Planning and Recovering From Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy
Let’s start with my own tonsillectomy recovery story. I wasn’t always this healthy. As a kid I ingested more penicillin than a corporate-raised chicken. I was in the doctor’s office several times each year with a sore throat. As the doctor or nurse peered into my mouth, the reaction was always the same: “Whoa, those are some big tonsils!” The diagnosis was usually tonsillitis, or strep throat. As the doctor wrote the prescription, he’d explain that years ago, tonsils like mine would have been removed, but, “these days,” we try to hang onto them. “These days,” were the 1970’s. I guess the tonsillectomy pendulum had swung back from the days when kids got their tonsils out because their brother was getting his out.
Aunt Kate’s reassurance helped, but I still wrote out some just-in-case instructions for my brother and hid them in my closet. I sheepishly told him where they were, just in case.
“This is temporary. You WILL feel better. Hang in there and stay hydrated!” -Greg Tooke
As an adult I continued to suffer from frequent bouts of tonsillitis. It seemed that I caught every bug that passed through my house or workplace. I guess those big ugly tonsils were a nice home for those nasties. It wasn’t until my 40’s that I also became aware that I suffered from something called, Obstructive Sleep Apnea -a condition in which a person stops breathing while asleep. I snored often and would awake abruptly, gulping in big breaths. I felt tired most days. After raising four babies, I had come to accept fatigue as a normal part of life! One day at a routine physical my doctor remarked about the number of episodes of strep throat and tonsillitis I’d had. We also talked about the sleep problems. While he didn’t formally diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, he suspected that I had it. He recommended a tonsillectomy, because of all the tonsil problems I’d had. As a bonus, I might find relief from the sleep apnea as well. If not, I’d undergo a sleep study. Forty four years old and father of four boys and a doctor finally said it: Those tonsils are doing you more harm than good! As much as I hated those tonsils, I was terrified at the thought of going under the knife. I started reading about tonsillectomy recovery on the internet and talking to friends. That didn’t help. “My cousin knew a guy who got a tonsillectomy and bled to death.” “At your age, tonsillectomy is dangerous.” When I met with the ear, nose and throat specialist, (an otolaryngologist), he told me that the risks are the same for an adult undergoing tonsillectomy surgery as for a child, but tonsillectomy recovery is longer and more painful. He was right about that!
Deciding to get a Tonsillectomy
I scheduled the surgery for the day after Thanksgiving. A traditional day of feasting in the United States. If it was to be my last meal, I planned to make it a good one! As it turned out, I was so nervous and scared that I could hardly eat on that day. I was recently divorced and had shared placement of my four boys. So many people counted on me that I began to question my decision. What if I died on the table? How reckless to leave behind a family, simply to avoid frequent tonsillitis? My aunt, a registered nurse reassured me about how simple the surgery was, and how far anesthesiology had come. I had nothing to worry about. Aunt Kate’s reassurance helped, but I still wrote out some just-in-case instructions for my brother and hid them in my closet. I sheepishly told him where they were, just in case
“My tonsils were like a 400 pound gorilla on my back. I don’t miss them at all. Ever.” -from the forum ________________________________________________________________________________
I took a week off from work, asked my ex wife to take care of the boys that week, and asked my uncle to drive me to and from the hospital. (a requirement with anesthesia) That was about all the tonsillectomy recovery preparation I did. I was about to learn a lot! Surgery went fine. I awoke in recovery with a serving of Jell-o in front of me. (“Jelly,” to my British friends) The nurse said that I had to finish it before I could check out. I swallowed it with great relish. It was divine! I called my uncle and we were out of there. I felt ok. I told him thanks and not to worry. I’d be fine. I believed this. Aside from a couple visits, I spent the next ten days alone in misery. The pain set in after about 24 hours. Streaming movies and television shows were my friends. Sleeping became my worst enemy. I’d wake up with my mouth dried out and my throat on fire. Oh my God. I was not prepared for this! I ran out of Popsicle’s on day three. I ran out of pain medicine on day five. The pain peaked on day seven. I broke down and cried in front of my brother on day eight- a combination of pain, drug induced depression, and sleep deprivation. Since then, I’ve read thousands of similar accounts on the tonsillectomy forum I created. It didn’t have to be so hard. If I’d known what I do now, I could have done so much to make my tonsillectomy recovery better. I hope to reach as many people as I can to help guide them through the tunnel. It has been my passion and taught me more about compassion and the amazing strength of the human spirit than any other life experience. When you shine a light for others, you also light your own path.
