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.
So I am on day 7 and I am
Going through a lot of the same things as you but what I Also do to help ease the pain is I bought a humdfier the day before surgery, it was $35 target, Honeywell brand and it sits right next to my bed and it’s like sleeping in a rainforest. It has helped so much! It keeps my face and my mouth so nice and moist. It’s quiet and has different settings, I use the high one and it’s just gives a nice cloud of mist all over my head area while I sleep. It is so great! Keeps my mouth nice and hydrated. Two is I bought a snow cone machine, by Ninja it was $40 target, it makes like snow type ice. Super fluffy and soft and I just eat spoon fills of it all day and I put it in my water to keep my water cold. It numbs my mouth so taking pills is easier, it’s the best thing ever. I bought plastic spoons to eat with since they are smaller and softer. Cream of wheat has been the easiest thing for me to eat, with a dash of sugar and little milk on top, I let it cool down and that’s all I basically eat cause it goes down so easy and it’s bland. And they have the box with individual microwave packets so it’s easy to make. Lastly ice packs. I got the gel like ice packs and I tie them with a towel on the lower back of my neck, sides of my throat and sometimes my forehead. This combo has been making this horrible experience a lot better so far. Day 5 and 6 were my worst days and those ice packs saved my life those days, they are the soft gel ones. So we shall see if the pain gets better or worse as my days go on. But so far this remedie is keeping me as comfortable as possible.
Also I do not talk at all. I got a dry erase board so I write on it or text if i need to say something. I just want to heal as fast a possible so I don’t talk. I have whispered like 3 times but just a couple words.
Elena, it’s okay to talk. 😉 Most of us did and it did not affect our recovery. I talked throughout my recovery. My ENT encouraged me to do as much ‘normal’ stuff as possible, including eating whatever I wanted, short of sharp or extra crunchy foods. Glad you are getting to the other side!
I am currently on day 10 (counting surgery as day 1) of a tonsillectomy and I have been completely miserable! 🙁 I keep telling myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel but some days/moments it does not feel that way. I was very easily able to talk for the first few days after my surgery with minimal pain. Now it kills me to talk unless my medicine has recently kicked in. I have had to maintain the 4 hour medicine schedule very closely in order to not rip my head and throat off— which is very unusual for me! Even after having a c-section or my spleen removed, I was not on pain medicine around the clock and definitely not by day 10! I am still unable to really eat anything because I end up with pain 10 out of 10 (even with medication) with everything I swallow. Every food I have tried (including mashed potatoes and ice cream) cause a severe burning and pain. Food and liquids often feel as though they get stuck in the surgical areas. And now every time I sleep, I end up struggling to breathe at some point (with no previous history of sleep apnea). Please someone tell me what I am doing wrong or tell me what I can do to make this any better!! Thank you in advance!
hi Lori – the way I swallow changed after surgery, presumably due to the shape of my throat changing, and that may be what you are adjusting to. It feels really odd at first, and took me a while to get used to it, but I did. I used to wake at night coughing which I think was due to phlegm getting stuck somewhere. All this should improve very soon – do you have a post-op check up pending? I had mine on day 14 and it was great to have the reassurance that everything was healing well. By that time I had also significantly reduced my pain meds. My surgeon told me it would take months to fully heal, and I still find (2 months later) that I am prone to choking/coughing more than usual. He also told me that throat muscles tighten up after surgery, and I found that sleeping with my head/neck on a hot water bottle in week two really helped me relax my throat and sleep better. You have come a long way now and should be feeling better very soon.
See if this will help you from Day 4 on:
Steam became my friend. Fill your favorite mug 1/3 full and microwave it for 1-1 1/2 min. Inhale the steam opening your mouth as wide as you can inhaling deeply. Continue doing this until you feel relief. Sometimes, I had to reheat the cup of water a couple of times more.
Even water began to burn my throat. I found tepid/lukewarm (don’t make it hot—–could bring on bleeding)plain decaffeinated tea was a soothing lifesaver. The fancy flavored teas that I love had spices which burned. Insomnia is already a problem. Be sure to use decaffeinated. I would chase water with the tea, so that I could continue to stay hydrated when my scabs screamed.
When ice doesn’t soothe anymore, turn your surgery ice pack bag into a hot water bottle. This is to soothe that resonating ear pain.
Chicken noodle soup with a heavy broth thoroughly coated my throat. If you live where you have a Hy-Vee grocery store, have someone pick up their brand of chicken noodle soup. It tastes homemade and works wonders. Campbell’s is okay, but the broth is thicker with the Hy-Vee brand. You might could use the Campbell’s and add chicken broth to it.
Acid and bacteria will build up in your mouth making you feel like you have hundreds of ulcers. Gargle with 1 tsp. of salt to 2 cups (500 ml) warm water 30 seconds for each sip twice a day (thank you to the person that noted that on this site).
