POST TONSILLECTOMY SURGERY AND ACUTE EAR ACHES

hey there im on my 5th day after my tonsillectomy and im still in agony all i have been taking is paracetamol and ibuprofen which doesnt seem to help much. I am managing to swallow im just persevering with the pain as the doctor has said that you must eat so it scrapes away that horrible yellowishy white stuff at the back of the throat. My ears are in absolute agony especially first thing in the morning and at night when i am trying to sleep funnily enough it only seems to hurt on the side that i sleep on. I have read a few other peoples stories and they are saying that they are into their tenth day etc theres no way i can handle that i think im going insane with the pain!! anyways i admit that although it is sore to eat this is actually your best bet because for a little while after you have actually eaten you will notice that it seems to calm down.

I just had my tonsillectomy on the 13th of march. I posted day by day experience of what happpened after surgery. I hope that my post will help people cope or will cope with there surgery.

33, female. Like all the other posts, day 1-3 seemed like, "Wow, Okay, I can handle this!". But day 4+ brought a new reality with it. I've had repeated severe strep throat, so I'm fairly used to the swallowing pain and forced drinking/eating. I was surprised by the ear pain, b/c I had never had any ear problems in my life. But I thought that recovery meant getting better day-by-day, not WORSE. I too have burnt taste in my mouth, all foods taste "off", and yes, my tongue is sore, has spots of soreness where I assume it was clamped out of the way for the surgery. My tonsils are currently covered in white mess, and I have excess slimy mucus. I have brushed my teeth a few times, and it is a good thing. My doc never advised me to eat anything crusty to "clean off the tonsil area" as some of you have advised. I was warned the opposite, in order to prevent bleeding. My Rx is oxycodone, 1 or 2 every 4 hrs. I only took 1 per serving for the 1st 3 days, but that night, Oh Lord! I took an extra after trying wrapping my throat in an ace pack without much success. THAT was good. So now, I take 2 per serving during the night. If your Rx allows for this as mine did, try it. It's the only way I can make it through the night. My blessed Christian friends have been bringing me and my family dinner every day since the operation, and it is so nice to have that not to worry about (I have 3 kids, all homeschooled, so at home with me all day). My dh was only able to get 2 days off, and my mom could only get 1. So today is my 1st day at home with the kids with no help. My oldest is 13, though, so he is keeping things ship-shape and we will make up the lost school time later. I was told to expect 7 hard days of full, babysitter-needed, recovery time. I will be sure to tell my doc when I go in for recheck the reality of this surgery for an adult. 7 days! Not hardly! More like 2 weeks! One thing, my doc prescribed my Rx as pills (to be crushed). I'm wondering why she didn't prescribe liquid as I've been reading here? I'll be certain to ask her at my next visit!

I hope you feel better soon and get some relief from your pain! Iam 30 and scheduled for a tonsillectomy on April 5. I have a 1 year old and 3 year old and my husband will be out for 4 days with me and then I'm on my own too. I am worried I will not be able to care for my kids and we have no one to baby sit. Are you able to function by day 4?


Jill

I had my tonsillectomy on 15 March. First couple of days were a breeze and I just thought everyone was a baby. I mean, I have a fairly hefty amount of pain tolerance, or so I thought. I've done the whole c-section thing, which was an absolute breeze. HOWEVER, believe people when they say this is the worst!! It is.

My husband was out with me for the first 4 days, but honestly I've been getting progressively worse every day instead of better. I can't believe some of the stong pain killers some have been given. i've only had the vicodin (liquid) which takes the edge off, but when my throat hurts too much to swallow even that, it doesn't do a lot of good. The liquid antibiotics they gave me (AMOX-CLAV) were thick and smelled so bad my stomach churns so he said it's not necessary that I take them since they come back up as soon as they go down!!!

I'm supposed to go back to work on Day 7 (Thursday), but I'm really starting to wonder if i'll feel up to it. And if one more person tells me I need to drink more!!!!! I'm proud of all those that have looked at their throats...after the first day, I refuse for fear of passing out. I don't want to know how disgusting it looks...smelling is enough!

Oh, and if any idiotic nurse tells whoever's with you to "start weening u off the pain meds on day two" by reducing the dose, he/she is full of it!!!!! In the words of my MD today, "tonsillectomy's are worse in adults and there is no need to be a hero!" TAKE THOSE MEDS AND TAKE THEM ON TIME!

Hey guys and girls. I'm Chris, im 20 and from Australia. I had mine out 6 days ago and am only starting to feel some improvement now, it still bloody hurts though. I was fine until I went off the anti-inflammitorys and the last few days have been killers. The acute headaches and the ear pain has to be the worst for me not to mention swallowing. The Endone I am on is great, pity I can only have it twice a day. I have lost almost a kilo a day due to my diet of custard, water and jelly. Its funny how most people get on here around day 5 or 6, the curiosity must eventually get the better of us. If you want, add me on msn and we can wallow in our misery together.
Cheers


**edited by moderator ** e-mails not allowed **

I am 31 years old and I just had my tonsils out 6days ago, and I have to say the pain has not been as bad as anyone said that it would be. I have liquid vicadin and azithromycin. I drink as much as I can, and lord knows I miss my beer. And I can say this sore throat is a lot better than the strep throat that i had for a month and a half before the surgery.

