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.
Hi All! Had my tonsils out last Monday. First two days were ok…. The anesthetic was probably still going strong! Anyway, the last few days have been the worst. I am so hungry and tired and in constant pain. It feels like someone is constantly tattooing the back of my throat x 50000! And it’s all up and down my throat into my ears. I can’t make anyone really understand how it feels, which is the worst. Just thinking about a nice pint of beer and a roast dinner is enough to bring me to tears. I’ve lost a stone in weight already and feel dizzy and frail constantly. I’m going to eat everything when I get better!! Hope everyone gets better soon 🙂 x
Hang in there Helen. Things will get much much better
Hi all!
I had my surgery on January 5, 2015 at the age of 64 and had posted that I would post back after surgery…I meant to post, way before now…sorry!
I came home from surgery and went straight to bed with ice packs & my “air travel pillow” to keep my head elevated. I was very comfortable during the first 3 days after surgery (taking strong meds, of course) and so, I thought on the 4th day, I would try and take them only at night, before I went to sleep…I was fine drinking lots of water and popsicles, yogurt and chicken noodle soup…didn’t really feel enough pain to warrant taking meds! But, I was afraid of waking up in the middle of the night with a dry throat and pain so, I took the pain med and slept all night. I can say, that it was a much easier time than I was expecting…after a full week, I wasn’t on meds and back to my old self!
I had said, I would compare my c-section recovery to this and as, you can read…NO COMPARISON!!!
I know, how fortunate I was and can’t explain why my recovery was so easy…but, am thankful for all the good advice from this forum and it’s posters!
Good luck to all and speedy recovery!
Wow! Thank you Eva. So good to hear from you! Best of health to you in the future!
I’m 23 years old and getting my tonsils out on thursday. I’ve been hearing so many horrifying recovery stories from friends and families and this site isn’t helping much either. I can’t function properly under excruciating pain and after reading all your experiences I’m considering cancelling the surgery. Lol. I know it will be worth it in the end (no more tonsillitis, no more kidney aches, no more sleepless nights) but the fear of the unknown is taking over. Guess the only thing that will get me through is the weight loss, hopefully. ;). I also have a problem with repeated episodes of sinusitis which is often triggered by cold beverages so I tend to stay away from anything that’s cold so I don’t know how I’m going to avoid ice cream. My surgeon refuses to take them out Argh
Raegan, I totally understand where you’re coming from. The process is brutal BUT I am now 5 weeks post-op and I feel back to normal. You can do it!!
I would recommend getting as many people to help you as possible and making sure you reach out to your doctor and INSIST on more medicine if what you have isn’t cutting it. Nothing will take away the pain entirely but make sure your doctor is prepared to tailor the dosage/medication type to your needs. Mine was not and it made the process a lot worse than it needed to be.
I will also say that I did not need super cold beverages to get through this. I rarely used ice and had little ice cream (I opted for dairy free when I did which helped limit phlegm). Chewing gum was incredibly helpful for me. I ate a lot of baby food and baby rice cereal at room temperature. I was taking medicine every 2 hours and I just made sure to eat a few spoonfuls of something at that time as well as at least 4 sips of water (sounds weird but I had to count it out to make sure I drank enough). My water was always room temerature. I hope that helps you feel a little better.
The entire process is a marathon, not a sprint. Super corny but true. Everyone’s recovery time seems to be different but by day 10 I was feeling a bit better and was able to eat some soft solids and by day 14/15 I was feeling a lot better. By day 21 I was back at work.
Good luck!
Reagan I totally understand too. If I had read online before my surgery I probably would have backed out too. It’s terrible, anyone here will tell you that. It’s going to be a terrible 10-12 days but even now, not even 2 months post-op, I am so glad I did it. And by now I don’t really remember how awful it was. It’s not like I have PTSD or anything. It’s not a picnic, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever been through either. Just take it one day at a time, use this site and your friends/family for support, and you’ll be fine. Good luck!
