I found many posts regarding tonsillectomy and decided I would start my own thread. Just by visiting this site I have realized that the surgery is much more common in adults than I had thought! That is helpful to know -- takes the anxiety level down just a notch!

I am scheduled to have my tonsils and adenoids removed a little under one week from now on Monday 26 April 2004. I have been very afraid as I dont know what to expect and especially because of the location of the surgery. You use your throat for a lot of things -- its scary to imagine what could happen.

Before I tell you more about my story let me give you my background. Im a 20 year old female from Washington state. For the last 3 years or so I have had Chronic Tonsillitis. I finally went to an ENT -- Jeffery Adams at the Everett Clinic -- hes a GREAT doctor and I highly recommend him! Well my first visit with him was almost a month ago and thats when I also scheduled my appointment. My grandma is a nurse and has been pushing me to get this done so I am finally doing it, having faith that I will feel unimaginably better after its all done with!

About five days ago I started having extreme pain in my lower left jaw. I knew it was because my wisdom tooth was trying to come in. My wisdom teeth are impacted and I have been told for a few years that I need to get them out because they are coming in sideways and pushing on my other teeth. Well the pain was severe and over the weekend is was more than I could take anymore. My cheek and the tissue around the tooth were swollen and painful and I had had it. I finally was able to get into my dentist on Monday morning (yesterday) and he told me it was slightly infected. He advised that I have my wisdom teeth removed as soon as I possibly could -- he wanted to get me in this week! When I informed him I am scheduled for my tonsils to be removed one week from now he changed his mind pretty quickly! He told me to contact my surgeon because the infection could complicate things and he put me on antibiotics.

I called Dr. Adams' nurse and she told me she would talk with the doctor about it but chances didnt look good that I would be going in for surgery next monday. She told me to call her on Thursday and let her know how it was going and than we would decide. A few hours later she called back, said she talked with the doctor and he advised against surgery at this time, just in case the infection happened to spread to my surgery site.

As of now I am on the antibiotics and yesterday I slept alot and just felt plain aweful. Today I woke up quite late but found I was feeling a bit better so I went to work. At work I felt fairly fine and I feel like my infection is starting to go away. The pain is hardly noticable anymore and the swelling has gone down considerably. I will find out for sure by the end of the week if I will be having my surgery next Monday or not. Ive prepared myself for it and Ive already taken the time off work as well has my fiancee. But I dont want to risk anything happening.

As far as the surgery in general, I am quite nervous about it. I just keep telling myself that once its all over and done with I will feel so much better. Having my tonsils infected all the time is just a drag. I feel so tired and just blah most of the time. Its not a fun way to live. I know its going to be a long road to recovery and its going to be a difficult one at that, but I have a wonderful support system and I know I will be very well taken care of, especially by my extra special kitty cat, Milo ;) . I will keep you all informed about whats going on for me.

Let me know about your experiences as well -- this is a serious thing for adults and it can be scary too. As much information as we can share with each other, the better. Good luck to anyone else facing this too!!
:angel:

how did your surgery go? i am having the same surgery one week from thursday. i'm 21, so i had the same questions like i'm sure you were having. argh, i really don't want it, lol. but i think the same way you do, that the loss of 5 tonsil infections a year will be soooo much better. i am forcing myself to have it, just cuz i know that in 2 months, i'll look back and be real glad i had it done. well lemme know how it went.

Well, I checked back with my surgeons nurse and she said the Dr. doesnt want to risk the surgery at this time. Being that the surgery and the tooth infection I had will be so close together, they want to make sure I am completely healed before they go about risking anything. So my surgery has been rescheduled for NEXT Monday -- the 3rd of May. I am glad it wasnt yesterday, but at the same time, I still have to go thru all this nervousness and anxiety for another week. Im very afraid of what its going to be like -- Ive never done anything like this. But I have faith that they know what they are doing and just like everyone else, I will feel so much better when its all said and done.

Mario -- Im sorry to hear you have to go thru the surgery too! I hear its rough! But we will be doing this pretty much together. I will only be a few days ahead of you. I will let you know how it goes as soon as I am able to get up and get back on the computer! Im hopeing for a quick recovery! The infections are really no fun, I feel your pain, seriously! I think it will all work out great tho.

