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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I’m on day 7 and my goodness I did not think it would be this hard … I was throwing up everything day 2+3 blood water whatever. I stopped taking my pain kills after this for a day or so unless I was going to sleep. I haven’t been able to eat since the second day I can barely sallow water!! I did go to the doctor on day 4 and she said they looked fine but gave me a letter to go back to a+e if I kept throwing up. I haven’t slept last night and spat up a little blood this morning and I am hoping its the first signs of the scabs coming off…I can’t wait for this to be over ?
i just literally been coughing out blood minutes ago and i was so scared.this is my 6th day after the op.i hope it wont happen again as it is really scary..goodluck for our fast recovery. i am regretting already of having tonsillectomy..???
Ivy,
I’m 46 days post op! It was the best decision I ever made in my life. I was hospitalized for the first two days as a reaction to the anesthesia! Couldn’t eat or swallow till the fourth day! It was a struggle but managed to get food down. The night I came home I spit up a blood clot and flew back to hospital. Some blood is normal. Just keep a close eye on it! Try using ice chips and drinking cold water to clot it! If not head back to hospital. It gets better and you won’t regret it! Best of luck and best wishes in a speedy recovery
Bryon,
The blood stopped now and i truely wish and pray that it won’t happen again. by the way, did u have any experience in having a very bad breath after op? i am having that problem now and it stresses me out. My sisters said that they really can smell it even i didn’t open my mouth yet.??
I had bad breath for about days 6-12 when my scabs came off it pretty much went away. I didn’t feel my scabs come off. It was bad even brushing my teeth.
Bryon, i can’t wait for that day that the bad breath will go away…
so how are you feeling now?no more pains at all?
I’m 13 days post op and felt pretty much perfect by day 7, even though I still had scabs. I’m on a completely normal diet now. My scabs are almost completely gone now, but my throat is starting to hurt. Is it just because the skin underneath is fresh and sensitive? Anybody else experiencing this?
I’m 7 days post op and this has been the worst. Coughed up big lumps of scab today which left one of my tonsil sites completely uncovered, although this didn’t bleed (yet) the pain left from the hole is horrible and I found the only thing that helped was a ice pack and, ice water stings so bad now! Im a bit worried about the size of the hole left and hoping it will start to close up soon??? Anyone got any experience of this!?
Hi im 24 yr old female im on day 6 postop. Did my surgery on 1/25 todays now 1/30 . I notice the right side of where the scabs are it feels on fire and it burns like a bitch. I also have a ticklish dry cough why is this someone help me. . .
It’s because your throat is healing!! Cough drops, cough drops, cough drops. My throat itched horribly around day 4-day 6 and then was somewhat better, but still itchy until day 10. You have to stop it so you don’t cough off your scabs. Tea was good for soothing my throat 🙂 I’m day 13 post op, 22 years old and pretty much healed.
I am a 21 year old female who got her tonsils and adenoids taken out on January 11, 2017.
Day 1 (surgery day)
I woke up from surgery at 9:30 AM with minimal pain, felt like a sore throat. I ate a cup of applesauce and drank 2 cups of apple juice that the hospital provided for me. When I got home i ate a pudding cup and a full pack of ramen noodles (not too hot). I slept and had another pack of ramen for dinner. Drank iced water and blue Powerade throughout the day. My dr prescribed oxycodone-acetaminophen (5mg). I took half of a pill every 4 hours. Didn’t sleep that well that night due to enlarged uvula (felt like i was choking on it).
Day 2
Woke up and had some trouble swallowing. Uvula was very enlarged. Ate a pudding cup, got a shower, and then ate a bowl of chicken noodle soup. Started taking the full 5mg pill every 3 hours which helped a lot along with a senna-laxative pill. Took a nap and ate mashed potatoes with gravy when i woke up. Continues to drink water and blue Powerade. I tried eating scrambled eggs for dinner but they tasted bland. I was starting to get sick of the Powerade. Chewed minty gum to get the gross taste out of my mouth. I was able to eat canned peaches and little spoonfuls of peanut butter which made water more desirable. Towards the end of the night my left ear started ringing so i slept with a warm pack under my ears. Slept a lot better this night. I found that it is easier to sleep on a few pillows stacked up.
Day 3
Woke up the same as the day before. Tried to eat a pudding but couldn’t, ate canned peaches instead. Ate a pack of Ramen for lunch. Able to eat little Hershey’s chocolate bar for a different taste in my mouth. Today I mainly took my meds, slept, ate, repeat. I was able to eat a slice of cheese pizza for dinner (cut into small pieces and chewed very well of course) and ate 2 kosher dill spear pickles. Noticed some new white scans/sores form around my throat. Able to eat mashed potatoes with gravy and apple sauce before going to sleep. Slept well throughout the night.
Day 4
Woke up with slight burning in my throat. Still took meds with applesauce. Ate mashed potatoes and gravy and egg salad for lunch. Continued the pattern of meds, sleep, eat, repeat. Ate leftover pizza and ham and bean soup for dinner. Finally had a bowel movement this date!! (i thought i was never going to have one.) Throat pain was minimal throughout the day, but still took pain meds.
Days 5 & 6 i was finally able to sleep through the whole night without waking up with pain and needing pain meds. Pain has been decreasing but my head and the back of my neck aches now. Able to swallow whole pain pill on day 6.
Now i’m just waiting for my scabs to fall off.
**my best friends throughout this recovery:
-SOUP!! (chicken noodle, Ramen, ham & bean) they were tolerable to eat and kept my mouth moist during eating so it was easier to swallow. Nothing too creamy.
-Applesauce. I found it very easy to take my meds by crushing up my pills and putting them in applesauce.
-Powerade & apple juice.
-Any type of laxative. I got a little constipated from the meds & applesauce.
-Mint gum. The sugary snacks got old fast and I would have a gross taste in my mouth so i would chew mint gum. Helped with the awful taste plus kept my throat moist and helped with ear pain.