adult post tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy, what to expect

Not sure the concentration, but my script only says 2 teaspoons of lortab every 3 - 4 hours. When i'm bad off I do the oxycodone. last dose 5 hours ago and I'm doing fine. Talking isn't a problem today, but through yesterday i couldn't talk much without lots of fluid collecting, or getting a dry throat. When the ears hurt, everything is intense, and good to be home alone with no noise.
I try not to bellyache too much around here... my wife is sympathetic only to a degree, since she reminds me of our child she bore, 3 miscarriages and frequent migraines. So I try not to be much of a baby, this is child's play compared to her trauma.

Did your doc use the coblation method to remove them? Mine did and I can't imagine how bad it must be to have the electrocautery to get them out. Though maybe the docs order more drugs if it's done that way?... I'm only on the lortab and would like to add something else, it it gets really bad I'll call and ask what they can do to make it better. Evenings seem to be the worst for me. How old is your baby? We have a 4 1/2 year old, a 2 1/2 year old and a 10 month old. They are all having a little mommy-withdrawl so they are rather cranky and loud - but my husband is doing a good job with them! Did your doctor say no lifting for 10 days? Mine did.

My baby is 9 years old, and we are fortunate enough to live across the street from my mother in law who takes her when things get in a fix. She's also a mother hen and constantly wants to help me out, making sure I'm eating enough, etc. She treats me better than my wife!
I'm not sure the technical term for the method, but I do know it was not done via laser. My doc has been around awhile, so probably the old fashioned method. He didn't try to paint a rosey piture at all, told me to plan on 2 weeks off work, and it would be very painful. So I expected worse than what I've encountered SO FAR. I did get some really bad jaw and ear pain earlier today, about 1 hour after my oxycodone. That concerned me because I'm supposed to be close to stoned by that point, feeling no pain. So I called the after hours number in case the pain got bad, like he told me to, and the nurse pretty much talked me out of it, just telling me to get plenty of fluids, and take the meds I have on schedule, don't try to make them last longer, since I'm in the period of time that may be the most painful. So I took a mist of Cepocal and jumped in a hot shower. Then I guess the meds kicked in and I'm okay for now. Sure helps to have someone to swap stories with. I know you are going through a rough time. Even if your husband is doing all he can, just the noise has to wreck your nerves when you are in pain. I've been alone almost all day, with a sack full of movies and my PC. Have a good pain free night!

Not much new to report today, I feel much the same as yesterday. I do however, have a terrible taste in the back of my throat. I know it's the scabs back there and I will be glad when they are gone. My tongue is also all white. I'm able to brush my teeth pretty well and the back of my tongue a little bit when the pain meds kick in but it's not really getting the bad taste out. The pain isn't any better or worse, it's tolearable and I am geting through it. I went 6 hours again last night between lortab doses and boy I felt it this morning. Thankfully it starts to kick in within about 10 minutes and gets much better. I don't seem to have any appetite for aything. Oh well, at least I'll be able to lose my last 5 lbs of baby weight! I'm thinking about Thanksgiving and hoping by then I'll be able to eat a little better than I am now. My Grandma had this fantastic jello recipie that I'm going to make, at least I know I'll be eating it and the kids will too! I don'h think turkey will be going down too well by then, but mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes should work just fine. That's it for now. Littlemike, have your scabs started to do anything yet? Have you looked in there?

I'm not sure if the scabs are coming off. I think I may have spit something up, but didn't think about it much. The white skin that covered everything in the back, I assume that is the scabs, loked as of yesterday to be fully formed. But last night after the Unidentified Object came out, I looked back and it appeared the white skin had holes in it. Maybe that's part of the scabs coming off. I'm not sure how I gave them a chance to even form, since I haven't stopped eating long enough. My doc said the sooner I can eat "normal" food the quicker it will heal. I'm not sure I follow the logic there.
When I near the end of my meds, then my throat, ears and jaws hurt. In the morning when I wake up, nothing hurts until I try to swallow, then it's like a torh in my throat, so I don't attempt to swallow until I have a glass of something about room temp. If it's too cold it magnifies the pain. Coffee is great once I get some numbing from the Cepocal, waiting for the narcotics to kick in. I hope I'm near the "hump". This is day 6 for me and I am absolutely about to jump out of my skin being forced to sit in jail for 2 weeks. Watching lots of good movies I never got a chance to see, however.