In the pages at follow, I’ll share tonsillectomy recovery tips with you that I learned from my tonsillectomy experience and years of coaching others through tonsillectomy and recovery.
I had my tonsillectomy on 7/7/17 I’m finally starting to feel better but my question is when can I start picking my son up? My discharge papers said nothing over 5lbs.
This blog is a godsend. It’s real and honest, but offers helpful and practical tips to get through recovery. It’s not a place where people come to whine and offer horror stories that get others all worked up. I really appreciate that and wish I found this before my surgery.
I’m on day 7 of recovery if you count day 1 as surgery day. It’s true what everyone says about the honeymoon phase making you think it’s not that bad. However, that can change quickly, and for me – it did.
I’ve had throat pain, restless nights, and episodes of vomiting, but last night was terrible – the burning was unbearable every time I swallowed, and I couldn’t stop coughing! I think there were loose scabs making my throat itchy and irritated. This morning as I got into the shower, I tried to spit out some mucous and “dug a bit too deep” for it. I ripped off a scab and was bleeding a lot. BUT! Because I had read this blog last night (while crying on the couch…) I knew to grab an ice pack for my throat and to hold ice chips in my mouth. It helped the bleeding to stop pretty quickly.
While I do have a high pain tolerance and have been using the pain meds sparingly, they really do come in handy when the pain is too much to sleep. Ice packs on my neck have been amazing all around, and the ice chips and hydration are noticeably as important as everyone says. Drink water constantly !
In addition to mouth hygiene, I would like to put my two cents in for simply showering. Just about every day, I have woken up in pain but have moved to the shower. I plan on 20-25 of a hot shower with a cup of ice cold water. The humidity is great for my throat, the cold water helps soothe any pain, and the warm water on my skin helps the aches from laying around and sleeping upright. Personally, I don’t like baths and I prefer the water hitting my skin in a shower. Yes, I sit in there which some people may think is gross, but I clean my tub regularly and think it’s worth how much better I feel after a nice hot shower! 🙂
Thanks to the maker of this blog an those who have contributed. We got this!!!
I a 54 years old and had my tonsils out on July 7th. I am about 8 or 9 days out. Unlike you, I have a low pain tolerance but I could not take strong pain medications due to averse reactions with herbal supplements I am taking for menopause. Unfortunately only after having a very bad episode of hallucinations did I realize what was going on. I feel that I am starting the downside to the pain issues and things will get better this week.
The one thing I really wanted to comment on was the need to use an ice pack. While getting an IV infusion of Morphine the nurse in the emergency room asked me if I had been using an ice pack on my throat and I said no …. or rather my husband told her no since I was not capable of speaking due the level of pain I was in. She said that I needed to start this right away and keep ice on it as much as possible. I knew about eating ice and other cold items, but I did not realize that an ice pack on the outside would make any difference.
For me the ice packs have worked wonders. Keeping ice on my throat has enable me to rest better and get energy. It has also helped cool my throat down enough to get more fluids down. I am now able to eat egg drop soup as well as jello, pudding and sherbet.
I will comment however that night time and in the morning, as others have mentioned, were the very worst times due to the lack of movement. I slept with the ice packs in place. Woke up each 3 or so hours to change out, but the alternative was endless pain since I can’t tolerate pain medications.
Besides menopause, and weight issues, I don’t have bad health. My throat is still very…. VERY sore and I can’t do much talking. If things continue upbeat with the continued use of ice packs, I plan to rest this coming week and go back to work next week.
I agree – use of ice packs were huge!
Shortly after posting this, I was rushed to the ER for profuse bleeding from my surgery site. I had had a coughing fit in my sleep due to a chest cold that I developed, and I tried so hard to suppress it. It had been bleeding behind a clot all morning without my knowledge. I was admitted for the night to keep an eye on the clot that had reformed, and if it started again I would need emergency surgery.
