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.
Thanks for all the great information that you have posted to help me get through my recovery after my tonsillectomy. I am a 50 year old female 13 days Post Op. and feeling much better. The things I would highly recommend are : Cool Mist Humidifier, Multiple Ice Packs, a snow cone maker (for shaved ice) and a caregiver(if possible). I had a tough recovery but am looking forward to feeling better with those nasty tonsils gone. Good luck to everyone out there having a tonsillectomy and those going through the recovery process. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Thanks Greg for this forum, it is a huge help…I am going in for my tonsillectomy tomorrow morning.
I am and am not looking forward to it!
I am 64 yrs old and female, have 3 adult children. They say on here, that having a c-section is a piece of cake, compared to this. Well, I had 2 of our children naturally & 1 c-section. So, I know both kinds of birth pain. I will compare them to my tonsillectomy and let you know!!! 🙂
Hopefully, this will take care of the nasty tonsil stones, as well…if, not…someone will have to just shoot me!!
Will post again soon.
God bless us all, before and after surgery.
Hope ur op goes well! Keep us informed how ur doing x x I had my op 21st Nov…. But bled a week later and had to go back to theatre for stitches! To be fair the pain throughout was not that bad at all!!! Iv still got one stitch in there now though which won’t dissolve which is a pain in the ass!! Good luck x
Good luck Eva! I had my tonsillectomy 4 months ago, age 47. The recovery was extremely painful for the first two weeks and pretty ghastly BUT my tonsil stones are gone and I am back to normal now. Just remember that every day post-op is progress, take lots of drugs, suck crushed ice and focus on a future without tonsil stones !
Eva,
I had mine removed the 21st of November 2014 and I’m 59 yrs old. My suggestions: drink as much water as you can. I drank SMART WATER because the electrolytes kept my stomach from getting upset. The day of the surgery when I had all the general anesthesia in my system I drank a gallon of water as soon as I got home. IMHO, I thought the pain would be at its lowest point because I was still drugged up from the surgery. Another thing I did, I didn’t wait four hours to take my med’s. I started as soon as got home and had a pain pill every two hours instead of two pills every four hours. Water, ice chips, healthy popsicles, and an ice collar are your friends. Recommend using the ice collar as much as you can tolerate the first week…it helps with the swelling.
In case you haven’t read Michaels post here’s a copy of it. He a Dentist and has some great suggestions….
MICHAEL says:
December 4, 2014 at 3:21 am
MY Daughter ( 18 years old ) is on day 7 of recovery post her tonsillectomy. She has lost some of her scabs yesterday and is still having considerable discomfort. I had my Tonsils removed at 40 years old so I could help her through her recovery but I wanted to THANK YOU for having this forum!! It has helped her for sure!! Im a Dentist and I feel there is a sincere need for more education on the recovery from this surgery. Here are a few things that I’ve done to help my daughter through her recovery. I had a topical anti-inflammatory made up at a compounding pharmacy. It contained ibuprofen as the anti-inflammatory ( diclofenac is a good choice as well ) lidocaine for a numbing effect, cyclobenzaprine as a muscle relaxer, chitosan and DMSO to help the meds penetrate the tissues to provide the relief. The topical really helped!! She asked for me to apply the compounded med ( apply directly under the chin where the neck is swollen and sore after the surgery ) each time she woke from her pain meds and gave a big thumbs up and was even able to muster a smile! I have also had her rinse with Chlorhexidine which is a mint flavored oral antibiotic rinse. That helped her breath odor a bit as well as helps to prevent a post op infection. The Chlorhexidine lasts for 3 days so it isn’t imperative to rinse with it daily. Closys is an antiseptic mouth rinse you can buy over the counter at Walgreens that is a terrific antiseptic as well as an odor oxidizer which will help keep your mouth moist. It contains no alcohol and has no real taste so its like rinsing with water. There is a small container or peppermint oil to flavor the rinse but do that in a separate container in the case you don’t like the taste. To help control the bleeding when the scabs start to fall off make a strong tea using a tea bag and chill it. The tea has tannic’s in it that will cause the small vessels to constrict to slow the bleeding and the cold will sooth the lesions. Slowing the bleeding limits the amount of blood you may swallow and that will keep you from getting nauseated as well. Biotene is a brand of oral moisturizers that may help and you can get it at the local drug store.
The only other recommendation I can recommendation I can make is to give your loved one a lot of TLC and encouragement!! Empathy is good in large doses as well. If you have not had your tonsils out please don’t give your patient a hard time after you think they should be better. The Tonsillectomy is a MAJOR surgery to endure. Be patient and it will pay off in dividends!!
