Yes it is very normal. It'll be very hard to swallow any solid foods at all for a while!!
I had mine out Wednesday, and here it is Saturday and I'm still hurting so bad it's hard to swallow water. I'm at least back to talking a little, but I'm snoring at night because of the swelling. Which, of course, makes it all hurt even worse.
Any ideas on how to get rid of the nasty taste in your mouth? Brushing my teeth isn't helping, and eating makes it taste worse.
Any ideas on how to get rid of the nasty taste in your mouth? Brushing my teeth isn't helping, and eating makes it taste worse.
I got my tonsils out on Wednesday, November 19, 2008. Today is Saturday, November 22, 2008. I am on day three of recovery.
The day of the surgery was fine, it's hard not to be anxious when you've had very little surgery before! For me, there was a concern of cancer in the back of my throat (I've yet to receive lab results). I also had my tonsils and adnoids taken out, in addition to the doctor trimming my turbinates..
Not sure how much things differ between doctors and hospitals, so let me tell you my experience:
Had two hours of pre-op which is extremely nerve-wracking. I found that the television helped tremendously. I watched CSI New York. It was funny, as they put the I.V. in, I was watching an autopsy! I told the CNR "at least I'm not dead like that guy!"
The distraction of television made the surgery come pretty quickly. They asked me a bit about my job at a local newspaper, and prepped their instruments. As they injected the anesthesia, they told me to enjoy the ride!
After, it wasn't painful, but I did feel the intense uvulage! This is still annoyingly prevalent.
The meds (roxicet - liquid form) make me throw up. I am allergic to strawberries and Red 40, I believe this is why. After trying to take the dose thrice, I was throwing up blood and had to go back under surgery to burn my bleeding throat dry.
Since then, it's been a vicious cycle of having enough food in my stomach to keep the pain killers down, and having enough painkillers in my system to be able to swallow food.
Am looking forward to smoking again, but I'm thinking I will have to wait a few more weeks!
Here's a photo of my tonsils when I was sick (about every other week)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/complexions/pretonsillectomysick.jpg
And here's my nonsils (day one of healing.. vair gross looking)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/complexions/2008-naxty.jpg
At this point, most of the black/green is getting coughed out by yours truly. The back of my throat is a mundane shade of grey.
Overall I'm surviving. I'm a baby when it comes to pain. It helps that you can't quite go back once you get it done. I know that I won't be missing those damn pieces of flesh, and in the long run, less sick time is worth these few days of pain!
The day of the surgery was fine, it's hard not to be anxious when you've had very little surgery before! For me, there was a concern of cancer in the back of my throat (I've yet to receive lab results). I also had my tonsils and adnoids taken out, in addition to the doctor trimming my turbinates..
Not sure how much things differ between doctors and hospitals, so let me tell you my experience:
Had two hours of pre-op which is extremely nerve-wracking. I found that the television helped tremendously. I watched CSI New York. It was funny, as they put the I.V. in, I was watching an autopsy! I told the CNR "at least I'm not dead like that guy!"
The distraction of television made the surgery come pretty quickly. They asked me a bit about my job at a local newspaper, and prepped their instruments. As they injected the anesthesia, they told me to enjoy the ride!
After, it wasn't painful, but I did feel the intense uvulage! This is still annoyingly prevalent.
The meds (roxicet - liquid form) make me throw up. I am allergic to strawberries and Red 40, I believe this is why. After trying to take the dose thrice, I was throwing up blood and had to go back under surgery to burn my bleeding throat dry.
Since then, it's been a vicious cycle of having enough food in my stomach to keep the pain killers down, and having enough painkillers in my system to be able to swallow food.
Am looking forward to smoking again, but I'm thinking I will have to wait a few more weeks!
Here's a photo of my tonsils when I was sick (about every other week)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/complexions/pretonsillectomysick.jpg
And here's my nonsils (day one of healing.. vair gross looking)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v173/complexions/2008-naxty.jpg
At this point, most of the black/green is getting coughed out by yours truly. The back of my throat is a mundane shade of grey.
