Swollen uvula and scabs falling off after tonsillectomy

Hello! I am a 13 year old girl and I had my tonsils out last Wednesday, so I am on day 5 of "recovery". So before my tonsillectomy I did a lot of reading online to try to prepare myself because that is just what I do. I'd say this was a very smart decision because I knew what I was getting into, at least some-what. The reason behind my tonsillectomy is chronic strep-throat which sucked.

day 1) this is the day of surgery and I had to get up pretty early so i wasn't to happy about that. I had to wait for a long time to actually have my surgery, but it went well. When I woke up, I felt extremely drowsy and that didn't go away for awhile. When I was ready the nurse got me some apple-juice with crushed ice and that was pretty good. She asked me how my pain was and it was pretty bad so I got some pain killer through the IV. After that I was escorted out of the building in a wheel-chair because I was still really drowsy. I slept pretty much the whole day waking every few hours and in the evening i was texting my friend which helped distract me.

days 2and 3) I don't really remember a whole lot from days 2 and 3. Day 2 was pretty much the same as the end of day one so it wasn't too bad. Day 3 however was a nightmare! I hadn't eaten anything besides a couple Popsicles and a few spoonfuls of applesauce and i threw the rest out because it didn't taste right, so was really really really dizzy. I stayed in bed all day except for bathroom breaks and whenever i needed to refill my water bottle. The pain had escalated some.

Day 4) This day and now are the worst. The pain has gone from 5 (day one) to an 8 now(1=not any pain really and 10=sedate me by any means necessary). It may not seem like a big difference but they are different types of pain so it's hard to rate. I spent the day in bed mostly but I was feeling surprisingly good so I talked a little bit. Later my sister (24) and my brother in-law (26) came over an i talked a lot. Huge mistake. It was nice to see them though because my sister and I are really close. The pain is more a sharp now.

day 5) I can't open my mouth wide enough to look in it really, my jaw hurts, my neck hurts, and, obviously, my throat hurts. it is currently a little before 12:30 am which isn't weird for me, i stay up late a lot. The pain in my throat is really painful now, like needles i think someone else described it. I'm not dizzy or anything but I do have minor earaches every now and then.

ok now I am going to go more into specifics of things other than the separate days.

Drinking) I started out drinking water which was ok but I'm not a huge water fan. On day 3 i think, I switched to a Mango-Peach drink which is really good because I couldn't take the water. It started to taste like the back of my throat, so way not pleasant. The flavoured drink helped a lot with the odd taste when drinking. I have also found out just now that if you are having trouble swallowing drinks, try to take a medium amount and gulp it down in a huge motion, like with a lot of air. I don't know if that makes sense but is seems that really big swallows with half air and half liquid, repeated, seem to cut down on pain a little rather than tiny little painful sips.

Diet) My diet consists of popsicles and liquid so far. I tried to eat a piece of cheese because i was really hungry and it is good cheese, however i started choking on it. I was like, "come on!" It was literally smaller than the pad of my finger. Then I tried to eat Tomato soup but i poured it down the drain, not because it burned, but because it had a weird taste to it. It actually felt good going down my throat. The only upside to this diet is that I have already lost 5 pounds. Not that I'm fat but hey, it doesn't hurt.

Swelling) My tongue really hurts but its not swollen. It is really hard to breath though because my scabs are huge and my uvula is huge as well. This is really annoying too because I keep choking on it. Swollen uvula is sooo not cool. Meh.

Pain) My pain has been steadily increasing, wavering just a little, which sucks. My throat  is also really dry no matter how much I drink.

Scabs) I think my scabs are falling off. I haven't had any chunks come out but little pieces are shredding off. Then it gets in my saliva and then my mouth tastes absolutely horrid. I can't wait for this to be over.

Communication) Like I said i did a little talking in the morning on day 4 and then a lot in the evening. While i have read that talking is good, DO NOT PUSH IT! I cannot make a sound today without breaking out into tears. My throat feels very raw from the talking. I have been writing on pieces of paper for the rest of the recovery.

Medication) My medication is prescribed to be taken over 3 hours which I am doing. It is called  HYDROCODONE-APAP  and I am on my refill. It works fairly well, but it is really bitter and I choke almost every time I take it.

