Tonsillectomy Recovery Time | How long does it take?

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How long does it take to recover after tonsillectomy?





Tonsillectomy recovery time is unique for each patient. The recovery timeline for children is much shorter than for adults, with seemingly less pain. My own eight year old son was back to his old self in less than a week after his tonsils taken out. This may have fanned the flames of my unreasonable expectations of my own  recovery time as an adult. His was fairly typical of a child his age. Children’s bodies heal faster than adults’ do.

Tonsillectomy Recovery Time

What to expect after tonsil surgery

The timeline for recovery for an adult is a different story. Age matters. In fact, it appears that the older an adult is at the time of their tonsillectomy, the longer the recovery is, in general. Based on my own adult tonsillectomy recovery, and the stories of thousands of my readers, I’d put the average adult tonsillectomy recovery time at approximately 10.43 days. Yes, I’m that good!
Humor aside, ten days seems to be pretty typical. I added the .43 because so many people, myself included, thought they had it licked and went back to work around day ten, only to find they weren’t quite ready. As scabs slough off in second week of recovery, many adults experience a bit of a pain relapse, just as they thought they were almost recovered. This is a really tough period for many. They’ve spent almost two weeks with minimal sleep, minimal nourishment, minimal activity, and lots of pain medicine. It can be downright depressing for adults recovering in this second week.

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I do hear from many adults whose recovery times are closer to a week – perhaps due to my good advice, perhaps due to genetics. It’s hard to say why some adults’ recovery timelines are shorter, and their experiences less traumatic. There are also cases that drag out further. If you’re one of a small minority that requires re-cauterization for bleeding, or don’t take the proper precautions, (many of these are outlined here and in my book), your tonsillectomy recovery time may be as much as three or four weeks. I want to make an important point here- one that I cannot overemphasis: Stay hydrated! Keep drinking fluids! Dehydration is the worst enemy of the tonsillectomy patient.

My advice: ask your employer, your family, your friends, and the rest of the world to give you two weeks for your adult tonsillectomy. You may surprise them, hopefully for the better.

tonsillectomy recovery timeRecovery is unique to each individual- sure.  We know that recovery time for adults is longer, and maybe harder, than 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!I’ve put together a collection of items that I think would be helpful, if not essential, to making tonsillectomy recovery a little more pleasant. Check out the
Tonsillectomy General Store.

-Greg Tooke 

268 comments

  1. I am a 20 year old female and I had my tonsillectomy on March 12th (two days ago). The surgery itself is nothing to be scared of. I have been terrified of even the THOUGHT of surgery for years, but it was a lot less scary than I had anticipated. My throat recovering feels very similar to the sore throats I used to get due to my tonsils, so this pain is familiar to me. The one mistake I have made is forgetting to take my meds routinely. I now have an alarm set for exactly every 4 hours so it is impossible for me to miss a dosage and end up in even more pain. I also requested liquid pain and antibiotic pills to make swallowing and digesting a bit easier. The first night, the antibiotics made me sick. Vomiting with the majority of your throat being an open sore is NO GOOD. Lastly, the humidifier is a good idea. It keeps the air you’re breathing in nice and moist so that your throat won’t dry up and become more painful. I wish everyone a simple recovery!

  2. I’m a 42 year old femail on 1st night post tonsillectomy and UP3. I was prepared for the pain but I can not swallow without everything going up my nose and it is causing me to panic. How long should I expect this to continue? Any and all replys/answers are welcome. Thank you.

  3. Today is day 3 for me, had tonsils removed 2-28-13. 21 yr old female; today the pain has been much worse than the previous days.. I woke up not being able to tlk due to my tongue and uvula being so swollen. Not to mention my ears feel like they’re going to explode. I’ve been able to eat solid foods since day 2 ( yesterday) today I had pizza.. Which I don’t think was a good idea, warm foods and broths seem to make it hurt worse so I’m sticking to cold foods now. Pain meds made me real sleepy today so I decided to go for a nap.. Well I didn’t anticipate the nap lasting for 5 hours which I missed taking my pain med at the sch time.. Woke up in the worst worst pAin yet. Although this is the worst pain I’ve felt, I don’t regret the surgery. For all those who are going to go through with surger, to me it is worth it, but there is no doubt you will be in pain for days..

  4. Hi all,
    I am a 40 year female and had my tonsillectomy 7th Feb 2013. I have never experienced pain quite like it. In 10 days I lost 10kg due to not being able to eat anything and only consumed water. Days 6-10 were incredibly difficult and i thought the pain would never end.It has been the worst 2 weeks in total and having a 30 labour 6 years ago delivering my son was an absolute breeze. Its the fact that you cant sleep,eat and drink and taking pain meds is difficult.I read someones comment on here that his wife said he was a baby and should try labour… well Im here to confirm that it is by far the most excrutiating pain for anyone to go through.. and families and friends should be encouraged to read this forum to help understand that whoever has had the operation that they arent babies and its 100 times worse than a bout of tonsillitus. I would like to say a huge Thankyou to everyone who has posted on here as I constantly read this forum during many early hours of the morning when in pain.
    I would also like to say A big Thanks for this website, Its a godsend and truely helps.. I am day 23 and am able to eat now… look forward to eating pork scratchings etc. My throat is still sometimes tender but by far better than it was. had 20 days off work and feel this was just about adaquate. I wish you all a good recovery and highly recommend asking your GP for a Difflam throat gargle.It numbs the throat……

  5. I’m on day five of recovery and I ran out of my Oxicodone for pain two days ago and awaiting a refill, they have prescribed a Tylenol pain reducer which I just ran out if today as well. My ears and my gland area around my throat have been really sore at times but it comes in waves. I’m 31 and at this point don’t see things getting better for still another week or so. I’ve attempted some foods, because I’m starving, but quickly lose my appetite because my tongue is so swollen and I’m not able to open my mouth fully yet. I’m afraid to sleep because the pain is so horrible when I awake. The pain meds make me nauseated and weak too.

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