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.
Wow. Day 17 and I still feel like crap, especially if I try to “do something”! As in, anything! I agree with Diane- it’s so nice and airy back there, although I’ve been told I still snore ( you can’t win them all)! SO GLAD I was able to take 3 weeks plus some teacher workdays and a weekend- total of 26 days off. I’m a first grade teacher, so imagine my face when the doctor said 2 weeks off and 2 weeks light duty…”excuse me? Define light duty for my job?!” I basically looked at her like she was crazy, left the office with my pre-op packet, and called back thirty minutes later to move my surgery back a week and keep the same return date. Thank you, Lord, for giving me the extra push to do that!!! Luckily I had enough sick days to cover thus plus some.
My public service announcement to all I meet is this: if your child’s doctor says they need their tonsils out–DO IT! Don’t make them go through what adults go through!
On another note- my ears are still achy. Anyone try anything besides oil in there? Earache drops? Anything? The oil is good and soothes, but doesn’t manage the pain so well anymore. Diane- thanks for letting me know not to expect much different at three weeks, lol! Happy recovery! Maybe by thanksgiving or Christmas we’ll feel “normal-er”?!
I am so glad that you had taken that extra time off!!! Ok, day 22 SO much better!!! The scabs are gone I am told (I still have not looked back there!) I can eat whatever I want and my ears no longer hurt. I am still a bit tired but it is because I have gone 3 weeks without working and my sleep pattern is a disaster.
I seriously could not have made it through had it not been for the support on here and for Greg creating this! THANK YOU a thousand times over!
Angel, as for the ear pain, I tried a cold compress that seemed to help me a bit more than a warm one. I had to cover my head when I went outside up til this point. I have never been this sensitive!!! I agree with your advice. Both my kids had theirs out. One was 5 at the time and my other was 19. Even the 19 yo bounced back within a week. I was told from my teens I needed them out but noooooooooo!! Please people learn this lesson!!!
Here are to much happier and healthier days ahead!! 🙂
Day 18 of recovery:
It isn’t all bad…I can eat “normal” food now, as long as it doesn’t require lots of chewing or sharp, scratchy foods. My jaw and throat muscles are still aching after a something as simple as chicken tenders, but slow and steady, and I can knock ‘me out. Really cold water still sends a shock wave through my entire body and I literally have to shake it off. Guess some of those last few scabs have come off, maybe?
I bought some Hyland’s earache drops and they have helped a little with the pain in my ears. I wish I would have known about the seriousness of the ear pain before my surgery so I could have been a little more mentally prepared! Hey, everyone, expect your ears to feel like Freddy Krugger or Wolverine or Edward Scissorhands is doing quite a number on your eustachean tubes from about day 5 to who-the-crap-knows-when?! At least day 18 I guess!
I still can’t sleep through the night, for several reasons: ear pain, staying hydrated, and going to pee from all the hydration! In the last two days, my asthma has kept me up coughing thanks to post nasal drip. So I use my inhaler and try to calm down the cough, but you try telling my asthma that the “ick” in my throat is normal and to stop freaking out about it! So then I need a nap around 1-2:00 everyday.
I only have one more week off. I hope I can get my sleep pattern back somewhat close to normal soon!
Report cards and parent-teacher conferences aren’t going to do themselves. I need to bring my A-game on November 3rd!
Thanks so much to Greg for this site! I don’t know what I would have done without it! Diane, too- thanks for your replies to my posts, they have kept me encouraged and going!
I hate that so much of my posts are negative, but I don’t like venting in front of my kids and they are always around! My family already knows how miserable I am so reminding them is pointless! I hope that I will be able to make some positive posts in the best future to help others going through this craptastic journey!
Thanks for the update Angel. Hope you feel better each day.
I am now almost 3wks as well. I still get tired and I start work next Monday. Thank goodness I was able to take an extra week off!! I still have a slight scabbing on my right side. I am so done with this! I have been mostly positive through this procedure knowing that it is already worth it since I can now eat dairy and it feels so *airy* back there!! But geez…enough!!! Happy healing 🙂
Angel: Are you drinking enough? Maybe you are dehydrated? Your body needs to heal and I know I JUST slept through the night and it has been two weeks. Maybe your throat feels sensitive because of the scabbing and all that. I would still ice your neck and drink LOTS. Are you eating things that are a bit rougher on your throat? If so maybe go back to soup and stuff. Maybe, if it does not hurt your throat try some Gatorade? Are you able to eat at all? Can you try to get some protein somehow? Good luck!
