i just had all three last friday. i ws cool at first. i was prescribed oxycodone W/ tylenol aka roxicet. i was in pain but could eat and then it struck me. today is the fifth day and i am in serious pain. i used to be able to eatr and drink now it is terrible. i am nauseous from the pain meds and they dont last as long. i have to constantly drink now i get dizzy and its worse, they say the end is worse than the beginning but i am tellin u 4 sure it is. take it slow @ first then progress
Hey Guys,
These boards were invaluable to me before and as I went through the Tonsillectomy and Septoplasty procedures together (well, let's face it, what else are you going to do post-op?) so I felt I would contribute my experience to the conversation.
It's now been almost 3 weeks since I had the combination operation. I am 100% back to normal. However, if I wasn't so lazy, I could have come on to these boards and said that exact statement a week ago. In fact, I was able to go off pain meds around day 4 or 5 (went from Oxy to normal Tylenol by the 3rd day). I know the recovery greatly varies from person to person, but wanted to throw my positive data point out there. You'll hear a lot of horror stories before you go in, and in a way it's good to really expect the worst, but it can go really well also! I was literally eating a Spicy Chicken sandwich from Wendy's less than a week after the surgery (granted, it was a mistake and I went back to softer foods for a week, but I was able to do it:)
Here's some advice from my recovery:
-Ice water is definitely the way to go for drinking. I stocked up on so much gatorade before the surgery, but didn't realize it was acidic until after the surgery. I still had one from time to time, but water feels much better because of the acidity of Gatorade (which also means stay away from lemondae, soda, ect...but you already knew that)
-It definitely helps to have friends or family over for the first couple days or week. I'm 25 and have been living alone for a while, so I was a little anxious about my mom coming to live with me for a week in my 1 bedroom apartment. Totally worth it. Even though I could probably do most things on my own, I think my recovery went so well because I didn't have to worry about a thing.
-Ensure/Boost: Load up on them. Most food you'll be allowed to eat in the first couple days will suck (soft rice, cold soup, ect). If your hungry and don't want to deal with bad taste or pain, knock back an Ensure Chocolate non-dairy shake. You'll get your calories for an entire meal and tons of protein which will help speed recovery. I go to the gym a lot and was worried about muscle loss during my recovery. Not an issue thanks to these drinks.
-Don't do dairy. They usually tell you this, and I have found there is good reason.
-Gross, but get some laxatives beforehand. The pain meds don't let you, er...you get it.
-Your nose will be disgusting. Don't think about it. The pain in your throat usually serves as a good distraction though.
Bottom line, I'm really glad I got this done. I did not know you were supposed to be able to breathe through both nostrils at the same time. I feel so much better, and as others have noted, I feel like I have a lot more energy now even though I have been sleeping less! My mom confirmed my snoring has been greatly reduced and a tickling I always had in the back of my throat is virtually gone.
I was apprehensive about the surgery (especially breathing through my mouth for a week, a mouth that had just been operated on itself), but if you are on the fence, and your doc thinks you should do it, definitely go for it! I am so glad I did.
and if you live in Philadelphia- Dr. Goldstein at Penn Med. You won't find any better.
These boards were invaluable to me before and as I went through the Tonsillectomy and Septoplasty procedures together (well, let's face it, what else are you going to do post-op?) so I felt I would contribute my experience to the conversation.
It's now been almost 3 weeks since I had the combination operation. I am 100% back to normal. However, if I wasn't so lazy, I could have come on to these boards and said that exact statement a week ago. In fact, I was able to go off pain meds around day 4 or 5 (went from Oxy to normal Tylenol by the 3rd day). I know the recovery greatly varies from person to person, but wanted to throw my positive data point out there. You'll hear a lot of horror stories before you go in, and in a way it's good to really expect the worst, but it can go really well also! I was literally eating a Spicy Chicken sandwich from Wendy's less than a week after the surgery (granted, it was a mistake and I went back to softer foods for a week, but I was able to do it:)
Here's some advice from my recovery:
-Ice water is definitely the way to go for drinking. I stocked up on so much gatorade before the surgery, but didn't realize it was acidic until after the surgery. I still had one from time to time, but water feels much better because of the acidity of Gatorade (which also means stay away from lemondae, soda, ect...but you already knew that)
-It definitely helps to have friends or family over for the first couple days or week. I'm 25 and have been living alone for a while, so I was a little anxious about my mom coming to live with me for a week in my 1 bedroom apartment. Totally worth it. Even though I could probably do most things on my own, I think my recovery went so well because I didn't have to worry about a thing.
