I'm a 19 year old girl and I had my tonsils taken out 10 days ago. I was having terrible bouts of tonsillitis all the time (sometimes twice in a month) for about 8 months. The procedure is no big deal and only took about 30 minutes. For me, days 1 and 2 were pretty easy and I didn't have much pain at all. I kept up on the pain killers and an antibiotic I was given, stayed hydrated, ate some soft foods, and used a humidifier. Day 3 I started to feel the pain, but it was still manageable with pain killers. Days 4 and 5 were probably the worst for pain. I was feeling the referred pain in my ears and a little in my jaw (ice helped a lot). On day 5 I started feeling nauseous because I didn't feel like eating a thing and the pain was pretty bad. On day 6 I woke up in a lot of pain and had nausea so I didn't eat anything that day. I never threw up, but I felt very uneasy. I had my follow up appointment and my doctor gave me a steroid to calm the swelling in my throat and uvula. On day 7 I woke up with less pain and started taking the steroid. From then on the pain went down a lot. I am now eating regularly with the exception of super crunchy foods. I still have some slight scabbing on my throat which should be gone soon. Swallowing is a little uncomfortable but not bad. Overall the recovery is not fun but I know that it will be worth not being constantly sick and on antibiotics. My tips would be to ice to relieve some pain, keep up on meds, use a humidifier, have soft foods to eat, get lots of rest, sleep elevated, and stay hydrated. Also stay away from horror stories on the internet because everyone heals differently! Good luck!