Hi, I'm a 21 yr old female and am now 8 days post tonsillectomy.
As a qualified nurse working in operating theatres and recovery I thought I was more than prepared for the op! I was so wrong!!
From other peoples experiences I had gathered that it was a painful healing process but I honestly had no idea I was about to endure the most excruciating pain in my life.
I always thought I could tolerate pain well and after suffering from tonsillitis every 5 weeks for the last 2 yrs, I decided I'd had enough!!
After waking from the op obviously I was in pain and couldn't swallow but I felt quite out of it and was expecting this.
After a disturbed nights sleep in the hospital I went home the following morning after forcing down a few spoonfuls of soggy cereal. (Agony)
I was taking a combination of codeine, paracetamol and diclofenac and still had morphine in my system from the hospital so the second day I pretty much slept..althought awaking every few hrs with really bad pain and I found it impossible to swallow. I stuck to just sips of water throughout the day. I shed many tears also.
The third day was tough, by this point I decided to go back to the hospital in tears and I demanded some tramadol (stronger pain killer), this helped but I was still in a lot of pain..just taking sips of water every now and then when I could bare it and trying to get as much sympathy as possible-although I felt like everyone thought I was exagerating the pain.
Day four was rough too for me, by now I was sleeping only a few hrs each night due to the pain and discomfort..I still hadn't managed to eat anything as I just felt I couldn't take it!!
On the fifth day I woke up feeling awful and decided to go back to the hospital as I was in so much pain, was vomiting and feeling dizzy. They gave me some oral morphine to take home, it did relieve the pain slighty but left my feeling mentally drained, dizzy and sick at all times. I think the Drs just gave it to me to get me out of the hospital, I fear they think I am crazy) I also started to develop the most sickening taste in my back of my mouth, a taste which reminds me only of a dead ferret. By this point I had eaten a couple of things mainly soft things; a boiled egg, soup, soggy bread, sorbet.
Day six I woke up feeling positive, thinking to myself theres no way it could ever get any worse. Yet again, I was wrong. Later on in the day I was in agony, I felt sick, tired, fed up, confused, dizzy, thirsty, weak, hungry..you name it I felt like death warmed up. I really was in such a state-this was so much worse than I ever could have imagined!! By this point I was taking a mixture of paracetamol, tramadol and diclofenac every few hrs and was still experiencing pain, especially when eating and drinking.
Day seven was a bit of a turning point for me, I woke up feeling better in myself although my throat was still extremely painful, I don't know if it's that I had just got used to the pain or just accepted it but I managed to eat a few normal things: sandwich, toast(OUCH!!), hotdogs, salad. Even though it was sore to eat, it really did make me feel better afterwards and I only wished I had started eating properly from the start. I had a bit of an aching jaw too.
Day eight...today... I feel much better today in myself, although there are sharp pains in my throat and it's sore when I eat and drink.(
I had the strength today to look at my throat in the mirror and have discovered a main source of pain has been from my swollen, bruised uvula! As I have seen this operation thousands of times I have worked out I was probably burnt by the forceps used to cauterize the blood vessels during the tonsils being removed.)
I have managed to have breakfast and lunch today and even had some cheese puff crisps!! I feel almost human again!! I have also cut back on my pain killers from today in the hope that I can gradually wean myself off, purhaps this is why my throat still feels painful?? I finally feel like there could be light at the end of the tunnel, although I am still mentally prepared if the pain is worse tomorrow!
If you're having/had a tonsillectomy I think the main things I have learnt which have helped are:
1. realise that everyone has different pain levels, some people may just feel like they have a sore throat and some may be in agony like me!! Before I found this board I thought I was a crazy hyperchondriac :(
2. make sure you drink as much as possible, the more you drink the less it hurts! It also helps the throat heal faster by keeping it moist
3. chew on chewing gum!!! I only discovered this day 6, it really helped! It produces saliva, which keeps the throat moist and kept my jaw movement which stopped my jaw aching when I ate.
4. take painkillers about half an hr before attempting to eat, even if its just psychological it helped me!
5. use mouthwash. I have one called Difflam which is benzydamine hydrochloride, it's brilliant! Use it after eating to clean the area and stop bits of food getting caught in the scabs (yuck)
6. eat as soon as possible!! this was my biggest regret! as soon as I started forcing myself to eat I felt better in myself, and it reduces pain in my throat (Not at the time, but after eating)
7. ice and ice packs are a great comfort! They reduce the swelling and do numb the area slightly
PS thanks to everyone whose written on these boards, it helps so much to realise I'm not alone and I hope my experience helps others to realise they're not alone!
