What to expect following adult tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy?

So its not the night after my surgery... I was fine until about 5pm... I tried to eat because I was starving and i feel like I am swallowing my uvula. Its so irritating and painful, like Im choking on it.
I feel like I have a drip in the back of my throat like when I have a sinus infection and its irritating and Im scared to do anything like I will make it bleed. And it feels like when I swallow it sticks to the back of my throat and rubs on it... it feels SO uncomfortable and painful and scary I wanna scream.
Its 1230 and I just took my 3rd dose of the day of Lortab... and the pain is REALLY starting to kick in... it hurts to even turn my head. I dont know what to do and Im freaking out about going to sleep... scared Ill snore and make it bleed... or that Ill choke and suffocate on my giant uvula... I am way too terrified to even look in the mirror at it... it will probably make the pain worse. Oh my gosh I am almost regretting getting this done because I am freaking out about the long road ahead of me... and if day 1 is supposed to be the easiest... Lord help me...

I need some people to talk to that have gone through and are going through this and can lend some comforting words! And let me know this fear and giant horribly uncomfortable uvula swelling is normal and when the heck it will die down!?

Kaitertot, not sure if anyone else answered you, but I had my tonsillectomy a couple of weeks after you, on 7/9/08. And yes, it is HELL! I'm 35 and have a pain threshold but this is ridiculously intense! Like you, the night before my surgery I went online to do some investigating. Realized that it was a big mistake to do any research the night prior, reading all the horror stories. At least I know I'm not crazy, feeling like this was a HUGE painful undertaking.

Everyone says that it'll pay off in the end, with less illnesses, etc. Like you, my tonsils were a problem, my last bout of tonsilitis - about a month prior to my tonsillectomy was horrible and actually felt very similar to the surgery recovery, for about five days. So all in all, it was probably a good call to get the tonsils removed. Tomorrow is recovery day 6 so I'm not out of the woods quite yet. Still more pain to come. My precious bottle of hydrocodone is getting lighter and lighter, scares me to be without it and not sure if ENT will prescribe any more for me!

I've given birth to two children (one by c-section and one naturally) and giving birth was a breeze compared to the recovery from a tonsillectomy! After the c-section, the most pain medicine I took was extra strength Tylenol, didn't even get the Vicodin prescription filled! Wow what a difference a tonsillectomy makes!

I hope you're feeling better, as weeks have passed. :-)

Shan3316- i think you meant you had your surgery a couple of DAYS BEFORE me? Mine was on 7/11. How are you doing now that you are over a week out of it?

I am on day 8 and it has been an interesting run. I was religiously taking my pain meds for the first couple of days. The pain was pretty bad, but I think mostly because I was so scared and creeped out that I had this crazy pain in my throat because someone just cut me apart!
I woke up the morning of day 4 crying and could not stop because the pain was just overwhelming (especially that it was a vicious cycle of crying due to pain and the crying causing more pain) and my whole body was beginning to ache because I stayed in bed (all day) from day 1 to about day 5 or 6. I would try to get up and walk around but was way too weak and exhausted and wanted to just lay back down.
Last night and the night before were my first nights were I actually slept almost through the night. I would wake up a few times for a moment, I dunno why, but then would fall back asleep. Im still exhausted and could sleep for 3 days non stop if I could without dying of a dry throat.
Day 6-8 have actually been the most difficult with swallowing. Even water, I have to tense my whole body in preparation for the pain.
And although this all may sound horrible to onlookers who are reading this, if anyone is, I really am not complaining. Yeah it sucked and was painful, and there were times were I just wanted to cut my head off, but I mean its worth it, I know it is. And I didnt have any major problems, and the pain was manageable, I mean it was DEFINITELY there, but the pain meds took the edge off.
I had a lot of scab build up on day 6 and could feel them all hanging down and touching the back of my tongue, but when I woke up the next morning they were gone. Probably vibrated and swallowed them from snoring when I slept.
Im really anxious for it to be over though, because I wanna be able to enjoy the rest of my summer before class starts back. And when I talk I sound like I am deaf... but surprisingly my family and boyfriend can understand me! But I dont want to go to school sounding like this...