I spoke with the VP of my company yesterday -- he had heard I was having the surgery. He said his wife had her tonsils out last year. Said it was a quick procedure, she was awake, in a dentist type chair and they just used lasers to remove the tonsils. He said she "smoked like a dragon!" during it but there was no pain or anything. He even took her to dinner that night -- she was fine! Now I want THAT type of surgery!! Im looking for a doctor who will do it by laser -- if I can find one before Monday I might just cancel the other one. I would much rather not have all the pain for two weeks! Anyone else had it done by laser? I'd love to know more!

Jessica :angel:

LASERS!!! wow, thats awesome i want lasers now!! haha. trouble is, i'm still having a deviated septum fixed and polups removed and holes punched in my sinuses. so i can't avoid that, but the Dr said thats nothing. if i can get some good laser surgery on my tonsils, i will be a lot happier, lol. i need to start lookin too! we only got about a week! lets hit those yellow pages, haha. keep me posted and i'll do the same. we can be tonsillectomy partners, lol. :bouncing:

Hey Mario --

I know -- I really want laser as well!! But my surgery is in 4 days and I dont know if I will be able to find a different doctor by than! I actually just got of the phone with the surgery nurse and she really helped calm my nerves. She said to imagine the WORST sore throat Ive ever had and thats about how bad it will be after surgery. And you know what, I survived my worst sore throat pretty well and it was a pretty bad sore throat! My tonsils even started bleeding! I know, I know -- yucky!! But thats how it tends to go for us.... So I think I am going to just have the surgery. I have searched high and low for a doctor in this area who will do it by laser but havent found one. I am pretty confidant, tho, that all will go well. Heck, I get two weeks off work, get to eat popsicles, will most likely shed some pounds, and I get to have my fiancee pamper me and watch as many movies as I want! So Im actually going to make myself stop panicking and just look forward to the good stuff thats going to come of it -- like no more snoreing, no more sore throats, no more just feeling blucky all the time!!! I cant wait!!!

I wish you all the luck in the world with yours as well, Mario! And everyone else going thru this!! Mario, We have to stay in touch and help each other thru this! I will keep you posted on how mine is going as well!! Good luck! I will try to post more later!

Jessica :angel:

alright sounds good. i am going to call my surgeon tomorrow and see which devices he plans on using for the surgery. if i can't get laser, i would at least like harmonic scaple (sp?) i'm tryin to think back to my worst sore throat. hmph, i couldn't even swallow good. mine have never started bleeding, but man do they hurt. i had a larinoscopy (sp again) the other day, and the ENT said my tonsils were swollen all around, even down my throat, so yeah, get em outta there. keep me posted and good luck :)

Hey! I'm 26, and had my tonsils removed last July. I did not have it done with lasers, but from what you say, I wish I had. The first two or three days, I was REALLY sore. It hurt like hell...I'm not going to lie. Lots of ice chips and ice cream. To make matters worse, I was given Codein for the pain, but ended up vomiting because of it. You can imagine how much pain I was in because of that! It was impossible to swallow without grimacing, let alone throwing up. However, I still say it's the best thing I've ever done. I was up and around by the 4th day, and speaking too. Just ate softer foods for about a week or so after that. I've only had very minor sore throats since then. I was getting tonsilitis every couple weeks before that. It's a great thing if you're going through what I was. I'm curious to know how the laser treatment differs from the traditional way. If you ever have it done, let us know!

