Adult Tonsillectomy Recovery Time – a Poll
Tonsillectomy recovery time is unique to each individual- sure. We know that recovery time for adults is longer, and maybe harder, than tonsillectomy recovery time for children. I remember my own son bouncing back in less than a week! My own experience taught me that ten days off from a job that required lots of talking was a bit light. I generally advise two weeks. As I’ve said, most employers will let you come back early. That’s easier than asking for more time after the fact. I’ve read the accounts of thousands of tonsillectomy patients- most of them adults. I’ve learned that the time required varies. I wonder though, how many tonsillectomy patients never really post about their experience. Are you one of those quiet ones lying in the weeds? I’d like to get a better feel for the average adult tonsillectomy recovery time. Please take a moment and share your own experience in recovering from tonsillectomy surgery. You can help us all!
So let me put this out as an informal survey for people who have been through it, to help those planning a tonsillectomy. (It’s also one of the most commonly researched questions by adults considering tonsillectomy.) It’s my hope that we can amass a good sampling of experiences to help guide would-be adult tonsillectomy patients as they plan their family, work, and other obligations,
What is the average recovery time for tonsillectomy in adults? Read my Summary: Tonsillectomy Recovery Time Summary
So, what is it? What is your recommended adult tonsillectomy recovery time?
Join the discussion
-Greg My short bio
Before you schedule an appointment to have your tonsils removed, do a little research.
I had my tonsils out on the 3rd of January, and of course the pain is still quite severve. However, i find that as long as i force myself to eat regulary, it helps calm the pain down. Without food, the muscles in my throat start to seize, and the tablets make me feel nauseous. Therefore i would advise, that although it really hurts, to eat as you normally would, which after half an hour or so really does make you throat feel much much better. It also helps to stop the tablets from having an unusual effect on your stomach. Hopefully, if you try and force your way through food, your experience won’t be as horrific as some i’ve seen on here. I’m starting to perk up a bit now, hope everything goes well for the rest of you. x
Hello everyone!
i had my tonsils removed at the age of 21. I must say it is by far the WORST surgery ive ever had done. i dont want to scare anyone but im being completely honest. I was taking my pain meds as directed however, they didnt help with the pain they simply made me very sleepy. it wasnt until day 4 of recovery at which the pain was then BEARABLE. obvs you have to deal with the pain u cant flick a switch to turn it off. but it wasnt until the 4th day when i could say that the pain was bearable. i wish you all the best of luck with surgery. surgery is completely up to you. please PLEASE think long and hard about it before you say yes to it. its probably going to be the worst few days of your life.
My 18 year old son had his removed on January 2,2013.. I was really worried on how he would handle the pain as we heard how wicked a surgery it was.. Knock on wood… He was eating mashed potatoes the night of surgery. He is taking the pain meds every four hours and he started the prednisone 2 days post op. it is day 4/5 and he is doing really well, sleeping at least 11 hours at night and ate a grilled cheese for dinner. I am nervous that it will suddenly get worse .
I got my tonsils out the same day and it sounds like he’s doing just as well as I have been. I’m 19 and this will be day 5/6 for me I will say that it has gotten worse but one of my scabs just came off so tell him to hang in their and dont miss the medication times
I am 31, and had my tonsils out on December 20th. Absolutely horrible. I had always had large tonsils and was having tonsil stones. I had strep every year as a child but not enough to warrant getting my tonsils out. and right when they probably would have taken them, they kinda slowed down on taking them out for just any old reason. i didn’t get strep again until I scheduled my surgery. My tonsils knew they were doomed and tried to fight back!
