Chronicles of A Coblation Tonsillectomy:
I hope to provide those who have yet to undergo a tonsillectomy and even those who have, with my experience...including tips and other ways I dealt with any discomfort.
July 23, 2008 –Ice Is Your Best Friend and So Is Your Caretaker
Today is my tonsillectomy( I’m to have the coblation procedure done.
What is coblation?
” Unlike traditional tonsillectomy procedures, which remove tonsils by burning or literally cutting them out of the throat, coblation combines radio frequency energy with natural
saline to quickly remove tonsils. Tissue surrounding the tonsil is gently broken down resulting in reduced damage to the surrounding tissue and virtually no bleeding.”
HERE’S THE SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON IT
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:ioREEygOlWoJ:www.medcenterone.com/PDF/coblation.pdf+tonsillectomy+too+inflammed+to+swallow&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
This means that I should experience less pain the first few days but it will become more painful…pain supposedly equivalent to that of the traditional tonsillectomy… around days 4, 5, and 6.) and I am quite nervous. I’m a 19 year old female who is fairly aware of the horror stories circling about the internet. I walked into the hospital hoping that my petite stature would mean I’d recover as quickly as a child.
I awoke around 11am from the surgery thinking that I would be greeted with a blast of gut-wrenching pain. However I was fortunate. It felt like a minor sore throat. I experienced no nausea from the anesthesia whatsoever…until later. I smiled and greeted the nurses. I decided to distract myself by using my Ipod to listen to music and check my mail. Believe me, once you’ve found a few distractions it’s much easier not to think about the pain.
The nurses offered me some ICE CHIPS which I gladly accepted. Ice chips, anything cold really, helps to decrease blood circulation and hence helps with the pain. I also took some of the ice and placed it in a paper towel and pressed it firmly against my neck. And once some of the ice melted, I drank the COLD water. My doctor came in to check up on me and informed me that the pain will get worse later on today because the numbing medication he had given me will eventually fade. I was not proud to hear such news but I welcomed it as it allowed me to plan my day.
I was told to expect to vomit up blood which, honestly, appalled me. Thus far, I haven’t been so unfortunate. I’ve spit up a bit of blood, really nothing serious and I thank God it did not hurt. Once at home I took my pain medication Percocet along with my prescribed antibiotic (Cleocin HCL). I took that down with Fruit Chillerz and Jello. I cannot stress this enough, and if you haven’t already read about it please take this advice, keep hydrated constantly that way the scabbing will be easier and smooth ( Otherwise, when it scabs your throat will be try…there’s a chance of it cracking…and you bleeding. Who wants unnecessary pain, right?)
-Fruit Chillers is a product I decided to try because it’s not acidic; it looked extremely soft, and it was cold. It’s kind of like a sorbet really and it’s very soothing and delicious ( but you’ll get sick of it’s sweet taste eventually). I highly recommend it and will even provide a link so that you may have the chance to read up on it if you like. My favorite is the mango. I have yet to try the raspberry. I’m sure you’ll appreciate any type of food suggestions seeing as how limited those options are…especially when you run the risk of losing weight ( and I can’t afford to lose any. I’ve been blessed with a high metabolism and typically eat every two hours…which at the moment I can’t do…so yea, bad news for me)
http://www.slashfood.com/2007/02/16/del-monte-fruit-chillers-review/
-Secondly my mother made me Jello. I know how tiresome Jello can become, well anything really if you’ve had it in excess. However, my mother made it with bananas which is good for potassium and gives you something extra to eat.
Now I’ll inform you of my room set-up because I feel it’s important to be comfortable. If your doctor or some other person hasn’t already told you, I must inform you that Dry Air is bad. It is important to be in a cool room or, if you can, purchase an air humidifier. I am lucky enough to have AC and a fan. I’ve taken several pillows and placed it against the headboard where I rest back and it keeps me in a comfortable sitting position. Beside me is my night stand which I have pressed vertically against my bed for easier access. On it I keep a tray with a cup of water with ice, a cup with ice chips, and whatever snack I choose (Jello, Fruit Chiller, etc). The more you eat and drink, the faster you will heal. I also have my laptop in bed with me which is a lovely distraction. I’ve rented several movies and I have a book so that I may read to pass the time. Find things to do because you become quite bored. Also, keep a phone near you just in case.
Another thing I would recommend is getting very little sleep. If you need to take a nap, take one, a very short one however. Your goal is keep liquid constantly flowing through your throat.
Here’s a few things I would also recommend for food:
1. Nutraments or Ensure. I love Nutrament. It’s a meal so I can’t complain about it.
2. Ice cold Powerade or Gatorade.
3. Ice cream ( but I would say avoid it if you can because dairy products will make you feel phlegmy. I know that sounds disgusting, doesn’t it? But if you can’t avoid that craving or get your hands on anything else cold, eat it but remember to have a lot water with it.)
Don’t let fear consume you or pain master you. Really and truly, if you don’t want pain then drink lots of cold water.
At around 5:!0PM I threw up blood. It was not painful and it was expected. I guess I was not so fortunate after all. WARNING: If you throw up blood for longer than 10 minutes or if it’s more than half a cup, PLEASE CONSULT A DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
At around 6 PM, I managed to have some BOILED EGG.
The anesthesia is catching up to me apparently. Again I’ve had an unpleasant time throwing up and along with it went my pain-killer. So my throat is now more sore than it should be. Still, I’m not too upset about the pain. It’s a bit more of a discomfort.