Overall I'm surviving. I'm a baby when it comes to pain. It helps that you can't quite go back once you get it done. I know that I won't be missing those damn pieces of flesh, and in the long run, less sick time is worth these few days of pain!
Hi, I had my tonsills out yesetrday, as well as a septoplasty and turbinate reduction, I am coughing horribly, very phlemy and hurts my chest bad.. Anyone else had this?
i am 19 and am on day 5 of recovery. my throat and ears hurt so much! my tongue has this weird white stuff on it that doesn't come off when i brush. i have been trying really hard to drink water it just really hurts when i swallow. the first day after i had my surgery it wasn't so bad i was even able to eat a little, soup and ice cream, but now i don't even have the desire to eat. i keep taking my pain meds (liquid hydrocone) every 4 hours but that is only so i can tolerate it. today is Saturday and i hope things are better soon because i have to go back to work on Tuesday, my follow up is Wednesday. any suggestions i can't even open my mouth wide enough to see what the back of my throat looks like.
I'm 26 years old and literally just had my tonsils out this morning. While I don't feel like dancing a jig, I don't feel the excruciating pain I was expecting! I read all the horror stories and have come to the conclusion that these cannot be the norm. Sure, it's going to hurt--we're talking about cutting into your throat! Will you live? Oh yeah. And I personally can't wait for the long-term benefits. I get peritonsillar abcesses about twice a year, and this is NOTHING compared to having one of those bad boys lanced. Yowza. So take heart, fellow sickies! Follow these simple rules and avoid the hype:
STAY HYDRATED!!
STAY AHEAD OF THE PAIN, i.e. Take your pain meds ON TIME (set an alarm--don't fall asleep for hours on end or you'll miss your dose AND get dehydrated)
Bottom line: you can't heal unless you hydrate, and you can't hydrate unless you are managing your pain. I promise to check back in and eat my words if I end up writhing in agony anytime soon!
STAY HYDRATED!!
STAY AHEAD OF THE PAIN, i.e. Take your pain meds ON TIME (set an alarm--don't fall asleep for hours on end or you'll miss your dose AND get dehydrated)
Bottom line: you can't heal unless you hydrate, and you can't hydrate unless you are managing your pain. I promise to check back in and eat my words if I end up writhing in agony anytime soon!
Well it's now the Saturday after my Wednesday surgery and I'm still not in agony. A little swollen, and pretty tired, but no agony. Not yet!
Is it wrong for me to wish you a little bit more pain :P
I joke, very glad you are having a reasonable recovery, i found day 1 ad 2 to be quite good then it went downhill from there. Day 4 and 5 were the worst. Coming to the end of 6 now and i feel like its nearing the end , could just be the diclofenac speaking of course :P
I joke, very glad you are having a reasonable recovery, i found day 1 ad 2 to be quite good then it went downhill from there. Day 4 and 5 were the worst. Coming to the end of 6 now and i feel like its nearing the end , could just be the diclofenac speaking of course :P
as a medic ive worked in the ER and OR and after reading a bunch of posts i was terrified of having my tonsils taken out but it isnt that bad...ive had some discomfort but no serious pain...its been 3 days and ive only taken my pain meds twice and that was at night. i took an 8 hour drive 2 days after my surgery so i could get some help with my son iin case it did get worse but it hasn't...so i wouldn't stress too bad if you have to get your tonsils out
HI, I am a 35 year old female who had a tonsillectomy 4 days ago. I am nearly fully recovered and didn't lose any weight. Here is what I did to beat the pain and swelling.
1. Place a cool vaporizor in your room prior to surgery and turn it on.
2. Ice your cheeks and neck immediately and drink water
3. Take your liquid pain medicine every 4 hrs and chase it down with Vanilla Ensure (this will numb the stinging sensation). Do not skip a dose or wait longer than 4.5 hr. Still drink lots of water with Ensure.
4. Fresh ice packs every hour & eat something every 3 hrs.
5. Drink large amounts of Lipton tea only. Lipton (only lipton)contains antioxidants and healing agents that excel cell healing in your throat.