Right out of surgery I was coughing up all kinds of phlegm and trying to come out of anesthesia and the nurse kept telling me to cough more gently. Right. Swallowing was impossible! Even just spit. Day three was the worst! Pretty much didn’t eat anything until like day 11. I lost 14 pounds. When I did try to eat, it wouldn’t go down, it would want to go up. Like pool water up your nose the back way. Super gross when it is scrambled eggs. Because then I had to snork it back out. Lots of gagging. Or the food would jam into my tonsil holes and freak me out and hurt and make me choke. The lortab liquid helped me zone out and sleep. But I puked it up on like days two and five. Missed my husbands family’s Christmas. Day 11 I tried eating again. The only way I could get it down was to take a bite, chew it and then take a sip of water and rinse it down like pills. I am on day 15 now. The up swallowing is pretty much over. It can still jam in the holes some times which makes my ears scream and burn. My tongue muscle is still sore from surgery. My throat and tonsil holes are constantly covered in spit foam, which actually helps them not dry out but can make talking sticky. But the big scary part is the not tasting correctly. I got a little back on day 11. But donuts are gross, Chinese food is bland. And some stuff I only get parts of the flavor. I can smell the deliciousness but when I go to taste it, it is just flat or weak. I have come to the conclusion that skinny people just can’t taste as well as fat people (like me). Cuz if food had always been this gross, I wouldn’t be this big. (200 lbs) I have read that I still have hope of it returning with time. But I have also read that some still cant taste right a year out. I also read that I should try taking zinc as this may stem from some zinc deficiency. So I have been taking a zinc for two days now. I have my check up in the morning. I am gonna ask him about it. But I know he is gonna tell me to wait it out and that there is nothing he can do. But I miss loving food and looking forward to tasting yummy things. Food network is torture now. Anybody have this tasting problem? Is there hope? How long did it take to get back? Was it ever really the same as before?
Oh and the meds all mess up my stomach which hastens the weight loss. I weaned off the lortab and just do one Tylenol arthritis (650 mg) every four hours. Side note, I have lupus, an auto immune disease that causes chronic inflammation. So this last three weeks of no ibuprofen or NSAIDs is ridiculous. One more week of no IB. Nothing frozen ever helped during this. Actually hurt more to try to eat Popsicles. I have drank a lot more water since I have to drink down every bite. It still hurts to swallow. But mostly just achy in my holes and ears and deep in my tongue muscle.
Had mine taken out on the 2nd of jan..what a great way to start off the new year huh.. there is no description for how much it hurts to swallow. Popsicls do not make me feel better.. it actually hurts more and have avoided them at all cost at the moment. Jello is ok and i managed to eat some cream of chicken last night. Had a little bit of cream of wheat this morning and i mean a little bit… i know i need to drink more water and i have been sitting here trying to finish a bottle of water for the last 30 minutes and i have a long way to go. I have to double swallow every sip for some reason. So far no bleeding,which is my biggest fear. I have been icing my throat on and off since i came home. I am hoping that will keep it at bay.
get a humidifier going trust me it will become your best friend!
Oh I so know what you mean with the double swallowing thing. I’m day 4 and worst day yet. Every part of my mouth hurts from my ears to my tongue. Can’t imagin eating anything.
Hi Erin, bad news is nothing is tasting right, I was thinking it was the medication(Lortab elixir) causing it. If that’s true, then you should have taste back soon. I had a frosty right after surgery that tasted fine…later that day I started on Lortab…so that could be your good news. And being as strong as it is– weening will take awhile, so to speak. So good luck and lets know.
I weaned off the lortab before two weeks out. it just made my stomach pretty sick. even with anti-nausea meds. I talked to my pharmacist and found out that I can just take a Tylenol Arthritis for the equivalent acetaminophen without the hydrocodone. my tasting is 2% better but cran apple juice still tastes watered down. doc says he has never had anyone not get taste back eventually. and that taste buds are very regenerative. my internet research was saying it could be due to nerve damage though and not tastebud damage, so I still don’t know. but I am keeping my fingers crossed. I am on day 19 now. I started back on IB two days ago and it helped a lot with the swelling, of course. 95% of the white is gone and the holes are getting shallower. pain is a lot less. no up swallowing but sometimes it feels like stuff doesn’t quite go down all the way and i have to hard swallow and/or rinse it down with water.