I attempted to eat pancake. I did so with water. Was not so difficult, but I let it get too cold and it became hard. Even so, it wasn’t that hard to eat. I discovered it was the Percocet that was making me nauseous seeing as that is one of its symptoms.
July 24, 2008 Milkshakes are the bane of my existence…
I know before I said not to sleep but I love my sleep and…my mother forced me. I woke up with some pain, unsurprisingly. It was not a good feeling at all but not one I would cry about either.
For breakfast I had my fruit chiller with water.
My mother went to work and I was home alone until my grandmother came by. I fixed her two quesadillas and she took me to rent some movies. She also took me to buy some food. Sorry, but jello just won’t cut it for me. I wanted food…and desperately. She took me to KFC where she bought me their famous bowl. Now here’s the reason why I chose this. It’s mash potatoes with gravy, corn, and chicken all mixed together. Chicken? Can you really eat chicken right away? Well, here’s the logic behind it. Mash potatoes are soft and it is on the list of things you can eat. Chicken isn’t. However, I did not eat the mash potatoes right away. I waited until an hour later when the chicken soaked into the gravy and was mashed enough until it was soggy. I know that sounds slightly disgusting but it worked, and I had a delightful meal. After the mash potatoes, I felt stronger. I could speak again.
As for the milkshake my grandmother also bought me…that was a small nightmare. I already knew to stay away from dairy products, but really how much harm could an icy cold milkshake cause? Plenty. My throat felt coated and plegmy. I felt like I had to spit something out and that requires quite a bit of force and irritates the throat. Of course the milkshake felt smoothing until I got that awful sensation in my throat. This was my experience, and everyone’s will be different. If you would like a milkshake, try it at your own risk. But quite honestly, I won’t be doing that again. It hurt.
Also, I stopped taking the pain killers. I thought it was the anesthesia causing me problems yesterday, but…no, it was the painkillers fault. Symptoms for the Percocet include: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness, flushing, constipation ( Really now? All the food I’d work to get to my stomach was gone because of a medication that was supposed to help me). So I scratched it and took two Tylenols instead.
My doctor was kind enough to call me to check up on me. I told him about my situation with the Percocet and he prescribed something else for me, because he told me the pain will definitely get worse so I need to get some painkillers. Such a good doctor, but I must say….that was not really comforting haha.
I had some oatmeal later. It went down pretty easily. Throat is killing me at the moment at 12:37am.
July 25, 2008 – Tears Tell A Story
I had a rude awakening this morning. The pain in my throat was sharp. I’d imagine this is what it would feel like if I had little needles in my throat pricking me each time I swallow. What I managed to eat yesterday and the day before seems like an impossible task today. It took me about 40 minutes to eat a cup of Applesauce. It hurt so badly a few tears escaped but I sucked it up. I had some ice chips and cold water, ice around my neck. I took my new pain medication, Propox. I can take it every 4 to 6 hours as needed for the pain. I take it every 4 because the pain is pretty bad.
I had some oatmeal today. My grandmother made me some macaroni (no cheese) with salchica ( or those small canned sausage). My taste buds are slightly off, and I was told this could happen.
Thus far, to keep myself preoccupied, I’m playing a video game and surfing the net. I’m pretty relaxed.
At the moment my throat feels pretty great. Must be the painkillers working their magic. I can speak and eat.
One thing I find difficult is:
1. Brushing my teeth. I think the toothpaste I use might be too strong but I’m sure a child’s toothpaste would be better than minty powerful Colgate toothpaste. Instead of that, I use the Brush Ups. But I also discovered another way to brush your teeth even with powerful toothpaste. Don’t squeeze a glob of toothpaste on your toothbrush. Put a small dab…like a little dab of it, and brush slowly and wet your mouth to make sure the toothpaste doesn’t reach the back of your throat and make you gag. It worked out fine for me and I was able to avoid that bad breath people constantly commented about.
I suppose I’m recovering relatively quickly considering that I’m already experiencing slight earaches.
I was nauseous for most of the day in part due to not eating enough which is important when taking those powerful painkillers.
July 26, 2008- They Say History Repeats Itself…So does Pain.
Would it be an exaggeration to suggest that the pain simply recycles itself, preparing for the next day? Well, I’m Columbus for discovering an island of pain that already existed and been felt by others. But now I’m experiencing it too and ah well, gimme an ice pack and some ice and let me sit back and fight it off. I have no choice. It’s that or complaining for some time. I’m aware that earaches are a sign of improvement….but I would like the slight throbbing in my left ear to stop. On a lighter note, Vitamin Water is great. I tried the fruit punch flavor today and I must say it is quite satisfying.
applesauce, Oatmeal, Soup, 2 vitamin water, Nutraments….were much of what I ate.
Overall, it was a pretty decent day. I did not have too many complaints except for the nausea I experienced around 10pm….but that too subsided with time.
July 27, 2008- And My Ears Are A Choir
Well only the left ear is singing, and it’s the only one that has been throbbing for a couple days now. The good news is that the earache isn’t that bad. It just feels like someone is pulling on our ear or the feeling when you get off a plane, too much pressure in your ear, and you yawn..that slight pain that comes with the pop…yup, that’s the earache you feel..however it lasts longer than that one split second off that plane haha.