I am at day 10 post op. The last week and a half have been the worst of my life. It will be a drop in the bucket once I heal, but right now I wish I had never opted for this surgery.
My tonsil pain was constant, but my main reason for agreeing to their removal was my chronic tonsil stones.
Now I’m thinking I could have been a lifelong gum chewer.
I do have faith that I will return to 100% it just takes a long time.
I visited the er on day 6, and got a shot of steroids for swelling and dillatid for pain. That is the most relief I have had this whole experience! I just couldnt get on top of the pain; waking every 2 hours is panic because it hurt so much.
Then day 8 called my eNt just to talk to someone who knew what I was going through!
She called in a couple more prendisone tablets to help with swelling.
I am requesting more narcotics today.
People don’t think tonsillectomy is probably that bad, so visits slow and meals stop and you are alone with your remote and want to cry.
I would suggest telling people that you can use company. Have someone come over to lay in bed with you and watch movies and get you your meds and water and more soup. Call a friend who you don’t need to entertain, one who you can just be with. You will want someone there.
I’m 31 female 7 days post op. I saw 5 ENTs before finally agreeing to the surgery. I am miserable. The day of the surgery I had several instances of projectile vomiting. Awful! Thankfully that subsided and the medicine I had helped. I’m taking liquid oxycodon every 4 hours and Tylenol every four hours. So every 2 hours I get something. Thank God I have my mother and husband. I’ve decreased from from 2 tsps to 1 tsp successfully. The pain never goes away but gets better.
I’m about to run out of oxycodon and I’m terrified. My doctor doesn’t seem to care and won’t provide additional medicine. Any suggestions?
Here’s what’s been working for me.
-I use a cpap for sleep apnea with a humidifier built-in. Huge help. Also have a humidifier going round the clock.
-CHEWING GUM! Total life saver. I’m using Orbit Bubble mint. Helps get my saliva going. Loosens up my throat gently. Helps when my stomach is up set. Highly recommend gum.
-Smooth Move tea for constipation as well as Sentekot and Docolacs. It’s weird but I also watched YouTube videos on abdominal massage to help with constipation.
-HEAT! I wrap a heating pad around my neck and ears and it helps so much. I have in for the back that has velcro. On occasion I use a neck ice pack that I got at Relax the Back but the heat is way better.
-Baby food. The first 4 days I ate only baby cereal with almond or coconut milk. Now I’m eating vegetables.
-Unflavored aloe water. No pulp. Very smooth.
-Hot tea. Lavender, Throat Coat and Smooth Move. All Traditional Medicinals.
-Meditation. I’ve listened to the Calm Meditation channel on Pandora not stop. It’s surprisingly been very helpful. Getting worse every day is so discouraging and is helped me relax and not freak out.
-No dairy. Totally cut it out and it’s helped reduce phlegm.
-Text to speak app. Talking hurts. My muscles get so tight. I found this app 3 days in and it’s a life saver.
-Brush your teeth and take a shower or bath everyday. Had made me feel so much better every time.
This forum has been a lifeline for me I hope my tips help and I am eager to hear what you think about the medicine situation.
Hi Janet- Welcome to the site! Thanks for all the good tips. About the medicine- sorry your doc is being a jerk- maybe call when he’s not on duty with hopes of getting a different doc? I know some get relief from Tylenol. Obviously icing can help a little. Have you tried numbing throat spray? It’s short term. but can help with breakthrough pain…
HI Sara, I’m day 12 post op and I have to tell you to INSIST that your doctor give you more pain medication. I needed it straight through every 4 hours until day 9. Everything I’ve read says that the pain PEAKS day 7-10. For me it was 5-7, but if you need more, make them give it to you. If they won’t, you may have to go the Emergency Room, but hopefully you can convince your ENT that you need it. I did. Your tips are spot on. Good luck getting over the hump, the end it near.