Starting @ Day 7, my scabs begged for a change. Foods that I lived on:
scrambled eggs with no pepper and little salt, oatmeal, & chicken noodle soup (I added chopped up pasta).
I was so bummed to have to give up the foods I had especially purchased for this surgery. I could no longer eat orange sherbert, popsicles, applesauce, jello nor drink orange juice. Anything acidic or cold hurt.
Looks like you and I may have had the surgery on the same day. Today was a turn-a-round. I’m actually looking forward to tomorrow continuing improvement. I’m starting to vary from the diet a tiny bit, but like you, that burning is something to deal with. I told my husband that nursing this throat has become a full time job.
Updating :
Day 5 – Pain level has increased slightly a couple times during the entire day as swallowing was still minor pain ok just like day 4, however upon the end of day 5 it started to become painful to swallow (pain level peaked at a 7 for the first time) while both ears reached a pain level 5 at it’s highest (ear pain was averaging a level 3)…..note that I am still holding out from using the pain medication from its designated 4 hour intervals, as I only took two doses throughout the day (the second dose at the very end of the day in order to sleep I was at pain level 5 to 6)…I am now 10 doses ahead (40 hours worth) and feel the worst pain is still yet to arrive according to everyone else’s experiences and I am sure that I will need that reserved pain medication the most during the homestretch.
When I did take the pain medication on day 5, the pain levels 5 thru 7 had lowered it to a nice tolerable level 1 within 20 minutes time after taking it, so the liquid hydrocodone has been effective with no side or altered effects for me….Taste buds are still there, and I am still clearly talking normal since day 1 surgery but now at 85 percent capacity since day 4 as it is slightly painful at times to talk (pain level 2).
Also taken one Cepacol extra strength lozenge for the first time (during a pain level 6)….that did not seem to take any pain away for me.
Day 6 -(today Wed. Nov. 12 2014)- Slept good for 4 hours after closing out day 5 recovery (thank god for the pain medication), however woke up with a pain level 7 and immediately took another dose of medicine (perfect timing on the four hour interval), and slept good for another four hours…
Pain level is at it’s highest now in my recovery period (pain level 5 thru 7) as swallowing ice cold water now makes a pain level 4 to 5, however otter pops is the only thing soothing the pain in the meantime (pain level 1 to 3) as I have not taken another dose of pain med and holding out on one interval which I have an hour to go to make it 44 hours and 11 doses ahead, and will eat after taking the dose so it will not hurt as much.
Upon after waking up today, I looked in my mouth and now notice two fresh red sores (not bleeding), in which each red sore is located on the left and right sides at the upper back channel of the surgical white area (10 o’ clock and 2 o’ clock positions)….unsure if this is normal in the recovery process but I am sure this is due to my increased pain, as I have not experienced any of the scabbing process every one else mentions here either.
If someone can elaborate if it is a good or bad thing if one has experienced these red sores I am describing, I would appreciate it – I do not feel my mouth had dried out to cause this, nor do I think it was food consumption related as I been consuming jello, otter pops, ice cold water, seseme chicken and noodles, chili, and soup – although I did eat two frosted pop tarts in very small bites that was broke down pretty good.
Forgot to mention in my previous long post prior to surgery while I had the frequent infections, since August 1 2014 the doc recommended me to use a waterpick to blast out any food particles and debris on my tonsils, which I did after every meal, brushed and flossed four times a day rather than the normal two times, took every precaution imaginable and followed this on a sacred basis even while on vacation in my camper…When I got that overnight 103.6 fever out of nowhere despite all the precautions taken while on vacation (which was a back to back 5 week infection incident), that’s when my mind was set on really needing surgery.
I still cannot thank Greg enough and everyone else that have posted to share their recovery process, making this website possible as it has certainly helped me out on preparing going thru this ordeal.
I had a tonsillectomy at age 34 in 2010.
My doc recommended taking my meds on schedule to help me heal and not saving them up. He renewed them when I asked him to.
I was back at work in about 10 days with limited talking. Far fewer throat infections now.
Doc had also recommended me taking the meds at it’s intervals too – especially important at the early stages, which I taken the first four doses on schedule on day 1 but I was not hurting much at all.
Going throughout day 2 and day 3 was virtually very tolerable low pain without medication, I decided to take my pain medication “as needed” like the label had said.
I was not in a great deal of pain overall, although I did take my pain medication when I needed to during discomfort or some pain present….as of completing day 10 recovery for me (ending Mon. Nov. 17 2014 at 1200pm), I only had the need to use 23 total doses of pain medication..one dose short of a full four days supply upon ten full days thus far.
I was prescribed an 8 day supply (48 total doses) of pain medicine as I was one of the lucky ones upon not in much pain overall during my first 10 full days of recovery and was very comfortable with not needing the pain meds when only little pain was present and very tolerable.