I had some Chef Boyardee today…the minibites with meatballs. It’s soft so I had no trouble swallowing it. Also, I needed some meat. .I’m sick and tired of applesauce. I begged my mother for a hamburger today. Obviously she told me no. However, later that evening I felt well enough to have mash potatoes and chicken ( I did not eat all of the chicken. It was cut into little pieces. I imagined I was swallowing pills).
Later that evening, I tasted a bitter liquid and it was trailing down my throat. Blood. I had begun to scab. The sensation of it: horrible. I can officially say I have vampire traits since I could do nothing to stop the blood going down my throat...I had officially drank blood. Gross. That’s not very descriptive now is it?. I will proceed to give you a very gruesome example. Everyone has had a scab at some point in their life, and if you haven’t then you are a new species and should report yourself. Well, it’s exactly like that scab you one day got on your knee or elbow. It doesn’t hurt very much unless you touch it or pull it off, right? The one in your throat is one of those cuts being constantly poked…which means pain. But the painkiller is a dose of heaven so you should be fine.
July 28, 2008 Then It Came, A Stupendous Force
I could not sleep. I went to sleep around 5 am and woke up at 9. I cannot express the gratitude I feel towards my mother. I was restless even with a painkiller. I woke her up and wrote on paper how I felt. There was this constant feeling that at any moment I might choke and die ( I know that’s an exaggeration but it was how I felt..like I was on the brink of something fatal). She hugged me. That hug did more for me than any painkiller. Also, my ears were ringing more so than ever before. It hurt a lot but her hands were hot and she placed it over my left ear…it felt exactly like a heat pack. The pain was gone just as quickly. So I suppose heat is good for your ears. Again, there’s nothing to describe a mother’s healing touch.
Eating is luxury at the moment, and I can’t really afford it. I am courting applesauce at the moment and, to be quite frank, our relationship is grand! If my painkillers were human, I’m sure we’d be engaged by now because the difference they make is magnificent.
I ate less than previous days which is the reason why I also felt lightheaded, tired, and weak when I took the pain medication. Otherwise my day went relatively well. I drank water constantly and enjoyed my cinnamon applesauce. I also enjoyed a meal of macaroni and cheese with beef mixed in it. It was pretty delicious. I have to give it to my mom. At the moment the medicine is wearing off but I’ll be able to take one in a bit…oh the joy.
July 29, 2008 Hey Doc!
I woke up with about the same pain as yesterday but I’m handling it better. Maybe because it’s possibly less pain or I’ve just adjusted to the pain. But really, I’m not here shedding tears over it. I still can’t speak and this no-voice trait I’ve picked up isn’t so bad. I write everything down and I’m inventing my own sign language ( not very efficient though).
What does the pain feel like today?
It feels like someone pinched me really hard, hard enough to bruise me a little. Heh, and bruises aren’t so bad. So the pain is tolerable.
I had a 10:45 appointment with my doctor. It was short. He looked inside my mouth and told me I was progressing well. He offered to give me some oral steroids, even though he would rather not, to help with inflammation. I shook my head to indicate that it was unnecessary. He understood that I couldn’t speak from the pain so the meeting consisted of me nodding and shaking my head. Note: The pain isn’t severe. But it does impede my vocal ability if I try to speak.
My mother had some errands to run so of course I had to go with her. Mind you, I carried a cup of ice and water to remain hydrated. I also decided to go to Wendys to buy a baked potato with cheese and sour cream. It’s soft so I saw no reason why it would be difficult to eat. However, they were out of baked potatoes so I took a risk. I wrote on the notepad I walked around with that I would like nuggets and fries. I was able to eat all 6 nuggets. It took a long time though. I chewed the first nugget for what seemed an eternity. This was not a pattern I could maintain for the other five. So instead I skinned the nuggets and cut the white chicken into tiny pieces and ate it. Simple task.
Today I also had some applesauce and an ice cream bar. I also took a look inside my throat. During the other days, my throat was white as if it was covered with a glob of white glue. But today there are pink spots which I take as a sign of healing. Cheers!
For some time today, I didn’t have much to drink because the pain was tolerable. However around 8:20 PM, the bleeding started again. Disgusting. I had some water and took my pill.
Around 9PM I spit out a constant flow of blood. According to this site it’s normal and well to the doctors as well. Afterwards I had an icepop and experienced a little bit of bleeding not too long after.
WARNING: THE IMAGE YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A STRONG STOMACH PLEASE REFRAIN FROM VIEWING IT. IF YOU CHOOSE NOT VIEW THE IMAGE IT IS PERFECTLY UNDERSTANDABLE. I WILL DESCRIBE IT FOR YOU INSTEAD. SO SKIP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LINK IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE IMAGE.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://naze.net/2005/images/2005%25200122%2520jack%2520blood%2520in%2520sink.jpg&imgrefurl=http://naze.net/archive/2005_01.html&h=351&w=468&sz=43&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=2ZoIlcCCqJq4FM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dscabs%2Bfall%2Boff%2Bafter%2Ba%2Btonsillectomy%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US
For those who chose not to view the image:
It shows you a picture of a plastic cup in the middle of a sink. The white sink is splattered with blood. The cup is about half way full of blood showing what the person spit up. They used cups to measure how much blood was lost. The blogger wrote that it was part of the healing process. The person had a Cautery procedure done which involved a hot blade, therefore there was a lot of bleeding due to the scabs coming free to leave behind the healing tissue. Although there is a lot of blood in the picture it seems, he said that that was only about 1/3 of it.:
It ended up being about a cup and a half. Now, I didn't have him spit into this cup for your entertainment. I wanted to know how much blood he was losing. It happened in three 10 minute bouts over an hour. I knew from my many, many experiences giving blood that he could safely lose about a pint. More than that (or at a dramatically greater speed) and we were off to the emergency room.