hello everyone and thanks for keeping me in your thoughts! I had my tonsils and adenoids removed this last monday, the 3rd. my goodness, was i nervous. I had to check in at 7:15 in the morning. They made me change than gave me a bed. they put in a IV and gave me something to help with swelling. My surgery wasnt until 8:15. I walked into the OR and had to lay on the table. The ANSTGST told me to think about where Id like to go on vacation. I didnt even have the chance to think about it, the next thing I knew I was awake and drooling all over!! I was in a bit of pain -- my ears really hurt and so did my throat. They nurse gave me 20mg liquid vicadin right than -- I told him my pain was about a 7. Within 10 minutes I was down to about a 4 in pain. I got moved to the Phase 2 recovery and was about to sleep and sorta visit with my mom and fiancee for two hours that seemed like about 20 minutes. The next thing I knew i was suppose to get dressed and go home and I was thinking to myself how am I going to do that, i cant even wake up!! but i went home and i was pretty much ok. I ate a little bit of a muffin and it went down fine. The first day i just slept alot. my uveula was so swollen it made me want to gag, but i wasnt sick to my stomach at all. yesterday was about the same, some nausea, but way less than i had expected. im use to be nausus all the time anyway, and that was hardly anything yesterday. it usually went away if i burped! I hate to admit it - but i had a whole lot of gas afterwards and im not sure why!! just a warning -- dont know if thats happened to anyone else. could be the penicillion im on. today is day three and i am up and doing pretty well considering. they kept warning me that the first two days would be pretty easy and by day 3 i would probably feel horrible again. but last night i went to bed without taking any vicadin and didnt have any at all thru the night. i took a half dose this morning cause it did really hurt. but other than that im doing pretty good!! I just keep nibbling on crackers and i have had a million popsicles!! they are really easy to eat when mushed up in a cup with a dash of sprite in it. its just like a slurpee, but you dont feel the carbonation. thats the worst! dont drink soda!! but the popsicles really have done a wonder for me! My doctor said my tonsils were HUGE. I have these deep holes now in the back of my throat. Its every unreal that they are gone now! I am so glad its over!!! I was so nervous -- ive never had any kind of surgery before! But it went really well and im very shocked at how well im recovering. Ive heard some BAD things from people about how they did. I have to say, im very relieved so far that mine has been so easy! my adenoids dont cause me any pain at all. i just cant wait til the swelling goes down. it has quite a bit. i took a before picture of my throat, and ive meant to take an after but it hurts to open my mouth very far, so i am waiting. anyway, just thought id let you all know how it went. im hangin in there and im so thankful its over! well, feelin a bit weak -- this is the most ive really done since! but i will check back soon! good luck mario -- i know u will do GREAT! its really a breeze!

Jessica :angel:

glad your doing so well. i feel better about having mine out, but unfortunatly, my insurance company pulled some crap and can't gaurantee they will pay, or help pay for the surgery, so i had to reschedual for june 3rd, so the insurance company can go over it, and let me know if they are gonna pay. i can't afford 10g in surgery right now, so, we'll see. but keep us updated on how your doing!

hey guys --

thanks for continuing to keep me in your thoughts!

well, the other day i think i spoke too soon..... i was doing really well on the first second and third day. my doctor warned me that days 3-5 would probably be the worst. since i felt so good on day three i thought maybe i was going to be lucky.....boy was i wrong.... day 4 came like a ton of bricks falling on me!! i felt terrible!!!! my throat was so sore i couldnt swollen without wanting to DIE! let alone take my pain meds. but my fiancee helped me thru it and was able to get the meds down. a trick i learned really helped -- the doctor gave me liquid vicatin. well, its not the best tasting but you cant taste it that much if you hold it under your tounge. so i would hold some under my tounge for about 30 seconds or so -- that way it got to my blood stream a whole lot faster. than it was a LITTLE easier to swallow the rest.... so day four was tough.... but i slept thru most of it and that helped. by the end of that day i had become quite nauseas. i was sweating really bad and felt like i had a fever, but i didnt. finally i just had to go to bed and that did help. eating soda crackers did too. i guess i just didnt eat enough with my meds -- its hard when it hurts so bad tho.

i expected day 5 to be easier. instead, it was even worse than day 4. and this time no one was there with me. everyone thought i would be ok by than. i was in so much pain!!!! the pain made me cry, and crying really really really hurt which made me cry even harder!!! it was not good! but i was able to calm down and felt a bit better. i hated being nauseas so i didnt want to eat anything. so i suffered most of the day. finally that evening i ate and i felt much better. my mom came and tried to help me as much as she could. that night she painted my toes and got me some comfy pj's so i would feel better. :) . It did help!

Day 6 was much better. i finally felt like i was turning around. my mom, still trying to help me feel better, did my hair and make-up and that also made me feel like a new person. it was still terribly painful to swallow, but i tried to eat. the horrible thing was that liquid hurt so much more than anything else. and i was soooo thirsty because, honestly, i havent been drinking as much as i should cause of the pain. so yesterday i tried to drink more, and slowly i was able to get some fluids down.

so, today is day 7. and it feels like its about day 57! seriously, im very glad that today is today! i dont know if i could have survived another day like days 4 and 5! today i woke up with quite a sore throat, but with not nearly as much pain in my ears. that was whats been bothering me the most. yesterday there was tons of pain in my ears and on the right side of my throat. today most of the ear pain is gone, and most of the pain i do have is on my left side. it hurts to swallow but im still doing it and trying hard not to make faces like before!!

today i finally got dressed and went outside for a short walk! i was starting to slowly feel like myself again. than, the best thing thats happened to me this whole time did! I stepped on the scale and saw that ive lost 10 pounds!!!!!!! in ONE WEEK!!! I have always wanted to lose some weight -- ive never lost more than 1 pound before!! i was so excited i forgot about my pain! i know it will come back if im not careful, but i think this is the jump ive been needing in the right direction! ive been trying and trying and when i finally gave up it just came off!! that makes it all worth it to me!!