Ice cream has been my friend, and jamba juice has also made this a comforting experience, except for the initial sucking of the smoothie.

but no one told me when I should start or stop talking, brush my teeth, or when I can resume relations.

I'm 20 years old and I had a tonsillectomy last Tueday morning (I'm on day 5 now).
I had tonsillitus about 6 times last year and I had "kissing tonsils" on regular occassions which restricted my breathing and prevented me from eating solid food. Last christmas was the last straw for me...I lost more weight (2 stone!) and I started to look gaunt. I put myself on the waiting list to have my tonsils out and luckily I got a cancellation for last Tuesday.

I'm used to being in pain with my throat and I thought having the tonsillectomy was about the same as having tonsillitus (yes, I've had tonsillitus really bad in the past).
On the day I got out of hosiptal, I thought "this isn't too bad". But the pain got worse and worse up until this morning when I decided to start taking the Ibuprofen the doctors prescribed. I don't like taking medication (I believe your body can do most of the work), but when I woke this morning I was in agony.

I was prescribed:
* A anti-inflammatry mouthwash (which hasn't helped)
* Co-dydromol - strong painkillers which have helped with the headaches
* A 3-day course of antibiotics
* Ibuprofen

Symptoms up to day 5:
* Swollen uvula - mine is huge compared to pictures I've seen
* Scabs (black and yellow ones) all down my throat
* Severe earache (I had to put earplugs in yesterday..everything sounded louder)
* Stiff jaw (resulted in the ear aches)
* Nausea from the loosening scabs
* Everything seems bright, resulting in headaches
* Things taste differently (I'm a chocoholic and now chocolate just tastes funny to me)
* Bad breath
* Feeling drowsey
* Change in appetites (I crave dry toast as opposed to pizza!)

What helps me:
* Wrapping a scarf around my neck to keep the heat in
* Keeping the air around me warm...there's nothing worse than breathing in cool/cold air, it tightens the throat
* Eating toast or something to break away at the scabs before they build up too much
* On the contrary, eating marshmallows is soothing and fills me up (I have a big appetite)
* Avoiding foods like milks and chocolate...anything that sticks to your throat
* Fluids!! (yes yes, I know everyone says that, but I can't emphasise how much you need them)
* The biggest thing that helps me is that I crush up the ibuprofen tablet into a powder (also helps to swallow), but because the tablet is broken down, the pain is attacked quicker and it helps with the swelling alot quicker. This morning I was in agony...when I crushed up the tablet and took it, within about half an hour, I'm finding it alot easier to eat and swallow and (god forbid) I even have a bit of a voice :-)

I'm through the worst of it now, but I do sympathise with everyone who goes through the same thing. If you take alot of medication in general, then it will be longer before your body heals, I'm lucky that the ibuprofen reacted as quickly as it did as I'm not used to taking medication.

I have taken pictures of my throat on a daily basis from hours after the tonsillectomy up until today, just so I can keep an eye on the changes. I know it sounds gross, but if anyone thinks they will find them helpful, I'm happy to send them over via email

Hey, 26 year old male just got my tonsils removed, septum fixed and turbinates shrunken. I had this all done at once on Tuesday, April 3. I was told that it would be even more painful to do the nose and the throat at the same time since your nose is packed which causes your throat to dry. People, it's really not that bad! If it's possible ask your doctor to keep you overnight, my doctor kept me overnight. It really helped, especially becuase I had pain medication at the click of a button.
I have noticed that people are eating a little bit more than I am, I have really been only eating low sodium soup, drinking water (Smart Water) and eating popsicles. I think if you eat anything that irritates it, it will only make it worse and more inflammed. So stick to liquids. I wish everyonce a healthy recovery and good luck to those that are thinking about doing it. Do it, it is worth it! Your tonsils are the cause of other problems in your body.

I'm 20 and had my tonsillectomy just one day ago.

I, too, felt pretty good today and was so pleased I could manage to drink fluids (as yesterday it felt like drinking acid). I'm now a little apprehensive about the days to come after reading the previous posts.

I've managed 3 pieces of toast today, as well as treating myself to some yoghurt. I'm currently on 3 doses of 2 x co-codamol a day, and its working for the moment, however this ear pain you all speak of is starting to rear its ugly head.

Any ideas on abrasive food, other than toast that I can eat? It'd be nice to have a varied diet for the next week.