Family) My extended family hasn't said anything much, just a few "I hope you get better!"s and maybe a few conversations. This is over Facebook so no taking required. My mother and father are really helpful. They offer to get me anything which I usually refuse. my parents are not really home with me a whole lot because of work and stuff but I don't really care. I feel bad if I mooch. The surgeon said to my mom while we were at the consultation that i would be complaining all the time but because he said that, I made a point not to. That and it doesn't make sense to me. They can't magically whisk the pain away (I wish) so there is no point in making a nuisance of myself. So anyway, for company, I have....my cat. One of my many animals. He is my BFF. (Especially because my friends are at school). He is really my cat, he is a little spazy sometimes but sweet if he likes you. He has actually been by my side almost 24/7 since the operation which I greatly appreciate.

School) I have only missed 3 days so far and we have Monday a Tuesday off so I get a long time off school to recover which is good. The only problem is that, at this rate, I won't be able to go back to school on Wednesday. My mom really wants me to, like obsessively so. I want to get back, I do, however not like this. My grades are extremely important to me but I will not sit through school all day without medicine (letting students take anything stronger than a cough drop is against school policy). It will be fine mother, I swear.

Positives) I noticed that a lot of people on here were saying a lot of really negative things, which is not hard to do, so I decided to post some thing that I read on other sites for anyone who reads this in the future and is in agony. All of the people who have written on forums that i have read, have said that the pain is well worth it. They say that they're throat problems, whatever they may be, go away and some people even sleep better which will be a dream for me because I don't sleep to well.

 

thank you for reading  my loooong post on my experiences so far. I'm sorry, I always write a lot. Just keep swimming (just keep swimming) haha :D i had to...too tempting. Well anyway, I hope you future tonsil victims find this useful :) Thank you :)

 

Hello! I'm 35, had the Tonsillectomy yesterday at 8am. I've been extremely uncomfortable since the surgery ended. My Uvula as well as the glands around my throat are extremely swollen. I was kind of shocked by the size of the Uvula, but thanks to everyone's helpful posts, this seems to be normal. My Dr. warned me it's going to look like WWIII in the back of my throat, but he says this is normal. I find it hard to swallow the Percocet that was prescribed to me, I'm going to see if it's OK to crush it up and take it down with a shot of water, but based on some other posts that say it would cause the dose to be administered all at once, I think it might be too risky. (don't want to OD) I know for sure it would be extremely uncomfortable to sleep on my back or even my side due to the enormous size of my uvula, so I am sitting in a comfy recliner and it's making me as comfortable as I can be considering. i'm not in a lot of pain per se, thanks to the Percocet, but due to the swelling and that it's very hard to swallow, it's very uncomfortable. I found that swishing around some cold water along with gargling for a bit helps to get rid of all the syrupy saliva that keeps building up every hour or so. (swish it around, gargle a little, but spit it all out.) some of the discharge is a funky grey color that I was warned about and I was told not to be concerned unless there is a lot of blood. so far I haven't seen a trace of blood when I rinse, spit, etc. it's only day 2. . .wish it was day 10.:'(

I am a 26 year old female and I had my tonsils taken out 7 days ago. It is somewhat a difficult recovery but it beats getting strep throat and infections multiple times a year. Day 1-3 were the worst! No sleep, dry mouth, sore throat, swollen tongue and extremely swollen uvula. When I woke in the morning I was in serious pain plus headaches and dizziness gave me a run for my money. Day 4-6 were a bit better, ate a little mashed potatoes, soft eggs, farina, broth all which were served cool. But the ear aches were killer. I used an ice bag for that and ate Popsicles. Day 7 is where I'm at now and the coughing is beginning so the scabs can come out. It's uncomfortable but I can deal with it for now without the oxycodone. Trust me it gets easier.

Today is day 7 and my pain is at it's worst. I forgot to take my meds before bed time and I woke up in the middle of the night with an 9/10 pain. The first 5 days if surgery was like a 2/10 pain. Not really painful just really uncomfortable. But I think my scabs are starting to come off. I felt something in my throat while I was in class (though I shouldn't be) and I kept drinking water until I swallowed it. A lot of pain in my ears and my throat. But I've Ben eating pasta and apple sauce jello and mashed potatos since day 1 (surgery) and it hasn't been a problem. I've only had problems starting last night. I'm having trouble swallowing and talking and breathing and laying down. Overall it has been nothing like these internet horror stories!