If you have any questions post them here and I will do my best to help. God Bless you all!! Prayer works wonders as well!!
Best of luck…
V/R
Chuck
Hello!
After multiple cases of severe strep throat, I finally got a tonsillectomy monday morning 12/29. It is now Saturday 1/3, 5th day post-op, 6th day including the surgery. I am a 21 yr old female. I have read multiple cases online and wanted to share mine, for anyone who is looking to go through with the surgery. Unlike a lot of the pretty terrifying stories online, mine thus far definitely seems pretty positive overall.The first three days (two days post-op) for me were the worst, but they weren’t unbearable. I slept an hour at a time the first night, but I found sleeping sitting up was important so that I didn’t choke on my extremely swollen uvula. I wasn’t able to eat substantial food until early the third day. Sure, the pain was pretty bad, but I think the fact I did not stop drinking water helped me the most. And not to mention I was visiting home for the holidays and so I had my mother’s help when I needed it. I didn’t leave the house until the 4th day post-op, and only left for about 20 minutes. On the 4th day post-op, the worst pain was my ears and jaw. I found that chewing gum hurt at first, but has helped in the long run. Also, I had been putting ice packs on my throat, but heat on my ears and upper jaw. It helped a lot. By today, the 5th day, the pain is super manageable. It’s definitely worse in the mornings and at night, but today is nothing compared to how I felt earlier on in the recovery process. I had read everywhere that the pain only gets worse at this point, but I’m relieved it’s been the opposite for me!I think when it comes down to it, my recovery has been pretty easy. And here’s what I’ve done:
-Drink water. Even when it hurts. Drink ice water to take down the swelling. But don’t stop drinking water. Don’t be afraid that there’s pain. Just keep drinking.
-Eat as soon as you’re able to. I was put on Percocets and antibiotics. Food helped to calm my stomach after taking the meds and it strengthens your immune system. I ate apple sauce, chicken broth, oatmeal, potatoes, etc.
-Have someone around to help.. because it helps! I didn’t have to leave my house and I got plenty of rest.
-Rest. Sleep whenever possible, and set alarms to take your meds throughout the night. You don’t want to start the day in pain.
-Take your meds. After the 3rd day post-op, I weaned myself off of the Percocets (by only taking them at night) and started taking Tylenol 3 with codeine. It was easier on my stomach. Ask your doctor about it! It’s a prescription and it still pretty strong.
-If you’re on antibiotics like I am, eat yogurt or take a probiotic. It’ll help you feel better and help your digestion.
-Oh and did I say DRINK WATER. Because that’s very important. Sucking on ice is great like everyone says, but I’m talking drinking a lot of water.
My recovery hasn’t been a nightmare and hopefully yours won’t be either! (although, for me, expecting the worst made the outcome a lot more surprising and positive).
Best of luck!
My Doctor didn’t prescribe steroids….sounds like they work great for you. I hope your recovery is quick and have a nice meal with your family on New Year’s day.
I had pain pill and used them up to the morning of day 8 and after that I stopped using them I’m now 5 weeks post-op, still swollen, not sore and can eat anything I want. I had my surgery on 21 Nov and the Doc said all the swelling will be gone by early Feb. Happy New Year to ALLLLLLLLLLL
I want to thank everyone for sharing their experiences. I am 29 and had my tonsils removed on the 23rd. Initially, I thought I had gotten really lucky because my pain was no worse than strep throat. I was prescribed liquid lortab 7.5/325, prednisone x 4 days, OTC Ibuprofen 600 every 8 hours. When the pain increased on day 5, I was so miserable! My husband and the doctor encouraged me to come by yesterday. It took all I had in me to pull my dizzy, nauseous, hungry, buring, stinging, stabbing throat self off the couch. It hurt to even try to sit up straight. All I wanted to do was lay in an un-right fetal position on my couch. My doctor told me that everything looked great (HAH) and I was going to turn the corner. And he was right but The best thing he did for me was NOT refilling my narcotics yesterday but putting me back on steriods. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, I went home yesterday, took the prednisone and within 1 hour.. I went from knocking on deaths door to being able to swallow with a reasonable amount of pain. This afternoon (day 8 ) I took another dose of prednisone and I felt great! I went to the grocery store, I am drinking and I ate ramen noodles tonight with NO PAIN. I am wondering if anyone else experiences this with the steroid? Is it just a coincidence? I am going to take it easy the rest of the night and keep my drinking up. I really can’t handle anymore day 5-7 pain!