Tonsillectomy recovery - When can I expect my voice back?

HELLO! everyone you have NO idea how at ease I am to hear you are all having the same issues I am having. I am on day 5 and I am over the liquids, ice cream and my own spit even! Its hard to even swallow that! So I just spit it out. My throat too hurts more on the left then on the right and I seem to yawn alot! I try and surpress the yawn b4 it starts but sometimes I cant keep it down. My speech is impaired for now too. I sound like a person with downsyndrome, and I am not making fun at all. Thats just the only way I can discribe how I sound so I hope I didnt offende anyone. Sleeping is very difficult. In the middle of the night I wake up in pain and have to switch sides. As far as eating I try and eat soft foods but it all hurts too much to even keep swallowing. Scabbing I have not even thought or looked at. I cant get my mouth open that wide to see back there yet. But I am really hungry and want regular foods. I cried too on day 2/3 because it was so painful and I was so hungry and frustrated. I just cant wait until its healed and over with. I hope it doesnt take a month like some said it took them. I NEED SOME FOOD!

I just had my tonsils out on 3/7/2011 and the first few days were horrible, i couldnt sleep and i woke up like 3 to 4 times in the night but im starting to feel a lot better and as far as being able to open your mouth that will come as you start to progress in your recovery! and as recovery goes im on day 6 and im already able to eat regular foods and im able to drink a lot of stuff and i aqte macaroni and cheese on my 3rd day of recovery just NEVER take pain meds on a empty stomach because it will make you very sick to your stomach! But good luck with your recovery and if u have any questions dont be afraid to ask ill be more than happy to help you.


Kendra

Hi again, I'm the one that got mine out on the 18th of Feb, 2011. I am happy to say that I'm jsut about back to normal. My uvula is still slightly swollen, but the steroids that they put me on after my two week follow up appointment has helped to bring down the swelling tremendously. My turning point day was day 13. On day 12 I went grocery shopping and was completely wiped out half way through the store. I had to lean on my car and walk really slowly because I had no energy. Later that day I at a bunch of hearty split pea soup and wow did that make a difference. It was so nice to not be eating broth and becase I ate a lot of it my blood sugar finally evened out I guess. I got my energy back and felt the closest thing to normal that night. Waking up Day 13 I haven't had really any problems since, a little weakness from pushing myself here and there, but that's about it. I did still experience pain until about day 21. That sucked, but it's finally subsided. My voice returned to normal with the steroids (my uvula was giving me that frog in the throat sound effect).

Hang in there! It sucks, I know, I felt really crappy for almost two solid weeks, but hang in there!!!
I'm happy to report that I lost about 15 pounds when all was said and done, now I'm trying to get to the gym every other day to keep it off!

I had mine done monday the 11/4. Stayed overnight because the pain was unbearable and was given a considerable amount of morphine. I was eating trifle the same day I had the op though, and I have to say, if I hadn't been eating and drinking ALOT of water, I don't think I'd be as well off as I am now. So far today has been the most painful, and I can taste the scabs starting to form and it's grooooooss. My uvula is massive too, it blocks my airways when I sleep so I have to sleep in a certain position.

At first I refused to look at my throat, but today i started coughing up alot of mucus (yummmmmm), and had to check them  out incase I had an infection. i went to my GP and apparently the infection isn't in my tonsil bed (thank god) and I was prescribed some antibiotics. I think the earache is the worst pain. Simply because I don't see it coming, but the best way to tackle it I've found is with soluble cocodamol or paracetamol, these have been my lifesavers. Water is also my new best mate.

Eating wise I've been having toast, pasta, pancakes, apple, trifle, ice cream, but only in tiny portions because although I want to encourage the scabs to come off, I don't want to scrape them off and end up with secondary bleeding. Overall, it's been excruciatingly painful, but I'm just glad it's nearly done with so I can get on with my life (fingers crossed)

hello im 20yrs old im on my 7th day from exactly getting my tonsils removed also.
i have to say it sucks. i cant really open my mouth let alone eat or drink anything
i try to drink cold water and it freaking hurts same with eating ice chips. My right side
of my throat hurts my left side doesnt hurt at all. and then when i drink the medicine
i was prescribed i cant keep it down at all.
i have a question tho when you sleep does your throat become dry that it feels like your
throat is burning?

I had my tonsils removed July 24th at around 1200.. so that makes today day 4 including removal day as day one. so day one i woke up from surgery and was really confused but i wasnt in much pain.. i was put in a room and stayed there until about 500 that afternoon so they could moniter my nauseau.. When i went home i ate graham crackers (they gave me some in the hospital and said it was okay). I ate those very well. Day 2 was still fairly decent not too much pain but thats when i started taking my pain meds. They gave me hydrocod/APAP, which just makes me pass out and when i wake up im in pretty bad pain.. Although i felt good enough to eat. I ate several things that i was very surprised it didnt hurt. I ate a grilled cheese combo meal from Dairy Queen, graham crackers, sherbert and some more.  Day 3 was the worst so far. i couldnt hardly at all and was almost constantly in pain. The ear pain started on day 2 but was absolutly horrible on day 3. i Woke up in the middle of the night at about three because it hurt so bad. It was so hard to take y medicine or even feel like i was breathing right.   Now it is day 4 at about 1130. i took my pain medicine and now am typing this. So far i feel okay, in a little pain. My ear pain is probably the worst part though. 