I do want to say though that if you experience that kind of bleeding, it is super scary but stay calm and get to the ER! I ended up not needing surgery and am on mucinex to help with the cough.
I was told that a readmittance for the same issue (bleeding during recovery) is EXTREMELY rare once it has cleared up and patients are approved to go home.
I’m 14 and recently got my tonsils taken out. Last Wednesday in fact. Day two my left side started bleeding ALOT and I was vomiting blood. I was rushed to the ER and sent back home after the bleeding subsided. I just got my left side re-done yesterday. I recommend if it even has the slightest bleed to get it re-done! It’s going to take an estimate of 24 days to recover now with both of my sides being on different surgery days. Best of luck!
I’m on day 12 after surgery and I’m still in pain.
When does this end? Pain meds are out, but it’s more of a burning/stinging than a pain. Everything burns, water, soft foods,etc. any recommendations?
Ow. Sorry. You should be VERY close to the end. Hang in there Emily Jo!
I am 27 yo female. I had my tonsillectomy yesterday. To be honest, the worst part was the few days leading up to it because I was so nervous from reading negavitve experiences. After I woke up, my pain never reached above a 3. It was only 3 when I first came to. It stayed at a 1 all day. I was able to eat jello, chicken noddle soup, applesauce, three popsicles, and some creamed spinach. I also made a HEAVENLY drink after I drank about 64 oz of water. I mixed coconut water, apple juice, and aloe Vera. I am also adding in powered form of complete amino acids. These are the building blocks of protein that will help your tissues grow. I take them regularly after a hard workout or if I have cuts or cold sores. I figured they would be good for a tonsillectomy as well! It helps to take these in conjunction with vitamin c, which I get from the coconut water, to encourage collagen growth.
I set an alarm every 4 hours to take my Percocet. The doc prescribed me anti nausea medicine which I haven’t needed yet since I will eat applesauce with my pill. I also got steroids which help the swelling, try asking for those! They also give me energy which had me up and about and idk if that’s such a good thing. I figured as long as I do rest most of the day, it’s good to also keep moving periodically. Your body needs your blood flowing to heal. He also gave me stool softener which I will take if I get constipated over the next few days from the pain medicine. As much liquid as I’m taking in (almost 100 oz a day) and the fibrous applesauce I shouldn’t have an issue. He also gave me a viscous lidocaine I can gargle before I eat to ease the pain.
Like I said, this is only day one but I am so optimistic that my recovery will not be too horrible. compared to what I was expecting, this is easy peasy. Let’s just hope I’m not putting my foot in my mouth on day three.
I am drinking constantly and have a humidifier blowing straight on my to keep my throat moist. Someone said as long as you keep it moist the scabs will just dissolve and it won’t feel like it’s tearing. Also be consistent with the pain medicine. I have an alarm set every 4 hours. So far, when I sleep, I haven’t needed the alarm bc my throat has been waking me up almost exactly 10 minutes before. Also, no talking!! Let yourself heal and don’t push it. I blabbed a little yesterday and immediately realized I needed to shut up. My boyfriend is going to have a nice quiet week, but a lot of text messages!
I hope you’re right but be mindful- the first day can be a bit of a honeymoon. Rest when you can and stay hydrated!
My tonsillectomy story – not that bad, but tough at times.
Surgery Day: woke up after my surgery and ate a cheese sandwich and drank lots of water whilst at hospital. I tried a cup of tea, but I felt sick from anaesthetic and had to quickly ask for anti sickness tablet which nurse gave me straight away. Had to take some deep breaths and fight off being sick for about 30mins. Luckily I managed to get through it and wasn’t sick. Throat was sore 5/10 and built to about 7/10 until I took paracetamol and 1 x codeine just before leaving the ward to go home about 5hrs after surgery. Came home and ate a cadburys chocolate mini roll, lots more water. Tried an ice lolly but made throat sting. Surgeon advised eating normally as quickly as possible to speed up recovery (his exact words were “you must eat through the pain”) so I braved some oven cooked boneless chicken thighs (wrapped in foil during cooking to keep it moist), mashed potato and peas with gravy. Ate quite a lot and just powered through the pain of swallowing (5/10). I was keen to follow his very clear advice of keeping to normal diet despite the pain alongside drinking water regularly.