The majority of people that posted their painful and grueling experiences on this site is what I expected to go thru, and believe me I would have consumed every drop of pain medicine and begging for more upon running out if I went thru the same prolong pain for days on end as others.
So you are able to talk? Is it a whisper or actually talking?
I haven’t even tried to talk yet but I was whispering yesterday and then later that day some blood started pouring out of my mouth so I wasn’t sure if it was because I was whispering or maybe something rough that I ate or maybe just because. It eventually stopped after 30 min of putting ice cubes in my mouth. Oh and that was yesterday day 4. Another question what do the dr say about milk products or milk, why is it bad to drink milk? Because I had a glass and it feels so good on my throat. And so does yogurt?
Yes i could talk from day one – albeit quietly. Just do what feels right for your throat.
And you did the right thing with the ice cubes!
Some people report that dairy products cause mucus to build up in their mouth – I didn’t find that, and yogurts/milky porridge were one of the few things I could eat (and soup, lots of soup!)
I also sucked on strong lozenges sometimes, which seemed to help distract me from the pain.
So now you are on day 6 – almost one week in. Hang in there!
First of all I would like to special thank Greg for making this website happen as I done a lot of research since late July 2014, when I suddenly flared up with two throat infections plus one other infection that attacked the left side of my face as the doctor speculated it was probably also tonsil related in early Oct. 2014, which totaled to three incidents within a 15 week span which now became pretty frequent.
My prior history of any head or throat infections had started in January 2009 at 44 years old, which were an average occurrence of once a year prior to 2014 (5 incidents total) as the 10 day antibiotics supply taken were always immediate relief after day 1, however the late July 2014 incident had took the fever away within 24 hours like normal but the discomfort lingered thru day 9 of the 10 day antibiotic supply, which I know now this infection thing is getting worse and not recovering as well, so as a precaution I better start looking into researching which I glad I done (and finding this website) for what’s going to happen eventually – SURGERY.
So the following month (mid Aug. 2014), I got a good bill of health after my follow-up and decided to take my planned yearly vacation in Canada as I reside in Alaska (thinking this is still just a once a year occurrence for infection), however because of the different way I had now healed – prior to vacation while planning ahead I prepared on stocking up plenty of soft foods, low sodium broth, protein shakes, breaking out the recliner chair that was stored for 15 years, second humidifier placed next to the recliner, 4 bags of small ice, 300 otter pops, 4 onhand rotating ice packs I have yet to use, etc. for the worst case scenario should it happen sooner upon a possible surgery in the near future ….which turned out to be the right call because my vacation was cut short with a no warning out of the blue 103.6 fever on the road and decided to turn back towards home, as I was glad mentioning to the doc about my planned vacation as he suggested I keep onhand a 10 day supply of antibiotics should I need them, and turned out that I had to resort to them (saving me) after a week and a half on the road in northern Canada where it is generally quite a remote area.
Second of all I am a 49 year old male that just had my very FIRST SURGERY and IV hookup EVER, which happened on Fri. Nov. 7, 2014…I was hoping to make it to at least 50 years of age before having any type of surgery…. I didn’t accomplish that feat however I do feel very blessed and glad I got this procedure done of tonsillectomy.
My fears were intense upon facing my first time ever surgery of course, (especially people posting their horrible events)- but because of this website and all the other suggestions everyone else had posted that I took well in consideration and weighing the factors, I learned to ask all the right questions upon the pre op phase with the doc and making final preparations on what supplies and equipment to really have, which so far has turned out to be such a life saver upon a three month stretch of research and stocking up, as in comparison trying to gear up everything in a week span would certainly be a tight timeframe for a person that works full time (as I still had not missed more than one scheduled day of work due to a headcold while infected upon the entire 15 week duration).
Although I could not find that large foam neck pillow anywhere in my local area the day prior to surgery, I did purchase a small typical padded neck brace and sure glad I did as this is one of the essential items I can confirm like others which keeps your head aligned and not slump when sleeping….I just added a pillow to elevate the back of my head so I can have full airway upon sleeping on the recliner chair when extended out, because without the neckbrace and extra pillow, there would be no way I could breathe to sleep in a semi upright position as many will find out the airway in your throat will be completely blocked by laying down or reclined back.
As far as advanced prescriptions is concerned, do have them onhand prior to surgery which I stressed to the doc, as he felt only prescribing me a 5 day supply of liquid hydrocodone and nothing else after asking him all the recommendations everyone else had posted, however I ended up with an 8 day supply of the medication after converting the bottle and dosages, as I been stretching out the timeframe intervals and not yet personally experienced the intense severe pain of what’s about to occur in the near future upon everyone else’s experiences, by preserving my supply for which I am sure will be in need to use upon the regular intervals.