A few things i do to ease the pain is-

I always have a bottle of water with me

I wear a headband over my ears to keep air from going in there ( looks rediculous but it helps)

I keep a cold towel around my neck

 

I have smoked since i had the surgery and i know they say you shouldnt but what i do is i take a few drags and put it out and maybe this way i can quit i would go crazy if i  quit cold turkey. Im sure that is accountable for some of the pain but i try to time it after i take my medicine

I have found that reading all of these posts has really helped me get through this so far if anyone has any questions feel free to ask

 

Mine does i wake up in the middle of the night crying because it is so dry. It feels like its on fire

Hello, i just wanted to add a trick that i've found that really helps me. I'm 37 and on 10 day post Op. The pain was intense just like everybody on here has stated. Its starting to ease now but still very prominent. My scabs have yet to fall off as of this afternoon. I also talked quite a bit today which really over did it. Now my throat is very sore. Keep the talking to a minimum during this healing process. If something hurts, then back off for a bit. Anyway, the trick is really simple and helped calm those searing throat burns that extended into your ear canals, even when pain meds weren't quite cutting it. Keep a gel pack in the freezer, one thats made for your neck or back. Wrap it around your neck under your jaw so it is in direct contact with your throat and hold it snug in contact with your neck. It should be at least long enough to wrap from behind one ear, across your throat and back behind the other ear. After 5-10 minutes the pain majorly subsides. I do this evn when i wake up in the morning, after long periods of sleep have dried out your throat and its horribly painful to swallow. It has been a MAJOR help in the comfort process. Hope this helps anybody that has to go through this nightmare of a procedure.

To respond to a lot of this, I had my tonsils out on the 20th of February, and I feel quite alright! The white scabbing is completely normal, and a little bit of pain is to be expected. Fortunately, I was able to eat foods like mac and cheese and lasagna right after surgery. I would highly recommend eating what feels comfortable, but keep in mind this is while you're taking your pain meds as prescribed. I'm at day 12, and for the last few days I haven't needed to take Percocet or Vicodin. I have been drinking water whenever I can, and I think this has helped my recovery go much better. If any pain is bad enough that you can't swallow water, I would recommend calling your doctor. Get lots of rest and don't move around until you feel ready!

I'm 60 and I've got to get mine out I'm worried.

I'm really glad I haven't been having that bad of an experience. I'm 14 and on day 6 post op. I'm having minimal pain (almost nothing) and I can talk, it's just not fully back to normal. the white in the back are scabs and they start fall off after about a week my doctor said.

hey I'm almost 13 and this might've been one of the worst experiences of my life but really this is probably the only surgery in my life I've had unless you count having stitches in your head as one. so i was just wondering its day 11 and i can speak but i sound really funny i was wondering when its going to get normal and i was also wondering when ill stop having so much spit

Get ahold of yourself man! Crying like a baby? I know it's painful lad but take a little more elixir & call me in the mornin'.

Hi! i am a 17 year old senior and i'm on day 7 of post tonsillectomy! Today is my first day back at school. I know i'm not supposed to be taking codeine at school but I can't miss this many days of school.

I can BARELY talk. I can whisper and if I do talk it is very very limited before it starts hurting a lot. I've been able to drink water. I can drink pretty much any liquid hot or cold. But eating wise I try and stay away from grainy foods or dry foods. I've eaten a little bit of poke (raw fish, its a cultural thing) panera bread mac and cheese, lots and lots of miso soup!

The "white stuff" in your throat is completely normal, those are the scabs that build from the incisions made to take out the tonsils. At first my throat was basically coated in the white stuff it was absolutely disgusting. But now its a lot less. I've been coughing them up which is absolutely foul, and they smell disgusting. But in the back of my head it reminds me that I am healing! When I force them up, it made my throat bleed a little so I DON'T recommend doing that whatsoever.

My neck pain has gone away. On days 2-5 I felt paralyzed, I could not turn my neck or lift it it hurt so bad. I still have slight ear pain but it is going away as well.

My issue is, is that my lips are so chapped! I have no clue what it is from, and that is how I got to this forum. I want to know why my lips are so dry. They have never been dry my entire life and this is really unfortunate:(

If anyone knows please respond!

Hope this helps

Hi! It is such a relief to be reading these comments. I am 20 and had my tonsils and adenoids removed one week ago. I was able to talk (whisper) immediately after surgery but am still whispering. The biggest thing my doctor and all the nurses told me was to stay hydrated. I am drinking about 1-2 liters of water per day so I haven't had problems with a dry throat besides when I wake up in the mornings. My pain hasn't been bad at all thank goodness. My mom made sure I was taking my pain meds for about 3 days but I never had to ask for them. However, the right side of my mouth hurts so much worse than the left. The left side feels completely normal but I feel like the hole on the right side goes all the way down below my jaw which hurts when I swallow. I am spitting out a lot of mucus but it doesn't hurt much. By day 4 I was up and doing laundry and such. The only physical pain I have is again the right side of my mouth and being extremely constipated. (Sorry if that's gross but no one else has mentioned it.) I have been drinking smooth move tea for bowel movements and coffee with no luck and it's been a week. I may try prune juice later before doing the dreaded suppository.
Anyways, room temperature and hot drinks are working the best for me. Cold water hurts my throat and propel is even burning my throat. It's not carbonated but I guess the syrup is what's doing that. My mouth is white scabbed like everyone else's. To anyone thinking of gargling peroxide, DONT. I thought it would help tremendously but I guess from the extreme infection it foamed up like Mentos in Coke. It tasted terrible, so I was gagging while trying to spit out the peroxide and trying to swish water while looking like a zombie. You're welcome