So my advice, atleast at this point, I know im not out of the woods yet...
-I drank a LOT of water. Constantly sipping on cold water all day long. I never felt like I had a dry throat.
-I wore a wool cap all the time, especially with my fan on. It helped with the ear pain by not letting air in my ears, and just made my head feel cozy and protected which helped a lot with comfort.
-Pastina... go and buy it. The best thing ever. Ive been living off it. Go to publix and in the pasta isle... they are itty bitty little stars the size of the head of a pin. Cook them like normal pasta, add milk and butter to make them creamy... soooo goood... and they just slide down your throat... and even if they get stuck they disolve because the saliva in your mouth begins the breaking down of carbohydrates.


Okay sorry this post is like 9 miles long... I just havent had the energy to get on here and write about what ive gone through. But ill be back to write more in a few days, with updates and stuff to add that I forgot to say here. But goodluck to everyone, and dont worry. and DONT look at your throat. It makes it worse and it makes the pain worse, believe me. The times ive looked are the times I was in the most pain! Just drink water and think that you just have strep. Haha

So greatluck and Godbless!!! :-)

Hi, all. I'm Marissa, nineteen, and getting my tonsils removed next month. I've been dealing with tonsil stones for the last few months and they've made me so miserable that I marched over to the closest ENT the first chance I could and basically demanded that he remove my tonsils.

As of now, the date of the surgery is August 25th, which is a problem for me: I start school eight days after that. I'm doing my best to stay optimistic about having a good, quick recovery, but I'm also prepared for the worst. I've searched around the internet for tips on how to make the recovery a little easier, and I have a list:

- get ice packs to put around neck
- drink cold water constantly
- sleep by a humidifier
- never skip a dose of pain meds: set alarm at night
- chew gum for ear pain

Does anyone have any other suggestions? Should I sleep in my bed or am I better off reclining on the couch? Should I ask for the steroids like one of the posters above suggested? Do throat drops really help? I've been hearing a lot of good things about mashed potatos, but what about Slim Fast drinks - should I stay away from those because of the dairy? Would it be wise to stay away from mint, cinnamon, and other flavored gum and instead just chew Juicy Fruit? Is there anything else I can do to manage ear pain, like putting hot compresses outside of my ears?

Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions! :-)

I'm almost 20 and I just got my tonsils out early this morning. I have to say, today was not bad at all. I was prescribed liquid codeine, steroids, and antibiotics, so it might be the steroids, but I don't feel that bad. I'm really freaking out about when the scabs fall off! Everyone says it is just excruciating, scary! I was wondering if anyone had the same expierience I am? Being 100% ok the first day, even going out and eating pasta, and then...well..I guess I'd like to know what happens next? I'm hoping maybe I can dodge a bullet here and not be in too much pain on the 4th and 5th day...?

I had my surgery on the 18th of this month, i was very surprised but it really didnt hurt all that bad on day 1 and 2 (i did take the painkillers, but it wasnt unbearable) i kept hydrated which helped, but at night when i slept, i would wake up because of the pain, no water = dry throat, day 3 i even went out to California Pizza Kitchen for my friends Bday, i had soup, no pizza =[, day 4 is where it started to get bad, my ears started to hurt and i literally spent the entire day in bed sleeping couldnt handle the pain, luckily my sister would wake me up every few hours to make sure i drank some water to keep my throat hydrated, day 5 went by pretty good, no need for painkillers but i did take tylenol, iv been eating jello, really mashed potatoes, and soup, lets see what 2morrow hold for me, its 430am day 6 right now and i cant sleep, my stupid uvula is so swollen that when i lay down it irritates me while i try to sleep, the scabs in the back my throat arent helping matters either, i had my adenoids taken out too and i still cant breath through my nose, idk if thats normal but im going to have my mom call the ent, apparently if you have a swollen uvula, the ent can give you some medication to help, if anyone knows anything about that please post up,


Advice (things that helped me):

DRINK LOTS OF WATER, i cant stress how much that has helped in my recovery so far
Pain killers are your friend, they say you can get addicted but i say risk it and take them if you need them, they help a lot hah
try not to sleep too much because you cant keep your self hydrated and thats where it starts to hurt once your throat dries up, eat jello if you can, just try to keep your self energized even though its really hard


Hope that helps, and lets hope my pain doesnt get worse.