6. Eat yoguarts Ensure and soft foods on day 1
7. Day 2, you should be eating pastas and breads
8. Still breathing vaporizor's air every day.
9. Eat pancakes with warm syrup
10. Day 3 still drinking lots of water and lipton tea...you should be back to normal foods while staying very hydrated. Hydration also helps with the bad breath that the healing brings.
* As long as you stay hydrated the pain is minimal. If you find swallowing to become more painful after a few days, then you aren't drinking enough liquids. Stay away from citrus, spice or tomato based foods.
***Always have a hydrated room. IF you get stuffed up, then take Sudafed to release sinus pressure.
1. Place a cool vaporizor in your room prior to surgery and turn it on.
2. Ice your cheeks and neck immediately and drink water
3. Take your liquid pain medicine every 4 hrs and chase it down with Vanilla Ensure (this will numb the stinging sensation). Do not skip a dose or wait longer than 4.5 hr. Still drink lots of water with Ensure.
4. Fresh ice packs every hour & eat something every 3 hrs.
5. Drink large amounts of Lipton tea only. Lipton (only lipton)contains antioxidants and healing agents that excel cell healing in your throat.
6. Eat yoguarts Ensure and soft foods on day 1
7. Day 2, you should be eating pastas and breads
8. Still breathing vaporizor's air every day.
9. Eat pancakes with warm syrup
10. Day 3 still drinking lots of water and lipton tea...you should be back to normal foods while staying very hydrated. Hydration also helps with the bad breath that the healing brings.
* As long as you stay hydrated the pain is minimal. If you find swallowing to become more painful after a few days, then you aren't drinking enough liquids. Stay away from citrus, spice or tomato based foods.
***Always have a hydrated room. IF you get stuffed up, then take Sudafed to release sinus pressure.
:( I was 9 days post op and scabs came off and frantically bleed for 5 hrs I did everything I was supposed to do. I had to have surgery again to stop the bleeding and received 2 units of blood. Please do not try to drink alcohol, I know you think you've beat it but your scabs are still there for at least 14 days you are not out of the woods. So drink lots and lots of (water). I am 14 days out from my first surgery and cannot return to work for another 2 wks now.
hi
i got my tonsils out 3 days ago and was pretty nervous having found this site. i'm 30 and in ireland and seem to be getting different advice to what US patients are getting!
i came out post op around 11.30 with quite severe pain in my throat, just keeping very still and on IV Difene (a strong anti inflammatory with anaglesia)
i could talk slowly but not a lot. i was taking small sips of water to moisten my throat mostly building up to small swallows - first few was like daggers in my throat. very sore but i persisted small sips.
by 5pm i was having jelly (jello?) and icecream and pain was more tolerable.
at this stage IV was done and i took difene orally in a capsule tablet...which i was surprised that it went down ok.
by 8pm that even having been talking to my boyfriend ok for 20min i had some toast! nurse asked me to try so i did, chewing very well. i thought this helped as i felt fuller and after a while using my throat it got used to it.
need to keep pain meds regular and nurse called in at 3am to keep me topped up as woke in pain. at this stage alternating difiene with paracetemol - which didnt seem to do a lot.
next morning i had porridge and more toast. at lunch i had fruit and yoghurt and before leaving the nurse advised trying crisps (chips) when i got home..which i did and it was surprisingly good. maybe the saltiness does good!
i also tried warm drinks like tea which was quite soothing. on my list of foods to try eat were toast, crisps (chips), cornflakes cereal, fizzy drinks, sugar free chewing gum and pineapple! fairly odd selection there but i have tried most at this stage. ill get to cornflakes tomorrow and the gum.
i've found mornings worse if i sleep all night so i'm actually going to set my alarm tonight on the back how i felt this morning. my throat felt inflated, dry and very sore. i could barely get painkiller down my throat.. i dont want to be there again.
pain can be quite tolerable if sticking to pain meds routinely and not 'waiting' for the pain to arrive, just schedule when to take them.
i'm taking:
Difene (Diclofenac Sodium) 50mg every 6hrs or so...these are the best!
