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 Posted: 03/26/08 - 09:11 Post subject: post op tonsillectomy pain = excruciating |
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Hi, I'm a 21 yr old female and am now 8 days post tonsillectomy.
As a qualified nurse working in operating theatres and recovery I thought I was more than prepared for the op! I was so wrong!!
From other peoples experiences I had gathered that it was a painful healing process but I honestly had no idea I was about to endure the most excruciating pain in my life.
I always thought I could tolerate pain well and after suffering from tonsillitis every 5 weeks for the last 2 yrs, I decided I'd had enough!!
After waking from the op obviously I was in pain and couldn't swallow but I felt quite out of it and was expecting this.
After a disturbed nights sleep in the hospital I went home the following morning after forcing down a few spoonfuls of soggy cereal. (Agony)
I was taking a combination of codeine, paracetamol and diclofenac and still had morphine in my system from the hospital so the second day I pretty much slept..althought awaking every few hrs with really bad pain and I found it impossible to swallow. I stuck to just sips of water throughout the day. I shed many tears also.
The third day was tough, by this point I decided to go back to the hospital in tears and I demanded some tramadol (stronger pain killer), this helped but I was still in a lot of pain..just taking sips of water every now and then when I could bare it and trying to get as much sympathy as possible-although I felt like everyone thought I was exagerating the pain.
Day four was rough too for me, by now I was sleeping only a few hrs each night due to the pain and discomfort..I still hadn't managed to eat anything as I just felt I couldn't take it!!
On the fifth day I woke up feeling awful and decided to go back to the hospital as I was in so much pain, was vomiting and feeling dizzy. They gave me some oral morphine to take home, it did relieve the pain slighty but left my feeling mentally drained, dizzy and sick at all times. I think the Drs just gave it to me to get me out of the hospital, I fear they think I am crazy) I also started to develop the most sickening taste in my back of my mouth, a taste which reminds me only of a dead ferret. By this point I had eaten a couple of things mainly soft things; a boiled egg, soup, soggy bread, sorbet.
Day six I woke up feeling positive, thinking to myself theres no way it could ever get any worse. Yet again, I was wrong. Later on in the day I was in agony, I felt sick, tired, fed up, confused, dizzy, thirsty, weak, hungry..you name it I felt like death warmed up. I really was in such a state-this was so much worse than I ever could have imagined!! By this point I was taking a mixture of paracetamol, tramadol and diclofenac every few hrs and was still experiencing pain, especially when eating and drinking.
Day seven was a bit of a turning point for me, I woke up feeling better in myself although my throat was still extremely painful, I don't know if it's that I had just got used to the pain or just accepted it but I managed to eat a few normal things: sandwich, toast(OUCH!!), hotdogs, salad. Even though it was sore to eat, it really did make me feel better afterwards and I only wished I had started eating properly from the start. I had a bit of an aching jaw too.
Day eight...today... I feel much better today in myself, although there are sharp pains in my throat and it's sore when I eat and drink.(
I had the strength today to look at my throat in the mirror and have discovered a main source of pain has been from my swollen, bruised uvula! As I have seen this operation thousands of times I have worked out I was probably burnt by the forceps used to cauterize the blood vessels during the tonsils being removed.)
I have managed to have breakfast and lunch today and even had some cheese puff crisps!! I feel almost human again!! I have also cut back on my pain killers from today in the hope that I can gradually wean myself off, purhaps this is why my throat still feels painful?? I finally feel like there could be light at the end of the tunnel, although I am still mentally prepared if the pain is worse tomorrow!
If you're having/had a tonsillectomy I think the main things I have learnt which have helped are:
1. realise that everyone has different pain levels, some people may just feel like they have a sore throat and some may be in agony like me!! Before I found this board I thought I was a crazy hyperchondriac 
2. make sure you drink as much as possible, the more you drink the less it hurts! It also helps the throat heal faster by keeping it moist
3. chew on chewing gum!!! I only discovered this day 6, it really helped! It produces saliva, which keeps the throat moist and kept my jaw movement which stopped my jaw aching when I ate.
4. take painkillers about half an hr before attempting to eat, even if its just psychological it helped me!
5. use mouthwash. I have one called Difflam which is benzydamine hydrochloride, it's brilliant! Use it after eating to clean the area and stop bits of food getting caught in the scabs (yuck)
6. eat as soon as possible!! this was my biggest regret! as soon as I started forcing myself to eat I felt better in myself, and it reduces pain in my throat (Not at the time, but after eating)
7. ice and ice packs are a great comfort! They reduce the swelling and do numb the area slightly
PS thanks to everyone whose written on these boards, it helps so much to realise I'm not alone and I hope my experience helps others to realise they're not alone! |
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damargentina
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| Posted: 04/19/08 - 22:22 Post subject: 22 yr old female 5 days post tonsillectomy |
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hey great post! i liked your advice. i m kinda pissed off that no one told me HOW MUCH THIS WOULD HURT! luckily i have kept up my spirits throught the excrutiating pain. it was good reading all these post, except some the actually scared me... well i saw my doc today, here in Argentina where we have excellent surgeons, he said everything looks good so far.. just a little bit of patience and i ll be good to go!!!
this experience was horrible. i cant wait for time to go by and enjoy the results of having made this decision.
AND TO ANYONE WHO HAS JUST HAD THE SURGERY, hang in there!!! around day 5 or 7 you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. it kinda sucks tho cuz you just want your days to go by and there is nothing in them that you can look forward to ... but i m looking forward to not getting sick every month, in pain, missing work, and spending $$ on antibiotics  |
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| Posted: 05/20/08 - 12:28 Post subject: worst pain ever after tonsillectomy |
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| i am 22 years old and had tonsillectomy on may 15th. I found that drinking at least 2 liters a day helped me feel so much better. In the beginning on day 1 and 2, I ate alot of popsicles and drank gatorade. I began to eat ice cream and egg drop soup but because of the antibiotic i was taking i threw it all up. On the 4th day i also threw up everything i ate that day. I stopped taking the antibiotic and my stomach feels much better. I ended up having to change pain medicines too because the first one was codone w/ tylenol and it did nothing for my pain. I just take hyrocodin now. Today is day 6 and im able to eat mashed potatoes but nothing else. I just recommend drinking as much as you can! |
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