Pre-surgery: surprise surprise my tonsils got infected 3 days before the surgery. I didn’t go on antibiotics and decided to wait it out since they usually give antibiotics after the surgery. For the past year, I’ve gotten this ridiculous infection like clockwork, every 4 weeks. There was no problem doing the surgery while they were infected, he just let me know how nasty they looked after the surgery.
Day 1: I got them out early Friday so I’ll make that day 1 of recovery. After the surgery I went home and ate some soup and bread. My whole mouth was pretty tender but it got better and I didn’t have a problem eating or drinking.
Days 2-3: Got better, I kept eating at every meal. I had a lot of soup, macaroni and cheese and some burritos from taco bell. The nights were the worst since my throat got so dry and I was snoring a lot apparently. My throat started to stink! From the scabs I’ve heard. It smelled/felt like I had a piece of a chicken nugget stuck that had been sitting in a fryer with 5 year old McDonalds lard.
Days 4-5: After the 4th day eating became a big problem. Everything burning going down. I had no energy and was dizzy/nauseas most of the time. By the evening it had only gotten worse, my throat had a sharp pain down the back of both sides.
Days 6-8: Not much of a change, eating and drinking still hurt but the pain meds helped a lot. I had started taking Tylenol instead of the oxycodeine on day 7, only took the oxy at night until day 10. I believe it started hurting more when the scabs were falling off and then once they were gone it hurt the most. Everything stung on the way down but after day 8/9 the scabs were off and on their way to healing. It didn’t hurt so much to eat and drink. All downhill after that and it hurt less every day.
Day 10+ I couldn’t speak clearly until after day 10. I didn’t want to open my mouth too wide, laugh, cough, burp…I’m not sure if it helped but I tried not to talk much until at least a week after the surgery. I used sign language a lot (charades), pointed and grunted etc.
Advice:
1. Drink A TON of ice water. It feels good and helps with the entire recovery process. It keeps the scabs from hardening. If you drink enough you won’t bleed. Even though it hurts sometimes, just drink anyways. This was the best advice I got out of these forums. Drink enough so you have to pee at least once every hour. Also, drinking water helps with the bad smell/taste from the scabs.
2. Nights are bad, I woke up every hour to drink/pee and every 4 hours to take medicine. Didn’t get a good nights sleep until day 10. It sucks but is completely necessary.
3. Keep eating. The pain meds have unpleasant side effects on an empty stomach. After day 4, keep eating even when it hurts. Eat foods with little flavor-bland foods are the safest and nearly painless. Stay away from salty, sour, sweet foods…too much flavor means it will hurt. I tried eating brownies and cake-hurt a lot, mashed potatoes were good unless they were salted. Then they hurt too.
4. Don’t take more meds than directed. Too much acetaminophen is terrible for your liver.
5. Try to relax, watch tv and do activities that require minimal effort. Popsicles are also great!
Good luck, it is a brutal process but worth it to avoid chronic tonsillitis.
Day One- I was home around noon...lots of drugs still working so not quite aware yet of the reality of what I had done. Kept my pain meds going every 4 hours...that is a major key! Don't worry about how much you're taking....just keep up with it. Rough night....could breathe in through my nose but becasue of the swelling, could not breathe out, so had to open mouth breathe, which dries out your mouth It would've been better if I had a recliner chair because I could breathe out of my nose when I was sitting up more and remember
lots of water by the chair the first couple of nights. Day two...felt better...got up and took a shower, meds, popsicle, but by the end of the day started feeling feverish. Day 3...what happened to day 3? I was vomiting or sleeping or taking pain meds. In bed for the day. Day four. Mothers Day. Showered, meds, popsicle and back to bed for a 3 hour nap. Was hoping to get off the pain meds...but forget it. Feels like cut wires in my throat if you let the meds wear off. Day five.....better than the rest but the cut wires are worse and lower in the throat. makes eating very difficult. I've lost 5 pounds already and am peeing every 1/2 hour to hour. The doctor told me it would be a rough 10 days and I thought he must be exaggerating....I'm just glad now that I'm halfway through and it can only start getting better. It's been quite a ride. Haven't been able to stay awake long enough for a movie or a book or a puzzle until day 4. I had tonsil stones and frequent infections and in my line of work I just bit the bullet and scheduled the surgery. I'm sure I'll be happy some day...but right now the breath could kill enemies. Make sure you have lots of time off to recover!!! Watch the pain med clock and take it on time! Drink lots of water and just try to sleep and wake up 10 days later!
For me, so far so good. Today, I woke up in serious pain in both of my ears and it would not go away. It felt like someone stabbing me on the inside of both of my ear canals close to the drum. I tolerate pain well, but that was an unexpected surprise. the codone remedied pain in 10 mins (2 teaspoons). i'm swallowing better today with little or no pain. mouth seems to phlem up alot and im running to the sink to spit. in fact, i have to go now.
