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 a 19 year old male and have been all over the web looking how others are doing with their tonislectomys just so I can compare. What I have noticed is that everyone experiences it differently. Last night on day 4 one of my scabs fell off and I started bleeding like crazy. I made a trip to the emergency room scared to death because the bleeding would not stop. Luckly they only had me graggle ice water for 10 mins until the bleeding stopped. Today (day 5) I noticed that the scab grew back and it has been the worst pain so far, my ear pain rarely ever goes away. I’ve been taking my medication like clock work to find some relief, but I am almost out of pills. I hope this pain goes away soon!!
I’m a 20 years old female who had a tonsillectomy in December 15. I puked after my surgery twice when i got home, and it burned my throat, but to be honest i was expecting it to be way worse. I was able to eat pudding, yogurt, and popsicles the first day. The second day i had mashed potatoes (warm, not too hot), and on day 3 i managed to eat Mac & cheese. The Mac & cheese was a little rough to swallow, and made my throat very sore. I try to stay away from dairy products because it thickens my saliva & chocolate ice cream actually really irritated my throat. I think the worst thing for me the the ear pain & always being hungry. The morning is the worse because my throat is so dry from sleeping & it feels like my ears are bleeding from the inside out. Liquid children’s ibuprofen does some wonders & i was prescribed liquid hydrocoden, but that stuff is like taking a shot of vodka straight. I was expecting the recovery to be way worse than this, just remember to drink lots of cold water! It helps to speed up the recovery & you will get dehydrated since you’re on a liquid/soft diet! Cold water surprisingly soothes the throat & helps with the bleeding. My scabs started to come on day 2, and now they almost cover up the entire tonsil beds.
Funny how we all recover differently. Had my surgery the 15th as well. I’m an 18 year old female and the first three days were honestly not bad until last night i threw up. The horrid taste in my mouth is making me nauseous 24/7 (does anyone know of something that’ll help this?) just waiting for the scabs to fall off. Starting to get my hunger back.
Hi Julie,
I’m in your exact same position! I’m a 19 year old female and I got my tonsils out the same day. It appears that we have had basically the same experience. Today has been my worst day with throat pain that has been radiating to my ears; I also still cannot eat really anything and this morning I got sick after eating a popsicle. It is really nice to know I’m not alone in this, I thought my recovery has just been awful. So thanks for the extra advice, I’m hoping for some relief soon! And I hope all goes well for you from here on out!
So I’m on day 6 now the pain does suck but my main problem is sleeping someone help me. I have a humidifier and i drink water all day. I can’t sleep though! I have maybe slept 5 hours in the last 5 days. Whenever I fall asleep I wake up within 10-15 mins gagging in pain. All I want is one night of decent sleep.
Have you tried sleeping in a more upright position? Like in a recliner?
Hey guys, I’m 18 for the past few months I’ve been on and off to the hospital n being given meds. My tonsils have been disturbing me alot, my doc said it’s finally time I had a tonsillectonomy ? How did u guys feel before u entered that room for surgery
I’m approaching day 5 now. I’m a 19 year old female, did not have any problems post op or with the anesthesia. Pain has not been bad at all, especially with the oxycodone. IT does wake me up being nauseous in the middle of the night but I was also prescribed meds for that. Approaching “the worst” parts, do you think I’ll have less pain because my process doesn’t seem as bad as most people’s? I’ve been able to eat, drink, and talk alittle the past 4 days with the exception of when the drugs wore off and it was hard to swallow my own spit. I’m getting nervous about the scabs peeling off. Red spots have already formed around the top does that mean they’re ready?
I’m on day 6 and I really just want to talk to someone who relates with me. Everyone keeps saying “oh just a tonsillectomy, you’ll be fine in a few days”
I am a 20 year old female as well and got my tonsils out on May 15th, going onto my 6th day with hardly any pain so far and wondering the same thing. How was the pain for you when your scabs fell off? How much longer did it take for them to fall? Ive just been sitting in bed waiting for this horrible pain i keep hearing about wondering if it will hit me the same eventually.