I dont want to scare anyone out of getting your tonsils out. I havent had a single bit of pain from my adenoids. the first few days my uvuala and back of my nose were really swollow so i felt like i was choking. but it went away pretty quick. yes, i will admit, the pain is as bad as they say its going to be. the good news, as long as i dont swollow, it really doesnt hurt!! yeah, yeah, you gotta swallow! but it COULD be worse......

My biggest fear was throwing up -- i never did even tho i wanted to sometimes!! i lived thru the pain -- sleeping can REALLY help pass the time. I have been gettimg up at 12 pm on average! that is VERY unlike me, but in this case, it has really helped the days go faster and the recovery to be easier.

Thru it all, Im very glad Ive done the surgery. Ive had a sinus headache in my left eyebrow for a little over a year, which has also caused my left eye to be kinda blurry. I told my doctor about it and he said it COULD go away with the surgery. IT HAS!!! i havent had it at ALL since!! That is VERY much worth it! also, the first day I snored SOOO loud, but thats because my nose and throat were swollen. Ever since, I have been able to breathe so much easier, my nose has just felt more clear, when i sleep i breathe thru my nose, i havent been snoreing!!! its amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cant recommend it enough! i know, i know, it HURTS! it really really really does and i would never ever ever want to go thru something like this again! but honestly, its worth it. i feel like a new person. like i have a second chance! im still recovering and i already feel better than i did before!!!!

I will continue to keep you all informed of how im doing. but i seriously feel like ive turned the bend! i actually feel like shopping -- me, not feeling like shopping, somethings wrong!! and i have that desire back!!!!

thank you for your support! If i can do it, anyone can!!!!

God Bless

Jessica :angel:

wow i want this surgery even more now! i snore a lot, and breath through my mouth when i sleep, and more than likely wake up with a morning sore throat. at my tonsillectomy, i'm also having a deviated septum fixed, and my sinuses drained, so i think i will be pretty excited on day 10 when i feel great. i'll live with the pain. glad your feeling better!

Mario --

I never thought of having sinusus drained!! I wish they did that for me. but i guess they would have if they thought i needed it.... who knows. i KNOW you will feel SOOOO much better after all of it!!

and guess what!

Ive now lost 11 pounds!! Im so excited! I hope I lose another by tomorrow!

Today I woke up with a little sore throat -- very little compared to before! It was ok but got a little worse. i told myself -- NO NARCOTICS TODAY! ONLY TYLONAL! well, i DID end up taking a vicadin just because it was starting to hurt in my ears again. I think it was because i had been talking on the phone, tho, and talking tends to make it hurt. So I took the pill and it really really helped. had almost NO pain after that -- thats a first!!

Im very happy at how im recovering and im so excited its almost over! I cant wait to get out and about again! Id love to go somewhere today but my fiancee has my car!! im stuck!!! but the point is -- i have the energy to want to go out and about!

well i will continue to let u know how it goes. good luck as your surgery gets closer everyday. i promise you wont regret it!

Jessica
:angel:

oh, i meant to add -- thats what it felt like this morning -- just your typical morning dry sore throat. it really wasnt all that bad. there can sometimes be pressure if i lay on my side. i spent most of the week sleeping half sitting up just because it felt better. the sore throat i have now is like that -- like just a typical really bad sore throat. nothing to call home about.... im glad!!!!!!

Jessica
:angel:

sooooo, any update? i just got the "OK" from my insurance company to go anhead and have the surgery. so i'm planning on may 27th. man i can't wait, haha. i don't care how much pain i'm in for the first week. as long as i don't hafta deal with tonsils for the rest of my life! :bouncing:

Today is day 13 and Im back at work!!

