best part of three years. One thing I always found when digging out those god awful tonsil stones was that my tonsils were extremely prone to bleeding – something my ENT surgeon also found out on the day of the op!He said no one in his experience had bled that much in a tonsillectomy procedure in years. I had to be stitched right up on my right side and let me tell you, we all know how sore recovery is without stitches right? Imagine being wheeled out of theatre with those bad boys in you. It’s been sore, for the first few days it was the actual space at the top of the back of my throat that was painful and white and scabby. I was throwing up old blood so frequently (and a lot of it might I add) that I couldnt keep anything down; not food, not painkillers. It was awful.But I powered through and ate as much as I could, despite the pain, because I thought ‘you know what I’ve put up with enough sh*t from my tonsils this time I’m gonna show ‘em what I’m made of!’ And after about day three or four the pain subsided from my tonsil bed area and is now a horrible stingy/achy feeling further down my throat, which apparently is due to the whole stitching procedure, I guess a lot of tubes were bumped around in this process and it’s seriously bruised me inside. I find the pain really hits me at night and I’m starting to get severe earaches to accompany that, which is nice! My co-codamol painkillers ran out days ago so I’m going strong on paracetamol and Diclofenac.

    I hope everyone else is managing to power through! Just think of all the tonsillitus and nasty tonsil stones that you’re gonna get to avoid for the rest of your life! Remember, at most this recovery process is going to take 17-20 days, which in perspective, is more than worth it to be tonsil free!

    Stay safe xxx

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  4. Lindsey
    I am a 24 year old female, I had my tonsils removed on July 23. I had my tonsils removed due to horrid tonsil stones. Let me start off by saying DRINK WATER NO MATTER HOW BAD IT HURTS!!!! Day 1: after procedure you’re so loopy from meds it flys by. I was offered a blue slushing and teddy Graham’s. 8 bags of teddy Graham’s later I am ready to keave!! After surgery I even had McDonald’s I don’t even remember eating it. Throat was numb all day long. I received percocet 5mg. All you will want to do is sleep. Have someone wake you up to drink and take meds!!Day 2: pain was still tolerable I started taking the pain medication every 4 hours so the pain doesn’t get out of control. I was eating mash potatoes ( the pre made bob Evans kind was the smoothest), I noticed ice cold water stung my throat so room temperature worked. I was drinking every 20 mins to keep the throat moist. Sleeping was horrible, I ended up sleeping on couch so my head would be propped up. Waking up every 45 mins to sip water, you get no sleep at all. I didn’t want my throat to dry out because it is so painful. I set my alarm every 4 hours so I would take my medicine.Day 3,4,5: Worst days ever! Extreme pain 10/10, that pain medicine didn’t help! Ear pain started kicking in. I had ice constantly on my throat to keep swelling down. Scabs were formed in back of throat very thick. Drinking water was a task. Everytime I swallowed felt like razorblades. I had to force myself to eat. Ended up getting a blood clot on my left tonsil on day5 and started bleeding. On call dr told me to drink ice cold water and it helped. Woke up after and blood clot resolved on its own. I was having mini hot flashes all day.Day 6: I felt like a new person. Pain was a 6/10. I was eating drinking taking my neds around the clock

    Day 7,8,9: scabs started falling off day 7. It feels like something is caught in back of throat when them fall off. Throat is very sensitive after they fall off that any liquid or food stings the throat. I have bumped my meds down to 1 pill every 4 hours instead of 2 pills. Sleeping longer through the night.

    Day 10 and on: pain has started to be controlled with Motrin. I feel 100% better!! I am starting to eat solid foods. I had PBJ sandwhich and it was easy to go down. I feel back to my normal self. Throat still hurts but just like it would as a sore throat.

    I think keeping myself hydrated non stopped helped with my speedy recovery. I go back to wk in a few days and feel comfortable going back. I still have to drink water so throat doesn’t get dry. My scabs are 75% gone. I’ve had someone with me the whole time and you DO need that. Milk never seemed to cause the phlegm in my throat as others posted. It soothed the burning. I lived off mash potatoes and chick n star soup mix for the first days. Keep taking medication when it’s due so pain stays under control!! Take the full two weeks off dr reccomends because you will need it. I would do this surgery again knowing it is going to cure my tonsil stones and stinky breath! Sorry this blog is all over the place my mind is going crazy! I hope everyone as a good recovery as well as I’ve had!

Check out our new tonsillectomy recovery video- Caution: Not always pretty

A collection of various experiences of adult tonsillectomy patients after their tenth day of tonsillectomy recovery
From thousands of post comments to the tonsillectomy recovery forum, I am assembling a sampling of various accounts and impressions of tonsillectomy recovery for each day. Below I share comments about tonsillectomy recovery after day 11. These comments are from tonsillectomy patients who were kind enough to share their experiences to help others as they navigate the bumpy road of tonsillectomy recovery.

 

Many will experience depression toward the end of of their tonsillectomy recovery.

Depression after tonsillectomy
Depression After Tonsillectomy?