As a qualified nurse working in operating theatres and recovery I thought I was more than prepared for the op! I was so wrong!!
From other peoples experiences I had gathered that it was a painful healing process but I honestly had no idea I was about to endure the most excruciating pain in my life.
I always thought I could tolerate pain well and after suffering from tonsillitis every 5 weeks for the last 2 yrs, I decided I'd had enough!!
After waking from the op obviously I was in pain and couldn't swallow but I felt quite out of it and was expecting this.
After a disturbed nights sleep in the hospital I went home the following morning after forcing down a few spoonfuls of soggy cereal. (Agony)
I was taking a combination of codeine, paracetamol and diclofenac and still had morphine in my system from the hospital so the second day I pretty much slept..althought awaking every few hrs with really bad pain and I found it impossible to swallow. I stuck to just sips of water throughout the day. I shed many tears also.
The third day was tough, by this point I decided to go back to the hospital in tears and I demanded some tramadol (stronger pain killer), this helped but I was still in a lot of pain..just taking sips of water every now and then when I could bare it and trying to get as much sympathy as possible-although I felt like everyone thought I was exagerating the pain.
Day four was rough too for me, by now I was sleeping only a few hrs each night due to the pain and discomfort..I still hadn't managed to eat anything as I just felt I couldn't take it!!
On the fifth day I woke up feeling awful and decided to go back to the hospital as I was in so much pain, was vomiting and feeling dizzy. They gave me some oral morphine to take home, it did relieve the pain slighty but left my feeling mentally drained, dizzy and sick at all times. I think the Drs just gave it to me to get me out of the hospital, I fear they think I am crazy) I also started to develop the most sickening taste in my back of my mouth, a taste which reminds me only of a dead ferret. By this point I had eaten a couple of things mainly soft things; a boiled egg, soup, soggy bread, sorbet.
Day six I woke up feeling positive, thinking to myself theres no way it could ever get any worse. Yet again, I was wrong. Later on in the day I was in agony, I felt sick, tired, fed up, confused, dizzy, thirsty, weak, hungry..you name it I felt like death warmed up. I really was in such a state-this was so much worse than I ever could have imagined!! By this point I was taking a mixture of paracetamol, tramadol and diclofenac every few hrs and was still experiencing pain, especially when eating and drinking.
Day seven was a bit of a turning point for me, I woke up feeling better in myself although my throat was still extremely painful, I don't know if it's that I had just got used to the pain or just accepted it but I managed to eat a few normal things: sandwich, toast(OUCH!!), hotdogs, salad. Even though it was sore to eat, it really did make me feel better afterwards and I only wished I had started eating properly from the start. I had a bit of an aching jaw too.
Day eight...today... I feel much better today in myself, although there are sharp pains in my throat and it's sore when I eat and drink.(
I had the strength today to look at my throat in the mirror and have discovered a main source of pain has been from my swollen, bruised uvula! As I have seen this operation thousands of times I have worked out I was probably burnt by the forceps used to cauterize the blood vessels during the tonsils being removed.)
I have managed to have breakfast and lunch today and even had some cheese puff crisps!! I feel almost human again!! I have also cut back on my pain killers from today in the hope that I can gradually wean myself off, purhaps this is why my throat still feels painful?? I finally feel like there could be light at the end of the tunnel, although I am still mentally prepared if the pain is worse tomorrow!
If you're having/had a tonsillectomy I think the main things I have learnt which have helped are:
1. realise that everyone has different pain levels, some people may just feel like they have a sore throat and some may be in agony like me!! Before I found this board I thought I was a crazy hyperchondriac :(
2. make sure you drink as much as possible, the more you drink the less it hurts! It also helps the throat heal faster by keeping it moist
3. chew on chewing gum!!! I only discovered this day 6, it really helped! It produces saliva, which keeps the throat moist and kept my jaw movement which stopped my jaw aching when I ate.
4. take painkillers about half an hr before attempting to eat, even if its just psychological it helped me!
5. use mouthwash. I have one called Difflam which is benzydamine hydrochloride, it's brilliant! Use it after eating to clean the area and stop bits of food getting caught in the scabs (yuck)
6. eat as soon as possible!! this was my biggest regret! as soon as I started forcing myself to eat I felt better in myself, and it reduces pain in my throat (Not at the time, but after eating)
7. ice and ice packs are a great comfort! They reduce the swelling and do numb the area slightly
PS thanks to everyone whose written on these boards, it helps so much to realise I'm not alone and I hope my experience helps others to realise they're not alone!