I kinda feel like I needed a little bit more time but im doing pretty good. im just really tired. probably mostly because i just got a new kitten and she is very hyper in the night!!

a few days back i finally sneezed for the first time since my surgery. I really really didnt want to because i wasnt sure what would happen but i really needed to so i thought, heck its been 11 days, i think i should be fine. so i sneezed and all seemed well.

than i blew my nose. i was bleeding!!! a lot!! i was so scared, i actually almost passed out. i mean, everything went black and got all muffled and i felt like i was about to faint -- and i was sitting down!!

ive never had my nose bleed before, and i was so scared because of the circumstances. and my doctor had warned me if i do bleed and it doesnt stop right away to go to the emergency room, so thats all i was thinking about!!

my fiancee tried to calm me down. i was spitting blood and that scared me even more. now that i can think rationally i realize it was because it was running down my throat and thats why it came out in my saliva, but i was so freaked out at the time i thought i was dying!!

i put ice on my nose and sat for a while and pretty soon it stopped bleeding. i was pretty darn freaked out for a while tho! later i saw all the kleenex in the garbage and realized it wasnt as much blood as i thought it was. but it was still enough to freak me out!

after that i vowed to never ever sneeze again!

than on Friday night my nose started bleeding again. i hadnt done anything. it was only a tiny bit and it came out only when i blew my nose, so i figured i was fine. than yesterday (Saturday) morning it happened some more. and this is where the really gross part happened (warning -- this is really really disgusting so if you gag easily, i wouldnt read on!!):

I felt like i really needed to sneeze so I finally just let myself because I wanted to see what would happen. i had worked my courage up. so i sneezed. i didnt bleed! but i really felt like i needed to blow my nose, so i did. when i blew my nose a big piece of black stuff came out! it was just this black glob -- not slimy or anything, just like a piece of burned tissue or something, i assume. there were specks of black stuff as well and all around it was yellow liquid. it was VERY strange. but it didnt hurt or anything and i didnt bleed.... well i still felt like i had stuff in my nose but it wouldnt come out by blowing. so I had to snort it out! I know, its so sick! ive never done that before, but I needed to really bad! so i did that and when i spit the stuff out (after gaging for a minute!) it was this really mucousy brown stuff with alot of blood in it. that was a bit scary, but nothing else came out after that. the same thing happened again this morning.

i was scared so i called me mom and she thinks im just healing. i guess so, but i am concerned about the blood. my worried that im not healing like i should, and i have reason to be. i didnt take my antibiotics like i should have during the last two weeks. every time i took them it made me feel sick and really really hot and my face would get really red. i felt like i might be allergic. so i could have a little bit of an infection. after all, my tonsils were full of toxins.

im really not sure whats going on, but i have a doctors appointment on wednesday. so if i survive thru the next three days i should be fine! im just worried about going to the doctor. since i had my adenoids out he might stick the camera thing down my nose again! he numbs me, but i can still feel everything!!! and than he puts this tube with a camera on the end of it down my nose. its really uncomfortable. but i guess its better to know whats going on.

i still feel like i just need to sleep and sleep and sleep. im so sleepy!! i really dont have very much energy. i felt like i should by now. im wanting to start working out again but im not sure if i can -- i want to get my doctors ok first.

i can finally eat solid things like chips and such -- stuff that i couldnt even imagine having before! and i can finally drink more than a little sip. ive been able to get at least three big swallows at once!! its great -- before i could barely drink anything and it was torture, i was so thirsty! now im even drinking soda!!!

my throat still hurts. but just a little bit. my left ear is what causes me the most discomfort. im hopeing i dont have an ear infection. i will find this all out in a few days, tho. right this minute my throat is pretty much fine. just a little tight. it gets worse tho when i eat or talk alot. i am a singer and ive had to stop this whole time. on Friday i sang for the first time since all of this. it went pretty well, but my throat did hurt a bit afterwards. i tried singing yesterday and i had to stop, it was just not feeling that great and i felt like i was straining my throat. i have to stop pushing myself so much. my body will fully recover when its good and ready.

mario -- im glad to hear your insurance said yes to the procedure! it will be a great relief! i am SOOOO thankful i did it! it was really hard to handle for a few days, but looking back i cant believe i waited so long and im soooo excited now when i think that its over with!! i never have to worry about those darn things ever ever ever again! and it makes me so happy! they wont hurt, they wont get swollen, they wont bleed, they wont gag me, ever ever ever!!! i dont regret a moment of it! one or two weeks of pain is nothing compared to a lifetime of living without them!

i will continue to let you know how things go and tell you what my doctor says on wednesday. hopefully everything is good!! good luck on your surgery, mario. dont stress too much before hand. its coming quick, but thats a good thing! you wont regret it!