Slept a lot on sofa and then went to bed with a humidifier on full (this seemed to really help). Woke up at 4am (pain back to 7/10 ish), took some more pain killers (paracetamol
& ibuprofen) and went back to sleep.
Recovery
Day 1: woke up at 8am ish (after a good 9hrs sleep). Pain was a 4/10 when swallowing. Had some bran flakes with nutty cereal on top with milk and water. 10:30 ish took paracetamol and ibuprofen which took pain down to a 3/10 when swallowing. 1/10 when not swallowing. Ate a biscuit and slightly warm cup of tea at 11:00 which was fine. Had some coarse chicken soup (expensive brand stuff with chunks etc) with ciabatta bread, washed down with water. Pain was 3/10 when swallowing. In evening I had some chicken pasta with cheese. Swallowing was 5/10. No codeine required on day 2 and it was an absolute breeze really.
Day 2: woke up in a lot of pain in middle of night, took some codeine went back to sleep. In the morning (07:00ish) I woke up with 8-9/10 ish pain whilst swallowing. Found it very hard to even drink water & was close to tears on a couple of swallows. Had to get my wife to crush up some paracetamol and dissolve into water for drinking to get some pain meds in me. Bad Ear pain was also present. Forced 2 codeine tabs down as well (more about this later). This was the most painful point so far and I couldn’t imagine it getting much worse, so hoped it wouldn’t! I remember thinking eating was going to be a real challenge on day 2 and I was not sure I would be able to if pain stayed as it was. Sat in bed for 45mins waiting for pain meds to bring my score down to below a 5, which they did. Managed to get up and eat some breakfast cereal & cup of tea at about 08:00 pain about 4/10. Then was totally out of it (slept like a baby on sofa) due to Codeine effects until about 12:30.
Took another 2 crushed paracetamol with water to take edge off of pain again as meds had started to wear off. When down to 3/10 I ate some beans & poached eggs on toast followed by a bottle of Mars Milk. After this my throats felt best it had all day 1/10 pain. Took ibuprofen at 16:00 ish and had a donut and cup of tea at 17:00. Evening meal (after more paracetamol) was diced lamb with roasted potatoes, peppers, onions & mushrooms.
Pain at times this day was bad (morning by far the worst), but not unbearable or anything I couldn’t cope with. I was learning fast that pain meds timing/planning is essential!
Day 3: Took 2 x codeine before sleep 22:30 ish. Woke up at 03:00 and took 2 x ibuprofen. Woke up at 07:00 ish and pain was 5/10. Took 2 x paracetamol and then had breakfast, cereal and toast at 08:00. Pain was only 2/10. Throat seems much less swollen today and I even managed an espresso coffee for the first time. Another day of rest on the sofa with regular food, water and chewing gum planned. 12:30 ate some more beans on toast with poached eggs for protein. Evening ate some creamy chicken pasta. Pain on day 4 was very manageable with rotation of ibuprofen and paracetamol.
Day 4: pain back with a vengeance during the night. Two doses of codeine and one ibuprofen haven’t really touched it. 8/10 again when swallowing. Paracetamol crushed in water when I woke up. Certainly it’s the night time when you’re not swallowing and drinking as much when the pain comes and screws you over. I’ve still slept well however as the codeine seems to knock me unconscious for a good 4hrs after taking it. My only fear now is running out of codeine before things improve significantly when sleeping. Paracetamol on board I brace the morning breakfast routine once again in the hope it will scrape away some of the dead white tissue scabs that line my throat making it smell and look like something from an alien movie. Pretty naff day drifting in and out of consciousness due to meds. Ate leftover pasta from last night for lunch. Chicken, potatoes and peas for dinner. Pain 5/10 at times, but since this morning mainly 3/10. Almost time for bed, oh no, not bedtime! I now have to dread waking up in the night and tomorrow morning once again! I tell myself it’s nothing we can’t handle ‘again’, take 2 x codeine and settle in for the night!