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Hello there. I am glad that I have found this post. Anyway, I had tonsillectomy three days ago and I am feeling strange. I don't have any type of pain that is insufferable, but still, I have some strange feeling like numbness in my tongue - I feel like my tongue is made of woods if you know what I mean. Like I have plank instead of my tongue. Also, when I touch my throat with my tongue, I feel like I have some pockets on the side of the throat. I don't know are those "pockets" big or small, but under my tongue, I have a feeling like they are big. I don't know is this normal.
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hey great post! i liked your advice. i m kinda pissed off that no one told me HOW MUCH THIS WOULD HURT! luckily i have kept up my spirits throught the excrutiating pain. it was good reading all these post, except some the actually scared me... well i saw my doc today, here in Argentina where we have excellent surgeons, he said everything looks good so far.. just a little bit of patience and i ll be good to go!!!
this experience was horrible. i cant wait for time to go by and enjoy the results of having made this decision.
AND TO ANYONE WHO HAS JUST HAD THE SURGERY, hang in there!!! around day 5 or 7 you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. it kinda sucks tho cuz you just want your days to go by and there is nothing in them that you can look forward to ... but i m looking forward to not getting sick every month, in pain, missing work, and spending $$ on antibiotics :-D
this experience was horrible. i cant wait for time to go by and enjoy the results of having made this decision.
AND TO ANYONE WHO HAS JUST HAD THE SURGERY, hang in there!!! around day 5 or 7 you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. it kinda sucks tho cuz you just want your days to go by and there is nothing in them that you can look forward to ... but i m looking forward to not getting sick every month, in pain, missing work, and spending $$ on antibiotics :-D
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i am 22 years old and had tonsillectomy on may 15th. I found that drinking at least 2 liters a day helped me feel so much better. In the beginning on day 1 and 2, I ate alot of popsicles and drank gatorade. I began to eat ice cream and egg drop soup but because of the antibiotic i was taking i threw it all up. On the 4th day i also threw up everything i ate that day. I stopped taking the antibiotic and my stomach feels much better. I ended up having to change pain medicines too because the first one was codone w/ tylenol and it did nothing for my pain. I just take hyrocodin now. Today is day 6 and im able to eat mashed potatoes but nothing else. I just recommend drinking as much as you can!
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I had my tonsils and adenoids removed on 11/11/08. Before the procedure they gave me demerol, valium and phenergan (that is an anti-emetic/nausea medication). After the surgery I felt a hard thing in my mouth only to learn I was in Pacu and still had the Endotracheal tube in my mouth which was being removed. After that, I had urges to cough, but knew not to because I could start bleeding. I spit up a lot of mucus and blood clots while in PACU. My vitals remained stable. I was just in a lot of pain so they gave me 50 of Demerol and 15 mg of Morphine.....surprisingly my respirations did not decrease and neither did my O2 saturation. As a result of all the medication, I stayed in Pacu under observation for longer. I was able to drink about 4 oz of apple juice in the hospital. After that I was sent home. While at home last night, I took anti-nausea medication (zofran) waited a little bit before I took the percocet. Oral pain medication (no matter what kind) gives me nausea. I threw up 3x pure blood some bright on other occassions it was dark. I attributed this to the fact that i could have been swallowing it from the procedure and post op. After that I threw up 4 more times (the juice and water I had been drinking at home). Despite all of that, I took another anti-nausea pill some few hours later and placed a large bag of ice onto my neck which helped a lot. The ice does help to keep the area slightly numb. Whenever I have the desire to spit up I hold cold cold water in my mouth a few seconds to relieve any bleeding (I know I am having some bleeding because I can taste it). Takes like rust.
Today is post op day #1 and I slept on/off last night. Took pain meds 3x yesterday, but have not had pain meds today because I was going to be brave and eat breakfast. I did not want to take the pain meds and then vomit. I had soft scramble eggs and some water and so far have tolerated it. My tongue and mouth are very swollen still, but I need to be active if I expect to recover. The more you dwell on what is wrong blocks what you can do to make it feel better. My issues right now are the vomiting and pain. I have several white scabs at the back of my throat and my uvula as well. I can almost feel everything just laying low and sinking into my throat. I am sure many can relate. Well, hopefully you all have speedy recoveries. All my best!
Today is post op day #1 and I slept on/off last night. Took pain meds 3x yesterday, but have not had pain meds today because I was going to be brave and eat breakfast. I did not want to take the pain meds and then vomit. I had soft scramble eggs and some water and so far have tolerated it. My tongue and mouth are very swollen still, but I need to be active if I expect to recover. The more you dwell on what is wrong blocks what you can do to make it feel better. My issues right now are the vomiting and pain. I have several white scabs at the back of my throat and my uvula as well. I can almost feel everything just laying low and sinking into my throat. I am sure many can relate. Well, hopefully you all have speedy recoveries. All my best!