Jessica
:angel:

thanx so much for the reply. your helpin me get comfortable for the surgery. i'm also a singer, and was worried this might have some bad affect on my voice. i was curious....did you notice after singing a lot, that your tonsils would be swollen? sometimes when i talk a lot, or sing for a while, my throat would bother me, and it seemed like my tonsils would be hurting. somehow i don't think my recovery will be as good as yours. i am having the tonsils and adenoids taken out, nasal polyps removed, holes poked in my sinuses, and a deviated septum corrected. so i'm gonna be crappy! but, better to get it over with than let it make me horrible forever. i just sold my car, which means everything to me, so i won't be wanting to go out for a while anyway, lol.

Hey guys. Im a 20yr old female. I had my tonsillectomy last monday. Today is day 9. I am still in so much pain. I thought I was alone because the only information I could find said things like "your child should be up and chasing butterflies after 3 days." I am so gald I found this board because now I feel like I am healing normally, even though I just want the pain to end. Every day, i just want it to rush by hoping that the next day will be better. The Lortab elixer that I am on helps, but it makes me extremely nauseated, its a chore and a blessing to take it. I felt fine on day 1 and 2, but since then, its been awful. Can anybody relate?

key word in your post is "child" children have a much easier time with this surgery than us adults. they have smaller blood vessels and smaller tonsils, hence less scabbing, less bleeding, quicker healing. i think the going rate for healing, chasing butterflies for an adult is around 10-14 days. correct me if i'm wrong, i'm going on what i've heard, my surgery isn't until june 3rd.

Hi guys!

Just updating ya'll about how Im doing. Its been 21 days since my surgery and I cant believe how fast its gone! Exactly 3 weeks ago I was so nervous I coulda died! Now I cant believe how far Ive come. I went back to work last week and it was a bit tough but I made it. By Thursday tho, I was feeling pretty aweful again and I stayed home. Not so much because of the tonsils and all but mostly because I ended up getting a cold bug type thing and it was just draining. Im still trying to get my voice all the way back. Im about done sounded like a man!

Im STILL dealing with a little bit of bleeding from my nose here and there! I went to my doctor last wednesday and he said I looked like i was healing much better than he expected. great, but when i mentioned that my nose had bled a few times he said "hmmm, thats interesting...." like he'd never heard that before!! a little unnerving...

but it isnt BLEEDING bleeding anymore, i just get a bunch of mucous that is bloody. Everyone thinks its just healing... i guess if it happens much more i will go back to the doc...

anyway, i have pictures of my healing process if anyone is remotely interested in seeing them. I know some people find it interesting.

anyway, God bless and have a beautiful day!

Jessica
:angel:


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Treneka-- I can absolutely relate! I am 25 year old female. It's Day 7 for me and today has been the worst day yet. While my throat pain isn't the worst I've ever had, my ears and tongue are in excruciating pain and since Day 4, it's gotten worse each day. I cannot talk at all and can only drink liquids, still. Every day I hope that day will be the peak and it will start to lessen; hasn't happened yet, but one day it's going to HAVE to. Ugh. I know I won't feel this way in a couple of months, but I'm at the point right now where I regret even having it done. No strep or tonsillitis I've ever had was this bad. Well, no use in dwelling on that now, I suppose. But Tuesday if this is still the case, I'm going back to the doctor, because he's going to have to put me on something stonger. At this point the pain is the same with and without the medicine and it's getting unbearable. I don't know how it is for anyone else, but to me, there is nothing in the world worse than bad ear pain and this is just ridiculous. I certainly hope that none of you have to go through this. I wish you lots of luck if you've not had your surgery yet. :)

well, i have my surgery in 2 days. june 3rd i get my tonsils from hell removed. man i'm nervous, but i know by my birthday on the 27th, i'll be all better and not worrying about these dang things anymore. hmm....time to go shopping for popcicles, and pudding and stuff. wish me luck :)

I am a 34 year old female and I had my tonsils out yesterday! I was terrified! I had read and heard many horror stories and even my doctor said it would be miserable.
After the surgery the doctor told my husband and my mom that he had a hard time doing the surgery because my tonsils were so imflamed and infected, they could hardly intubate me because my tonsils were in the way! The doctor said they were "Nasty"!
I must tell you that I have had a very easy time! I have taken the liquid Vicodin every 4 hours and have drank almost constantly, except when I am sleeping. I have slept on and off for 3 hours at the most. I'm scared to sleep because I'm afraid it might get worse if I am not drinking something. I ate donuts and a Crystal burger yesterday!!!! It hurts when I swallow but that is my only complaint.
I hope any of you waiting to have this procedure will find comfort in my story. I was expecting the worse but so far so good!
Praise God! Prayer Works!