Nexium 40mg once daily as i've not go the best tummy and the Difene with rip through it as its pretty strong
Solpadol 500mg/30mg Paracetemol/Codeine Phosphate every 4hrs
i've been sticking to fairly normal meals at breakfast/lunch/dinner. soup/pasta/mince/potatoes/veg/chicken.. just have icecream after. i found pineapple is very nice and soothing when cold with icecream. also cold drinks taken through a straw so can be directed straight to back of the throat and have a cooling effect.
if I can keep the pain at bay i think ill get through ok. only worry is this chance of bleeding. i'm really anxious about that happening. especially as i'm over and hour away from the hospital staying at my folks ( getting totally pampered and spoiled by my mammy she is the best) so i hope i dont have to make some sort of dash. i've been doing ok so far so hopefully it wont come to that.
best of luck everyone!
i got my tonsils out 3 days ago and was pretty nervous having found this site. i'm 30 and in ireland and seem to be getting different advice to what US patients are getting!
i came out post op around 11.30 with quite severe pain in my throat, just keeping very still and on IV Difene (a strong anti inflammatory with anaglesia)
i could talk slowly but not a lot. i was taking small sips of water to moisten my throat mostly building up to small swallows - first few was like daggers in my throat. very sore but i persisted small sips.
by 5pm i was having jelly (jello?) and icecream and pain was more tolerable.
at this stage IV was done and i took difene orally in a capsule tablet...which i was surprised that it went down ok.
by 8pm that even having been talking to my boyfriend ok for 20min i had some toast! nurse asked me to try so i did, chewing very well. i thought this helped as i felt fuller and after a while using my throat it got used to it.
need to keep pain meds regular and nurse called in at 3am to keep me topped up as woke in pain. at this stage alternating difiene with paracetemol - which didnt seem to do a lot.
next morning i had porridge and more toast. at lunch i had fruit and yoghurt and before leaving the nurse advised trying crisps (chips) when i got home..which i did and it was surprisingly good. maybe the saltiness does good!
i also tried warm drinks like tea which was quite soothing. on my list of foods to try eat were toast, crisps (chips), cornflakes cereal, fizzy drinks, sugar free chewing gum and pineapple! fairly odd selection there but i have tried most at this stage. ill get to cornflakes tomorrow and the gum.
i've found mornings worse if i sleep all night so i'm actually going to set my alarm tonight on the back how i felt this morning. my throat felt inflated, dry and very sore. i could barely get painkiller down my throat.. i dont want to be there again.
pain can be quite tolerable if sticking to pain meds routinely and not 'waiting' for the pain to arrive, just schedule when to take them.
i'm taking:
Difene (Diclofenac Sodium) 50mg every 6hrs or so...these are the best!
Nexium 40mg once daily as i've not go the best tummy and the Difene with rip through it as its pretty strong
Solpadol 500mg/30mg Paracetemol/Codeine Phosphate every 4hrs
i've been sticking to fairly normal meals at breakfast/lunch/dinner. soup/pasta/mince/potatoes/veg/chicken.. just have icecream after. i found pineapple is very nice and soothing when cold with icecream. also cold drinks taken through a straw so can be directed straight to back of the throat and have a cooling effect.
if I can keep the pain at bay i think ill get through ok. only worry is this chance of bleeding. i'm really anxious about that happening. especially as i'm over and hour away from the hospital staying at my folks ( getting totally pampered and spoiled by my mammy she is the best) so i hope i dont have to make some sort of dash. i've been doing ok so far so hopefully it wont come to that.
best of luck everyone!
