I'm a 18 year old male that got my tonsils and adenoids taken out on thursday (6/25). After the surgery, it hurt a lot to drink, but the nurse told me to try to as much as possible. I was released a few hours later. Later in the evening, I went to go spit (I found that it helped rather than to swallow), and I saw some FRESH blood. I kept spitting (big mistake), and more blood was found. I then opened my mouth, and saw nothing but blood in the back of my throat. My father then called my ENT, and we went to the ER. In the ER, I kept vomitting huge chunks of blood, and had nothing but a spit-bowl and cotton gauges to aid my bleeding until it was my turn. I was then diagnosed with an open-wound, so I was scheduled to be in the OR later that night.
I stayed overnight and was discharged from the hospital Friday morning. The surgeon cauterized my open wound in the back of my throat in addition to the stitches. All I can say is that it's a super gross feeling because when I swallow, I can feel the stitches AND the "burnt lump". Today is Sunday which is Day 4. I looked at my doctor's "Post-operative instructions" and I laughed at what was suggested to eat. It already takes me around ~15/20 minutes to take my liquid tylenol/codeine, but I'm doing my best. I REALLY dislike taking the codeine because I get really nauseous/dizzy afterwards, and all I do is lay down. The worst part in addition to my throat pain is that I had anesthesia TWICE in less than 12 hours. It took me 3-4 days to BARELY be able to take baby-steps on my own, rather than having to use my parents as crutches. All I have ate for the past few days was 2 bottles of Ensure, some jello, and a freezepop. I am sitting here on the computer at 3am on Sunday morning because I am really hungry. I am really craving something carb-ish, such as mac and cheese. After reading some posts regarding dairy causing phlegm, I am debating whether to try to have some mac-and cheese or not.
Some basic key facts I have learned in the past few days:
- Drink lots of water, even though it hurts a lot. It takes me around half and hour to finish a cup of water, but hey.. dehydration = worst throat pain! I find that ICED water helps a lot as opposed to room-temperature water.
- I had to sleep sitting at a 90-100 degree angle, because laying down completely hurts my throat a lot.
- I can BARELY whisper (not recommended), so everything I have been doing lately is writing notes to my parents, or going online instant messaging.
- I'm starting to go through the process where the white lumps are forming in the back of my throat. It smells soooo bad (drinking Ensure, which has some dairy in it makes the smell even worse) But I read that it's not wise to try to get rid of them, because the spots means that my wound is healing.
The recovery process is horrible and painful (not only for me, but for my parents, which I sincerely thank so much for taking care of me so much the past few days) But the pain and sacrifice for the next few days/weeks will surely benefit me in the long run. Good luck to all those who are getting their tonsils taken out, and hope you feel better asap to those of us who had it taken out!
Me myself; The day of the opperation I went home and ate mince and mash potato like I hadn't had anything done to my throat, the next day I add toast and boiled eggs and another normal dinner. On the third day I had a KFC; only two bits of chicken but I was happy about it, I thought I was doing real well. Then day 4 hit me and that was it; I felt c**p. Day five was worse, we phoned up the doctors and they gave me a repeat dose. I'm on co-codamol and voltarol. Cos it was easter it was shut! So I had to go to the doctors today to get the note and my mum had to go pick them up for me. Last night I didn't sleep, I was in a lot of pain as the painkillers wore off.
The doctor told me it's best after the first few days to start eating as normal as you can; it took me half an hour but I ate a a fair amount for dinner today, and once again for lunch eggs and toast [the toast is floppy.] I didn't eat yesterday either though. So I'm hoping tonight for more sleep; and I'm hoping in the next few days I start to feel better.
I'm a singer and I've found this very hard, I can't even hum it's that painful for me!
I also always have this horrible taste in the back of my throat. I have gained the courage to clear my throat and spit out any mucous. I cough on occasion. The only medicine I'm on is a generic form of Loratab Elixir. To be honest I dont notice a difference being on the pain meds or not. It usuallly just puts me to sleep. Which I love. I'm hoping to sleep through as many hours as possible.
