I thought I would post my own tonsillectomy story on here. After reading so much that is available online to help with recovery, I decided maybe my own story would be a benefit to someone.
I am a 30 year old non-smoking, healthy female. I had my tonsils removed on Friday December 4, so I am now into day 5 of recovery. I decided to have my tonsils removed upon recommendation of my ENT. I've had lots and lots of gross tonsil stones over that past few years. I could get multiple ones out daily, and if I would wait a day to pick at my tonsils, some big nasty ones would form. It was really frustrating... I found that my ears were always sore or itchy (which my dr. says can be attributed to the tonsils). I also had a sense of something stuck in my throat constantly. I don't think I had the bad breath, but I guess my boyfriend holds the verdict on that issue!
DAY 1
I checked into the surgical center Friday morning and was "interviewed" by one of the nurses. I thought it was interesting to note that there was no pre-procedure checkup or anything. I remember in surgeries past having to actually go to the hospital a few days before for bloodwork, etc. Anyway, the nurse collected my information and I was soon back in a gown with an IV waiting for surgery. I had to pee twice while waiting which was pretty annoying... all those fluids and nerves got to me!
It was finally time for me to go to the surgery room, and one of the nurses wheeled me to the door. They had me get up and walk into the room to lie on the operating table. All I remember is the staff directing me to do bit of shifting into the right spot on the table. I didn't even realize they had added the anesthesia to my IV, but they obviously had! I don't remember anything else.
The nurse woke me up post-op and all I wanted to do was roll over to be more comfortable on my side. She made me lie still. She gave me liquid lortab which stung a bit going down. It wasn't long before I was eating ice chips and my mom was by my side. I must have been in recovery for an hour or hour and a half, during which time I had to pee twice again! The nurse made my mom go in with me which was a grounding experience lol. I was pretty sure I could manage on my own, but I did feel out of it at that point. Definitely dizzy! The doctor came to talk to us and said the surgery went well & that my tonsils weren't too big. He also mentioned finding a lot of c**p in them, especially the right tonsil. I am so glad to have them gone!
My throat really didn't hurt that much after surgery. I just had this feeling of c**p stuck back there. They gave me a pan to spit into and I kept using it during recovery. At first I was spitting up a tiny bit of blood, but this soon went away. I had two lime popsicles which didn't taste that great... but I knew they were good for me! I also remember that I kept belching and the taste of it was not pleasant! I was not nauseous or anything, just eager to get out of there.
We finally got to leave for home. I remember watching the clock for my pain medication... I don't think I was in a terrible amount of pain, I just knew that I was supposed to stay on top of things. I also had to take my antibiotic. My ENT prescribed liquid lortab for pain (this stuff is great!) and liquid keflex as an antibiotic. The keflex tastes pretty good, surprisingly, while the lortab stings a bit.
I had a few visitors that night at home. I remember being able to talk a bit. The one thing that really bothered me was my swollen uvula. It is still swollen, and it makes talking and swallowing difficult. I ate a lot of popsicles (banana flavored- these were awesome) and even had some chicken broth from panera. I also kept icing my neck with frozen peas/corn. This helps a lot.
DAY 2
I woke up frequently throughout the night to stay hydrated and on top of my medication. Day 2 was not much different than day 1. I felt a bit more aware, after the anesthetic from the surgery had worn off. Still not too much pain. Between days 1 & 2 I blew through an entire box of banana popsicles! I also had egg drop soup from a local chinese place. It really hit the spot!
I slept a lot off and on, and kept drinking water & eating those banana popsicle. I alternated these with those freeze pop things that come in a plastic tube. It was nice to get some variety in :-) I had visitors that day. We watched movies and I found that I could talk without too much pain. My throat just felt swollen, which made my voice kind of funny.
DAY 3
This was my worst day so far. My plan of waking up every hour or so to stay hydrated and on top of medication fell through. I was so tired that I slept through my alarm clock, maybe 5 hours straight. I woke up with the worst ear pain and throat pain. I felt pretty horrible all day.. I was especially sensitive to sound. Even the shortest, softest sound made me wince. I tried to stay on top of hydration and medication all day but felt pretty terrible into the night. I tried to sleep off & on throughout the day, but started waking up with a cough. I had a bunch of phlegm in my throat/chest that would rattle when I took a deep breath. I tried to cough it out without too much force, but it didn't really work. I had more egg drop soup, popsicles, and some mango sorbet. Eating soft foods really hasn't been much of a problem. Swallowing is unpleasant, but not unmanageable. The worst swallowing incident so far came during the evening of day 3. I tried to take a dose of pain medication by my throat kept trying to push it back out. I didn't exactly feel like I was going to throw up, but my throat was so swollen that I was gagging trying to get the thing down.