I read all of the blogs and was TERRIFIED, but..I had my tonsils removed Friday am and today i am recovery much better than i expected.. Cold water, ice, and pain meds religiously...I set my cell phone to alarm every 4 hours when i am asleep...I drink ice cold water non-stop and i wear a ice pack around my neck, well, actually i filled two sandwich ziplock baggies and put them in the longest sock i could find, and tie it bunny ear style on top of my head.. my biggest complaint was the dizziness and getting up and down to the bathroom...I prepared my self for the worse, and the worse is the sore throat feeling in have. I eat ice cream, yogurt and ice chips...I didn't care much for the chocolate pudding because it was so thick, but other that that, it was as expected. I kept hear about how the pain worsened the older you are, but i must say, it is tolerable...
i do gargle with 1-1 mixsture of Listerine,to reduce infection , and i sleot under a cool mist humidifier the first two nights(great!!!) i was afraid on the drying out feeling.
i do have the "thick mucous" feeling in the back of my throat, but if you take a flashlight and look, you will see its the mucus buildup and scars forming to heal the area..i also have black area, with is from the cauterization process to stop the bleeding. Please, do not scare your self out of this procedure..it will be uncomfortable but if you just drink plenty of fluids and stay ontop of your pain meds, you should be able to cope just fine.. god speed!!
i do gargle with 1-1 mixsture of Listerine,to reduce infection , and i sleot under a cool mist humidifier the first two nights(great!!!) i was afraid on the drying out feeling.
i do have the "thick mucous" feeling in the back of my throat, but if you take a flashlight and look, you will see its the mucus buildup and scars forming to heal the area..i also have black area, with is from the cauterization process to stop the bleeding. Please, do not scare your self out of this procedure..it will be uncomfortable but if you just drink plenty of fluids and stay ontop of your pain meds, you should be able to cope just fine.. god speed!!
ha! yes...I dont feel so mad(as in crazy) setting my alarm for middle of the night. as it worked that when 7am came i was not so as sore at all - compared to sleeping all night through. this is defo a top tip!!
There has been lots of good advice here for tonsillectomy-ees, so I'll just add my data points.
I'm 41, and my tonsils have bothered me for many years and were chronically inflamed/cryptic, and I finally said "I hate them enough to get rid of them." I wish it had been done when I was a kid, but oh, well. I am a healthy non-smoker.
My doctor used cauterization. She said she doesn't yet believe that coblation is better. (She offered to switch, but I wanted her sticking to what she knew best.)
Don't be scared of the operation itself ... it is a breeze.
I had had no complications (so far). I am on day 7 post-op. My doc sent me home with 60 percocets and an anti-nausea script (which I didn't need). I thought 60 percocets was a lot until I calculated 2 per 4 hours == 12/day which is only 5 days worth! I am going to complain about that at my followup visit. I had to drive an hour each way today to get a physical Percocet prescription, because at least in this state, they can't phone in narcotic refills. Dammit. On my worst day of recovery. Driving on meds. But I made it there and back. But that was stupid to have to do -- make sure your doc loads you up with at least 10 days worth of pain meds. Btw, she didn't give me any antibiotics. And she suggested alternating the Percocet with ibuprofin for inflammation, despite its tendency to thin the blood. She's the doctor, so I'm doing it and it has helped.
Days 1-4 weren't too bad. Days 5-7 have been progressively worse.
What others call "the scab" I call "the white goo." Seemingly, if you stay hydrated (which you WILL do!), it never gets dry and scabby-looking. It was first very thick. Now it is thinner and I can see pink in spots and it seems to be retreating around the edges, and there is very pink new skin underneath at the edges. This hurts. Eating scratchy foods (I tried SOMEWHAT scratchy foods) did not seem to make it go away any faster, and I don't want to risk bleeding, so I don't recommend scratchy foods. The blood-stories are way too scary.
I didn't mind dairy. Everything tastes funky.
Your best friend is ICEWATER. LOTS. Believe us when we say this. I loved really cold frozen foods. Be careful not to suck too hard on straws. Don't eat too-hot foods. Everyone is different with food. Eat when your med dosage is high, and listen to your body -- but eat. And then drink more.
Take your temp every few hours to make sure any fever is low-grade. You have nothing better to do anyway. My high was only 99.5.
Don't talk too much.
Sleep a lot. Whenever you can, nap. It will help the time pass, and it is good for you.