So, I had my tonsillectomy on the 16th. It is currently day 4 and I must say, I am MISERABLE. I haven't been able to eat anything what so ever. I managed to ear 1/2 cup of jell-o yesterday, and the pain was unbearable afterwards. The worst thing for me is the ear pain. I can handle a LOT of pain, but the pain in my ears has gotten so bad that I have broken down and cried several times. I'm guessing the scabs are trying to fall off or something, because I have this god-awful taste that I can not seem to get rid of. It has gotten to the point to where I am actually getting sick to my stomach. I haven't found any relief as of yet, and no articles online have been of any help. I also have been having a problem with my throat itching. I CAN NOT cough. I don't know how to relieve the itching either. My pain meds are starting to slack and haven't helped as much as they were. I am 17 and this is my 3rd surgery. It has also been my most painful one. Good luck to everyone!!

Hi this happened to me last week too. Very scary indeed.

I am A 39 year old male that had my Tonsillectomy done on the 28 oct. Its 6 days later so far has everyday has been painful the worst of those being day 5&6. Scabs Came off on day 6 i found the use of non dairy protein drinks very helpful in recovery and healing, example isopure.  

I'm 34 and will be 2 full weeks tomorrow (11/27) since my tonsillectomy-bilat turbinate reduction. I would have rather had another C-section than do this! Have gone through 3-500 cc bottles of Lortab 7.5/500 and sore throat just got relieved Sunday (day 11). Only problem now is horrible headache, mainly in left side and back of head and pain when yawning.

Hey everybody! I'm 15 years old and had my tonsils out a week today. I've got to say, the pain is excruciating. I have never been in so much pain in all my life. Day 1-3 was the worst. I couldn't sleep and most times cried myself to sleep with my mom next to me. My uvula was incredibly swollen making me feel like I was chocking all the time, it made me physically heave. Being a teen *i'm a girl btw* I have broken my hand/wrist.. and the pain is nothing compared to the pain I have in my throat. I'm on day 7 now, and the pain in still here, but not AS bad. I was given no antibiotics and have been depending on paracetamol and ibuprofen. I am starting to get better though! &I am being able to eat solid foods at a push. Drinking is important though, which I have been trying my up most to do. I cant drink squash or fizzy drinks as it stings so much&causes bad pain in my ears.. However I am grateful to have had them taken out as it means no more tonsillitis! :D. So the pain is going to be well worth it. Sorry for the essay x _ x

I'm on day 7 and it is pretty awful. The days that are the worst are 5-7 so far. My uvula is gigantor. I'm just trying to drink cold stuff and eat soup. Hope this sh*t goes away in a couple days!

I'm 25 years old. It's the middle of the night on day 10 (including surgery day). Woke up in a lot of pain. Tried drinking water, but the stinging is making it impossible. It has definitely been the hardest 10 days of my life. I've been feeling so much pain since day one. The pain meds (oxycodone) doesn't even nearly cover the pain. I've been battling pain the entire time. I have not ate any solids yet, other than a couple bites of mac and cheese on day 8 and 9. I have been living on baby food, ensure, and pedialyte (which actually stings a lot). Today I had one of those scares with extreme pain with burning and stinging. I looked back in my throat and saw some blood on my tonsil. I freaked out, as I have read so many horror stores of people hemmorrhaging and needing to go to ER. I just watched it, iced, and drank ice water. Took a pain med along with Tylenol. It seemed to take away the pain for a few till I went to bed (after another pain pill) and woke up 2 hours later in pain. I'm just so frustrated by how painful this whole thing has been. I'm amazed to read others have little to moderate pain as well as being able to tolerate foods that even on day 10 I can't even imagine eating yet. I only started talking on day 8, before then it was nearly impossible to get 2 words out. Every night and morning has been horrendous to say the least. Best advice is to pop a pain pill and drink as much fluid as possible. Dehydration was my worst enemy. I layed around most the week, because of not only the pain, but feeling pretty sick and dizzy. I was also pretty much starving myself, because I ate little to nothing for a week. Today I tried a bite of pizza and that was a huge mistake. I felt like I tore my throat a part. I ended up switching to baby food and maybe had half a jar before I couldn't take the pain anymore and then realized the slight bleeding in my throat. I didn't even mention the major earaches I've been getting since maybe day 6 or 7. Those are awful! I also get major jaw aching that accompanies it and makes it impossible to function or sleep. I have such large holes in my throat and such large tonsils before surgery so I sometimes wonder if that's why I have it so bad. Not really sure, but I definitely can't wait till I'm feeling better and pain meds are no longer. For the first few days I was taking pain meds every two hours as prescribed and that hardly masked the pain. After a few days I tried to shorten taking them as much as possible due to the side effects of constipation and urinary retention I was having. Honestly tho if the pain is so bad you can't hardly stand it, pair it with tylenol. That extra med helped cut the edge, but I didn't want to take them too often. It is definitely not what I expected this surgery to be like, and it is by far the worst time ever. Ice packs are a blessing and I wouldn't survive without it. I was using those round the clock. Neck stiffness was also another issue I had as well. My uvula is still pretty swollen and long and that's 10 days after! Anyhow, if you consider this surgery just keep in mind whay you will be up against. It may or may not be the worst pain of your life. For me it has been a non stop battle, and it seems to be never ending. I also suggest getting some probiotics and ask a doc what they recommend. I couldn't swallow any pills other than oxy, so I made sure I could crush or split capsules of both Tylenol and the probiotic. I also still have quite a lot of white patches on my throat and very little parts where they fell off. They promised me relief between 10-12 days so I hope they are right. I'm already on day 10 and I feel stuck back in day 3. :( Brooke