I have tried eating pudding, and it was too thick for my liking. I find cold foods and drinks irritable and the only real thing I can consume is cream of chicken soup. Minus the chicken! My ears are sensitive to noises and they have a slight pain. But it's very ignorable. My tounge feels swollen. I'm constantly washing my mouth out to the best of my ability. The whole scabs falling off part scares me! So I'm very nervous for the day when that starts to happen.
Also, I find it very easy to swallow water in big gulps, verses tiny sips. Well I'll post more later I suppose!
Hey all,
My name is Sven, Im a 23 year old law student from Melbourne, Australia. I had my tonsils removed on the 20th, and it is now the 26th. I had them removed after years of chronic tonsillitis, and even though it is slightly painful, it is well worth it. I had a very good doctor but after spending a long time trying to find information online about adult tonsillectomy I found this little gold mine, which has helped a lot, so I thought I would put in my two cents worth.
Preperation:
The day before the op I cleaned everywhere, and made sure my bed linen was clean, and that everything I possibly needed was next to my bed. laptop, meds etc. (you wont feel like doing much for a week after) I also went on a massive spree at the supermarket for all soft foods. Jelly (jello for the US), hydrating sports drinks in cordial form, smoothies, custards, sorberts, soups, mac and cheese, soft small 2 minute noodles, icy poles, and plenty of vegetables to mash and have with gravy. I also took vitamin c tablets to replace the lack of fruit in my diet, as the acidic fruit will be really painful to eat, but vit c helps a lot with healing. I also had to fast for 12 hours prior to surgery. I live by myself and managed just fine, but I have a sister living not far away, who also drove me to and from the hospital. You will need someone on call for you. No dairy for the first 24 hours, it leaves a film in your throat that the wound does not like.
Pain management:
The pain wasnt as bad as some of the horror stories I have read, but if not managed it can get the better of you. Stay really regular with your medication, I have to take mine every 4 hours, and I regret it if I miss one dose. I spent the first 4 days pretty much just in bed, watching tv shows. Thats mostly because the general anesthetic knocks you around a fair bit. After that Im mobile but have preferred to stay indoors where its warm and comfy. (with a good internet connection :-D) I have been doing uni work, but only because I have to, but the point being I am able to it and am not crippled with pain. I was prescribed a set of antibiotics, 1 tablet twice a day, and panadiene forte, a pain killer, 1-2 tablets every four hours or as needed. This has codiene in it and makes you sleepy, so I found i was more awake and more pain free if I took 1 forte with 2 panadol (a supermarket pain killer in Aus) every four hours. The Doc told me to do this. DONT TAKE ANY ASPIRIN OR ANYTHING TO THIN YOUR BLOOD. Bleeding is a major concern in adults.
Day 6 and 7 are the most painful as thats when the 'scab' starts to fall away, leaving a sore dry tonsil bed. It helps a lot to drink HEAPS of water. I always have a bottle with me. The doc also gave me some DIFLAM. Its an anesthetic throat gargle. Its great. During this period of 'shedding' I would gargle when it got too painful, and rinse with water. it would loosen up the dry bits and flush them out, allowing my throat to feel less constricted and numbing the pain. Hurt like a b***h while I was gargling though, but worth it.
During this time I also was lucky enough to have some valium which I got from a holiday to Thailand, which helped me sleep, as night time is painful because you are alseep and arent hydrating your throat. You always hurt when you wake up until the meds set in.