Fortunately, the bleeding stopped and popsicles were safely in hand.
I looked in the mirror. Where some of the places were white, it’s pink now. Scabs really need to figure out a new way to fall out instead of scaring the…..you know what…out of me. My mother was terrified and my stepfather thought it was pretty cool. I thought it was disgusting and far from fun.
Before I went to bed the pain cut through me. In my head I was thinking, “Oh my God, I’m not going to sleep tonight.” (I was going to sleep… there was no doubt about that). I had a difficult time swallowing. I had to think to swallow…think about the act of pushing water down my throat. I did it. I took a pill and went to bed with the pain. I slept with my mom and stepdad so that they could monitor me as I slept. ADVICE ALERT: I thought it was important to sleep on my side, that way if I started to bleed at night or a scab started to come off I wouldn’t choke. And if I still didn’t wake due to being in REM basking in my dreams, at least I would have my mother to hear me make any noises I’m not aware of…that way she could wake me up and whatnot. My mother placed a towel on the nightstand for me. On her nightstand I also had a tray with a cup of water on it…just in case.
July 30, 2008 And On The 7th day, the pain rose again.
It’s been a week since the surgery and I’m in more pain than ever before. Before the pain was annoying, a constant poking in my throat that I could at least control. But now swallowing is a painful dull ache, throbbing and lasting longer than the time it took to swallow. No earaches at the moment though so yay! Throughout this whole experience so far, only the left side of my throat has been hurting and I’m guessing that’s because there’s more scarred tissue in that area. Maybe that’s why my pain has been more tolerable than most posts I have read. Still I’m no expert and I’m sad to say that I can’t verify that statement.
It took me longer than usual to eat my daily dose of applesauce. It was okay though. I managed. I think I manage well because I expect pain and I expect it to get worse and since I prepare myself that way…I’m alright. I sometimes put ice around my throat but not really.
I had trouble swallowing again. I suppose my throat was a bit inflamed. I’m going through a phase of depression because of the weight loss. I’ve lost several pounds which for me means I’m borderline dead because I was already slender to begin with..just right for my height…and now, yeah…not good. So if you would like to lose about 10 pounds or more remove your tonsils because it will happen. It’ll be a plus for you. Minus for me.
My grandmother made the best soup with chicken ever. The chicken and noodles were so soft it slipped down my throat practically. I hardly had to chew and it went smoothly down my throat. Amazing. I am more grateful than I could ever express for that meal. I’m now keeping track of my calories intake and trying to drink as many Nutraments as I
can.
I enjoyed my day. The pain did subside. It felt like a minor sore throat.
At around 9PM I noticed that the pain on the left stop and migrated to the right side. Not sure what to make of that. I assumed the left is healed and the right is now healing.
For the rest of the evening I was fine until around midnight. I had a horrible experience. I think my throat had become inflamed and too swollen to swallow. I became afraid. I was not in pain. No, pain was the least of my worries. I was afraid of complications like these. I was having the difficulty swallowing symptoms I had experienced before, one of the reasons my tonsils were removed. But it was worse. And I believe it had something to do with the ice cream bar I had earlier. Since I had one yesterday, I thought it would be okay. Dairy products thicken your saliva and my throat was already sore…so those two combinations are a No No. At times I felt like I could not breathe. I had to force myself to swallow. I drank water with ice, sucked on ice chip, buck ice and Vicks around my throat. And Nothing. Water made me feel worse. Eventually I took a pill like an hour or so later. I began to breathe out of my mouth and tried my best not to swallow.
And eventually, with my mom carefully watching over me, I fell asleep. I woke up at 5 AM spitting up blood and a bit dizzy.
I went back to sleep.
July 31, 2008 So About Those Steroids? *raises eyebrow*
I woke up around 8 today. As long as I’m better than last night, I’m fantastic. I can breathe but I still have a bit of trouble swallowing. I hate this swallowing business. And let me be more specific by what I mean trouble swallowing. I CAN swallow but it feels as though I have to be effort and that at any moment I’ll gag. With that said…
I NEED STEROIDS!
AND I WANT THEM NOW!
I pretty much sound like an addict..taking narcotics, antibiotics, and steroids...but whatever takes away these complications I’ll sell my soul for. No pain today. The throat is pretty great except for that ONE MAJOR issue.
Anyways, the doctor said it might’ve been a blood clot and if it persists and I have another episode to come to his office tomorrow.
Luckily, it stopped. I suppose it really was that ice cream bar that almost killed me. I’m staying from ice cream for a really long time.
Once it subsided, I felt better. I ate better. Slept soundly.
August 1, 2008 Where’d It Go?
The pain is nearly nonexistent. It’s a lot easier to swallow. There’s some discomfort but in comparison to the previous days, today feels close enough to what I imagine a miracle should feel like.
Before I went to bed, I made the mistake of gargling while brushing my teeth. Bad idea. I was in pain until morning.
August 2, 2008 Pain Away!
I’m a bit sore. I spit up a bit of blood again. I’m assuming that’s from the scabs falling off. This is my final entry but if you have any further questions feel free to ask questions or e-mail me at _[removed]_
I hope to provide those who have yet to undergo a tonsillectomy and even those who have, with my experience...including tips and other ways I dealt with any discomfort.