I am now on day 13/14... and I am doing a lot better. Eating is almost normal now, but I am still avoiding things like chips and pretzels and spicy food. I am finally able to talk normally again, and my throat looks almost normal, with some white goop still in there in a few little spots. My uvula is back to its normal size, but the top where it connects to the roof of my mouth is still a little swollen. And I have two giant gaping craters in my throat where my tonsils used to be... kinda creepy looking.
Yawning is still incredibly painful, and swallowing is still uncomfortable, and painful in the mornings, but not too bad.

As for the scabs and the pain (to the 20yr old guest poster... I am 20 as well)... it was nothing (for me atleast). I could feel the scabs starting to peel off and hang down in my throat and they felt really annoying and gross... and theyd usually feel like that at night time. Like you swallowed skin or something haha I cant really describe it. But I drank TONS of water non stop so they were really moist... and so when I would go to sleep, when I would snore I think they just vibrated off, and when I woke up in the morning they were gone, and my throat felt a little sore. But that was the best thing because it was like I dealt with them in my sleep. So do try to sleep when you are having the scabs period. And also, my ear pain was no where near as bad as it was when I had my last bout of tonsillitis. But I wore a knit winter cap that covered my ears, and it helped a lot to keep air out and keep my head feeling cozy. So that was helpful.

The pain is really touch and go. On the 4th day I woke up crying from the pain, but then was fine later in the day. Just stick with your meds religiously and for the first couple of days, dont expect to get much sleep. Take your pain meds and drink water throughout the night. And definatly sleep upright at an angle. I had a lot of pillows behind my back and one of those travel pillows that goes around your neck to keep my head still. That helped with the scabs falling off at night and not choking me!

Hope that helps! And good luck. And try not to look at your throat too much. That made the pain worse and more uncomfortable for me.

I just got my tonsils out yesterday after a month and a half stint of tonsillitits that would not go away. i was kind of nervous to get them out, but I was also tired of the infections with my wedding only 8 wks away.

so i had it done and my advice is to drink as much water post op as possible. you feel the best at this point from the anesthesia and i took down 2 cups. last night was ok but by this am i was much more sore and swollen. i cant talk or really open my mouth, and i woke up every hr during the night- but i would just sip some fluids, pee and go back to sleep sitting upright. i am more mucusy today, but im just laying in bed with ice around my neck drinking broth.
my fiance had to go get my stronger meds since i am allergic to percocet and they gave me acetametaphine with codeine that i could only take every 24 hrs. thats not enough. so i guess im getting oxycodeine.
will keep posting the progress. if you need them out just suck it up and do it. dont put it off.

I could really use this information as well (major city in the U.S.A.).



Unfortunately, it doesn't look like anyone actually reads the posts here.

Figure the average cost for outpatient tonsillectomy (via electrocautery) between $3-5,000, including anaesthesia & aftercare.

I believe my total cost was in the 3,000's.... The recovery room for post op care was pretty expensive... especially considering the crappy care I had.


We just got the bill the other day, so Ill look again and get back.

I am slightly peed off by your comments as i am not someone who apparently has a "low pain threshold", I have all my fillings at the dentist without injections, have given birth naturally twice with no pain relief and been stitched front to back after my 2nd birth and was out of hospital the same day holding my daughters birthday party and never take time off work sick. However, I had my tonsils out last Weds and can honestly say it is the worst pain i have ever had and not just like a bad case of tonsillitus at all. At day 6 after I still have excruciating ear and throat pain that is not made better by any of the meds. Apparently my tonsils were very deep rooted and could only be removed by the conventional scalpel method.

I am pleased you did not suffer to the same degree but don't think you can comment that others are just not good at handling pain - it is different for everyone and you were obviosuly very lucky!

Okay, so when I tell my friends and family (and professors, etc.) that I had a tonsillectomy I don't think anyone really gets that this is a big deal when you're 30. I think that most people think of kids getting their tonsils out all the time and that it's just a minor procedure. My friends have all been like, "oooh! Lucky you! You get to eat lots of ice cream. Eat some for me!"

