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 23 and I had my surgery on the 20th I’m currently on day 8. The first 4-5 days were painful! Talking to my doctors office they advised me to talk as much as possible and to make sure I ate and kept ice packs to help with the swelling. It may sound crazy but eat what ever you feel you may want (this is what I was told by my doctor) this is to help your body heal. This way your body is getting all the proper nutrients it needs. I kept ice packs under my neck to help with swelling and ate and drink lots of frozen drinks and Italian ice. I also ate whatever food I thought I wanted I just stayed away from spicy or salty foods it really hurts if you get salt or spice in it. Make sure you drink PLENTY OF WATER!
I am on day 8 today and I am still in so much pain. Hardly any of my scabs have fallen off and my throat hurts so badly every time I swallow. Whenever I swallow, it also feels so sharp in the back of my throat (I’m guessing it’s scabs but I’m not sure). I’m still not able to eat a lot. I had some potatoes and rice last night because I was so hungry but swallowing is so painful that it’s so hard to force myself to eat. When I swallow, it feels like I’m swallowing shards of glass and razor blades.
I’m drinking lots of water, and apple juice. I’m sucking on ice chips a lot. I’ve been taken as much pain meds and Motrin as I’m allowed to and even with all of that, I’m still in excruiating pain. Last night was the first night that I got a decent night’s rest.
Can anyone recommend any tips/tricks for helping my throat to feel less painful when I swallow? I thought that by now (day 8), I would at least be feeling a little better.
I use ice packs around my neck, around my ears & that helps. This morning I was in severe pain so I found some lemon cough drops – it didn’t burn so I went with it. I’ve also discovered today that hot tea with honey help & cold things hurt…
Good luck!
Thank you for info. I tried numbing cough drops (cepacol) last night and I didn’t find them to be helpful. I tried the ice pack today (I used ice packs on days 4, 5, 6) but when I used it today, I didn’t find it to be helpful. Thanks again!
I’m 36 and on day 8 if you count surgery! I am eating mashed potatoes and Mac n cheese. I basicly for pain here’s what I do. I made some black tea decaffinated and put about a half of cup of sugar in it. Stir cool dramatically with ice. Place in fridge. Once it is cool I use a straw to put enough in my mouth to coat my throat then gorse it down to swallow. I take my pain meds consistently every 6 hrs. My scabs are still on and I hope they get better soon. I’ll keep you all posted. But that’s how I’m coping with the sore throats
Salty foods actually will help it. It’s like having a cold sore on your tongue, if you swish Salty water around , it’ll help the inflammation to chill out a bit.
I found the best way to help me for the whole day, is to drink some warm, NOT hot, chicken broth in the morning. It helps soothe the nightly aching and, for me, some of the oncoming day’s shit. I’m on day 8 or 9 now, myself…I feel okay, just keep drinking loads of water. I have loads of mucus too, and Apple juice, milk, and oj really seem to mix with the phlegm in my throat, so you might want to stay clear of those? Idk. Hope this helped some.
Hi, I’m on day 3 with this surgery and I feel like nothing is working. I can kinda talk but not too much. Apple juice is burning the back of my throat so I stopped drinking it. I was drinking ensure but it seem to be a little too thick for me to drink. I’ve tried pudding but its too thick for me to swallow and I don’t know what else to do… I’m in tons of pain and the tynole and cod isn’t really doing much for me.. Can someone please tell me what else I can do? I’ve tried ice packs and slushies it all seems useless ?? I’m 19 years old
Please try a numbing chloraseptic spay. I was very nervous to try as I didnt want to cause more pain but it works well. I am on day 9 and in the next to last stage of scabs coming off. I also recommend lots and lots of water or tea, for a flavor change. I also started off with beef and chicken broth and pudding or jello and cool whip. Hope this helps. Ware almost there and I know I can not wait to eat a real meal and not have a sore throat. Good luck !
I am 49 and live in South Carolina, USA
Day 10 and I think the scabs are gone! I still have a lil pain on my left side. Still coughing up mucus and I still continue to take my pain meds and antibiotics like prescribed. I ate pancakes and scrambled eggs last night for the first time. It still rough at night but I’ll get there. I look back and glad I made the decision to do this. My right side was so enlarged it was blocking my air way. They also took part of my uvula as well. Lots of jello, and mashed potatoes. Tea decaf and Gatorade, Powerade, ensure . 36 yr old from Ohio. Hang in there it gets better
I am 18 and had my tonsils removed on the 15th. I read so many horror stories and was absolutely terrified. I’m pretty much all healed and I have to say it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had thought it was going to be. The day of surgery and the first day post op I was perfectly fine, just had an extremely swollen uvula. My doctor gave me nausea meds while I was still under as well as a scopalimine patch that I kept on for three days after surgery. After the ansethia wore off on the second day, I felt somewhat sick, but it passed. The 3rd and 4th days were the worst, however not what I thought they were going to be. The ringing in my ears was my main source of pain but Tylenol seemed to do the trick. Overall my experience wasn’t half as bad as I had anticipated and I only needed my pain meds once on the 4th night. For the first 4 days I stuck to apple sauce and mashed potatoes. After that I could eat pasta and other various soft foods. One week post op I was fine, it felt like a sore throat from past tonsillitis experiences. My voice is a little nasaly and it does tire my throat out after I’ve talked for a while. I’m not sure if I have a high pain tolerance or I’m just used to having sore throats all the time that it just felt like one of those or maybe I was completely blessed with a simple recovery. I also do know that the technique of the procedure done can impact the recovery as well. I do advice to sleep upright until you feel safe not doing so and use a humidifier it makes all the difference! I also drank at least 5 water bottles each day and I think that made a huge impact on my recovery! I’m wishing everyone a safe and fast recovery!
They really should warn us about the bleeding. I’ve never seen that much bright red, fresh blood come out of my mouth before. It was like a crime scene in my sink! Then I had to cough up the scab or clot and threw up, which was even more gross than the blood. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain after vomiting & I thought I would never get the taste of blood & vomit out of my throat. Holding ice water in my mouth did make the bleeding stop & my lidocaine spray stopped the temporary pain. All better now, but seriously thought I was dying a few hrs ago.
My husband is on day 9 recovery. This scab/blood every where process just started for him. Didn’t get any warnings either. We ended up going to the hospital. Any tips to keep bleeding down you’ve tried. It has been bleeding on and off all day. Causing him to vomit as well isn’t helping.
Gargling with cold water can quell minor bleeds.
40 years old, on day 5 after my tonsil removal. How the hell are y’all eating food? My throat & uvula are so swollen that I can barely get ice cream down. It took me an hour to eat 1 pancake & it hurt like hell after. My scabs seem to grow bigger everyday. I’m taking prescription pain meds liquid, a steroid pack pills (they are so tiny but still scares the hell out of me swallowing it), phenegran for nausea, & I started taking liquid Benadryl hoping it would help with the swelling. I’ve had the humidifier going so much that I’m waiting for my wood floor to buckle & an ice pack around my neck several hours a day. The pain has been pretty nonexistent until this morning. Last night, the pain started moving into my ears & now hurts constantly like a really bad ear ache with sore throat. I still can’t sleep sitting up because I choke on my uvula. All this & it’s still better than the horror stories I’ve heard from friends & family!
Hi i am 41 years old i had tonsilecty the first to days were horrible.Couldnt swollow at all my ears hurt.After the next days i hurt but not as much.Day 7 came….i wad dying of lain everytime i swallowed…hope this pain goes aeay tomorrow.I cannot sleep try to drink lots of water but i hurt so much.Maybe the scabs are fellimg off,i cannot open my mouth to see it jurts to much.