I slept off and on through the night, still trying to stay on top of hydration & medication.
DAY 4
This was a complete turn-around from day 3. I felt SO much better when I woke up. So good, in fact, that I did some laundry and light cleaning. I also did some e-mailing, tv watching, etc., and felt pretty with it. Still on the pain killers (I know some say to cut back, but it's working for me!) and doing a pretty good job of sticking to schedule. I had more egg drop soup for lunch (with bread in it this time). I also had the pleasure of eating KFC mashed potatoes without gravy. These were pretty smooth on the way down.
We called the dr. about the phlegm I was coughing up, and he suggested I try a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Apparently the bread will help collect the mucus and it will be easier to wash it down. Well I tried one... a very small pb & j sandwich. It tasted SO good! Not sure if it helped with the phlegm though. That night I got a fever (100.2). Not sure why there was the sudden turn-around from feeling good all day, but there it was... a fever. I slept three or four hours at a time during the night, missing my second painkiller dose but it didn't really seem to matter.
And that brings me to today, day 5. I still have a lot of c**p in my throat/chest. If I lie down I start coughing and it makes me nervous. I'm afraid I'm going to start bleeding from coughing too hard. I still have a very mild fever (99.5) but otherwise I don't feel too bad. I have found a very useful tip for taking pain medicine that may be of help to someone. My lortab is indicated for use every 4-6 hours (2 to 3 teaspoons). I am down to 2 teaspoons every 4 hours (I did 3 at first but found I don't need it). I have started taking one teaspoon at the recommended time, and then waiting 20 minutes to take the second. The first one is sort of hard to get down. It tastes kind of bad and stings my throat. I find that waiting 20 minutes or so starts to ease the throat pain, and it makes the second teaspoon go down much much easier!
In other news, I am getting a pretty nasty taste in the back of my throat. It also looks pretty gross back there... All black & white at first, in the caves where my tonsils used to be and around the uvula (which is still very swollen). The black spots are turning white now, which I guess means healing.
I will post more updates on my recovery!
I am a 30 year old non-smoking, healthy female. I had my tonsils removed on Friday December 4, so I am now into day 5 of recovery. I decided to have my tonsils removed upon recommendation of my ENT. I've had lots and lots of gross tonsil stones over that past few years. I could get multiple ones out daily, and if I would wait a day to pick at my tonsils, some big nasty ones would form. It was really frustrating... I found that my ears were always sore or itchy (which my dr. says can be attributed to the tonsils). I also had a sense of something stuck in my throat constantly. I don't think I had the bad breath, but I guess my boyfriend holds the verdict on that issue!
DAY 1
I checked into the surgical center Friday morning and was "interviewed" by one of the nurses. I thought it was interesting to note that there was no pre-procedure checkup or anything. I remember in surgeries past having to actually go to the hospital a few days before for bloodwork, etc. Anyway, the nurse collected my information and I was soon back in a gown with an IV waiting for surgery. I had to pee twice while waiting which was pretty annoying... all those fluids and nerves got to me!
It was finally time for me to go to the surgery room, and one of the nurses wheeled me to the door. They had me get up and walk into the room to lie on the operating table. All I remember is the staff directing me to do bit of shifting into the right spot on the table. I didn't even realize they had added the anesthesia to my IV, but they obviously had! I don't remember anything else.
The nurse woke me up post-op and all I wanted to do was roll over to be more comfortable on my side. She made me lie still. She gave me liquid lortab which stung a bit going down. It wasn't long before I was eating ice chips and my mom was by my side. I must have been in recovery for an hour or hour and a half, during which time I had to pee twice again! The nurse made my mom go in with me which was a grounding experience lol. I was pretty sure I could manage on my own, but I did feel out of it at that point. Definitely dizzy! The doctor came to talk to us and said the surgery went well & that my tonsils weren't too big. He also mentioned finding a lot of c**p in them, especially the right tonsil. I am so glad to have them gone!
My throat really didn't hurt that much after surgery. I just had this feeling of c**p stuck back there. They gave me a pan to spit into and I kept using it during recovery. At first I was spitting up a tiny bit of blood, but this soon went away. I had two lime popsicles which didn't taste that great... but I knew they were good for me! I also remember that I kept belching and the taste of it was not pleasant! I was not nauseous or anything, just eager to get out of there.