-Greg Tooke 

343 comments

  1. After bleeding several times. Being operated in again, and dealing with it, I have found myself questioning the normalsy of little things. For example, I’m on day 13, my mouth produces more spit than normal, it’s kinda hard to swallow everything in one swallow and my throat doesn’t catch my saliva as well. I actually drooled on my dog when I was trying to straighten his collar out. That sounds funny and weird, but it’s true. Maybe I have to teach myself how to swallow diffeently and use those muscels diffeently, but it would help to know it was all normal. P.s to everyone scared to have one done, just know my recovery pre bleeding was easy as cake. I did my research and learned all the tricks of the trade. It wasn’t until I the hemmireage that I started experiencing awful pain and depression. You just have to go into it prepared for the worst.

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  2. I am on my 14th day post tonsillectomy and I have to say it has been one of the worst experiences of my life and I’ve suffered cracked ribs, broken bones and even once cut the end of my finger off, but none of those compare to the pain and discomfort I have dealt with the past 2 weeks. On my 10th day I was rushed back to the operating table due to a severe haemorrhage that took me by surprise, I was kept in for 3 days and was discharged yesterday and it feels like the beginning all over again, which makes me want to cry…. But on a serious note, if you do suffer from any bleeding, whether minor or major, get yourself checked out immediately! Mine started out a little, but being stubborn I refused to believe it was anything serious until i was being rushed to A+E in the back of an ambulance with a pint of blood gushing from my throat! I could’ve prevented a lot of the blood loss if I had gone in earlier and been checked out, but I am a fool!

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    1. George, thank you so much for sharing your story and wisdom. My goodness, very scary. Hope are on the mend and doing well.

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  3. I’m 45 and had my tonsils out a month ago. I HATE it! I feel like I can’t breath!! I went to my post op and told my Dr that I feel like it’s harder to breath, and that I kept spitting. She didn’t seem concerned. Well the spitting has stopped, but I’m still having trouble breathing. It feels like my airway in the back of my throat is part blocked.I thought it would help by making the airway bigger. I have sleep apnea and there were little white bumps on them so that is why I got them out.
    I went to just a Family practice Dr the other day for the breathing and he thought it maybe my asthma coming back. I told him this is not wheezing, and even tried my off springs neb machine twice. Nope it did not help.
    Is this normal? If so when will I be able to breath normally again? It is also hard for me to talk without taking deep breaths.
    I lost 17 pounds, that is the only good thing that has come out of this…..

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    1. Hi Jen. I’m so sorry to hear this. I don’t have personal experience with breathing trouble after tonsillectomy, but I’ll put the question to our Facebook community: Find us here-

      Best of luck to you

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    2. Hmmmm. Interesting.

      I remember having a really swollen uvula – so swollen I almost gagged on it and threw up for the first 2 days. Has your sleep apnea changed? It might be residual swelling, though it has been a while. If it’s still there in a few weeks, I would get more aggressive about it.
      You could also do a short course of prednisone to see if that helps with the breathing. That’s also an asthma treatment, but it suppresses the immune system and reduces swelling.

      Good luck! I hope you feel better and can breathe freely soon!

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      1. I forgot to mention about my swollen uvula. Mine was so swollen too. 2 days after surgery I did choke on mine and kept throwing up. I made my daughter call the ambulance. I was taken to the ER and they told me it was swollen and sent me home.
        I can’t really tell if it helped my sleep apnea. If I had to do it all over, I would NOT!
        Thanks!!

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    3. Hi jen. Sounds tough. I would go back to specialist if I were you. Better safe than sorry. Could be residual swelling? Any chance you could have adenoids?

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    4. Hi Jen,

      Have you considered a speech/swallowing therapist? The throat is a specialized muscle, and its coordination may have been set off by the surgery. Do you find it difficult/challenging to speak or swallow? It may seem out of left field, but nothing’s impossible.

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  4. I am a mom of 5. I’ve had cryptic tonsils and all that goes with them. My husband also noticed that I was having sleep apnea. I am on day 20 in my recovery from my tonsillectomy.
    I’m so thankful for this forum. I used everyone’s explanations of their own experiences to gauge my own recovery. I was also able to use it to better explain to my family what I was going through.
    I am breathing so much better and my breath smells fine for the first time. I am so happy that I had them removed.
    I can’t eat everything yet, as I discovered today with a trial of a few nuts. 🙁 I can eat a sandwich and other soft, non abrasive foods.
    I am looking forward to my new life without my tonsils causing illnesses and odors and experiencing the rest of a full nights sleep.
    I wish that the doctor would have given me this site to look up. I am going to give him the suggestion tough.

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    1. Just wondering when you were able to speak for lengthy periods of time without difficulty? I will be having surgery soon and worried about when I’ll be able to go back to work. I am a 12 hour night shift nurse and worried I will have difficulty or have pain because of the amount of talking I need to do.

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      1. I am a teacher and went back to work after 3 weeks. I could make it through the full day of almost constant talking, but my throat hurt pretty bad by the end of the day for the first week back to class. After that, I was okay. I carried a huge bottle of ice water with me and was constantly sipping on it which helped.

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      2. Hi Arlene- My job requires talking about 1/4 of the day. After 11 days I could do it, but I talked less and probably wasn’t up to normal talking for 3 weeks. Good luck!

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  5. Im 22 and on day 12 of my recovery and so far so good am slowly starting to get better. Still hurts to yawn and sneeze. But as for swallowing it does’t hurt as much as it did before. However, Lately it seams if i try to talk to much or if my throat gets to dry i start to dry heave is this normal at this stage of recovery?

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