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I had my tonsils removed 8 days ago, and I am still in terrible pain. Last night I think the finals scabs from the coderizing dissolved, by now my thoat is so sensitive. I have no eaten in 8 days, besides for the occasional spoonful of baby food, and I have actually lost 15 pounds! Great Diet.. but totally not worth the suffering.
My throat is sore and cold at this point, I am terrified that I will never recover. My tongue is still swollen and I cannot speak well.
This is miserable!
My throat is sore and cold at this point, I am terrified that I will never recover. My tongue is still swollen and I cannot speak well.
This is miserable!
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gee! thanks im 15 and on day 8 post tonsillectomy. my doctor told me it was going to hurt like s*** for 10 days, but after waking up after the surgery i felt no pain at all, maybe it was because i was doped up i dont know, but for three days i felt no pain what so ever accept for when talking and trying to swallow so i didnt even need to take meds. on the fourth day i woke up and couldnt talk at all and i felt like someone had punched me in the throat, my ears were in terrible pain. I DONT THINK THIS PART IS NORMAL I HAVE NEVER HEARD THIS HAPPEN TO ANYONE BUT WHEN I EAT OR DRINK OR EVEN TAKE MY MEDICINE, THAT IS WHEN MY EARS START TO HURT. the pain is so bad i take extra medicine and the extra medicine hardly helps, i am perscribed hydrocodone for the pain, and it doesnt help at all!!!!!! i seriously feel like im going to die! i will try the gum chewing and i hope that it will help with some pain
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I am on day 8 here myself, OMG I would not wish this on anyone, I still can't really eat tho, whatever I try I just about gag to death in pain swallowing it.
For me even room temp water is no good, I seem to not do well with the cold stuff either, but ice pack on throat helps, for liquids i do a lot of soup broths, decaf coffee with splenda, even tried a creme of chicken soup that was a bit harder but got it down.
A few times I did try stuff like gravy and noodles but paid for it dearly after about 5-6 bites I was shut down and in pain for hours afterwords, makes you really not even want to touch other foods when that happens.
I am down 11 lbs in 8 days, but trying to at least keep my fluids up by mostly drinking the broth and coffees, wife brought me a icee drink yesterday i took mini spoonfuls for a while, at first it felt good but hurt after a few more tastes so back to the warm for me.
I sure hope this gets better soon, mornings are the worst takes me a good 30 mins just to get my starting pills down and pain meds down.
I was on lortab liquid but it burned too bad taking it, so i am now on vicadin 500mg , i can take 1 or 2 every 4-6 hrs, im trying 1 today but next dose time im taking 2 again as im finding my jaw shaking from the pain at times (just a bit over the comfort edge on only 1), doc gave me a generic equiv of ambien for sleep, thanks bigtime to her on that, cuz first 5 days I got less than an hr at a time some nights maybe 3 hrs all broken total sleep, at least with that pill i can get a good 5-6 hrs sleep straight, yeah it bites when i wake up with an even more sore throat but at least I have my wits about me and am not bouncing off walls being over tired.
My thoughts go out to you all who are going thru this, i realize some are worse some are easier, but i honestly didnt expect it to be THIS painful or to last THIS long ;(
Bill
For me even room temp water is no good, I seem to not do well with the cold stuff either, but ice pack on throat helps, for liquids i do a lot of soup broths, decaf coffee with splenda, even tried a creme of chicken soup that was a bit harder but got it down.
A few times I did try stuff like gravy and noodles but paid for it dearly after about 5-6 bites I was shut down and in pain for hours afterwords, makes you really not even want to touch other foods when that happens.
I am down 11 lbs in 8 days, but trying to at least keep my fluids up by mostly drinking the broth and coffees, wife brought me a icee drink yesterday i took mini spoonfuls for a while, at first it felt good but hurt after a few more tastes so back to the warm for me.
I sure hope this gets better soon, mornings are the worst takes me a good 30 mins just to get my starting pills down and pain meds down.
I was on lortab liquid but it burned too bad taking it, so i am now on vicadin 500mg , i can take 1 or 2 every 4-6 hrs, im trying 1 today but next dose time im taking 2 again as im finding my jaw shaking from the pain at times (just a bit over the comfort edge on only 1), doc gave me a generic equiv of ambien for sleep, thanks bigtime to her on that, cuz first 5 days I got less than an hr at a time some nights maybe 3 hrs all broken total sleep, at least with that pill i can get a good 5-6 hrs sleep straight, yeah it bites when i wake up with an even more sore throat but at least I have my wits about me and am not bouncing off walls being over tired.