Day 5: Day 4 repeated, there seems no end in sight. When I drank water this morning it felt like I had been stabbed in the throat by a light sabre! Left side (which was my biggest tonsil) is the one that hurts. Right side is feeling fine. Pain meds down and get ready for another day of powering through with the hope tomorrow might bring some better news… On a separate note, I think the scabs are now starting to recede slightly. The hole on the left side is v deep so this is obviously going to take much longer to repair/recover.
Day 6: The worst day so far by a mile! Without meds 9/10 pain when swallowing. Took more painkillers than I can remember. Had to contact doctors for a repeat prescription of codeine as I nearly ran out. Scabs are falling off leaving bare flesh and holes through to what feels like the nerve endings. Eating was a real struggle without having crushed paracetamol drink 20 mins before. Even water shook me to my bones at times. Pain in ears and teeth.
Day 7: firstly during the night I took more pain killers in an 8hr period than I have since operation! The pain quite simply actually bought tears to my eyes (10/10) at times when swallowing. Shooting pain up through both ears was simply horrible, but I survived of course. When I woke up my wife asked how I felt and I said I think about 1% better than I did yesterday. She said “that’s positive then”. Which was true because this is the first day I had actually felt slightly better than the previous day in the morning. Having said that I was unable to eat breakfast other than a few mouthfuls of cereal as even my trusty paracetamol crush drink didn’t help enough. I drank a cup of tea and then as the weather was looking great I went outside and chilled on my hanging chair in the garden for the day. As the day has gone by I have drank plenty of fluids, water, tea, coffee, ate lunch and dinner and my throat seems to have improved a lot (I think). The scabs are now getting much smaller and wearing off/thinner and I’ve only had to take pain killers when wanting to eat something. Hope I’m not wrong but it feels like the tide is finally starting to turn and I might be getting some good improvements! I guess tonight/tomorrow morning will be the true test! 🙂
Day 8: For the first time since the operation I managed through the night with only 1 top up of pain killers. Pain at worst 6/10 a good improvement on previous nights. Managed to eat all my breakfast this morning and had an espresso coffee again. Paracetamol this morning has taken pain down to 1/10 when swallowing and I’m starting to feel human again. Hoping that this is now the start of significant improvement and recovery back to normal. Throat looks a lot less angry and on its way to healing. Rest of the day I did require paracetamol and ibuprofen rotation, but much longer between them. At bedtime I decided not to take any codeine and to see how I got on during the night.
Day 9: No Codeine required on day 9, just onto a rotation of paracetamol and ibuprofen every 6 hours. Pain almost gone when swallowing and eating is now getting pretty easy. Throat feels so much better and scabs are almost gone. Off to the supermarket later to get a few more things and have a journey out of the house for the first time since the operation. Looking to go back to work later this week.
What did I learn/best advice:
1. Painkillers are your best friend. Don’t be shy and take them regularly. Crushing up paracetamol tablets in water and drinking this 10mins before you eat really helps.
2. Rest completely, don’t plan to do anything for at least 8 days.
3. Sleep is your second best friend and worst enemy (as your throats will dry out). I would suggest setting a timer and taking pain meds during the night regularly rather than just waking up as I did and then having to take them. I however valued solid blocks of sleeping over being severe pain free. I just gutted out the really painful points waiting for pain meds to kick in.
4. Trust in the advice to eat normally and eat through the pain. Don’t let your mind start thinking your throat is infected etc. It isn’t it just gets more painful as the days go on.
5. Drink water, drink more water, drink again!
6. Purchase a humidifier for the evenings while you sleep.
7. Avoid eating anything acidic, e.g. tomato based sauces, citrus fruits. Avoid also sticky things like chocolate that sticks to throat & needs washing away.
8. Luke warm drinks tea etc can help sooth throat after day 3 when swelling has gone down.
9. Eating dairy products didn’t cause lots of mucus like some people say.
All in all, it’s been tough at times, particularly in the morning and night, but I’ve got through it. Have to be willing to tough it out, take plenty of pain killers until you rattle, complete rest, eat through the pain as much as you can as regularly as you can & drink lots of water and you will get through it too!
Good luck with your tonsillectomy, follow the advice of your surgeon, be prepared and you’ll get through.
Forgot to say I’m 36yr old male