I am 22 years old and am scheduled to have my tonsils removed nov. 30th. I have my pre-op appt. this week so a lot of my questions shoud be answered then. after reading a lot of your post, im a bit more scared than i already was. The thing that is really getting me is that Not only am i having my tonsils out, but i have a deviated septum and cysts/polyps in my maxillary sinuses. I am having all three surgeries in one day, i dont know how the heck i will be able to breath, or function for that matter.

Guest wrote:

I am 22 years old and am scheduled to have my tonsils removed nov. 30th. I have my pre-op appt. this week so a lot of my questions shoud be answered then. after reading a lot of your post, im a bit more scared than i already was. The thing that is really getting me is that Not only am i having my tonsils out, but i have a deviated septum and cysts/polyps in my maxillary sinuses. I am having all three surgeries in one day, i dont know how the heck i will be able to breath, or function for that matter.

I read these posts too before my surgery, and called the doc and his staff to make sure my questions were answered and, most importantly, the pain medication would be sufficient. I know they are cautious prescribing narcotics, but there's no good reason to suffer to much. Your surgery is more complex than mine, but I can say, up to this point - day 7 - mine has gone much better than I'd braced for. Don't try to see how long you can go between pain meds, make sure you take them on schedule to keep the pain minimized rather than waiting until you hurt. If you start hurting well before the next dose, Tylenol liquid, liquid children's ibuprofen, and cepocal spray has been a savior. I say liquid, but I haven't had problems swallowing pills.
I had my surgery due to obstructive sleep apnea due to extra large tonsils. I haven't had more than about 3 hours uninterrupted sleep for probably 10 years. So, focus on the outcome. I can already tell a difference in that I'm getting up to 6 hours straight now, to be awakened by throat pain rather not being able to breathe.

I agree with littlemike, don't let these posts scare you out of doing it. It will not be fun for a couple of weeks, but it will be worth it in the end. I had mono when I was 18 and my tonsils became huge and never really went back down after that. They were very scarred and pitted and I did get those disgusting tonsil stones (food trapped in the pits/crevices of the tonsils that becomes laden with bacteria and white blood cells - disgusting smelly things!). B/c of the tonsil stones, there was always a chronic tonsillitis going on in the back of my throat and I had had enough. I'm so glad I got them out! The recovery is not fun, but it IS manageable. Like littlemike said, take your meds on time, don't wait to take the next dose if you don't feel pain yet. It is much easier to keep the pain at bay than to catch up with acute severe pain. It is scary reading all of these posts, but my experience hasn't been a horror story at all and I think many people have ok stories to talk about too.

If you expect the worst you will be pleasantly surprised when it isn't the worst that happens. Good luck!

I'm 34 years old can anyone help I'm scheduled to have surgery this Friday Nov 23rd... I just had my post- opp TODAY and was in SHOCK !!!! with all the bleeding and pain my doc. was telling me is it really that painful he was also telling me how sometimes the food can back track up the nose ??? What is that all about ?? I did ask as many questions but still not sure about the whole bleeding and pain issue.. He only gave me Phenergan for vomiting and Tylenol E with codein is this engough for the pain or should I call my office back for different pain meds ???

Are you scheduled for tonsillectomy or tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy? Either way it doesn't matter, but I think if you are also having your adenoid taken out it might make it contribute to food/liquids going up the nose while swallowing. I think the best thing to do after your surgery is to swallow very carefully and not too fast. I haven't had anything go up my nose (yet and hopefully will not) but it's been close a couple of times. I am swallowing liquids very carefully and swallowing larger mouthfulls rather than smaller ones. It would seem like the opposite would be important but for some reason it seems like I am able to swallow better with more rather than less in my mouth.

As far as the pain goes, it is a painful surgery. Take your pain meds as prescribed and if you need more, don't hesitate to call your doctor back. I don't think there is any way to stop it from hurting when you swallow, but it doesn't really hurt too much when your mouth is still. Keeping an ice pack on my neck really helps too when it really starts to hurt. They will probably give you an ice pack in the recovery room that you can use at home.

It does hurt but you will get through it and hopefully will be pleasantly surprised that it is not as bad as you thought it was going to be. Plan on it being terrible and you'll be happy it is not! Sort of like a reverse psychology there but it worked for me. I set myself up for a terrible time after reading these posts but have been pleasantly surprised that I can tolerate the pain and work through it ok. There will be a light at the end of the tunnel and yu will be happy to know that your yucky tonsils will never be back in your throat again! For me it is worth it!