Recovery is hard for adults, but I would not discourage one from getting their tonsils removed. it is worth it. You will not bounce back to your normal routine like a kid, but you will bounce back.
hopefully someone out there can help me out! I am 20 years old, had a tonsillectomy 11 days ago. 11! I still have slight throat pain but I have been able to eat basically everything from pasta to meat to fish without any issues. BUT the one thing thats really ticking me off is my voice. I havent been able to talk since an hour after my surgery until now. I was just wondering why this could be happening at day 11 when Im not even in that much pain? I looked in my throat with a flashlight and i still have white on my tonsils (scabs are still there) but shouldnt they be off by now? WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO SPEAK AGAIN?! i want my voice back!!! Anyone with any ideas it would be much appreciated! thank you!!
I'm 18 and had my tonsillectomy done on 1/22/14 around 8am.
Day 1 (surgery day): I was given a nausea pill, but apparently still threw up during surgery. It all lasted about twenty minutes. I was given apple juice with small ice chips (did not hurt much) and by the following hour I was ready to go home. The first day was the worst for me, especially trying to drink water, but by the end of the night, I had soup and a few popsicles.
Day 2: I drove around, felt fine, other than a sore throat. Talking was difficult because I sounded muffled, and when I laughed, it hurt a lot. Opening my jaw was impossible, and I noticed a numb bottom lip not letting up (I suppose from biting it after surgery).
Days 3-4: I could feel the scabs starting to form. During these nights I had to spit a lot of mucus and drink water. Slee[ing upright helps, because the swelling of the soft palatte doesn't allow for much nasal breathing. Did not take any pain medicine on day 4. The pain was mild, and it just stung a little when swallowing.
Day 5: I started coughing more and had to keep drinking water so it would not hurt for my scabs to come off. They started coming off in little pieces with no bleeding. They feel like little chunks of mucus and are white/brown in color.
Day 6 (current day): I sound a lot better, but it still hurts to swallow. I still have a numb lip, so I will be asking about that on my check-up. I got over-zealous and decided to try some nachos from Taco Bell today. I did wait until they were soggy (I didn't want soft tacos because I was afraid the tortillas may get stuck), but the spice from the meat hurt. I had to wash it down immediately each time. Looks like I'll stick to my bland foods for a while. Tomorrow is my first day back at work.
Now, I do handle pain better than the average, as I've pierced my own lip and got a 6 hr tattoo done in one sitting. As I hear, some bleeding is to be expected (although I haven't bled... and I haven't been drinking the required amounts of water). Keeping your calories up and fluid intake is key to healing properly. I take my liquid amoxicillin antibiotic twice a day (12pm and 6pm) and constantly snack.
My meals consist of potato, tomato, and chicken noodle soup, jello, applesauce. I tried some toast (better than bread because it doesn't clump as much, just be sure to wash down). I had Carnation Breakfast protein packs but they required milk, and that caused a lot of mucus, so I couldn't handle that. Ice cream is good, but the mucus isn't worth it. Popsicles work better. Try for sugar free foods (mucus, again).*Warm soups helped me the most. The swelling seemed to decrease and my voice improved significantly!
It's not as bad as it seems. Don't look at your throat- you will be disgusted.
Thanks for the info im only almost 13 and I got my tonsils out hurts so bad so im on a diet of about a sip of gatorade a bottle of water and mostly popsicles
Hello.
I thought I'd post my tonsillectomy experience for people in the future who have them just like you guys.
I'm 21 years old by the way!
The only difference was that I had a tonsillectomy and septoplasty.
I'm going to make this simple!
I consider myself to have a high pain tolerance, so the pain really wasn't as bad as I pictured or imagined it to be.
When I got out of surgery I was WRECKED, though. I wanted water and they took forever to get me water and ice chips in it. I noticed right away that my tongue hurt and my throats was scratchy (but apparently that was from the breathing tube in my throat during surgery.... sure). I felt really nauseous so she gave me a needle in my IV for that. I told her my pain scale was 7/10 so she gave me Jello to eat (fairly easy to eat), then gave me oxycodone. In pill form.. -.-
My prescriptions were in pill form too. Huge antibiotic and Tylenol with codeine which was small and round and a lot easier to take. My doctor only prescribed me 15 of these at first, and you can take them every 4 hours. Hell YEAH was I taking them on time.
Just a note - iced water was NOT my best friend. Water wasn't my best friend. Blended ice like a snow cone was my best friend. Thank god for that magic bullet. If you don't have one of those, get out your blender or a snow cone maker, because ice soothes your throat more.
Basically, I was in pain until day 7/8. It's now day 11. I don't know when the scabs fell off, I never looked in my throat - I figured it would scare me. Lol. I was brushing my teeth on day 5/6 and saw what looked like to be a little bit of a scab come out after spitting (which was still hard to do). Nevertheless, my doctor was less of a bastard than I thought and prescribed me 24 more pain pills.. 8) Thank you Jesus.
On a side note: just sit in bed all day for two weeks. you'll recover that way best. make sure you have a 'nurse' home for you to make you soup or something.