We finally got to leave for home. I remember watching the clock for my pain medication... I don't think I was in a terrible amount of pain, I just knew that I was supposed to stay on top of things. I also had to take my antibiotic. My ENT prescribed liquid lortab for pain (this stuff is great!) and liquid keflex as an antibiotic. The keflex tastes pretty good, surprisingly, while the lortab stings a bit.
I had a few visitors that night at home. I remember being able to talk a bit. The one thing that really bothered me was my swollen uvula. It is still swollen, and it makes talking and swallowing difficult. I ate a lot of popsicles (banana flavored- these were awesome) and even had some chicken broth from panera. I also kept icing my neck with frozen peas/corn. This helps a lot.
DAY 2
I woke up frequently throughout the night to stay hydrated and on top of my medication. Day 2 was not much different than day 1. I felt a bit more aware, after the anesthetic from the surgery had worn off. Still not too much pain. Between days 1 & 2 I blew through an entire box of banana popsicles! I also had egg drop soup from a local chinese place. It really hit the spot!
I slept a lot off and on, and kept drinking water & eating those banana popsicle. I alternated these with those freeze pop things that come in a plastic tube. It was nice to get some variety in :-) I had visitors that day. We watched movies and I found that I could talk without too much pain. My throat just felt swollen, which made my voice kind of funny.
DAY 3
This was my worst day so far. My plan of waking up every hour or so to stay hydrated and on top of medication fell through. I was so tired that I slept through my alarm clock, maybe 5 hours straight. I woke up with the worst ear pain and throat pain. I felt pretty horrible all day.. I was especially sensitive to sound. Even the shortest, softest sound made me wince. I tried to stay on top of hydration and medication all day but felt pretty terrible into the night. I tried to sleep off & on throughout the day, but started waking up with a cough. I had a bunch of phlegm in my throat/chest that would rattle when I took a deep breath. I tried to cough it out without too much force, but it didn't really work. I had more egg drop soup, popsicles, and some mango sorbet. Eating soft foods really hasn't been much of a problem. Swallowing is unpleasant, but not unmanageable. The worst swallowing incident so far came during the evening of day 3. I tried to take a dose of pain medication by my throat kept trying to push it back out. I didn't exactly feel like I was going to throw up, but my throat was so swollen that I was gagging trying to get the thing down.
I slept off and on through the night, still trying to stay on top of hydration & medication.
DAY 4
This was a complete turn-around from day 3. I felt SO much better when I woke up. So good, in fact, that I did some laundry and light cleaning. I also did some e-mailing, tv watching, etc., and felt pretty with it. Still on the pain killers (I know some say to cut back, but it's working for me!) and doing a pretty good job of sticking to schedule. I had more egg drop soup for lunch (with bread in it this time). I also had the pleasure of eating KFC mashed potatoes without gravy. These were pretty smooth on the way down.
We called the dr. about the phlegm I was coughing up, and he suggested I try a peanut butter & jelly sandwich. Apparently the bread will help collect the mucus and it will be easier to wash it down. Well I tried one... a very small pb & j sandwich. It tasted SO good! Not sure if it helped with the phlegm though. That night I got a fever (100.2). Not sure why there was the sudden turn-around from feeling good all day, but there it was... a fever. I slept three or four hours at a time during the night, missing my second painkiller dose but it didn't really seem to matter.
And that brings me to today, day 5. I still have a lot of c**p in my throat/chest. If I lie down I start coughing and it makes me nervous. I'm afraid I'm going to start bleeding from coughing too hard. I still have a very mild fever (99.5) but otherwise I don't feel too bad. I have found a very useful tip for taking pain medicine that may be of help to someone. My lortab is indicated for use every 4-6 hours (2 to 3 teaspoons). I am down to 2 teaspoons every 4 hours (I did 3 at first but found I don't need it). I have started taking one teaspoon at the recommended time, and then waiting 20 minutes to take the second. The first one is sort of hard to get down. It tastes kind of bad and stings my throat. I find that waiting 20 minutes or so starts to ease the throat pain, and it makes the second teaspoon go down much much easier!
In other news, I am getting a pretty nasty taste in the back of my throat. It also looks pretty gross back there... All black & white at first, in the caves where my tonsils used to be and around the uvula (which is still very swollen). The black spots are turning white now, which I guess means healing.