Frozen packs around the neck help. I haven't had a dehumidifier but it sounds like a great idea.
I feel somewhat better at the end of this terrible day -- I hope hope hope I have hit the upswing. I have faith that I will have hit it in the next day or two, anyway.
A friend stayed with me the first weekend. I was all stocked up on what I needed, though, and really, his presence mostly just annoyed and distracted me, and I talked more than I really wanted to to answer his incessant questions about how I felt now. I like to be sick alone. But maybe that's wierd.
If all you have is pain, be glad you didn't get an infection or bleeding-emergency. If your pain is manageable with meds, be even gladder.
I am already soooooooo glad to be rid of those terrible things. I would choose tonsillectomy again in a heartbeat. There are scary things in life. But the only way to get through them is to go. Remember, the operation itself isn't bad, and after that, well, you just do what you have to do, and it's painful and annoying and tedious, but not scary.
I'm 41, and my tonsils have bothered me for many years and were chronically inflamed/cryptic, and I finally said "I hate them enough to get rid of them." I wish it had been done when I was a kid, but oh, well. I am a healthy non-smoker.
My doctor used cauterization. She said she doesn't yet believe that coblation is better. (She offered to switch, but I wanted her sticking to what she knew best.)
Don't be scared of the operation itself ... it is a breeze.
I had had no complications (so far). I am on day 7 post-op. My doc sent me home with 60 percocets and an anti-nausea script (which I didn't need). I thought 60 percocets was a lot until I calculated 2 per 4 hours == 12/day which is only 5 days worth! I am going to complain about that at my followup visit. I had to drive an hour each way today to get a physical Percocet prescription, because at least in this state, they can't phone in narcotic refills. Dammit. On my worst day of recovery. Driving on meds. But I made it there and back. But that was stupid to have to do -- make sure your doc loads you up with at least 10 days worth of pain meds. Btw, she didn't give me any antibiotics. And she suggested alternating the Percocet with ibuprofin for inflammation, despite its tendency to thin the blood. She's the doctor, so I'm doing it and it has helped.
Days 1-4 weren't too bad. Days 5-7 have been progressively worse.
What others call "the scab" I call "the white goo." Seemingly, if you stay hydrated (which you WILL do!), it never gets dry and scabby-looking. It was first very thick. Now it is thinner and I can see pink in spots and it seems to be retreating around the edges, and there is very pink new skin underneath at the edges. This hurts. Eating scratchy foods (I tried SOMEWHAT scratchy foods) did not seem to make it go away any faster, and I don't want to risk bleeding, so I don't recommend scratchy foods. The blood-stories are way too scary.
I didn't mind dairy. Everything tastes funky.
Your best friend is ICEWATER. LOTS. Believe us when we say this. I loved really cold frozen foods. Be careful not to suck too hard on straws. Don't eat too-hot foods. Everyone is different with food. Eat when your med dosage is high, and listen to your body -- but eat. And then drink more.
Take your temp every few hours to make sure any fever is low-grade. You have nothing better to do anyway. My high was only 99.5.
Don't talk too much.
Sleep a lot. Whenever you can, nap. It will help the time pass, and it is good for you.
Frozen packs around the neck help. I haven't had a dehumidifier but it sounds like a great idea.
I feel somewhat better at the end of this terrible day -- I hope hope hope I have hit the upswing. I have faith that I will have hit it in the next day or two, anyway.
A friend stayed with me the first weekend. I was all stocked up on what I needed, though, and really, his presence mostly just annoyed and distracted me, and I talked more than I really wanted to to answer his incessant questions about how I felt now. I like to be sick alone. But maybe that's wierd.
If all you have is pain, be glad you didn't get an infection or bleeding-emergency. If your pain is manageable with meds, be even gladder.
I am already soooooooo glad to be rid of those terrible things. I would choose tonsillectomy again in a heartbeat. There are scary things in life. But the only way to get through them is to go. Remember, the operation itself isn't bad, and after that, well, you just do what you have to do, and it's painful and annoying and tedious, but not scary.