Now for the status of my current recovery….so far I been one of the real lucky ones especially at 49 years old compared most of the others :
Day 1 – surgery day .. walking, talking, pain very minor, feeling almost ‘better than normal’ like I’m 30 again, swallowing everything I am consuming does not hurt, people telling me how healthy I look already, never believed them until I looked in the mirror, they were telling the truth…thought I would be in bad shape but to my surprise I did not think day 1 would feel like I was 95 percent healed….slept two hours which felt like a refreshed 7 hours worth.
Day 2 – still talking, went shopping and stocked up on more jello and noodles, my energy level is amazing and walking faster like someone spiked speed in my ice cold water that I constantly drink non stop (thirsty or not ! – taking note on everyone’s advice here), throat not hurting too much and swallowing either, slept three hours and felt fully refreshed yet again ….pain level no more than a 3 out of 10 throughout day 2.
Day 3 – still talking, pain increased somewhat significant but not totally severe as of yet, tongue swelling increased a bit more and now feels like I bit into it in two places, still swallowing soft foods well including Wendys chili, sesame chicken in tiny bites (and I don’t mean half bites either) and pasta type noodles, first time I felt the ‘real’ need to take pain med for a couple times throughout the day as pain level average was a 3 out of 10 but felt the peak level of a 5, still tolerable pain for me but an immediate dose sure got rid of the discomfort right away (fully functional and relaxed with no side effects for me) when that pain level 5 existed while half tired upon the late interval of day, which I decided to take the dose because I was planning on going to sleep – slept back to back four hour intervals (most sleep so far post surgery) feeling great and refreshed with a still tolerable sore throat after day 3.
Day 4 – (today Mon Nov. 10 2014) – still talking but only at 85 percent capacity as it hurts a little to do so but very tolerable, pain level is now between 3 to 6 out of 10 while getting a first glimpse of ear pain everyone is talking about (only the left ear and the pain level is currently a 2 out of 10 at most), while typing to you all here posting my experience, haven’t eaten anything yet other than two jellos, 10 otter pops and still toadin’ down ice cold water thirsty or not, stretching out another two intervals of pain med dosage as I am now 4 full doses ahead (16 extra hours worth).
Comparing to everyone’s experiences of what and what not to consume, the doc told me lean towards the soft foods but stated I could eat whatever I want with no restrictions as long as my body could tolerate it but would not recommend solid and sharp type foods in the early stages.
I also took the advice of others upon staying away from any dairy products as even the doctor stated to me it could build up mucus but depends on the individual like many things.
I cant remember the exact type of surgical procedure that was given to me but it was done by electronic cauterize ? with scalpel tools I think when I asked….
As of day 4 I have not yet experienced the horror pain or any complications by others, no severe bleeding or nausea or anything of the sort, even my taste buds are still all there ! – I just feel blessed and thanks to this website I think I prepared well with all the suggestions and resources to make it thru full recovery the best way how and the least suffering….Believe it or not – I had worse discomfort when the throat was strep or infected (pain level 7) as I had not yet experienced beyond that pain level but right now I am about at 4.
I will keep posting updates on me as well in order to hopefully help others guide thru this ordeal….after my experiences of an easy day 1 and 2, I realized how mentally prepared I become with the great confidence I now have of dealing with the next phases although I am sure it’s gonna really hurt like everyone else says.
Thanks for the post AK! Glad you’ve found value in my little website. The people here are amazing. Best of luck and health to you !!
I am a 59 year old female. My tonsillectomy was a week ago. I am forever grateful to Greg for providing this site. I just wish I would have found it sooner. I knew the recovery was a 2 week one, but I thought I’d be bed ridden just the first 2-3 days.
I’d like to know if anyone had similar or same circumstances that brought me to the operating table. Yes, I was sick as a child with my very enlarged tonsils. Penicillin was my friend.
What brought me to the operating table at first was that, when out to dinner and in more conversation than usual, I could feel food sticking to the ends of my tonsils making me choke. I have had to invest in gum. That was the only thing that would stop the choking. It got to where I would panic if I forgot to restock gum in my purse. There were a couple of outings that I thought I was going to have to go to the ER as I couldn’t stop the cough or choke.
The biggest thing that brought me to surgery was that I could feel my tonsils closing off my air passage. I’m not a person with allergies. I had a full blood count done and extensive throat culture as well. All came back normal. Finally, I decided it was time to see the E.N.T. doctor. He told me I had one index finger’s width to breathe. He told me that most people have 3 fingers’ width. He told me that as we age tonsils keep growing.
Is there anyone else that’s had this experience? My recovery is going well. I’m at day 7.
Hi Flo. Thanks for the kind words. My experience was similar to yours but I didn’t quite have the breathing limitations you describe. I’ll bet your life is about to improve greatly! Thanks for sharing and best of luck and a speedy recovery to you.
What a kind, caring, thoughtful man you are.
Thank you, Greg.