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Hi Brandi my name is pam i am 54 years old & i just want to tell you don't listen to anyone who says the tonsils don't need to come out after this many episodes like you explain please sweetheart get it done while you are still young it is nooooo picnic at this age SERIOUSLY the older you get the worst it gets ok.... I am on day 7 the pain has been more bearable then i ever thought it was going to be so far but i did exactly as you are doing & i came on here & read blogs & took alot of advice from everyone wrote things down as i liked what read & went from there... The most important thing i can tell you is make sure the dr.. first of all gives you liquid medications i hear about some people on here swallowing there medicines in tablet form & i say shame on those dr's that did there surgery....Always make sure you take the medicine on time everytime even if you have to set an alarm clock you are 15 i am sure you have a cell phone at that age so set the alarm clock on your phone every 2 hours wet your throat with cold water ice chips if you tolerate them this is my favorite i chew ice chips all day long i love it & lots & lots of juices with ice in them NO STTRAWS ok will cause bleeding just not high acid juices like orange or grapefruit either stick with apple or white grape juisce i found to be yummy i am at the end of this journey now & i hope it is a peaceful ending with no problems also ..Oh one more thing for anyone out there who needs advice there is this over the counter medicine called emetrol anti nausea medicine pick it up because you will need this you get extremely sick to the tummy from the medicines you need to take & this stuff reallly calms down the tummy

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How is your voice now? Vibrato? I'm 55 and having my tonsils out in about one month. I sing professionally so you can imagine I'm a little concerned. I've had people give me complete horror stories already.
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Hi my name is Amy my son is five he had his tonsils and adinios out in November it is now nearly April and his voice hasn't changes back he still sound like a squeaky girl please help
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Replying since this is one of the top results on google.I had my tonsils and uvula removed a few years ago. Afterwards my voice deepened and stayed that way. Now I can not make high pitch noises, sounds, or anything... the 'experience' to do so is still there... but when I try nothing comes out except the sound of air. My ability to produce high pitch noises past a D note is gone. I can still sing, but only Tenor... Even C notes are difficult to hit.

This differs for everyone, so you might not be affected, might be temporary, or like me permanent.

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Joshua,

Just curious whether you've consulted a voice couch since you're tonsillectomy?
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That would be voice "coach".
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I just wanted to add my experience incase anyone should stumble upon this thread. I had my tonsils removed in August and was initially worried about my voice as well. Due to the pain, I was unable to speak immediately following my surgery, and four days into my recovery, I caught pneumonia, which obviously did not help the situation. Accordingly, I was instructed to rest my voice for longer than the normal patient and was ordered not to sing for at least a month and a half following the surgery.  

Overtime, my speaking voice came back, albeit higher pitched, as did my singing voice. At first, my singing voice was extremely weak, and I was worried that it would never return to normal. Recently, however, I have begun to start singing again more regularly and have noticed that my voice is actually better than it was before. I can breath easier through my mouth and notes that I once struggled to reach are no longer quite so difficult. While I believe that I still need more practice in order to strengthen it, I have a feeling that my voice will actually become stronger than ever with some work. 

Anyways, good luck to everyone who goes through this painful procedure! In the end, I must say that it was completely worth it, as I no longer wake up to tonsil stones, no longer have to worry about constant tonsilitus, and I have yet to have a sinus infection or bronchitus despite experiencing colds/allergies. 

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Hi ..im new to this infection of my tonsilis and all this. Its a first for me i am 16 and one of my tonsils is infected with white stuff, just one though. Im scared of my opinions i will have to face at the Doctors office. I personally want both removed but my mom is not rich and doesn't have the money shed rather me take alot of medication....but i just need someone, anyone to tell me what in dying to know the surgery dose it hurt..will the scabs fall off and make me bleed to death after surgery....
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My 6 years old son had surgery last Wednesday 05/29/2013. Now, his voice sounds high, more like girl's voice, or 2-3 years old boy's voice. I'll ask his surgeon whether his voice will be back to normal. My friend, she is a doctor, informed me that his voice will be back to normal after he's completely recovered. I do hope so.

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I'd like to just add my experience thus far. I'm 28, had my tonsils removed 7days ago. It still hurts to swallow anything even water. I refrain from talking cause it's painful to. I have no clue if my scabs have come off yet or not. I think they're supposed to come off anytime soon. The doc gave me two pills, one for pain and other to prevent infections. I've lost 13lbs because my lack of wanting to eat or drink anything cause of the pain. And yes the breath is bad and all you really can do is gently scrub the top of your tongue with your toothbrush. I found this helped it some what. Also, you'll find that whatever you drink and sometimes even what you eat may make its way up your nose and makes it unpleasant. I had very large tonsils and I've read that the recovery process takes longer the bigger the tonsils are. I am just glad that I had them taken out! I feel I can breath without any obstruction at all! Its great! Another note, try to drink a nutritional drink whether it be vitamin water, ensure, etc or you start to get dark eyes if you are like me and can't find it possible to eat anything yet. Dairy products do cause mucous to hang out in the back of your throat so try to stay away from those. And try to add some fiber into your system, your tummy will thank you. I did not have a bowel movement until 6 days after I got them removed and it was not all that easy to pass, if you know what I mean. Sorry for the surprise information but at least you know what to avoid and expect now. Lastly, as much as it is painful...drink water. As much as you can handle. Because your body needs it, your joints need it, your digestive track needs it and supposedly because it helps to heal faster. Everyones healing process is different. I just read some lady gobbled up a cheeseburger on day 10, I can't see myself doing that and as much as I'd love to eat a cheeseburger I'm not going to rush myself. As far as voice changing goes, I'm not a singer so I don't really care if my voice changes, I'm sure its not gana be a dramatic change if it does happen. I haven't been able to talk cause of the pain yet but I shall see. Good luck! You'll be glad they're out once you start to feel better. Trust me.
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Hi everyone,