I'm 25 and had my tonsils out 5 days ago. So far I haven't had any problems like other people. Once I woke up I wanted to eat and drink straight away although that burned like a mother....I got a custard and jelly down on the first night and a chicken sandwich. Next day I woke up with a raging fever and tried to take pain meds but threw them up straight away....that was the max of pain for the time being. Every other day I haven't even needed pain meds, I mean my throat and jaw aches but its bearable. Day Three lead to trouble as I developed an insanely bad taste in my mouth which is making all food and drink taste like poison.....this has stopped my appetite in its tracks and i'm hoping once the scabs fall off the taste will be gone. Bread and butter is my friend atm as it tastes like poison the least....can't wait to eat normal food again after having lost 5kgs in 5 days need to carbal load! :p

Im a 27 year old female. Today is day 8 for me. Day of surg was terrible. I was in so much pain i was crying and begging for help. The hydrocodone didnt work so they had to put me on a drip of something stronger+the hydrocodone every 3.5 hrs. It always wore off in 2. It was a nightmare & so was day 1-3. Days 4 and forward were better. I attempted ramem noodles and wished i hadn't after..so i went back to broth only. Plus i stopped taking the pain meds due to constipation. Day 6 and up i was noticing scabs have come off some and the pain was just down to annoying feeling. Therefore i started trying to eat other foods. I made cookies and figured if i chewed them up real good i would be fine. Now i see red specs where some scans came off. Its not bleeding but im so scared that it will start to that im back to liquids only. I pray it doesnt. Id hate to have to go back in the or and start the healing over. :(

This is day 6 for me...I had my surgery the day before Thanksgiving. 

Wednesday - woke up fine, eating ice chips, no problemo.  Got home, took my meds just fine.

Thursday-Friday - could not keep anything down.  Spent both of these days in bed or throwing up.  No fever or ear pain.  Tried some smoothies w/ yogurt but I think they were too thick.  They coated my uvula, not going all the way down and I could taste them hours later.  I had to do lots of gargling with warm water to get the taste out of my mouth.  Gross!

Saturday-Sunday - ear pain, jaw pain.  I've tried to keep talking to a minimum as this seems to make things worse.  Also, no cold for me, warm only.  Cold burns like crazy!  I can do popsicles very slowly....very very slowly!  I actually was able to eat a tiny bit of steak and a piece of broccoli.  Kept it all down too!  I stopped my pain med as it is making me constipated.  I'm not in any pain, exactly, it's my super swollen uvula that is giving me problems.  It makes swallowing very painful.

Monday - stayed home from work another day.  My ears hurt like crazy.  Still not taking pain med.  I was able to eat ramen and toast and keep them down.

Tuesday (today) - feeling ok...back at work, talking sucks, I feel like I have a mouth of oatmeal.  I'm trying to chew gum because my mouth tastes horrible, but that is making me need to swallow more.  My right side is more sore than my left.

Overall, this is not totally horrible like I was expecting.  The worst pain was at about a 4.  It's the uvula that is giving the most problems. 

My surgeon used the electrowave procedure or whatever.  Good luck everyone!

I also got prescribed that liquid stuff and IT DOESNT WORK I was so mad when I took and and later nothing felt better.