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 18 and on day 8 or 9 I think and Im finally able to eat super soft noodles, Mac and cheese still sucks. I end up not being able to fully swallow it and just “cough” it up. I don’t cough it up I kinda like rumble it up kinda it’s hard to explain. I havnt really noticed my scabs falling off at all, They are def getting smaller I guess but I just want these scabs out lol! They’re extremly annoying and food gets caught on them all the time, Causing even more pain until I’m able to get the food off that area. I do not believe In these pain meds they gave me as my parents got hooked on drugs from oxycodone and it turned into heroin, Meth, And crack later on. I fear I will get attached to these the oxy so I have only taken it like 3 times within these 8 to 9 days. don’t get me wrong, It hurts like a motherfucker without pain meds and I highly suggest taking them. I’ve got an addictive personality and I do not wanna mess around with big pharma drugs as those are the REAL gateway drugs.
Day 1 was fine but my uvula was swollen to the size of my mouth and I could barley talk. I sounded like a complete tard talking, It was extremly annoying
days 2-5 were the worst!!!!! I didn’t eat a single bite of food as it would just get stuck and I would spit it all up. Nothing would go down except for water. my ears hurt sooo fucking bad aswell omg, It was even worse than my throat pain, I was banging my head on my door holding my ears for hours. It wouldn’t stop and no matter what I did the pain persisted for around 4 days straight. REMINDER – I did not take my pain meds so I kind of did this to myself
days 6-present day have been on and off pain but it’s soooo much better as in being able to eat small noodles like Lipton noodle packets as you can just drink the noodles without chewing. I tried mashed potatos yesterday but it was just wayyy too much for me, The mashed potato would tickle my throat and get stuck where the scabs were and would cause extreme pain. Fuck them potatoes, I wanted to try and eat cream of wheat but my experience with mashed potatoes puts me off severely. I wake up every morning with a raw throat and need to drink water, I havnt had troubles with sleeping though and tbh here I’m sleeping around like 12 hours a day to make time go by faster. I’m just glad I’m able to eat some foods… I’ve lost 25 pounds ever since the surgery (My metabolism is crazy and I NEED 4000 calories a day to start gaining weight instead of the normal 2000) I just can’t wait until this is all over… my stomach hurts and I feel kinda dizzy from not getting enough food in me, I’m gonna eat sooooo much food once I recover omg…
The first few days are the worse but it does get better from there. Anyone who is about to get a tonsillectomy.. Don’t be scared, And the pain will go away after awhile. You’ve just gotta power through it. if I’m able to do it without any pain meds, I think you’re able to do it with pain meds.
Oh I would also like to add that I have been vaping (ecig) Ever since day 3 of my recovery because well… I’d hate to admit but I’m addicted and I couldn’t stand thinking about not vaping for over 2 weeks, Fuuuckkkkkk that!!!!!! So I bought some menthol juice as that usually always helps sooth my throat and it Def helps sooth it (: But be careful as it dries the throat so drink plenty of water if you’re a vaper!!!! But as a little hint hint – Nicotine slows down the process of healing, I knew this and accepted the risk of having a longer recovery so I don’t go through cravings. Best of luck to all of you!!!
So it’s been like 10 days for you and still pain? I’m just trying to figure out when the pain stops. It’s been 6 days for me now. I’ve lost a buttload of weight as well which makes me happy but that’s about all that I’ve got going for me right now.
Hey! Big tip, chew chewing gum! I’m from Australia, and they recommend eating solid food and honestly it helped. I had liquid food for three days-terrible pain. Started chewing and eating solid food and it sucks but I feel better! Xxx hope it helps!
Mine got worse around day 5-7. I am 44 so I’m not sure if that helps. I’m at Day 14 and trying to come off pain meds.
Had my tonsils out on Saturday after suffering for a week with them. My ENT said that my left tonsil was so infected if was necroptic. The post surgery pain is more severe than I thought it would be. It’s been two days now. does the pain get worse?
I’m on day 13 and not near 100%. I’ve not had any bleeding, thank god. I lost 15lbs the first week. Soup and water has been my only company. I’ve been on hydrocodone since day one. Keeping control of the pain is easier than loosing and trying to regain. My prescription said every 6 hrs as needed and take ibuprofen in between. I closed the gap to 4 hrs and that seemed to help. He also had me on antibiotics and a steroid pack for swelling. Staying hydrated is very important but when you’re swallowing lava it’s hard to do. I am sleeping better at night now. Get a humidifier. It helps keep your throat from drying out while you sleep. Just hang in their. It will get better.
Sounds like this is how mine is going plus sounds like we were prescribed the same meds. Where you nauseated as well? Mind if I ask if you were able to go to the bathroom. My stomach is what giving me severe issues!
Had my tonsils out in the UK on 24th April and i’m now almost 7 days post surgery – this website is amazing because it’s keeping me sane knowing I’m not alone.
I’m 35 and I was warned by my ENT consultant, Pre-assessment clinic nurse and everyone inbetween that a tonsillectomy is possibly the most painful adult surgery but nothing prepared me for this.
I’ve lost 10lbs in a week because eating is so difficult and painful, it burns so bad even water is very uncomfortable to swallow. I was discharged from hospital the day after surgery and was told to take no more than paracetamol and ibuprofen as stronger meds may induce nausea and vomiting but I’m not coping very well at all, night is the worst time and I can’t work out why exactly but after 11pm things seem to escalate to another level of pain again…. I had to take 2 tramadol tonight which I found at the bottom of my medicine box left over from a previous bout of severe tonsillitis and still no relief.
All I want is to turn a corner and feel like I’m starting to improve (I also feel like a bit of a wimp coz there’s other people suffering in the world with worse etc etc) but writing all this down has actually helped so much. If there’s a light at the end of the tunnel I’ve yet to catch a glimpse 🙁