Had mine out the same age as you about 4 years ago. You must have been given better drugs. I was given liquid codeine -- big bottle of orange stuff. I basically slept sitting up with a glass of water on the night stand. Chewed on ice chips and drank water constantly when I was awake and when I'd wake up in the middle of the night -- about every 2-3 hours I'd make myself drink to keep my throat moist. Around the 3rd or 4th day I lost my voice, which was a little frustrating. But basically I spent two weeks lounging around the house, sleeping, reading and watching tv. I was really tired and my throat felt very very raw mostof the time.

I just had my right lingual tonsil out about a month ago, and it was miserable. Pain for three weeks, still have a lump in my throat, and my surgeon says this is what to expect. He's good, so I believe him. Hope I never have to do that again!

i am very happy to find this board. I'm 31 and after a year long bout of antibiotics/gargling/ikcyness my doc just said i should get my tonsils taken out. There are some questions i have still which i'd love feedback on.
1. do you think i'll feel better after tonsillectomy? I've had a chronic sore throat since last november, have taken 4 rounds of antibiotics - i don't have a fever most of the time, but i feel unwell. My left tonsil is particularly big, with on and off white pus on them. Sore throats have been a problem my whole life. Yet, somehow it feel overly dramatic to have this major surgery.
2. i would love to hear what people's conditions are before their tonsillectomies.

Thanks!
Ariel

Does anyone relate to whats going on with me? I'm 8 days from my tonsil and adnoid surgery. Whenever I drink anything, even water, my ears burn like someone is sticking needles in them and my jaw line, especially chin becomes numb and painful. What's really irritating is I can't sleep on my side like I normally do, I have to sleep on my back because my ears go crazy when I put pressure on them. I know my scabs are coming off because I spit one out this morning, but I'm going insane. I'm so thirsty but I'm in terribly pain whenever I drink anything, I'm living on ice chips at the moment.

Hello all! I just found this site and am very thankful. I'm a 21 year old female who is scheduled for a tonsillectomy, nasal endoscopy, and adenoidectomy next Thursday(August 5th) I'm very nervous :rolleyes: I just went for my pre-op bloodwork today and it's becoming more realistic.( I started my 10 day course of antibiotics on Tues) I was told in May that I needed my tonsils out by my new physician. After going to the same pediatrician for nearly 21 years, he never told me I needed to have my tonsils out. My new Dr. though, says my tonsils are very bad- as does my ENT. I feel very secure with my ENT since he was the one who put tubes in my ears when i was 18 months old.

I had strep throat last month and am guessing the tonsillectomy will be very similiar to the severe case I had. I also suffer from recurring tonsillitis and frequent sinus infections(which is why I have to lose the adenoids) I'm a [ removed - Please carefully review the posting rules about naming your profession. Thank you. ] so I've been carefully reviewing all the risks and precautions that are neccessary. Please, if anyone has any advice or survival skills for me, please don't hesitate to share. Thanks so much. I will be back and look forward to updating you all about my progress. :eek:

You know, that's an interesting way to put it. For the first few days until the scabs started to form, it did just feel like a horrible case of strep. My ENT and doctor told me I had had so much strep that it was so deeply infected in the tonsils they couldn't fully treat it unless I had them out. I'm 19 and working on a degree in Early Childhood education so I was also catching anything the kids I work with have... and they brought in some interesting stuff! My worst fear was that second when I woke up and realized the pain, but it wasn't bad. For a second I was thinking that I'd better get myself to the doctor for some more anti-biotics. My scabs are coming off painfully, but really, I'm only in pain for a few days and that's much better then strep every other week, which was my situation.

Here's a little bit of my survival skils- Get more than one flavor of ice cream! I honestly don't think I can look at another dish of cookies and cream for a long time. I've also lived on ice chips. I can't drink very well and the ice chips go down nicely. They've kept me hydrated. Also, eat and drink as much and anything you can. My sister didn't eat anything for like three days and she had really bad bleeds because her scabs were bad. I actually had a few potato chips the night I came home, have been drinking as much as I can, even if its like two ice chips. The scabs still hurt, but I've minimal bleeding.

