I am 27 yrs old and going in for a tonsillectomy in less then a week. I am making a grocerie list and wanted some advice on what to eat, and what not to eat, based on your experience. Thank you for any replies!!!

Hi!! I had my tonsils out 4 weeks ago. I am 35. What I ate for the first 4 days was: jello, Gatorade slushes made in the blender, soup broth (but not too hot), scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes, mac and cheese cooked well. Oh yes, a lot of sherbert too. Ice cream creates phlem so you don't want that. Don't eat anything spicy, peppery, etc. I drank tons of iced tea also, as tea has natural healing qualities. Good luck, it is not an easy trip! Feel free to post any more questions, I'll be glad to help!

NotHappy is happy now.

Thanks for the advice. I never thought of eggs or ice tea! How long were you off of work?? I am only taking off 1 week and was told that might not be long enough. Also, what pain meds were you prescribed? I am hoping that Tylonol with Coedine will be strong enough. Thanks for your reply!!! I hope you are feeling better from your tonsillectomy

Hi-I was off of work for 6 days. I am a work alcoholic and work my family's business so when I came back the first few days I just worked a few hours, and then went home and slept. I slept a lot, mostly due to the pain med. I was on. It was liquid Vicodin. It helped some, but I had to take it ALL the time for over a week. I tolerate pain pretty well, and this is painful. Don't want to scare you, but prepare you. Coedine makes me sick so I couldn't take that. I am about 99% healed now, and only have a little pain when I yawn. I see my Dr. for a follow up Thurs. It is pretty terrible, but just remember that it will get better, stay hydrated too--that is a biggie, and be prepared to lose a little weight! (9# in 5 days--it's all back now) :-)


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Sorry to bombard you with questions but I have been gathering as much info as possible so I am prepared. Did you put an ice pack on your neck? I was told this helps. Also, did you loose your voice at all? And, did you find that the first few days were ok but then got worse? I am expecting this is going to be a horrible experience from what I have read so far...but It will be worth it to get rid of my re-occuring tonsilitis. Thanks again!

No problem! I LIVED with an ice pack on my neck for about the first 4 days. The hospital gave me a nice one that was flexible and had strings so I just tied it on and left it there. We bought 2 bags of ice before my surgery and used almost all of it between the slushies and ice packs. (Our electric ice maker isn't hooked up...) It got a little hard for me to talk, but I never completely lost my voice, however my Dr./Surgeon said most people will not be able to talk for a couple days. Days 2-3 after surgery were terrible, then a couple days where I seemed to be doing better and then it got bad again. You have these horrible looking black scabby areas that turn white and eventually fall off, when these start to flake off, it hurts again and you may bleed a little. Some other things that come to mind.....Brush your teeth frequently and rinse with diluted Scope type mouthwash to help prevent bad breath and Thrush (a mouth infection). Keep your head elevated a little in the beginning. Stay really hydrated before and after the surgery (this will help with bowel problems from the anesthesia too). The throat feels worse when it is dry, keep liquids handy by your bed at night. I also ate a lot of canned pears, they are kind of mushy and just sort of slip down the throat. Expect pain in your ears too. Stay on top of the pain, don't try to be a hero, this is definately not the time! That's all I can think of now, but I will watch for your posts and wish you luck!

hello I'm 24 and got my tonsilles taken out in June, please never again will It have it done. LOL. I was the worst surgery I've ever had, considering I had 6. I could not eat anything for like 2 weeks everything just sucked to me and taste like nothing. Soup would be good, but do NOT eat ice cream it will create mucous, and take longer to heal. You do feel worse before you get better. I was off from work for 3 weeks. Oh also, you will not like the taste of fried foods either, everything I tried tastes like ****. Well hope you feel better, it is a shitty surgery.

Yikes, this is going to suck!! A few more questions. Sould I stay away from all dairy products? Sounds like if the ice-cream will create mucous, then like pudding, cottage cheese, slim fast might also. I wanted gravy too, but that might do the same thing. I was told that toast will get rid of the mucous. Also, did you chew gum at all, I was told this helps the healing process. I know the pain meds will make me feel dizzy but were you able to get up and move around like normal? Thanks once again, this info is really going to help me know what to expect!!

Hello seemariet
I was pleased that you mentioned toast yourself lest I would be howled down :eek:
From nursing experience, people who ate a normal diet including toast did far better post-op than those who ate soft stuff (especially ice cream which causes mucous build-up and coughing). Cut the crusts of the toast and chew well. It does indeed "drag" mucous away and prevents a great deal of the build up of the "white gunky spots". You do not open the wound, don't worry.
You will have to force yourself to swallow the first small amounts but it is better. The reluctant eaters take longer getting better and have more pain.
Also......very important....gargle with "pain killer" dissolved in water four hourly before swallowing. It is very cleansing at the same time as use for pain.
Chewing gum is fine. Gets the area (jaws, throat etc) moving which is always good post-op.
Best wishes.

Hi Again seemariet:

I did have gravy on my mashed potatoes and it was good, just watch the spices. I have heard that toast or crackers chewed up well does help clear the throat, but I was in SO much pain, I could not do this until about day 5-6 and I felt like it helped a little with sluffing off some of those scabby areas too. Another thing to remember is that we all know by now that every Dr/Surgeon is different and it is important they you follow their instructions to a T. Also, something I did not know until after the surgery is that you should not take OTC Ibuprofin, Asprin or Aleve for pain. Plain Tylenol only if you don't use your prescriped pain killers. These others thin the blood and put at risk for bleeding and then you wind up back in the OR where you won't want to be. I personally did not chew gum but I heard of some who did especially if you feel muscle tensing or lock jaw coming on. Good Luck!