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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27 y/o. Had mine out on Sept 14-I am Day 7 post-tonsillectomy. I stopped the Tylenol/Hydrocodone on Day 4 due to nausea and vomiting. IT WAS AWFUL. first surgery/anthestia and I was honestly scared to death. As of today, my right side is the only painful part and that is at every swallow. It’s manageable but irritating– and the ear pain… I feel like it’s never ending. Day 6 I was able to talk more but the more I talk the more sore I get. I pray the scabs fall off soon and that my right side starts to feel normal again. I was just given an inflammatory medicine to try to help with that and it taste like complete acid. (Not that I know what that tastes like but it’s disgusting)
Day 3 to now I was able to start eating macaroni and oatmeal (cooked and then let cook till cold) and I also have been drinking ensure and slim fast to get the nutrients.
Also ate a crap ton of applesauce.
As the days goes by you will keep wondering when it will end. I hope it’s worth it because it has been the worst experience ever.
21 female. Had mine removed the 14th. Worst pain of my life. Popsicles hurt, broth hurts, homemade broth is good. Water hurts, ice hurts at times and the medicine only made me sleep. Didn’t take pain away. Currently taking Advil every 6 hours, takes the edge off and every 4 hours take tylenol. Still haven’t been able to eat anything. It’ll be a week tomorrow and I do notice it getting a slight bit better, but not a miraculous change. I feel the scabs in my throats when I swallow and get sharp pains from time to time through out the day, ear pain is horrible, jaw pain not too bad. I can’t wait to eat regular food again.
I’m 21 , had my tonsillectomy/ adenoidectomy on the 12th , I have been wondering if it’s normal to feel like absolute shit afterwards. Smh.
I have been drinking constantly & still have been having a fever for 3 days , my lips are swole , my tongue hurts , having horrible ear pains & the most disgusting taste in my mouth from the scabs coming up. It’s disgusting & I really hope this surgery is worth all this pain and discomfort in the end.
Yes it is normal to feel like absolute poo when recovering. I had my tonsils removed on 9/8/17 and today makes it day 14. My everything hurt after the surgery. The next day my whole body was sore! I know you won’t want to but sip water as much as possible and eat so your painkillers don’t make you sick. Don’t know if you’ve thrown up yet or if you will but I did twice during the first week of recovery and it was a very nerve racking experience, luckily it didn’t cause any bleeding. They may have happened because I didn’t eat enough before taking the oxycodone. I found that spoonfuls of applesauce before and after taking the pain meds will help coat your stomach. The applesauce will likely burn going down but delicately gargling with warm salt water afterwards will help remove the food from the wound. I gargled w saltwater after everything I ate. Sleep w a humidifier to keep your throat moist as you sleep. Everytime you wake from your sleep take a sip of water. remember, if your throat dries out too much it can cause excess bleeding and you’ll have to get the wounds re-cauterized and start right back at square 1. I took Tylenol in between the doses of oxycodone. Sleep proped up because sleeping on your back will feel like you’re choking. Popsicles will be your bestie! I had banana because I feel any other flavor will burn going down. Nap whenever you get tired and get as much rest as you can, it helps you heal. You will be spiting a lot but at one point around day 6 I found that swallowing spit also helped my throat feel better. Don’t speak unless you have to. Use index cards or something to communicate. That ice pack bib thing they give you will help comfortable you and may make eating and drinking feel a bit better. Had cream of wheat one day during the first week and scramble eggs on another day. It took forever to eat but it was good to have in my stomach. Let anything cooked food u eat cool before you eat it. Just know you will get better. Once the second week hit I was still on broth and popsicles. I ate a hotdog buns around day 6 and that was sooooo satisfying!!! Didn’t eat anything else solid until around day 10 where I had plain hot dogs w the bun that went down fine and didn’t burn. Day 11 had Soft bread w mayo, avocado, and tomato it didn’t burn but still had to take small bites and eat slowly. Now at day 14 it still hurts a bit to swallow but not as much and I haven’t taken any pain meds other than Tylenol. Being off the oxycodone now I feel like I’m back in my body and less loopy..I’m still a bit tired though but it’s all getting better. Get your rest and peace and love to you!✌️
37 yo f. 6.5 days in from surgery day and just had some first scabbing come up. GROSS! Now I know what’s causing such a foul taste in my mouth. Worst experience of my life. When you think you had a good day, you didn’t, the worst is coming… usually at night. The ear pain maybe worse than the throat pain. So tired. So hungry. So scared. Want this over.
Day 5 – Tonsilectomy and Adenoidectomy: Happy Birthday To Me – Not!
Woke up at 4am with crazy ear and throat pain. Took my hydrocodone and after 20mins knocked back out. I woke up at 10am okay … not hurting as much. I drank a yoohoo fine but still had not ate. My appetite isn’t really there yet. Since it is my birthday I figured let me get some air and head to the movies – I was feeling great. An hour before I was about to leave my ears acted up again. I laid back down before I left with a heating pad on my neck and ears. Got up after my nap and went to the movies and 10mins left of the movie massive ear and throat pain but only my right side. I figured the massive pain was because I’m starting to scab. I went home after the movies ate some homemade chicken soup (just the pasta and broth) had two table spoons and had to lay back down because I couldn’t deal with the pain. Same pain again on the right side but it was throbbing this time. I stayed a sleep for 3hrs with the heating pad on my neck and ear. When I woke up I took my meds and was okay for an hour of that (normally it knumbs me for 3-4hrs) So I was pacing back and forth in my room feeling like I wanted to cry cause it hurt So bad. So I switched the heating pad for a cold ice pack on my neck and that’s whats working at the moment, but I’m sure I’m going to have a restless night. I’M OVER THIS!