Yall are not alone. I’m on day 19 and have been telling everyone food doesn’t taste good. For the first time post surgery I had mcdonalds tonight. I could taste the salt, but that was about it. It did feel great to eat something other than soup and pudding. I easily drank the large sweet tea to help everything go down. After 2 or 3 bites I find I need the extra help on getting the food down. I was on 10ml of roxicet every 4 hours. I finally have that down to just 5ml at bedtime. Hoping to discontinue that dose soon as well, but I still wake up in quite a bit of pain without it. During the day I tend to drink lots of icy cold fluids still so I’m not taking any pain Meds during the day. Since still not eating much, I am continuing my protein shake in the mornings. Gotta make sure I get the good stuff in me to help the healing process.
Sorry for the rambling, just nice to talk to others thy experience
The same things 😉
Happy healing to all!
I had my tonsillectomy exactly 2 weeks today (dec. 20). Let me preface everything by saying I canceled this surgery 3 times since 2009 for fear of the recovery. I’m 33 years old. Right now, I just about want to cut the tonsils out of everyone who jokingly says how wonderful it will be to eat jello and ice cream.
The first scary part is when they have to wake you up from anesthesia while still intubated!!! Then, waking up not being to speak is pretty darn scary. After that, it’s plain and simple. No matter who you are, it is VERY PAINFUL. as many have said, even swallowing spit hurts and you are constantly aware of it.
My worse day after surgery was Day3. My surgeon said that’s because the steroids wear off! I was so frustrated. I pushed furniture and angrily tapped on everything as loud as I could because I couldn’t scream. The pain was intense. Sleeping is very hard. My throat would get extra dry, even with the humidifier and I could only sleep one or two hours at a time.
After a week and a half, I had lost 10 lbs.
The reason I’m posting this is to tell you about Bleed outs. Exactly a week post op, I sat with my family for dinner. I was intending on swallowing some well-buttered noodles when I felt like I was swallowing something warm and salty. I spat on my napkin and saw blood. I FREAKED OUT!!!! I tapped my husband, who immediately got on the phone with the surgeon. By this time, I’m throwing up blood and more blood and more blood. It looked like a crime scene. Luckily for me, my hubby is very calmed and collected. The surgeon told him to make me suck on Popsicles. If the bleeding didn’t stop in a few minutes to call him back and go to the ER. THE BLEEDING STOPPED!! Unfortunately, the same happened the next evening. But once again, the Popsicle stopped the bleeding.
The reason I post this is because I don’t rember seeing anything like that anywhere. And even in my post op care sheet, nothing was mentioned. I wonder why?
I still have nightmares of “what if?” What if I was alone? What if my husband couldn’t reach the doc? I wouldn’t have automatically thought to have a Popsicle. I have nightmares about being alone and not being able to call for help bc I couldn’t speak. And nightmares about going to the ER and getting cauterized again and starting the process all over. I have nightmares about aspirating during or after surgery because I wouldn’t have gone in with a completely empty stomach. I was completely panicked to be alone after the bleed outs.
So….I’m not saying to suck on a Popsicle if you start bleeding. I’m saying, ask your doctor ahead of time (before it happens), what is the first aid procedure. What to do first.
Day 9 almost over but my night is just beginning. Pain from ear to ear – started to ice my neck and jaw and that’s helping a little. I had such a good start to today – made it through lunch time and even went out to lunch with my hubby (didn’t eat much but the favors I did have were fabulous). But since about 4pm the pain is ON. All that bragging about mixing up pain meds is biting me in the arse because the time between when I need meds vs when I’m supposed to take them is getting longer (booooo). And you can add children’s Tylenol and Advil to my gag list (LOL). So. Now I have to decide what I’m gonna do for the next 3-4 hours. Singing is out of the question. I guess I’ll start with a Popsicle and go from there! (Still got my sense of humor). Can’t wait until this pain is gone gone gone.