Haha. I just had my tonsils out on the 6th, and I am still feeling horrible. Between today and yesterday, (12th and 13th) I developed this thing where everytime I swallow now I am also swallowing a large gulp of air. WHAT IS THIS ABOUT? as if swallowing tiny sips of water were not painful enough, I now have to feel like I am swallowing huge fish fillets along with that sip. any suggestions? Cause I am down right dying. Honestly, I feel like doctors down talk this procedure, and then smash you in the face with a frying pan.

I have had same issue with swallowing a lot of air. Obviously I struggle a lot to swallow after the tonsillectomy (about 6 days ago) so I find I do swallow a lot of air.

My only advice would be: don't fight the urge to burp! I've apologised to my family already as I am not usually a burper, but letting the air come back up makes life more comfortable.

More advice to post-tonsillectomy readers: if you can fight it then DO NOT SNEEZE! I sneezed without thinking on Day 5 post-op and my god it hurt. :(
I'm now on Day 6, and the stories I've read are true, it really does hurt as now my scabs are cracking. I couldnt manage scrambled eggs for breakfast but was treated to a milkshake which was very soothing. My scabs could be worse though - I made an effort to eat abrasive food (toast, crunchy cereal, hash browns) when I could manage it up to day 5 and it has helped me. Whatever you do DONT DRINK ORANGE JUICE. Big mistake, had to take extra painkillers after that.

Also, someone asked the question earlier about when is it okay to start brushing your teeth again? My doctor told me: as soon as you can. I brushed mine 8 hours after the op.

Hi, just found this forum whilst scrambling around the internet. I had my tonsillectomy about 19 days ago and have been pain free now for 4 or 5 days, but I still have problems swollowing (some foods go down OK, others need the help of a drink to go), my voice is very nasally (I find it hard to pronouce some words - B's and V's are particularly bad), sleeping is limited to 'cat-naps' of 2-3 hours with me waking up with a very painful sore throat until I get a drink of water down my throat.

Its my speech problems which are more worrying, as it doesn't seem to be getting any better and it has been nearly 2.5 weeks now since the operation.

Is this normal? Just how long is the recovery likely to take?

Many, many thanx

I'm 27 and had a tonsillectomy 5 days ago.
DAY 1 of the procedure wasn't too painful as the general anaesthetic was still wearing off. I stayed overnight at the clinic and despite vomiting 7 times while I was there (first 3 times was just pure blood, the rest was blood mixed with food) I was allowed to leave at 11am on DAY 2.
They gave me Cocodemol and Voltarol to take home. They had been giving me 2 paracetamol every 4 hours and 1 Voltarol pill every 8.
Once home, I tried to continue their treatment style but found that my nausea and vomiting wasn't stopping. I switched to Voltarol suppositories, which are supposed to be less irritating to the stomach, but they made me sicker, if anything. The Cocodemol was to be saved for when my scabs came off as I have had nausea from codeine based drugs previously.
My ENT surgeon suggested I go off the Voltarol and paracetamol and onto ibuprofen while taking Buccastem for the nausea. I did this and felt better almost immediately, although the pain was starting to get stronger.
DAY 3 I realised the right side of my neck was swollen and painful to the touch up to my right ear. My jaw that side was less moveable and I had an almost constant ear ache. I could not lie on my right side. That night from 2am onwards I woke every 2-3 hours to take more ibuprofen. I also had a strange post-nasal drip consisting of greenish-yellow mucous flecked with blood. It tasted like sesame seeds and I had to spit it out regularly.
DAY 4 I was starting to get used to the pain and try to eat a wider range of food. My strength was coming back but I noticed that when I swallowed liquid it would often either go up my nose or down my windpipe. I was choking and coughing a lot and this prevented me from drinking as much as I should have.
DAY 5 I found I have a new complication when I try to fall asleep. I'm fine for a few minutes and then a dry spot tickles my throat and I have to wake up to cough and drink water. The coughing is so intense that I have tears in my eyes. After each attack both my ears ache acutely and then subside with time. I can drink without it going the wrong way.
This is what's happened to me so far and I can honestly say I wasn't prepared for all the different kinds and levels of pain. The ear aches are the worst, as no drug seems to be able to stop them. While my surgeon warned me that the procedure is 'very very painful' I do wish he'd been specific about the jaw ache, ear aches, coughing, and possible drugs complications. This has certainly been the most painful period in my life and I've had my wisdom teeth out and a chest operation for comparison. I would warn anyone with a history of dealing badly with drugs - make sure you have back up drugs that are less irritating.

Don't get me started about the earaches... I reckon my earaches and tongue pain has been worse than my throat! The best thing I can suggest for the ear pain is NOTHING COLD! Seriously, even eating a popsicle set it off for me.

My magic solution was a wheat bag microwaved for 2 minutes which was been pretty much "permanently attached" to my jaw/ear area through days 5-6. Couldn't have made it without it.

I'm now on day 9 and can eat okay... just. My throat can handle it... my ear can't! It's bizarre... when I eat the pain is all in my ear. It really hurts but not much can be done about it other than the heat bag.