-Ensure/Boost: Load up on them. Most food you'll be allowed to eat in the first couple days will suck (soft rice, cold soup, ect). If your hungry and don't want to deal with bad taste or pain, knock back an Ensure Chocolate non-dairy shake. You'll get your calories for an entire meal and tons of protein which will help speed recovery. I go to the gym a lot and was worried about muscle loss during my recovery. Not an issue thanks to these drinks.
-Don't do dairy. They usually tell you this, and I have found there is good reason.
-Gross, but get some laxatives beforehand. The pain meds don't let you, er...you get it.
-Your nose will be disgusting. Don't think about it. The pain in your throat usually serves as a good distraction though.
Bottom line, I'm really glad I got this done. I did not know you were supposed to be able to breathe through both nostrils at the same time. I feel so much better, and as others have noted, I feel like I have a lot more energy now even though I have been sleeping less! My mom confirmed my snoring has been greatly reduced and a tickling I always had in the back of my throat is virtually gone.
I was apprehensive about the surgery (especially breathing through my mouth for a week, a mouth that had just been operated on itself), but if you are on the fence, and your doc thinks you should do it, definitely go for it! I am so glad I did.
and if you live in Philadelphia- Dr. Goldstein at Penn Med. You won't find any better.
Hey everyone. I had this surgery done yesterday except I had tonsillectomy, Turbinate reduction, and septoplasty.. and I honestly feel fine.
I have been living off mashed potatoes and jello. But if you keep up with the pain medicine you'll be good.
My nose has been bleeding pretty bad, but they didn't pack mine or put splints so I just roll up some gauze and tape it under my nose to catch the blood. It really hasn't been that bad even though i'm about to starve. Haha.
Just go in expecting the worse and It won't be nearly as bad. Hope this helps. :-)
I have been living off mashed potatoes and jello. But if you keep up with the pain medicine you'll be good.
My nose has been bleeding pretty bad, but they didn't pack mine or put splints so I just roll up some gauze and tape it under my nose to catch the blood. It really hasn't been that bad even though i'm about to starve. Haha.
Just go in expecting the worse and It won't be nearly as bad. Hope this helps. :-)
hello. i have had respitory problems for about 2 years now.i had one surgery to open up my nasal passages and about 4 months ago i got my adenoids removed. i thought this would help me breathe better through my nose but i only feel worse now. my ent says there is nothing else they can do for me and the only thing he sees wrong is that my hard palate is swollen which he said might make it hard to breathe through my nose and produce sinus and mucus problems which i have. i think that smoking weed and cigarettes caused all this and thats the only thing i havent quit doing. i dont do it as much beacuse of my health problems. i wake up with my mouth wide open and constant dry lips. it is harder to swallow now and i always feel weak, tired, and off balance. i feel a constant swelling behind my nose and a cyst in my right sinus. i can make my hard palate make a clicking nose. this has been going on for 2 years and is affecting my life. what is wrong with me and what do i do?
I copied most of another reply as it was exactly what I had:
I am 4 weeks post-op from a combined septoplasty, tonsillectomy, and turbinate reduction. mine was done as out patient under general anestesia. i must say the worst part of the actual healing was the throat pain.. thought is is gone now. the pain from my throat could be felt in both my ears and all my teeth and both jaw sockets, which surprised me. I could not even tell I had anything done to my nose.
For the tonsillectomy, I had it average compared to others. It was easier at first, then it got painful towards day 6-10. I actually ate a pancake on the afternoon of the tonsillectomy. I didn't do any ice cream because it slows down recovery, but could not do any sorbets because they all tasted extremely acidic and hurt my throat. I could also not eat Jello as it also felt acidic. I drank a lot of iced water and used a ton of saline spray on my nose (every 30mins). I did have to wake up every hour at night during the first week to drink water so that my throat wouldn't hurt. That was the worse part.
I got the splints out one week after surgery and it was a breeze. Again, I did use a lot of saline solution, so that helped it. My doctor used the disolvable packing. That day felt so good I forgot about the tonsillectomy. I could sleep ok after that as I could breathe a lot more from my nose and my throat didn't get so dry at night.