July 23, 2008 –Ice Is Your Best Friend and So Is Your Caretaker
Today is my tonsillectomy( I’m to have the coblation procedure done.
What is coblation?
” Unlike traditional tonsillectomy procedures, which remove tonsils by burning or literally cutting them out of the throat, coblation combines radio frequency energy with natural
saline to quickly remove tonsils. Tissue surrounding the tonsil is gently broken down resulting in reduced damage to the surrounding tissue and virtually no bleeding.”
HERE’S THE SITE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON IT
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:ioREEygOlWoJ:www.medcenterone.com/PDF/coblation.pdf+tonsillectomy+too+inflammed+to+swallow&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
This means that I should experience less pain the first few days but it will become more painful…pain supposedly equivalent to that of the traditional tonsillectomy… around days 4, 5, and 6.) and I am quite nervous. I’m a 19 year old female who is fairly aware of the horror stories circling about the internet. I walked into the hospital hoping that my petite stature would mean I’d recover as quickly as a child.
I awoke around 11am from the surgery thinking that I would be greeted with a blast of gut-wrenching pain. However I was fortunate. It felt like a minor sore throat. I experienced no nausea from the anesthesia whatsoever…until later. I smiled and greeted the nurses. I decided to distract myself by using my Ipod to listen to music and check my mail. Believe me, once you’ve found a few distractions it’s much easier not to think about the pain.
The nurses offered me some ICE CHIPS which I gladly accepted. Ice chips, anything cold really, helps to decrease blood circulation and hence helps with the pain. I also took some of the ice and placed it in a paper towel and pressed it firmly against my neck. And once some of the ice melted, I drank the COLD water. My doctor came in to check up on me and informed me that the pain will get worse later on today because the numbing medication he had given me will eventually fade. I was not proud to hear such news but I welcomed it as it allowed me to plan my day.
I was told to expect to vomit up blood which, honestly, appalled me. Thus far, I haven’t been so unfortunate. I’ve spit up a bit of blood, really nothing serious and I thank God it did not hurt. Once at home I took my pain medication Percocet along with my prescribed antibiotic (Cleocin HCL). I took that down with Fruit Chillerz and Jello. I cannot stress this enough, and if you haven’t already read about it please take this advice, keep hydrated constantly that way the scabbing will be easier and smooth ( Otherwise, when it scabs your throat will be try…there’s a chance of it cracking…and you bleeding. Who wants unnecessary pain, right?)
-Fruit Chillers is a product I decided to try because it’s not acidic; it looked extremely soft, and it was cold. It’s kind of like a sorbet really and it’s very soothing and delicious ( but you’ll get sick of it’s sweet taste eventually). I highly recommend it and will even provide a link so that you may have the chance to read up on it if you like. My favorite is the mango. I have yet to try the raspberry. I’m sure you’ll appreciate any type of food suggestions seeing as how limited those options are…especially when you run the risk of losing weight ( and I can’t afford to lose any. I’ve been blessed with a high metabolism and typically eat every two hours…which at the moment I can’t do…so yea, bad news for me)
http://www.slashfood.com/2007/02/16/del-monte-fruit-chillers-review/
-Secondly my mother made me Jello. I know how tiresome Jello can become, well anything really if you’ve had it in excess. However, my mother made it with bananas which is good for potassium and gives you something extra to eat.
Now I’ll inform you of my room set-up because I feel it’s important to be comfortable. If your doctor or some other person hasn’t already told you, I must inform you that Dry Air is bad. It is important to be in a cool room or, if you can, purchase an air humidifier. I am lucky enough to have AC and a fan. I’ve taken several pillows and placed it against the headboard where I rest back and it keeps me in a comfortable sitting position. Beside me is my night stand which I have pressed vertically against my bed for easier access. On it I keep a tray with a cup of water with ice, a cup with ice chips, and whatever snack I choose (Jello, Fruit Chiller, etc). The more you eat and drink, the faster you will heal. I also have my laptop in bed with me which is a lovely distraction. I’ve rented several movies and I have a book so that I may read to pass the time. Find things to do because you become quite bored. Also, keep a phone near you just in case.
Another thing I would recommend is getting very little sleep. If you need to take a nap, take one, a very short one however. Your goal is keep liquid constantly flowing through your throat.
Here’s a few things I would also recommend for food:
1. Nutraments or Ensure. I love Nutrament. It’s a meal so I can’t complain about it.
2. Ice cold Powerade or Gatorade.
3. Ice cream ( but I would say avoid it if you can because dairy products will make you feel phlegmy. I know that sounds disgusting, doesn’t it? But if you can’t avoid that craving or get your hands on anything else cold, eat it but remember to have a lot water with it.)
Don’t let fear consume you or pain master you. Really and truly, if you don’t want pain then drink lots of cold water.
At around 5:!0PM I threw up blood. It was not painful and it was expected. I guess I was not so fortunate after all. WARNING: If you throw up blood for longer than 10 minutes or if it’s more than half a cup, PLEASE CONSULT A DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
At around 6 PM, I managed to have some BOILED EGG.
The anesthesia is catching up to me apparently. Again I’ve had an unpleasant time throwing up and along with it went my pain-killer. So my throat is now more sore than it should be. Still, I’m not too upset about the pain. It’s a bit more of a discomfort.
I attempted to eat pancake. I did so with water. Was not so difficult, but I let it get too cold and it became hard. Even so, it wasn’t that hard to eat. I discovered it was the Percocet that was making me nauseous seeing as that is one of its symptoms.