My thoughts go out to you all who are going thru this, i realize some are worse some are easier, but i honestly didnt expect it to be THIS painful or to last THIS long ;(
Bill
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I am now 8 days post-op and not only is the pain getting worse but the oxycodone that I'm on isn't helping with the pain anymore. And starting last night I don't know why but I keep producing spit(ewwww I know) like crazy. It just fills my mouth and I can either swallow the spit(ouch) or spit it out into the sink(dont feel like spending all my time in the bathroom). Right now it feels like someone has punched me in the throat. It's 5:15 am and I haven't slept at all last night. I'm going to see my doctor today and see if he can give me some stronger pain killers. All I want to do is to heal so i can go back to work. I've always had a high pain tollerence but this is ridiculous. :-( My email is _[removed]_ if anyone has any suggestions for me.
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I am now 8 days post-op and not only is the pain getting worse but the oxycodone that I'm on isn't helping with the pain anymore. And starting last night I don't know why but I keep producing spit(ewwww I know) like crazy. It just fills my mouth and I can either swallow the spit(ouch) or spit it out into the sink(dont feel like spending all my time in the bathroom). Right now it feels like someone has punched me in the throat. It's 5:15 am and I haven't slept at all last night. I'm going to see my doctor today and see if he can give me some stronger pain killers. All I want to do is to heal so i can go back to work. I've always had a high pain tollerence but this is ridiculous. :-( :-(
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I'm also 8 days post-op & like previous posts had been warned that it would be sore, but never in my wildest dreams could I imagined that it would be this sore..& for so long. Have followed all the advice given at the hospital (toast/crisps/fizzy drinks) but it still hurts so much to swallow. Still feel like someone has tried to wrench my tongue out & given me a good pounding in the jaw. Trying to keep the faith that when I wake up tomorrow morning the pain will all have miraculously disappeared.
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Im on my second day of post op and am in alot of pain :-( i was able to eat noodles and rice plus lots of frozen yogurt but as soon as the medicine wears off im in so much pain i almost cry. It hurts to swallow so bad but am still forcing my self to eat and drink as much as i can take. Im a little nervous though because my doctor didnt prescribe an antibiotic only pain meds and a steroid.....anyone else have this???? thanks!!!
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Its been 3 days since I had my tonsils taken out and it hasnt been too bad pain wise. I woke up every three hours the first night home with some pain, but once i took the lortab i was fine. my biggest complaint is being groggy from all the meds and i've had the urge to cough but am afraid to b/c of bleeding risks. I've just been drinking as many fluids as possible....i'm just so sleepy is my main complaint...
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My surgery was 10 days ago. I have had many surgeries on many parts. This is by far the worst thing I have ever done. I also work for the ENT who done my surgery and even though I had heard the horror stories I still didn't think it could be that bad. The trick really is to DRINK DRINK DRINK and the colder the better. I have the added problem that I am allergic to most of the pain medications. I ended up taking hydromorphone on the first four days then liquid tylenol for three then back to morphine. I had to go back to work. That was bad...really really bad and I couldn't take the rx pain meds because it felt like my head was not attached to my body. Because I couldn't eat or sleep I felt so sick. About day 5 I was able to eat mashed potatoes and applesauce and that helped me get some strength back. I am at 10 days and the last three are equivilent in pain as the second, third and fourth. I had a two day run where I thought I was seeing the light and then it got worse again. Now the prescription pain killers aren't working and I am spending my fourth of July drugged up in my pj's hiding in the dark and begging for a moment that is pain free. I want solid food so bad. I am still only able to eat milkshakes and applesauce. By the way... a little tip ...put your meds in a spoonful of applesauce and they go down much easier without dissolving and getting hung in your throat. I wish luck to all and if you have a choice trust me the pain of recurrent tonsillitis is 100 times better than surgery. Good luck! May we all not lose our minds from the pain. o.O
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Had a tonsilectomy 6 days ago. It started out painful enough and i expeced it to get better with time. Yesterday the fifth day was horrendous, pains in my ears, swelling in my throat, pains in my head, eating was almost impossible. I had to force the food down while people look on thinking i'm exagaratting. No energy for anything, its hard to get dressed, i don't want to talk and when i see my lovely wife coming up the stairs with food, doing her best i just sink further into the bed. I am constantly waking in pain although last night before going to bed it didn't seem that bad, however this morning made up for that! :-(
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