I was out of work for about 2 weeks. I went back a little low on energy but I have an office job so I took it a little easier. I had a pretty good recovery and would assume that most people should take 2-3 weeks off from work.
I do now feel that my taste buds are not normal. Food just doesn't taste like much. I get a hint of flavor but it gets boring quickly. The back of my throat does have that buttery feeling, maybe it is phlegm? I'm getting still quite a bit of it.. will ask the doctor when I see him next week at a follow up appt.
I didn't really know what I was getting into with the tonsillectomy, and am glad about it otherwise I would have skipped it out of fear. But now that it is past, I don't regret doing it... I don't remember it being that bad now that it is past.
I am 4 weeks post-op from a combined septoplasty, tonsillectomy, and turbinate reduction. mine was done as out patient under general anestesia. i must say the worst part of the actual healing was the throat pain.. thought is is gone now. the pain from my throat could be felt in both my ears and all my teeth and both jaw sockets, which surprised me. I could not even tell I had anything done to my nose.
For the tonsillectomy, I had it average compared to others. It was easier at first, then it got painful towards day 6-10. I actually ate a pancake on the afternoon of the tonsillectomy. I didn't do any ice cream because it slows down recovery, but could not do any sorbets because they all tasted extremely acidic and hurt my throat. I could also not eat Jello as it also felt acidic. I drank a lot of iced water and used a ton of saline spray on my nose (every 30mins). I did have to wake up every hour at night during the first week to drink water so that my throat wouldn't hurt. That was the worse part.
I got the splints out one week after surgery and it was a breeze. Again, I did use a lot of saline solution, so that helped it. My doctor used the disolvable packing. That day felt so good I forgot about the tonsillectomy. I could sleep ok after that as I could breathe a lot more from my nose and my throat didn't get so dry at night.
I was out of work for about 2 weeks. I went back a little low on energy but I have an office job so I took it a little easier. I had a pretty good recovery and would assume that most people should take 2-3 weeks off from work.
I do now feel that my taste buds are not normal. Food just doesn't taste like much. I get a hint of flavor but it gets boring quickly. The back of my throat does have that buttery feeling, maybe it is phlegm? I'm getting still quite a bit of it.. will ask the doctor when I see him next week at a follow up appt.
I didn't really know what I was getting into with the tonsillectomy, and am glad about it otherwise I would have skipped it out of fear. But now that it is past, I don't regret doing it... I don't remember it being that bad now that it is past.
Just wanted to add my own post as I have read hundreds of these and frightened myself to death, I thought my own post might help someone out there.
I am a 29 y/o female and two wks post-op.
I had a tonsillectomy and septoplasty as well as cauterization of some blood vessels in my right nostril.
Here is my post-op advice and the tips that were my saving grace- (In order of importance!)
1. Manage your nausea with the prescribed meds, from the get-go, even if you feel fine! Throwing up is no fun with all the pressure in your nose, not to mention your sore throat!
2. Stay on top of your pain meds! My hubby set alarms for every 3.5 hr.s and even woke me through the night to stay on top of my dosage times. Trust me, you don't want breakthrough pain!
3. Sleep as upright as possible to allow easier drainage and prevent you from more irritation and swallowing which hurts for a few days!
4. Humidifier Humidifier Humidifier! You will be breathing thru your >very< sore throat and when you wake up your tongue will feel like velcro! Keep as much moisture in your room as possible!! Once you are up and moving, it also feels great to sit in your tub with a hot shower running. Feels great on your throat and sinuses!
5. Fluids! The drier you get, the more it will hurt! I even just swished water in my mouth and spit it out when I was too sore to swallow. I also put tiny ice cubes on my tongue and let them melt because it hurt too bad to take gulps of water.
6. As my plugged nose became more and more frustrating, I put steaming hot washcloths over my face. It was so soothing! It also feels amazing over your neck! You can also put ice packs over your neck, which feels great!
-I found warm liquids much more soothing than cold! Forget shakes, smoothies, even popsicles and carbonated drinks...they all hurt like heck! at least for the first week!
7. Saline Spray also helped me get a little air thru my nose before the splints were removed and I'm still using it now as I'm scared to blow my nose!
-Also, my tastebuds were totally zapped until just recently! This terrified me as I thought my lingual nerve had been damaged! Don't worry, it comes back! I am still getting intermittent tingling and numbness on my tongue, but it is improving greatly each day! At first, my sense of taste was totally scrambled and most everything tasted metallic or just plain awful. Don't worry, it's ok, it goes back to normal! Mines still not 100% but it's getting there!