July 24, 2008 Milkshakes are the bane of my existence…
I know before I said not to sleep but I love my sleep and…my mother forced me. I woke up with some pain, unsurprisingly. It was not a good feeling at all but not one I would cry about either.
For breakfast I had my fruit chiller with water.
My mother went to work and I was home alone until my grandmother came by. I fixed her two quesadillas and she took me to rent some movies. She also took me to buy some food. Sorry, but jello just won’t cut it for me. I wanted food…and desperately. She took me to KFC where she bought me their famous bowl. Now here’s the reason why I chose this. It’s mash potatoes with gravy, corn, and chicken all mixed together. Chicken? Can you really eat chicken right away? Well, here’s the logic behind it. Mash potatoes are soft and it is on the list of things you can eat. Chicken isn’t. However, I did not eat the mash potatoes right away. I waited until an hour later when the chicken soaked into the gravy and was mashed enough until it was soggy. I know that sounds slightly disgusting but it worked, and I had a delightful meal. After the mash potatoes, I felt stronger. I could speak again.
As for the milkshake my grandmother also bought me…that was a small nightmare. I already knew to stay away from dairy products, but really how much harm could an icy cold milkshake cause? Plenty. My throat felt coated and plegmy. I felt like I had to spit something out and that requires quite a bit of force and irritates the throat. Of course the milkshake felt smoothing until I got that awful sensation in my throat. This was my experience, and everyone’s will be different. If you would like a milkshake, try it at your own risk. But quite honestly, I won’t be doing that again. It hurt.
Also, I stopped taking the pain killers. I thought it was the anesthesia causing me problems yesterday, but…no, it was the painkillers fault. Symptoms for the Percocet include: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lightheadedness, flushing, constipation ( Really now? All the food I’d work to get to my stomach was gone because of a medication that was supposed to help me). So I scratched it and took two Tylenols instead.
My doctor was kind enough to call me to check up on me. I told him about my situation with the Percocet and he prescribed something else for me, because he told me the pain will definitely get worse so I need to get some painkillers. Such a good doctor, but I must say….that was not really comforting haha.
I had some oatmeal later. It went down pretty easily. Throat is killing me at the moment at 12:37am.
July 25, 2008 – Tears Tell A Story
I had a rude awakening this morning. The pain in my throat was sharp. I’d imagine this is what it would feel like if I had little needles in my throat pricking me each time I swallow. What I managed to eat yesterday and the day before seems like an impossible task today. It took me about 40 minutes to eat a cup of Applesauce. It hurt so badly a few tears escaped but I sucked it up. I had some ice chips and cold water, ice around my neck. I took my new pain medication, Propox. I can take it every 4 to 6 hours as needed for the pain. I take it every 4 because the pain is pretty bad.
I had some oatmeal today. My grandmother made me some macaroni (no cheese) with salchica ( or those small canned sausage). My taste buds are slightly off, and I was told this could happen.
Thus far, to keep myself preoccupied, I’m playing a video game and surfing the net. I’m pretty relaxed.
At the moment my throat feels pretty great. Must be the painkillers working their magic. I can speak and eat.
One thing I find difficult is:
1. Brushing my teeth. I think the toothpaste I use might be too strong but I’m sure a child’s toothpaste would be better than minty powerful Colgate toothpaste. Instead of that, I use the Brush Ups. But I also discovered another way to brush your teeth even with powerful toothpaste. Don’t squeeze a glob of toothpaste on your toothbrush. Put a small dab…like a little dab of it, and brush slowly and wet your mouth to make sure the toothpaste doesn’t reach the back of your throat and make you gag. It worked out fine for me and I was able to avoid that bad breath people constantly commented about.
I suppose I’m recovering relatively quickly considering that I’m already experiencing slight earaches.
I was nauseous for most of the day in part due to not eating enough which is important when taking those powerful painkillers.
July 26, 2008- They Say History Repeats Itself…So does Pain.
Would it be an exaggeration to suggest that the pain simply recycles itself, preparing for the next day? Well, I’m Columbus for discovering an island of pain that already existed and been felt by others. But now I’m experiencing it too and ah well, gimme an ice pack and some ice and let me sit back and fight it off. I have no choice. It’s that or complaining for some time. I’m aware that earaches are a sign of improvement….but I would like the slight throbbing in my left ear to stop. On a lighter note, Vitamin Water is great. I tried the fruit punch flavor today and I must say it is quite satisfying.
applesauce, Oatmeal, Soup, 2 vitamin water, Nutraments….were much of what I ate.
Overall, it was a pretty decent day. I did not have too many complaints except for the nausea I experienced around 10pm….but that too subsided with time.
July 27, 2008- And My Ears Are A Choir
Well only the left ear is singing, and it’s the only one that has been throbbing for a couple days now. The good news is that the earache isn’t that bad. It just feels like someone is pulling on our ear or the feeling when you get off a plane, too much pressure in your ear, and you yawn..that slight pain that comes with the pop…yup, that’s the earache you feel..however it lasts longer than that one split second off that plane haha.
I had some Chef Boyardee today…the minibites with meatballs. It’s soft so I had no trouble swallowing it. Also, I needed some meat. .I’m sick and tired of applesauce. I begged my mother for a hamburger today. Obviously she told me no. However, later that evening I felt well enough to have mash potatoes and chicken ( I did not eat all of the chicken. It was cut into little pieces. I imagined I was swallowing pills).