 

I had my tonsils removed about a year ago and my vocal range improved. i now feel the vibration in my head which allows mea higher pitch. I am 32 and i can honestly say that it was the best decision i could have made.

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Hi everyone, My name is Hailey I'm 11 and I am thinking about getting my tonsils removed. I'm very scared about it. The only reason I'm doing this is because my tonsils is swelled up. And I can barely sing a whole song and any time I try to i have to catch my breath even when I speak long sentences or paragraghs. I read that if it has been swelled up more than 20 days then it is serious and it has been more then twenty days. I'm very worried about it can any one give me any advice about it I am very worried and scared!:'(

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Hi,

I had my tonsil out 16 days ago. Never regret it. Im a singer too. Never look back!!

 

This is from one of the article about Josh groban:

 

I had been to every doctor in every country," says Groban. "They'd say 'Well, it is tonsillitis. Let's hope it doesn't go down to the cords.' But it would always go to the cords and give me strep throat."

"There are different ways to perform a tonsillectomy," says Kantor "When you deal with a singer you want as little scarring as possible. Now some doctors talk about shaving the tonsils with a laser and others dissect with electrocautery." Electrocautery is a hot electric knife that is designed to seal bleeding vessels.

"Basically there is no major or minor surgery, but there are major and minor surgeons," explains Kantor. "Perhaps the most underestimated surgery there is, is a tonsillectomy. Years ago we used to do it under a local, but there were more deaths as a result of that, so we have to put the patient under [general] anesthesia."

Once under, Kantor says it is all in the technique.

"The whole idea is to take out the tonsil very carefully and just pinpoint cautery so you have as little scar tissue as possible so you don't have any change in their voice," says Kantor. "A lot of ear, nose, and throat doctors now do complete dissection with cautery which causes less bleeding, but you end up with more pain and more scar tissue than with a careful dissection."

O holy night

Recovering from tonsil surgery can be tough at first.

"I woke up and took a sip of apple juice," says Groban, "and it was probably the most painful thing I ever experienced in my life. I didn't drink anything else the rest of the day."

At the time Groban had his tonsillectomy, he had just had appeared on Oprah with strep throat. "I was so ready to get those out of my body that I was willing to have the pain," says Groban. "I woke up and said 'Thank God they're out of there.'"

"His tonsillectomy had a very short recuperation period — about two weeks," notes Romano. "Now he's back singing and his voice is better than ever."

"I was talking in three days," says Groban. "Vicodin can do amazing things. For the three hours that the Vicodin affected me, I could talk and I could eat even, but as soon as it wore off I couldn't drink one drop. So it really depended on how medicated I was. I ate soft foods again in three or four days. I was talking again comfortably in a week and a half, and singing again in two and a half weeks."

"Having my tonsils out didn't change the sound at all; in fact it really helped because it freed up my throat," adds Groban. "Having them out helps me to breathe and sing much easier. Now that they are gone a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I don't fear that I am going to get a sore throat any more."

Groban now can concentrate on a healthy, disciplined lifestyle.

"I need to live my life, but also I need to take care," says Groban. "I can drink if I don't have to sing, but alcohol dries out your throat, smoking is bad for you, and drugs, no way."

Groban's mentor has a strict recipe for voice health.

"You have to get the right amount of sleep, be on the right diet. You have to live for your throat," says Romano. "It is a very disciplined life to be a real singer, like being an Olympic athlete."

And Groban's discipline is paying big dividends. His new CD and DVD —Josh Groban in Concert– debuted in the Top 40.

"If you get tonsillitis more than three times a year you should see a doctor, get your tonsils checked," says Groban. "Don't be afraid of having a tonsillectomy, and make sure you go to a doctor who has experience. A lot of singers say it was the best thing they ever did. I know it was for me."

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My 27 yrs old son had his tonsils taken out the last wk in July, his voice did not returned to normal and he can't sing anymore. Anyone has any information on how long this can take? Is this going to be permanent?

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How long did it take for your son's voice to return to normal? My grandson is on day 6 post-op and has just started speaking but it too sounds like he sucked the helium from balloons.
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