I am a 30 years old woman. I have to agree with the individuals over 25. As far as everyone I have spoken to that has had this surgery performed. I realised the consensus is that the older you get the more painful it is. I had my tonsils removed last Tuesday after having a bout of chronic tonsillitis that would not respond to 3 sets of antibiotics. I was constantly suffering with my throat which really began to affect the quality of my life. I was told by the doctor that I would not get better unless I had a tonsillectomy. I was told that there was some discomfort after and I would be in bed for 2 days. HOwever, it was quite the opposite. The first 2 days after suregery was the easiest in comparison to the pain now. AFte day 5, the pain began to get progressively worse especially in the morning period between 2- 7 am. My painkillers (the strong ones) lasted only about 2 1/2- 3 hours and the panadol lasted about 1 hour. I have found that keeping ice packs on the throat especially at night helps to numb the pain but this needs to be done when the packs are coldest. As soon as this dissipates, you need to change it to a new one. I am on day 10 and still in a lot of pain. I advise anyone that has to do this surgery to make sure and take time off to nurse the pain as it was the most painful process I have ever undergone. I usually have a high tolerance for pain but this was quite a challenge. SOrry to scare you but this was my personal experience.