Later that evening, I tasted a bitter liquid and it was trailing down my throat. Blood. I had begun to scab. The sensation of it: horrible. I can officially say I have vampire traits since I could do nothing to stop the blood going down my throat...I had officially drank blood. Gross. That’s not very descriptive now is it?. I will proceed to give you a very gruesome example. Everyone has had a scab at some point in their life, and if you haven’t then you are a new species and should report yourself. Well, it’s exactly like that scab you one day got on your knee or elbow. It doesn’t hurt very much unless you touch it or pull it off, right? The one in your throat is one of those cuts being constantly poked…which means pain. But the painkiller is a dose of heaven so you should be fine.
July 28, 2008 Then It Came, A Stupendous Force
I could not sleep. I went to sleep around 5 am and woke up at 9. I cannot express the gratitude I feel towards my mother. I was restless even with a painkiller. I woke her up and wrote on paper how I felt. There was this constant feeling that at any moment I might choke and die ( I know that’s an exaggeration but it was how I felt..like I was on the brink of something fatal). She hugged me. That hug did more for me than any painkiller. Also, my ears were ringing more so than ever before. It hurt a lot but her hands were hot and she placed it over my left ear…it felt exactly like a heat pack. The pain was gone just as quickly. So I suppose heat is good for your ears. Again, there’s nothing to describe a mother’s healing touch.
Eating is luxury at the moment, and I can’t really afford it. I am courting applesauce at the moment and, to be quite frank, our relationship is grand! If my painkillers were human, I’m sure we’d be engaged by now because the difference they make is magnificent.
I ate less than previous days which is the reason why I also felt lightheaded, tired, and weak when I took the pain medication. Otherwise my day went relatively well. I drank water constantly and enjoyed my cinnamon applesauce. I also enjoyed a meal of macaroni and cheese with beef mixed in it. It was pretty delicious. I have to give it to my mom. At the moment the medicine is wearing off but I’ll be able to take one in a bit…oh the joy.
July 29, 2008 Hey Doc!
I woke up with about the same pain as yesterday but I’m handling it better. Maybe because it’s possibly less pain or I’ve just adjusted to the pain. But really, I’m not here shedding tears over it. I still can’t speak and this no-voice trait I’ve picked up isn’t so bad. I write everything down and I’m inventing my own sign language ( not very efficient though).
What does the pain feel like today?
It feels like someone pinched me really hard, hard enough to bruise me a little. Heh, and bruises aren’t so bad. So the pain is tolerable.
I had a 10:45 appointment with my doctor. It was short. He looked inside my mouth and told me I was progressing well. He offered to give me some oral steroids, even though he would rather not, to help with inflammation. I shook my head to indicate that it was unnecessary. He understood that I couldn’t speak from the pain so the meeting consisted of me nodding and shaking my head. Note: The pain isn’t severe. But it does impede my vocal ability if I try to speak.
My mother had some errands to run so of course I had to go with her. Mind you, I carried a cup of ice and water to remain hydrated. I also decided to go to Wendys to buy a baked potato with cheese and sour cream. It’s soft so I saw no reason why it would be difficult to eat. However, they were out of baked potatoes so I took a risk. I wrote on the notepad I walked around with that I would like nuggets and fries. I was able to eat all 6 nuggets. It took a long time though. I chewed the first nugget for what seemed an eternity. This was not a pattern I could maintain for the other five. So instead I skinned the nuggets and cut the white chicken into tiny pieces and ate it. Simple task.
Today I also had some applesauce and an ice cream bar. I also took a look inside my throat. During the other days, my throat was white as if it was covered with a glob of white glue. But today there are pink spots which I take as a sign of healing. Cheers!
For some time today, I didn’t have much to drink because the pain was tolerable. However around 8:20 PM, the bleeding started again. Disgusting. I had some water and took my pill.
Around 9PM I spit out a constant flow of blood. According to this site it’s normal and well to the doctors as well. Afterwards I had an icepop and experienced a little bit of bleeding not too long after.
WARNING: THE IMAGE YOU ARE ABOUT TO SEE IS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A STRONG STOMACH PLEASE REFRAIN FROM VIEWING IT. IF YOU CHOOSE NOT VIEW THE IMAGE IT IS PERFECTLY UNDERSTANDABLE. I WILL DESCRIBE IT FOR YOU INSTEAD. SO SKIP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE LINK IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SEE THE IMAGE.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://naze.net/2005/images/2005%25200122%2520jack%2520blood%2520in%2520sink.jpg&imgrefurl=http://naze.net/archive/2005_01.html&h=351&w=468&sz=43&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=2ZoIlcCCqJq4FM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=128&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dscabs%2Bfall%2Boff%2Bafter%2Ba%2Btonsillectomy%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-US
For those who chose not to view the image:
It shows you a picture of a plastic cup in the middle of a sink. The white sink is splattered with blood. The cup is about half way full of blood showing what the person spit up. They used cups to measure how much blood was lost. The blogger wrote that it was part of the healing process. The person had a Cautery procedure done which involved a hot blade, therefore there was a lot of bleeding due to the scabs coming free to leave behind the healing tissue. Although there is a lot of blood in the picture it seems, he said that that was only about 1/3 of it.:
It ended up being about a cup and a half. Now, I didn't have him spit into this cup for your entertainment. I wanted to know how much blood he was losing. It happened in three 10 minute bouts over an hour. I knew from my many, many experiences giving blood that he could safely lose about a pint. More than that (or at a dramatically greater speed) and we were off to the emergency room.