-I am still having pain, sore throat, and it's day 13! Mostly at night, and I'm taking pills now, one at night.
-Sleep as much as possible the first 3 days. And mark my words, you will feel much better and then all of the sudden, either day 5 or 6, you will want to die! You will get hit with a surge of pain! I've heard it's because the scabs shrink around that day. Keep it in mind and stay home! Stay on top of your meds!
-Foods that went down o.k. for me were Jell-o, pudding, sorbet, and chicken noodle soup.
-Also, have your caregiver (I almost forgot to mention this, but you NEED a caregiver for the first week optimally. to check on you, fetch you things, wake you for meds, care for your children and/or pets, check your mail, answer your calls, etc.) check your throat as needed to make sure things look good. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're bleeding or not, and you def. need to be conscientious about this as the biggest complication is post-op bleeding.
Hope this helps you, I wish someone would have told me this stuff beforehand!
I am a 29 y/o female and two wks post-op.
I had a tonsillectomy and septoplasty as well as cauterization of some blood vessels in my right nostril.
Here is my post-op advice and the tips that were my saving grace- (In order of importance!)
1. Manage your nausea with the prescribed meds, from the get-go, even if you feel fine! Throwing up is no fun with all the pressure in your nose, not to mention your sore throat!
2. Stay on top of your pain meds! My hubby set alarms for every 3.5 hr.s and even woke me through the night to stay on top of my dosage times. Trust me, you don't want breakthrough pain!
3. Sleep as upright as possible to allow easier drainage and prevent you from more irritation and swallowing which hurts for a few days!
4. Humidifier Humidifier Humidifier! You will be breathing thru your >very< sore throat and when you wake up your tongue will feel like velcro! Keep as much moisture in your room as possible!! Once you are up and moving, it also feels great to sit in your tub with a hot shower running. Feels great on your throat and sinuses!
5. Fluids! The drier you get, the more it will hurt! I even just swished water in my mouth and spit it out when I was too sore to swallow. I also put tiny ice cubes on my tongue and let them melt because it hurt too bad to take gulps of water.
6. As my plugged nose became more and more frustrating, I put steaming hot washcloths over my face. It was so soothing! It also feels amazing over your neck! You can also put ice packs over your neck, which feels great!
-I found warm liquids much more soothing than cold! Forget shakes, smoothies, even popsicles and carbonated drinks...they all hurt like heck! at least for the first week!
7. Saline Spray also helped me get a little air thru my nose before the splints were removed and I'm still using it now as I'm scared to blow my nose!
-Also, my tastebuds were totally zapped until just recently! This terrified me as I thought my lingual nerve had been damaged! Don't worry, it comes back! I am still getting intermittent tingling and numbness on my tongue, but it is improving greatly each day! At first, my sense of taste was totally scrambled and most everything tasted metallic or just plain awful. Don't worry, it's ok, it goes back to normal! Mines still not 100% but it's getting there!
-I am still having pain, sore throat, and it's day 13! Mostly at night, and I'm taking pills now, one at night.
-Sleep as much as possible the first 3 days. And mark my words, you will feel much better and then all of the sudden, either day 5 or 6, you will want to die! You will get hit with a surge of pain! I've heard it's because the scabs shrink around that day. Keep it in mind and stay home! Stay on top of your meds!
-Foods that went down o.k. for me were Jell-o, pudding, sorbet, and chicken noodle soup.
-Also, have your caregiver (I almost forgot to mention this, but you NEED a caregiver for the first week optimally. to check on you, fetch you things, wake you for meds, care for your children and/or pets, check your mail, answer your calls, etc.) check your throat as needed to make sure things look good. Sometimes it's hard to tell if you're bleeding or not, and you def. need to be conscientious about this as the biggest complication is post-op bleeding.
Hope this helps you, I wish someone would have told me this stuff beforehand!
I honestly don't think you had this surgery. You had it done yesterday and you feel fine? Honestly? I want the name of your doctor.
Hi,I'm 35 years old. I am scheduled for septoplasty and ADENOIDECTOMY in just a few days. My adenoids are obstructing 90% of my left and right airway. It is not always a child's diagnosis. Thank you.
I had the fear of not breathing thank you for posting something positive!