Whew! So get this, after posting about feeling weird, I realized that I had removed the cotton soaked with sweet oil from my ears and replaced it with dry this morning! And all this after posting yesterday on the ear pain page about how much the oil has made a huge difference!
I was literally lightheaded and couldn’t keep my balance and wanted to sleep. After feeling helpless all day, I put fresh oil in my ears, capped with cotton and wham- my equilibrium is back and I’m perky! I feel really stupid after that!
Here I was thinking I was having something weird going on, and all the time, I had just taken away the one thing that was holding me together! Having a teen in our home who suffers from inner ear weakness has really helped me stay in tune to my needs during this recovery! Your inner ear really can screw you up! Take my advice and try the sweet oil as it can apparently really keep you from being in a funk!
So here I am, day 9 post op, and I feel weird. The extreme pain now comes in flashes and I am so exhausted. I feel disoriented and lightheaded. My throat feels more swollen than before, but it know that can’t be right because the scabs have been coming off and it’s pretty clear in there. I can barely keep my eyes open. No bleeding. I wonder if it could be that the prednisone I finished on Wednesday is now gone from my system or because my toddler has been sick and I have been taking care of him more. Anybody else feel different, weird almost on day 9/10?
I want to make sure it isn’t meds side effects or complications or something, at the doc yesterday,, my blood pressure was a tiny bit high they said,d but I had just been venting to my mom in the car…
Diane I think you need to eat, sleep and drink more. Get some help with your toddler, drink lots of water, and consume calories however you can. You will feel lots better in a few days – you are through the worst now.
I agree. Get some help with your toddler. I am 3 weeks post tonsillectomy and still feel exhausted in the afternoon and still have a sore throat and mild ear pain. Additionally I have no appetite and cannot taste anything. They say taste buds can be temporarily compromised. Absolutely awful and lengthy recovery.
Yes, Diane, superwoman, lol!
Update: I had to go to the ENT today to pick up a refill prescription for Percocet. I am NOT running out if this stuff yet-I am no hero and there is no gold star at the end of this recovery! While on the phone I asked for an appointment to be checked for thrush, since about 3 or 4 days ago, i have had a thick film on my tongue and some of it scraped off with my toothbrush and now my tongue is RAW and dry and hurts to eat and drink… I called about it two days ago, but they said since I had not been on any antibiotics it was unlikely. Unlikely? I’ve been drinking apple juice, eating applesauce, pudding, jello, and Hawaiian rolls all PACKED with SUGAR and thrush is unlikely? Yeah, guess what? I was right- it’s THRUSH! Of course, now it is on the roof of my mouth in little swirls and the yeast is starting to grow toward my palette! As if I don’t already have ENOUGH going on in there! On top of that, my scabs in my “gag reflex” area are starting to dangle and dear goodness, that’ s making me gag and hack, which in turn just hurts!
Here is your laugh at my expense: my doctor prescribed “lozenges” that are to be dissolved on my tongue/ against the roof of my mouth until they completely dissolve, up to 30 minutes if needed. NO WATER OR BEVERAGE DURING THE DISSOLVING! And I am supposed to do this five times a day until the meds are gone! Guess what? It’s a DIME SIZED chalky lozenge who’s only redeeming quality is it tastes sweet. Oh, it’s sooooo gross and I just want some water!!! At least it is keeping me from talking, because I’ve been doing too much of that anyway and paying the painful toll for it. The residue from this thing is impossible to swallow, and yet, that’s what I am going to to have to do to get better! At least they do promote saliva creation and are sweet. Uuugggghhhh!
When all is said and done, I had better be a shining example of great health! When I saw the dr today I did ask how bad my tonsils we’re. Her reply was they were really disgusting, and a lot of gunk that needed to go. I told her despite the pain, I already freely much healthier. Even without sleep, I feel far more rested than I had in several years!
omg I just saw this! you crack me up!!! (sorry!) I feel really bad that you are going through so much of this.
I had my post op apt today. Doc said everything looks good. I am out of work for another week. I asked when the heck I am going to be *normal* with no pain. He said it will be sore for a bit with yawning and sneezing. (ya think!) I am still on semi soft food. I did sleep through the night and when I woke it was not as sore so it does get better hold on!!