After day 4 I also used weed for pain relief. I used a vaporizer, which works the same way as an 'e-cigarette', no hot smoke, just water vapor and THC. I definitely would not smoke conventionally at all after the op (risk of infection, bleeding etc). But the vaporizer really helped. It numbed the pain when it was at its worst, and without i doubt I would have eaten half as much, as the weed of course gives you an appetite. I definitely recommend it, but with the vaporizer on a minimum setting, this didnt upset my throat at all, and just feels like you are breathing in air. If you dont have a vaporizer, you can bake it into a pudding ( all you right wing americans hold your comments please)
Bleeding:
On day two I had some soft toast with soup and started bleeding. I bled for 5-10 minutes, coughing up blood in my bathroom sink. I actually got really scared and light headed (I have never fainted before). For a second I thought I was going to bleed out on my bathroom floor. This is why its VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE SOMEONE ON STANDBY. Thankfully the bleeding slowed after 5 minutes. If you start bleeding and it doesnt slow after 5 mins, GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. Bleeding out is a big risk in adults. Which is why its so important to rest and take it easy on your throat until you are healed. NO SMOKING, NO DRINKING (alcohol), NO BLOOD THINNERS, SERIOUSLY. The ordeal really terrified me.
The wound:
I have two GIANT holes where my tonsils used to be. But I have been told, the human body being as amazing as it is, that these will disappear with time. The yellow 'scab' is normal, but shouldnt smell, and isnt gross at all. Think of it as natures band-aid. I only ever noticed bits coming off when I gargled or brushed my teeth, its too swollen to actually feel them on the back of your throat, you really dont notice it.
Recovery:
I took two weeks off work and school. And I think I'll need all of it before im 100% again, but everyone keeps telling me it gets a lot better after day 7-8. Im on day 6 now and I know that Im no where near eating solid foods again. But saying that, I havent gone hungry at all. And once I learnt to manage my pain (everyone is different) its actually kind of nice to be forced to have two weeks to just sit and relax.
Conclusion:
Even with the pain, its worth it! Hope this helps and that I didnt babble on too much. Best of luck!
I ended up finding this and the original thread a week before my tonsil and adenoid removal operation and it came very close to scary me out of doing it.
December 12th I had my operation and on my 8th day I can say I'm happy I did it. The pain has been bad but once I worked out what meds worked for me it has been pretty good.
I have eaten solid food since day 1. I have still had lots of soft foods but I have not held back on things like toast or things like potato chips when I have felt like a snack.
The key to eating non soft foods is making sure you do it when the pain meds are at their peak. Also I returned to work today. My voice is still a little weird and its a little sore to talk but nothing to major.
With regards to pain meds this is what I've had since day one.
Voltaren D 50mg diclofenac (This stuff is amazing and could not have done it with out it) 6-8hours
Tramadol 100mg every 6 hours. (Again this stuff and Voltaren have given me 6 hours gaps of no pain. I can eat almost anything with out any issues or pain)
Antibiotics (Finished this today)
I was initially given Codeine but it was only lasting 2 hours before the pain was too intense so I went to my GP and he gave me Tramadol. I'd never heard of it before but since day 4 of using Tramadol and Voltaren in combo I've found this whole process easy as.
I currently have the last of my scabs about to fall off. They are a little annoying but they have no made me gag at all yet.
Yes there is pain but at day 8 I can see the light and know it was well worth it. Plus as the person above me said once you get the pain meds sorted the fact that you have to stay home and rest is kind of nice. I actually feel recharged right now.
Oh also before I end this I never had any taste issues but the tip of my tougue is numb and has been numb since the operation. I'm guessing the feeling will come back at some point and since it doesn't affect my taste its not the end of the world.