Status-in case anyone cares. Lol
I stock-piled a bunch of shows on my DVR to catch up on while I recover. Finished up Dexter and Homeland and tonight I thought I’d tackle Parenthood. Have ou guys seen this show? It’s this dysfunctional and wonderful story about family and all its craziness. It’s a little “girly” (I can have one indulgenence damnit….hahaha). But I wasn’t prepared for my emotional reaction. Holy heck! Do NOT watch this show while in pain a in a vonerable state of mind under heavy medication and sleep deprived! Totally balled my eyes out, total water works….and I don’t do this! Now Im totally stuffed up. My eyes are puffy and red and nose all clogged. Like I needed this ridiculousness. You should see my face – its pathetic! Ok, you can totally laugh – but OMG. What a girl. <>
I had my surgery on the 19th so I guess today is day 6. This surgery is no joke. I really thought like alot of other people that I would be up and ready back for work within a week. Man was I wrong.
Day 1: couch potatoe. Couldn’t eat or drink anything, could barely swallow my own spit.
Day 2: similar to day 1, except I forced a little bit of jello down. Pain was horrible. I actually starting spitting to avoid having to swallow.
Day 3: still couldn’t sleep through the night. Pain was still at a high level, however I could tell that I could swallow without feeling like dying.
Now let me say this… I did all first 4 days without any pain meds. I never take medication so I was scared to incase it made me nauseous and that scared me to death considering my stomach was completely on E and my throat was an open wound so puking wasnt an option.
Thank god on day 4 my dr called to see how I was doing. My bf had to talk to him since I still couldn’t speak more than a whisper. But he told me I HAD to take the medication and needed to start hydrating and eating. A little kick in the butt never hurt anyone.
Day 5: I took medication. Holy crap. It works. It lets me be able to talk a little bit, eat a little bit (not solids yet) , and laugh a little bit. Mornings are the worst by far though. I weighed myself for the first time, I’m 7 lbs lighter :/ I know it’s not good weight loss, my body is probably attacking my muscle for all the nutrients I’m not consuming like I normally do.
Day 6: I woke up probably in the worst pain I’ve had. Ear throbbing, teeth throbbing, heart beat pounding from my neck. I took a shot of medication and now I’m able to relax. This liquid stuff works fast!!
I would say this to anyone having the surgery. It sucks. It’s painful. Expect 3 weeks off to be safe. Get a stool softener. Have a humidifier. Have jello and pudding made. Purée some cheddar and broccoli soup because you need something with substance to heal better. Drink whenever you can. Frozen yogurt works. Have someone there to help motivate you to eat and drink. Good luck!
I am on day 6..I have read so many of your posts and couldn’t agree more! This is horrible!! I also had a thyroidectomy at the same time and the pain in my throat has me forgetting at times that procedure was ever done. My ENT did have me drinking protein shakes 3 days prior to surgery and two weeks after surgery-twice a day. It is difficult to swallow but you can add juice to thin it if you need to. Seeing as though eating is out of the question, at least the protein shakes provide some supplements. I will even put them in the freezer for about a half an hour and eat them with a spoon. I also have been taking Naprosyn because it’s only twice a day (less pills to swallow). I have stretched the Lortab ingestion out a bit because of the nausea. So I’m about every 6 hours. My ENT also prescribed Hurricane Spray (Benzocaine)-2 sprays every 4 hrs. It burns for the first minute or so but the numbing effect is worth it. I usually do this about 30-45 min before my shake so I can get it down. I certainly hope this will be worth it in the long run!! Due to the lack of nutrients, having no thyroid and pain, all I want to so is lay around or sleep!! Good luck everyone. Prayers go out as I now truly know how difficult this surgery is/can be!