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 12 and got my tonsils taken out March 23rd I think. I’m currently on day 10 I’m pretty sure. I feel okay, except my throat is clogged slightly which is really annoying. I still can’t drink soda or eat food I usually ate. I can eat mac and cheese and kind of spaghetti. On Day 7 or 8 I was staying up. I did something really stupid and tried to cough up everything in my clogged throat and began bleeding a lot. I freaked out, but wasn’t taken to the hospital, since it wasn’t new blood. My mom said a lot of my scabs came off at once because I dried my throat from my heater. I don’t know if all of my scabs have fallen off. (I really fucking hope so.) I have extreme ear pain and I can’t swallow much since it hurts my ear so much. My mom bought me a heating pad which kind of helps, but eh. I can’t wait for this to be over, I miss eating food that doesn’t taste bland. I’m just glad I didn’t have to go to school for a week.
C.c , I had to chuckle at your “I really f*** hope so” 12 years old, brings me back to the day… I’m 59 and on my 7th day…they say say it hurts more when your older (who “they” are I don’t know 🙂 ) From what I’m reading I think it hurts bad no matter what age. Surprised you didn’t have more time off! I work in a school and the doctor gave me 2weeks…I’m taking every one, it falls into Easter vacation so ill have even more time off…I want to avoid getting sick on top if this…nasty germs in school…Good luck and speedy recovery!
I am Day 6 now and I keep getting sharp pains in random little areas of the scabs. Is this the pain of those parts coming off? It feels like a wet sponge is plugging my throat toowhen I swallow – not very painful but really annoying and weird. Is there any way of making them come off quicker?
I got told ice or toast
And I’m on day 7 just starting the scabs
I am on day 5 and all of a sudden I got stabbing pains in the bottom corner of my tongue. Does anyone know what that is
Im a 30 year old, I’m on day 10 and the stabbing pain in my tongue is the worst part by far. It’s been going on for several days now. I’m not sure if it’s actual theist pain but the nerves make it feel like my tongue, or if my tongue got scraped or something during the surgery. Either way, it hurts so bad!
I had that too and my doctor said he never heard of it. But it could be the pressure that is on your tongue is settling
Dude same
Tae 23. Just got my tonsils removed on March 21st and man or man does this suck. I was ready for some pain but not like this. This morning I swear im choking on nothing at all. I can see the scabs in the back of my throat but I keep cough and am terrified that I’m going to swallow my stitches or blood or worse pop a stitch and be rushed to the hospital. I choke on everything water, jello, icy and ensure. What can I do to stop this before I end up back in the hospital??
Hi I am currently on day 4 and I’m feeling good. Day 1 I was able to eat noodles with a little butter and drank lots of water and ate sherbet and applesauce.
Day 2 I ate a little noodles and some sherbet but mostly water
Day 3 I was able to eat cucumbers with out the skin or seeds with a little bit of ranch and water and some ginger ale. I can eat with no problem and I take my pain medication every 5-6 hours. And I also talk a nauseous pill every 8 hours if needed. And I take my infection medication to prevent the wounds getting infected. Other than that I do feel a little loopy when I walk and it is sore to talk but I’m doing good and I’m able to sleep until it’s time for my medication. By the way I’m 14.