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 went back to work after 10 days and only worked half days for the first 3. I’d say 2 weeks is the minimum recovery time. I had my tonsils taken out when I was 29 & it was the most painful experience ever. I’ve yet to give birth to a child, but I’m starting to think that would be easier than having a tonsillectomy. The first day wasn’t too terrible, but probably b/c I was so drugged up that I couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Day 4, 5 & 6 were the worst; I couldn’t sleep and was in constant pain and was so hungry! I lost 27 lbs in 17 days and it was a good 14 days before any food went into my mouth. I remember being at home in tears b/c I was so hungry and when you watch TV all day (what else is there to do) there’s a lot of food commercials. At one point I was contemplating going to the Dr. to get hooked up to an IV b/c I was so hungry. It gets better after a month, you can finally yawn.
Hydrate hydrate hydrate and stay away from ice cream b/c it gets stuck in the holes where your tonsils used to be. Also buy a tongue scraper before you get it done b/c you will need one! When I was finally able to eat food again, my go to’s were a bean burrito & a hot ham & cheese… they slide right down. If I would’ve known how long it was going to be before I could eat normal, I would’ve eaten like I was going to the electric chair for a week before the surgery!
BTW this website is so great, I wish I would’ve known about it before I had surgery and not just during recovery. I’ve passed this onto many of my friends who have had their tonsils out.
I had mine done 2 years ago when I was 21. I thought I would only be down for a few days but I was down and out for about 2 weeks. The first day wasn’t bad since I was still on the drugs given to me at the hospital. I think I was fortunate in that my doctor kept me in the hospital all day after surgery and released me around 8:30 that night, so I slept fine that night and was fine into the next day. Day 4 I ended up back in the hospital because I was severly dehyrated. I took pain medicine and slept, woke up, took more, etc. It was a vicious cyclce where I was taking pain medicine on an empty stomach and not eating or drinking anything. With a blood pressure through the roof and a fever of 104 it was time after that hospital stay to really try to find something to keep myself hydrated with, My advice…Kool Aid. My dad finally decided to take one of the individual packets of fruit punch Kool Aid and shook it up in a bottle of water, 15 minutes later, gone. It wasn’t too hot or too cold like many other beverages were and it was one of the few things that tasted alright…. KOOL AID! 🙂
Mine was a little over 2 years ago, but if I remember right my recovery time was about 10-14 days. The first 4 days were the worst for me due to nausea. On day 4 I went to the dr, and he switched me from liquid tylenol w/codeine to hydrocodone (pill form), which was a BIG help. He also gave me anti-nausea meds, but I didn’t really need them much from that point on. I highly recommend getting anti-nausea meds from the get go…if there is one thing I would have differntly, that would be it. Overall, my recovery went pretty well; no complications. This site was a huge help!
Recovery is a variable term. I had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and pallet trim for sleep apea. I took me 8-10 days to get over the maximum pain threshold. Three weeks until the pain was a minor nuisance and a month before I’d go long stretches without noticing it. It took 6 months before I didn’t notice the altered structure change in my throat. Going on three years without sleep apnea, it was worth it and I wish I did it years before. With proper pain management, I highly recommend liquid vicoden, I called it liquid gold, it was slightly worse than a bad strep throat. Don’t hesitate, get ‘er done and get on with your life.
I was 18 when I had mine taken out and it took about 3 weeks before I felt like doing much.
The first 2-3 days I felt fine and thought I’d gotten off easy but the 2 weeks after that were really painful and the combination of the pain killers and not much food made me feel very tired and unwell. After about day 13 started to feel more like getting out of bed and starting to want more solid food and i found macaroni cheese or mashed potato to be a good starter food. Don’t rush it with food!!! I had some Doritos at day 11 because i was so bored of soup and caused a small bleed and had to go back to hospital for check up so take it easy until throat isn’t as raw.
Hope that helps someone