Tonsillectomy Scabs- How and when do they fall off?
Regardless of the tonsillectomy method used, some sort of scab is going to form over the the area from which your tonsils have been cut, coblated, and/or cauterized.
It’s normal. It is normal. People often become obsessed with the appearance of the tonsil beds as they recover from tonsillectomy. Almost like a recently lost tooth, it can be hard to resist the temptation to explore the new landscape. This too is normal. I strongly advise against molesting the area with foreign objects. Those scabs will fall off on their own. Touching, poking, or scraping on them increases the risk of hemorrhage and you don’t want that.
Many Otoraryngologists, or ear, nose and throat, (ENT) specialists recommend eating a somewhat rough diet, (think dry toast), to keep the affected area clear of excessive tonsillectomy scab build-up. This advice is most often given in the United Kingdom and Australia. Most ENT’s in the United States advise a soft diet.
Which ever route you take, there will likely be formation of tissue that covers the tonsil beds. I recommend following the advice I give in other pages of this site; keep the throat moist, avoid sharp foods, stay hydrated, take pain medications on schedule, sleep upright if possible, and leave those tonsillectomy scabs alone. They will normally begin to slough of at about day seven or eight of your recovery.
What Happens When Tonsillectomy Scabs Fall Off
You may feel a sharp pain occasionally as the tonsillectomy scabs fall off. This is common. This is normal. There is a slight increase in risk of bleeding while tonsillectomy scabs fall off. If you do have some bleeding, try gargling with ice cold water. This will usually stop the bleeding. If this doesn’t work, and bleeding becomes profuse, call 911 or get to a hospital immediately. Don’t panic. In there relatively rare cases, health care professionals have great success at stopping the bleed.
Daily Photos of Throat After Tonsillectomy. Caution: Scabs
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If you see fresh blood, call the hospital! I had a bleed on day 4 and again on day 6 (10mins of blood coming out my mouth before it slowed and stopped after chewing and spitting out ice chunks)
Both times I went straight to hospital after it happened – even tho the bleeding had stopped – and was kept in for 24hrs obs.
So glad I did because while i was on obs the second hospital admission, I had yet another bleed which didnt stop despite medical intervention! I was rushed back to theatre and it turned out to be an arterial bleed from the tonsil bed and ended up with stitches. So glad I was in hospital and able to be rushed to OR!
Bleeding is an uncommon complication of a tonsillectomy and should be taken very seriously
Hello! I’m 39 yo and on day 11 post op. I did good the first few days because I mostly slept. Then days 4-7 were ok not a ton of pain but not great. Day 7 was hard and very painful. Day 8-11 have been pure HELL! I have been throwing up foods when I eat. I can’t stand to drink anything because it abut kills me to swallow now. I should be forming scabs but the areas in the back of my throats are still moist and wet not drying at all. I work in a hospital and am supposed to go back to work at the end of this week and there is no way I can do that. I can’t keep my fever below 99. I have already taken one round of antibiotics and still having problems. I have no energy and like I said over the last few days started throwing up when I eat. I just do not understand how something so freaking small in your body can cause so much freaking pain. I had NATURAL CHILDBIRTH with my son and honestly, that hurt less than this!
The pain is still terrible and drinking anything (hot or cold) hurts. I would think this much post op I should be feeling lots better instead of worse.
I’m 35 and I am on day 6. I have been doing good to get down jello, applesauce and water. Everything else hurts. This is more miserable than I thought but I am praying once I am healed I don’t stay as sick. Any other advice?
Cheryl, I’m on day 20. My first four days was a bear. I couldn’t eat drink or swallow. Finally got some apple juice down. Just hang in there it does get better. I’m 36. My throat still hurts a lil bit but not as bad. Just keep fluids going in. I’ve noticed it depend one the technique the doctor uses. Good luck on your recovery
Hi, I’m day 3. I’m 38 years old 🙁 it’s a very hard operation to recover from. I’ve been keeping on top of my pain med’s and nothing I had could help the pain when having to swallow, even spit. Dont even try to sleep laying down, your neck just swells up and throbs. I have found an ice pack on your neck helps bring swelling down a lot ♡ I won’t lie, it’s not easy
My son aged 4 , on the 3rd Jan, had his tonsils and adenoids removed and grommets inserted on the 30th of December ’16- so we are on day 10 are present.
It’s been hard trying to get him to eat from day 3 to 8- at first he was fantastic! Today I thought we were turning a corner, eating, sleeping, happier but now complaining of pain and thought it might be the scabs, got to say that I was shocked at the look of them, the smell and his voice too ?.
I feel for you all and wish you all a speedy recovery.