I will post more updates on my recovery!
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This gives me motivation to stay strong! I can't swallow and I only ate gritz go gurt juice water and Popsicles. At first in the surgical institute I felt great I could swallow and talk but then when I got home I couldn't talk nor swallow and I feel like c**p I have a cup of water next to me and the a/c on to keep hydrated. I'm going to strt taking my mess since I was hooked up to an iv wich make me go to the bathroom a lot even at home haha. I'm sleepy but idk if I want to sleep I'm scared of waking up with a horrible sore throat. Before the surgery I panicked from my anxiety problems and started sobbin into the air mask before falling into a deep sleep.the wort part before surgery was the anesthia it hurt went they entered it into my arm I felt like a sharp sensation but before I could cry I fell asleep. Then afterward I woke up laughing an answering the nurse questions withought noticing. I made some soup but I can't swallow well. I'll just stick to go gurt juice Popsicles and freazing water.i can't wait to recover!!
(Adrianice Age:13)
(Adrianice Age:13)
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DAY 2
Well today's day two woke up dizzy I didn't know what was happening but it was because I accidently overdosed on my Tylenol medicine I thought it said 3 tablespoons but it said 3 teaspoon I overdosed twice and cheeked how much to overdose on Tylenol in case island it would be exactly over 6 tablespoons to overdose thank god!! So I fell asleep sitting up wich was great because I woke up awsome but since I did drink to much Tylenol I was drowsy dizzy and sleet all day so I slept for about 4 hours. Then I starte talking wich got me exited but then I lost my voice. I ate KFC mashed potatoes wich was great!!! Godsent actually.then I suddenly got depressed and started mumbling(since I post my voice again) and started crying because I'm hungry and seeing my family eat delicouse dinner got me pretty pissed!! Today wasnt as bad except for the Tylenol part....but I hope day 3 won't be as bad! Ohh almost forgot my taste buds aren't working I couldn't even taste the KFC mashed potatoes wich sucked of course XP!!
(Adrianice Age:13 day 2 of recovery)
Well today's day two woke up dizzy I didn't know what was happening but it was because I accidently overdosed on my Tylenol medicine I thought it said 3 tablespoons but it said 3 teaspoon I overdosed twice and cheeked how much to overdose on Tylenol in case island it would be exactly over 6 tablespoons to overdose thank god!! So I fell asleep sitting up wich was great because I woke up awsome but since I did drink to much Tylenol I was drowsy dizzy and sleet all day so I slept for about 4 hours. Then I starte talking wich got me exited but then I lost my voice. I ate KFC mashed potatoes wich was great!!! Godsent actually.then I suddenly got depressed and started mumbling(since I post my voice again) and started crying because I'm hungry and seeing my family eat delicouse dinner got me pretty pissed!! Today wasnt as bad except for the Tylenol part....but I hope day 3 won't be as bad! Ohh almost forgot my taste buds aren't working I couldn't even taste the KFC mashed potatoes wich sucked of course XP!!
(Adrianice Age:13 day 2 of recovery)
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Day 3
I woke up in the middle of the night with jaw pain, then woke up and couldn't swallow the oatmeal my mom made.i went on my porch and had a mental breakdown where I started to cry. Later I took my pain mess wich helped a bit....but the. Suddenly I got mad at my sister because she just doesn't understand the pain I'm going through. I broke down again and just started sobbing(wich hurt my throat) and all she said was "go to your room and cry there" in times like these I only wish my mom wasn't working. I'm so depressed and it's only day 3. In in pain and I'm starving. All I ate was mashed potatoes and a bit of cream of wheat. I hope tomorrow is better because I'm loosing hope really soon...
(adrianice age:13)
I woke up in the middle of the night with jaw pain, then woke up and couldn't swallow the oatmeal my mom made.i went on my porch and had a mental breakdown where I started to cry. Later I took my pain mess wich helped a bit....but the. Suddenly I got mad at my sister because she just doesn't understand the pain I'm going through. I broke down again and just started sobbing(wich hurt my throat) and all she said was "go to your room and cry there" in times like these I only wish my mom wasn't working. I'm so depressed and it's only day 3. In in pain and I'm starving. All I ate was mashed potatoes and a bit of cream of wheat. I hope tomorrow is better because I'm loosing hope really soon...
(adrianice age:13)
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How are you feeling now ?? I just got mine taken out 2 days ago and it sucks so bad, I cannot wait till I actually start to feel better D;
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