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
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Before you schedule an appointment to have your tonsils removed, do a little research.
Hi, folks. After ready all the comments on this forum I thought I would post my own experiences…..
I’m a 39 year old male and I was advised to have my tonsils out as I had suffered from severe bouts of tonsilitus (3 – 4 instances a year) for the last 8 – 9 years.
The operation was carried out on the 25th of March and to be honest I did’nt feel much pain for the first 3 – 4 days. I was given toast about an hour after waking up from the surgery, and while it was painful swallowing I felt a lot better for it. As other posters have said I was told that eating helps to stretch the throat muscles and promote healing. I was also drinking cold water by the gallon!
I ate toast again that evening and next morning a breakfast of corn flakes and more toast and after seeing the surgeon I was sent home that afternoon. I was prescribed Iboprofen, Paracetemol and Difflam spray for the pain. I was also prescribed Codeine which was to be used if the pain got too much for me. He encouraged me to get back to my normal diet as soon as possible, but to avoid spicy food and fizzy drinks; eat whatever you can manage, basically.
As I said I the pain was mild for the first few days but that all ended around day 4! Swallowing produced a sharp, stinging pain which took several minutes to subside, also I found that when asleep at night my throat would become very dry which became even more painful. I would wake every 4 hours or so and try to drink a couple of glasses of water which hurt like hell but after about a half-hour I could get back to sleep.
I found ice cold drinks quite painful and a cup of WARM tea was much more soothing, To be honest the pain caused me to drink less fluids which probably did’nt help. By this stage I was taking the Codeine which had been prescribed and this took the edge of the pain for a couple of hours, but I had to wait 8 hours between doses!
Things got MUCH better after about a week but mornings were painful. As for bleeding I have been lucky. I had a couple of spots of bleeding after a week but these stopped before I had the chance to consider going to the hospital.
Today is day 13 after the op and the pain is at the level of a regular sore throat which is more than bearable without any meds. After the way I had been pumping them into my body I think that’s a good thing! I’m eating and drinking pretty much as I please although spicy food is uncomfortable. The back of my throat still feels a little swollen , I can feel my ganglia(?) hitting the back of my tongue but I imagine that will
disappear in time.
I’m 18, got mine out a week ago today, at 6:30 a.m. I got released that same day with a bottle of Hydro-cone and some pills to avoid nausea.I used it up in 3 days and ever since,I just take liquid Ibuprofen. I wake up at night at least 3 or 4 times to drink Ibuprofen and some water, but the pain does not go away immediately. In fact, when I drink the water it starts a SHARP pain that last a few seconds but is unbearable, before it does any good .I’ve lost appetite in food to avoid the pain of swallowing. I haven’t eaten in the past four days, my stomach does hurt sometimes but when it’s time to drink medicine I forget about food rather quickly. The pain has lessen just a tad bit, but it still hurts to swallow and even ice will hurt when I first put it in my mouth. If I were to have been eating well, would I already be better? Or is this something that someone else has experienced?
Sorry to hear you are another one going through a tough time, Roni. I won’t repeat my whole story, which you can read below dated Feb 19th but I would implore you to try and eat. Your body needs sustenance to heal efficiently and the action of swallowing, even though it might be quite uncomfortable, helps the wound area to close up properly in particular. As I wrote before, I was encouraged to eat normally from day 1 and I think doing so really helped me not to have such a bad time. I also found that the first two or three swallows were the hardest each time I ate or drank something and that the process went a lot smoother once I got into the swing.
Eight days after the op I was down the pub giving my throat some ale therapy (though that might not work for everyone). The good news for you is that you should really be feeling better in a few days. But please do eat!
After reading all the posts, looks like everyone have bad experience after tonsil removed.
That is really scare me, since my schedule for surgery in next 7 days…
Wish me luck. Thanks
Hello all!
I was 21 and studying abroad in Germany when I had my tonsillectomy. I have had two throat abscesses in the USA. When it happened again, the German specialist in the ER strongly recommended I get a tonsillectomy. It was scary to go through it alone and my parents were very worried being across the Atlantic while I was sick. In Germany, they ordered I stay in the hospital for a minimum of FIVE DAYS. After my surgery, I had little sleep. The great thing about being in the hospital for so long is that it helped me take my medication regularly. I had antibiotics through IV along with anti-inflammatory pills for the first three days, then just the pills after that. I was released from the hospital after my sixth day. It was horrible, like many people have described. I would have pain every time I would wake up, but the nurse explained to me that it was because while I would sleep my throat would dry up and my saliva alone would not help. They forced me to drink at least 2-3 liters of water a day and had me eat somewhat normally on my second day (no crunchy or spicy foods). After I was released, my parents arranged for me to come to the USA for the rest of my recovery. So far I am on day 12 and feel great. Sure I have throat pain in the morning but it is miled and nothing Advil can’t fix. The worst part about it now is that the stitches are coming off and it feels weird. It is not a fun experience, but something that can be done. I guess I am one of the lucky ones after reading some other posts. Best of luck to you if you go through this!