Fortunately, the bleeding stopped and popsicles were safely in hand.
I looked in the mirror. Where some of the places were white, it’s pink now. Scabs really need to figure out a new way to fall out instead of scaring the…..you know what…out of me. My mother was terrified and my stepfather thought it was pretty cool. I thought it was disgusting and far from fun.
Before I went to bed the pain cut through me. In my head I was thinking, “Oh my God, I’m not going to sleep tonight.” (I was going to sleep… there was no doubt about that). I had a difficult time swallowing. I had to think to swallow…think about the act of pushing water down my throat. I did it. I took a pill and went to bed with the pain. I slept with my mom and stepdad so that they could monitor me as I slept. ADVICE ALERT: I thought it was important to sleep on my side, that way if I started to bleed at night or a scab started to come off I wouldn’t choke. And if I still didn’t wake due to being in REM basking in my dreams, at least I would have my mother to hear me make any noises I’m not aware of…that way she could wake me up and whatnot. My mother placed a towel on the nightstand for me. On her nightstand I also had a tray with a cup of water on it…just in case.
July 30, 2008 And On The 7th day, the pain rose again.
It’s been a week since the surgery and I’m in more pain than ever before. Before the pain was annoying, a constant poking in my throat that I could at least control. But now swallowing is a painful dull ache, throbbing and lasting longer than the time it took to swallow. No earaches at the moment though so yay! Throughout this whole experience so far, only the left side of my throat has been hurting and I’m guessing that’s because there’s more scarred tissue in that area. Maybe that’s why my pain has been more tolerable than most posts I have read. Still I’m no expert and I’m sad to say that I can’t verify that statement.
It took me longer than usual to eat my daily dose of applesauce. It was okay though. I managed. I think I manage well because I expect pain and I expect it to get worse and since I prepare myself that way…I’m alright. I sometimes put ice around my throat but not really.
I had trouble swallowing again. I suppose my throat was a bit inflamed. I’m going through a phase of depression because of the weight loss. I’ve lost several pounds which for me means I’m borderline dead because I was already slender to begin with..just right for my height…and now, yeah…not good. So if you would like to lose about 10 pounds or more remove your tonsils because it will happen. It’ll be a plus for you. Minus for me.
My grandmother made the best soup with chicken ever. The chicken and noodles were so soft it slipped down my throat practically. I hardly had to chew and it went smoothly down my throat. Amazing. I am more grateful than I could ever express for that meal. I’m now keeping track of my calories intake and trying to drink as many Nutraments as I
can.
I enjoyed my day. The pain did subside. It felt like a minor sore throat.
At around 9PM I noticed that the pain on the left stop and migrated to the right side. Not sure what to make of that. I assumed the left is healed and the right is now healing.
For the rest of the evening I was fine until around midnight. I had a horrible experience. I think my throat had become inflamed and too swollen to swallow. I became afraid. I was not in pain. No, pain was the least of my worries. I was afraid of complications like these. I was having the difficulty swallowing symptoms I had experienced before, one of the reasons my tonsils were removed. But it was worse. And I believe it had something to do with the ice cream bar I had earlier. Since I had one yesterday, I thought it would be okay. Dairy products thicken your saliva and my throat was already sore…so those two combinations are a No No. At times I felt like I could not breathe. I had to force myself to swallow. I drank water with ice, sucked on ice chip, buck ice and Vicks around my throat. And Nothing. Water made me feel worse. Eventually I took a pill like an hour or so later. I began to breathe out of my mouth and tried my best not to swallow.
And eventually, with my mom carefully watching over me, I fell asleep. I woke up at 5 AM spitting up blood and a bit dizzy.
I went back to sleep.
July 31, 2008 So About Those Steroids? *raises eyebrow*
I woke up around 8 today. As long as I’m better than last night, I’m fantastic. I can breathe but I still have a bit of trouble swallowing. I hate this swallowing business. And let me be more specific by what I mean trouble swallowing. I CAN swallow but it feels as though I have to be effort and that at any moment I’ll gag. With that said…
I NEED STEROIDS!
AND I WANT THEM NOW!
I pretty much sound like an addict..taking narcotics, antibiotics, and steroids...but whatever takes away these complications I’ll sell my soul for. No pain today. The throat is pretty great except for that ONE MAJOR issue.
Anyways, the doctor said it might’ve been a blood clot and if it persists and I have another episode to come to his office tomorrow.
Luckily, it stopped. I suppose it really was that ice cream bar that almost killed me. I’m staying from ice cream for a really long time.
Once it subsided, I felt better. I ate better. Slept soundly.
August 1, 2008 Where’d It Go?
The pain is nearly nonexistent. It’s a lot easier to swallow. There’s some discomfort but in comparison to the previous days, today feels close enough to what I imagine a miracle should feel like.
Before I went to bed, I made the mistake of gargling while brushing my teeth. Bad idea. I was in pain until morning.
August 2, 2008 Pain Away!
I’m a bit sore. I spit up a bit of blood again. I’m assuming that’s from the scabs falling off. This is my final entry but if you have any further questions feel free to ask questions or e-mail me at _[removed]_
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Hi there!
I just came across your blog! Thanks so much for that information
I'm on day 3 of my tonsillectomy which was done via coblation, and am very nervous as to what to expect soon!
Thanks for the info, i'm trying to prepare myself for the next few days.
Cheers!
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