YEAH RIGHT. So far, it's the sixth day since surgery, and all I've really been able to eat is ice chips. Popsicles, jello, yogurt, ice cream, soup... everything just burns the heck out of my throat. Everything is still really swollen and raw. The rawness, I think , is where the burning is coming from, like my tongue and throat are one giant canker sore.

Yesterday started the lovely process of scabbing, which makes it feel like I can't breathe. And last night was some of the worst pain I've had since I had the surgery. Today it's the back and mostly sides of my tongue that are feeling the pain the most.

I'm alternating between tylenol 3/codeine and percocet every 4 hours, which helps with the pain a little but makes me dizzy and soooooooo tired all the time.

In the past year, I've had strep throat 3 times and mono, and the ENT said that my tonsils were really infected when he removed them, so I know this is gonna be to my benefit in the long run. But right now, IT JUST SUCKS.

Okay, had to vent.
Trying not to cry now. It hurts too much.

ps-- thank god for text messaging

I totally agree that people don't realize that it is a big deal to have your tonsils out as an adult. I am 26 years old and today is 2 weeks since my surgery. My husband was very supportive, but I could tell that in his mind he thought I was totally over reacting and that I was being a big baby. Work didn't understand why I needed to take 7 days days off for recovery. People would tell me they had their tonsils out when they were little and it wasn't that bad.

Well, for all you that are schedule to have your tonsils removed and are reading these posts I will share my story with you. I also read these posts before my surgery and was scared to death.

The day of the surgery I was home by noon and drinking tons of water and talking fine. I even went to KFC and ate mashed potatoes and macorroni and cheese. I recommend KFC mashed potatoes because they are a lot thinner than instant mashed (who feels like making home made) and easier to get down without getting stuck in your throat. I really was not in very much pain at all. I remember thinking that the last time I had an infection it hurt way more than this.

Days 2 and 3 were about the same. I had minimal pain as long as I kept up with the meds. It was just a little uncomfortable with my swollen togue and uvula.

Days 4-11 were pretty bad. I was eating (soft foods of course) and drinking ok up until this point. Now I didn't wan't to put anything in my mouth, but knew I had to keep drinking water. My throat, tonge, jaw, and teeth all hurt to the point were I could barely open my mouth. My tongue was covered in white c**p that changed colors with whatever I was drinking. It was really gross. I mixed my my pain meds in gatorade and lots of ice and found that by the time I finished the drink my pain was a little better. This definitely helped me. I slept on couch every night with the tv on because I didin't want to fall asleep for too long. If I did not wake up a least every two hours to drink something, I would be in terrible pain when I finally did wake up. Needless to say, I was exhausted. The only thing I didn't have too big of a problem with is my ears hurting. I would notice them starting to hurt a little when the pains meds started to wear off, but as soon as I took some more it went away.

I know a lot of people are concerted about what it will be like once the scabs start falling off. For me, other than being gross and annoying it really wasn't that bad. I guess they fell off around days 6-8. When I would brush my teeth in the morning (which was a 15 minute ordeal) and spit in the sink, all of the little pieces of scab would come out in the sink. Then for the rest of the day, the ones that didn't come out would hang in the back of of my throat and tickle. This was really annoying because it made me you feel like you had to cough, but coughing was terribly painful.

It's been two weeks now and I feel great. The pain in my throat is not bad at all. My tongue is back to normal and I can eat anything I want with very little pain. It's still pretty sore in the morning when I wake up, but after a big glass of ice water it feels much better. Every day it gets better. The only thing I am still having a problem with is a swollen uvula. Does anyone else notice that their uvula is still really swollen two weeks after surgery?

All in all, I must say that it really was not as bad as I was expecting. Yeah, there were a few days were I was completely miserable, but you get through them and in the end I'm much better off without my huge tonsils.

One other thing I forgot to mention... before your surgery, ask your doctor to prescribe your pain meds in pill form not the liquid stuff. I was on the pill form of lortab and I had no problems taking it. The liquid pain meds tend to burn your throat when you swollow. They also taste disgusting and make you gag. It is much easier to crush the pill and put it in a nice cold drink that you like. I even sometimes put it in water and it didn't taste that bad. This way, you are also hydrating yourself when you take your meds.

I hope this helps.