Also, if you have your deviated septum fixed, you'll bleed for two days out of your nose. Don't bend! You're gonna have to get that stupid and amazing neti flower pot from the drug store to wash your nose out of the blood on day 3. It didn't go through the other side of the nose for me until day 5. I had done the rinse about 3-4 times by that day. Don't give up and keep doing it! Don't gag and keep calm. You might get a little bit of water in your mouth. And make sure the water you put in the pot is a little warm. It feels better.
You're also gonna be in pain when you wake up from sleeping. Whenever I woke up I didn't swallow - I went right to the kitchen and made crushed ice and ate it instead of drinking water. It was easier. I also took the pain pill right away. The first four days, I didn't sleep through the whole night. Don't expect to get good sleep - but that's also why you have 2 weeks recovery. ;)
Anyway, good luck to whoever reads this! It's not as bad as you think ok? Stay strong! No one was here in these threads to tell me that, so I'm telling you that. Reading these are going to make you nervous - so just know everyone's experience is different.
I also forgot to add all I ate was chicken broth, mashed potatoes, Jello, and ice pops. Got sick of it all very fast.
Good luck once again!
Day 1: was pretty exhausted from surgery since arrival time was 5:30 am. Was in the car going home by 9:30. The procedure went well they even found an adenoid to take out close to my nasal canal so they did it all at once. When I arrived home I immediately went to my bed and rested. It was easier to fall asleep in the upright position because you were still under some anesthesia. Later that evening was pain but not as bad as I thought it would be. I would have described it as a case of strep throat. Sleeping that night was another story. Trying to sleep sitting up right to prevent further bleeding was hard enough as it was without pain, now try adding not being able to swallow your own saliva normal and sleeping upright. It was a long one.
Day 2: pain has defiantly kicked in as the anesthesia is completely gone out of my system. I’ve been taking both the ibuprofen and hydrocodone as prescribed alternating between the two. The steroids seemed to be the biggest reliever. I was prescribed a tapered dose pack and that is the one medication I couldn’t wait to get in my system first thing in the morning. The pain stayed consistent in my mouth especially the swallowing. I was able to eat Mac n cheese, soup, pick at a PB&J sandwich, and suck on ice. The taste in your mouth is beyond indescribable but absolutely DISGUSTING. So I would recommend not choosing your favorite foods as this mixed in taste from the scabbing will ruin it ( I learned that with my iced coffee and froyo) sleeping was still just as miserable sleeping upright but you have to do it otherwise you may being headed back to the ER for unnecessary bleeding from the drainage.
Day 3: get me my steroid asap... 5am to be exact. No sleep, constant pain, the swallowing I thought was going to be getting better only turned into thicker mucous and more painful gulps. At this point I was only taking the steroids and ibuprofen (I cut my 800 mg in half) so I could take it every 3 hours instead of 6. The Hydrocodone did not seem to be touching my pain and further looking into my meds the dose was not even equivalent as to when I got my wisdom teeth out (no wonder why it wasn’t doing anything) I noticed myself eating less and less to avoid the constant pain of swallowing and irritation on my throat. It wasn’t until that night where everything took a complete 180. My throat was getting better, I could open my mouth much wider and it didn’t hurt as bad... but my EARS were throbbing with burning pain (chew gum!) I ended up sleeping with a hat on I hopes that it would help. May have or else it was just the ibuprofen again. Another night of restless sleep.
Day 4: I dreaded the mornings more than anything as my throat was dry and I knew the pain was at its worst. I immediately popped my steroid a.m medication and drank some water. My throat pain was stable from day 3 and the ear pain was still there. It would come and go throughout the day. Still did not have as big of an appetite and wanted this all to be over with. Was able to sneak in an hour long nap (which was a new record)
Partially laying down in my bed. It felt good to get some sleep not sitting upright. The evening was good and pain seemed to be lightening up until it was time to go to sleep where I had a coughing attack... ALL NIGHT LONG. Yes all night where I was scared that I was going to cause bleeding and end up in the ER. It was awful. The pain alone was enough to want to go to the ER. Needless to say a sleepless night and no medication helped.
Day 5: exhausted. Wishing this mess was over with already but of course I was only hopefully half way there. The pain in my throat is now only in one spot, directly center where the uvula is which still makes swallowing a dread. The ear pain is still coming and going. I am now all done with my steroid medication as I took the last pill today. I am not looking forward to the next few days without it. Appetite and sleep was very minimal this day.
Day 6: woke up with ear pain again this time a burning pain. My ear was beat red so I put a cool washcloth over it. No idea what is causing so much ear pain but I wish it would go away. My throat pain is still stable in the same spot. I decided to stop taking any ibuprofen because it was not helping. The day was okay, still did not eat much, more like picked at it like a bird would. That evening the pain picked up and I was sick of sleepless nights so I decided to try my hydrocodone once again... big mistake. No food in my stomach woke up sudden with severe cramps, barley made it to the toilet with diarrhea and borderline passed out on the bathroom floor.
Day 7: there may be light coming at the end of this long recovery... woke up with mild pain and less pain when swallowing my saliva. I would relate this morning to day 2. I could manage to swallow more water easily, my mucous isn’t as thick, and I was able to eat part of a PB&J and some applesauce