First of all, total respect and sympathy to all of you on here who have had a really tough time or are still going through one. However, I get the feeling it’s in the nature of such a forum that the majority of those who post are those who’ve had the worst experiences, so I’d like to redress the balance by sharing one of the happier stories. I’m not saying it’s been the best week of my life but, having first looked on here a week ago, before my operation, the worst days for me were definitely minus three, two and one because these reports put the wind up me good and proper! So I hope this encourages anyone yet to have the op that it might not be all that bad.
I’m a fifty-five year old bloke in London and I had my tonsils out last Friday, so I’m on day 5. So far I’d say the pain has never exceeded that of a medium sore throat and it’s now receding all the time, thanks to excellent treatment and a good regime of medication. I suppose I should also put in the disclaimer that I’m blessed with rather an ox-like constitution and have always recovered quickly from any ailment. Maybe it also plays some role that my tonsils were not compromised, just bloody big and I was advised to have them removed as a measure against radical snoring and sleep apnoea.
Post-op I was given a shot of morphine and sent home by late afternoon with co-codamol, backed up by ibuprofen and difflan throat spray. Hadn’t had an opiate since I was in Thailand’s golden triangle over 20 years ago and I’d forgotten how effective they are! Again I’m lucky in that there was precious little chance of nausea as I haven’t thrown up in adult life (except a few booze-induced occasions) and that includes spending a total of over four years in India, mostly drinking the local water. Neither have there been any secondary issues like earache or constipation. I’ve followed the meds regime religiously and it’s worked a treat. Keeping ahead of the worst discomfort is the trick.
For me the advice that they give here in the UK to resume a normal diet straight away was also priceless. A couple of hours after emerging from theatre, I was given a ham and tomato sandwich (I politely refused the horse meat burger). It took twenty minutes to eat but I haven’t looked back since. Apart from the restorative exercise it gives to the throat, all that good energy surely helps the body heal and I bet the quantity rather precludes constipation becoming a problem. After everything from pasta, toast and cereal to steak pie, chips and peanuts, nothing has refused to go down. I’m now contemplating my first curry, though not a vindaloo just yet. I must say I especially sympathise with those whose tastebuds have been compromised – can’t imagine how horrible that must be. I’m sure they will come back.
The final point I’d like to make for those of you in the USA is that I cannot sing the praises of the NHS highly enough because I know the propaganda that gets spread there by the neocons. My wife’s American and I lived in Pittsburgh for quite a few years. Apart from the obvious attractions of London and it being home (for me at least), one of the main reasons we relocated was the diabolical nature of privatised healthcare. I’m a freelance travel writer and since my wife’s been unemployed, you can imagine what the insurance costs would be.
Here I had several appointments with two different consultants, was able to choose the date of my surgery, was given a degree of choice in my care throughout and received superb treatment, from both doctors and nurses. So you get put on a recovery ward with other people – big deal! I prefer that, in fact. Oh, and the hospital reception area doesn’t look like the atrium of a shopping mall. I can live without that too!
No need to tell you the cost, including the meds I took home….. nothing, zip, nada. I was never even asked to show any ID (nor is my wife when she goes to a hospital or doctor, despite her obvious accent). Now that’s what I call healthcare!!! And people call Obama a socialist. I wish he was! Anyway, political rant over.
Good luck to those yet to undergo the surgery and speedy recovery to those who’ve had it. Good health to all!
I am 23 and i had my surgery on jan 31st 2013, its been 6 days since and yes the pain is very bad. I am able to eat hard boiled eggs, cup of noodles, yogurt, macaroni, jello, and beans. i gargle a mild salt water ever hour or so and use throat numbing spray as well as taking my meds. It is very painful in the mornings and when i attempt to speak. I’m in the military and they have given me two weeks off for my recovery. It seems to be going well, other than being painful. I have only had a small amount of dried blood come out one day. resting and drinking plenty of water seems to help. I hope to be eating a normal diet by early next week. I just wanted to give advice, and what worked for me. Your Doctor may advise against salt water, but it has worked for me. as well as eating regularly. do what works for you. and yes the recovery for this surgery is quite painful, at least it was for me. but if you need them out i recommend getting it done. one of mine was blocking half of my air way and the doctors told me i should be able to breath much better once i am fully recovered. good luck hope this was helpful.
I am 35 years old and On February 7th 2013 I had my tonsils out. I was eating and drinking fine until day 3. When my tongue has become swollen and really painful. I sleep about 5 hours at night before I’m woken up by a mouthful of fluid. This is the worst pain I’ve been through and glad I never will go through again. I just got to be brave and ride it out. I’m on codeine, ibuprofen and paracetamols. I wake up in less pain each day but it increases during the day.
Its day 5 now and I’m hoping I can eat a little more as I’m having stomach cramps from being hungry. Good luck to all of you fellow sufferers.
I Feel Your Pain Im 32 and i just got mine out on Valentines day so im on day 4 this is the worst pain ever if i knew it was like this i would have canceled the surgery. The meds they gave dont work im going to the doctors tomorrow they are going to have to give me something stronger