I am hoping I'll get in better shape after my tonsillectomy too. Well in my case not just that but I also had nasal turboplasty and turbinectomy, five days ago. Trust me, it's well worth it. My pain has not been horrible, annoying yes, unbearable no. I can't tolerate the hydrocodone so I've been taking extra-strength acetaminophen (two pills every six hours, not overdoing it), and I'm okay with that. The best thing is a humidifier, preferably right by your head while you're sleeping, sleeping with your head elevated the first several days, eating a healthy diet (obviously you can't eat as before, but I have tried to eat some protein and nutrients...yogurt, eggs, rice pudding--which incidentally worked great as a laxative, haha, other people went out and got something from the pharmacy, trust me, rice pudding will do it naturally--soup with crackers crushed in it, etc. Of course I eat plenty of popsicles, jello, and applesauce too, but don't subsist on them). Of course, this doesn't help me to lose the 20 lbs. of weight that some people have (and which I need to do), but I think I will feel so much better after healing that my energy will go way up, and I'll be more active. I actually didn't have tonsillitis problems, but tonsil stones, and I think dealing with that kind of low-grade infection did me in. Always had swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, coughing stuff out of them (yuck), etc. By the way, for any "older adults" dealing with this, I'm 50, and doing fine. I will admit to having good times and bad times, and yesterday morning I did have a lot of pain and took one hydrocodone. (I vomited violently the first time I took them, including out of my freshly operated on nose--ugh--but my doctor thought that maybe I could tolerate them after the anesthesia was out of my system.) So, with much trepidation I tried one, was thrilled with the pain relief, but then it hit me...nausea, light-headedness, the room spinning. SO not worth it!!! I'd rather have pain, anyday. I do have a pretty high pain tolerance, had all my kids without meds, and can't stand that drugged out feeling. Anyway, the pain was apparently only a morning thing, because later in the day, after sleeping in a drugged out fashion for most of the day, I was fine. It's funny, some people say they can't swallow anything, even pills, well my doctor prescribed HUGE horsepill antibiotics for me. At first I was shocked, and I'll admit upset. Then I thought that maybe he's forcing his patients to work on swallowing that way, not just liquids. It is better for a person to do so, it stretches the muscles and promotes healing. The first few days weren't easy, I won't lie, but now it's not a lot different than before the operation. Anyway I kind of digressed, but long story short, there is a LOT of drama on here, and I feel very sorry for the people who have experienced it, but it is still worth it!!! It's only a relatively very short period of your life versus spending the rest of it sick feeling, tired, and wishing they were gone. Of course I realize you wrote this a long while ago, and they're probably out already, haha! Maybe, though, I can help someone else who is contemplating this. Cheers!
I have never read anything more accurate than describing the medicine as "liquid fire". Literally, it kills me. I'm on day 7. Or 8. I'm 17, and my surgery was a exactly a week ago. I'm still in excruciating pain, though. Haven't had anything but water and popsicles in a week. Can't even handle ice cream. It's too thick and kinda burns. Also haven't pooped since before the surgery, but I think that's okay considering my complete lack of food.
I'm glad I saw this, I'll hopefully be switching to the pill asap!
Wow! I am shocked at how many people had bad experiences after having their tonsils out. I didn't have 1 problem and I was 27. They made me eat saladas before I left the hosi which of course hurt a bit but nothing major. I then got maccas on the way home and just ate slowly but didn't have alot of pain.I was given endone as pain relief so that helped alot. (Ask for it if you can).I know some people only get panadeine forte. Honestly it was the best decision I've made and I'd go back again if I had too. I was a bit worried before the op too as I didn't want to wake up in pain but turns out I was fine and I'd just been told the bad stories. Of course it all depends on the individual like everything but honestly I'd prefer to get my tonsils out than wisdom teeth.
Good luck!
Hi All,
I had my tonsils out in September 2011 at age 41. This was my 11th surgery with the toughest one being open heart surgery so I probably have a bit different perspective. Basically dealt with postop nausea the first evening (went home a couple of hours postop), stuck to liquids the first couple of days and gradually added soft pastas in after that. Pain was no worse than a severe case of strep throat except it lasted and lasted and lasted for a good 2+ weeks. It's tiring to have that much pain and I mostly just took advil and tylenol (narcotics like codeine don't agree with me as they just make me nauseous and feel gross).
On Day 9 I noticed some blood when I was spitting and it wouldn't stop so off to the doctor I went. It wasn't a ton of blood but enough to warrant cauterization in the office with silver nitrate sticks. Kind of like dabbing a Q-tip on the back of your throat, caused a major gag reflex and tasted yucky but better than bleeding.
I went back to work after 2 weeks (I'm an ICU nurse so wasn't able to lift patients for another week).
Now, almost 3 years later I can say it was the best decision ever to get these taken care of as I was getting strep throat several times a year.