It's been a week and a day and the sharp pain is gone, but it feels like someone punched me in the jaw. I'm off of the pain meds, except for sometimes at night. I hope your surgery goes well, I'm just glad mines over.

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. Yes, I've also heard that if you get dehydrated it makes the pain much worse. I'm going to try my best and drink and eat things like jello, broth, etc and of course ice cream! :) :) :) I go Tuesday for my pre-op appt. with my ENT. I'll be so glad to get it over and done with. Ice sounds like it'll be my best friend. I just hope he gives me some good stuff for pain :)

i'm goin on day 5, and lemme tell ya, drink as much as you can. i have been drinking constantly, going to the bathroom almost 5 times an hour, but no joke, i've had strep thats hurt more than this surgery so far. popcicles are amazing. i'd give ice cream a day or so before eating that cuz it does make the mucus a lil thick, and your uvula might be swollen.

Ahhh!! I'm still nervous. I go to the ENT tomorrow for my final appt before the surgery. Hopefully he will put any fears I have to rest. I am dreading this so much, but I know that the outcome will be far greater than spending half my life on antibiotics to clear up strep/tonsillitis/sinus infections. I'm going to be ok. At least Sonic is close by so I can have some good slushes- I usually live on them when I have strep :-/ No cherry though, because it'll look like I'm bleeding. Hopefully Thursday will come and go so that this will all just be a memory. Thanks everyone for all your support. I will keep you updated and keep those tips coming before Thursday. Also, any what to expects painwise would be appreciated. Anything would be great! Thanks again!

:) Jess

I had the tonsillectomy on Thursday afternoon at a very good hospital in the area. I was surprised, however, that I was barely in the recovery room for 15 minutes, not even fully awake, and they were rushing me out. I don't know if that was standard protocol for this surgery (try to get you on your feet ASAP) or if they just wanted to get out of there (it was about 6pm).

Anyway, I woke up in the post-op room and couldn't breathe through my nose. The breathing tube had caused everything to swell up and I panicked. I soon realized that breathing throught my mouth was more comfortable. They asked what pain level I was at...I told them about a 9...a few seconds later...a little more IV painkiller and oral painkiller and I was down to a 4.

Eventually I went home and that night wasn't too bad. The next day was horrible. I was given tylenol w/codeine (elixir)...that didn't do much, so they bumped me up to hyrdocodone suspension. I don't know if it alleviated the pain much better, but it did knock me out. However, taking it every 4 hours for 3 days straight really upset my stomach so I stopped taking it last night.

I'm now 4 days out from the surgery and in the most pain I've been in. The only difference between the pain now and 2 days out is that now it seems as though the rest of my body feels bad too. My doctor said that my tonsils were some of the deepest and largest he had ever seen. I took a look back at my throat as best I could and boy oh boy....everything is white. It looks like a mess.

I haven't been able to eat anything, or even drink much for that matter. That, I'm sure, is contributing to my upset stomach. I literally have not eaten anything (other than a popsicle) since the day before my surgery. I have a horrible taste in my mouth. I have a fever (I haven't taken my temp, but am pretty sure from the constant awakening with sweat). I'm dizzy (again, a reesult probably from not eating). And if I see another Ashlee Simpson show episode on MTV, I'm going to go nuts:)

It's good to read that days 4 and 5 are often bad as well. I have had 4 other surgeries in my life and this is by far the worst. I'm sure it's well worth it come cold season when I won't get my usual 3 or 4 sinus infections, but right now, it's hard to look beyond the pain.

I'm 26 and consider myself to have a pretty high pain threshhold...but I seriously have cried during this ordeal. Thank God my mom has been around to help me out with Jello and popsicles:) Moms are the best:)

You're scaring me! I need to have my tonsils out, but have been putting it off for the very reasons you are describing. Did you have a problem with your uvula giving you a choking sensation when you swallow? If so, how long did it last? I hope you feel better soon!!

i think the uvual should be the least of your worries. i hear its more of a problem in adults than children. it wasn't anything that i look back on and regret having the surgery because of. i just had to sleep on the couch, propped up for the first week. but it wasn't scary where i was afraid i would swallow it. as long as your sitting up, you barely notice its swollen, besides the fact it hurts. but if your worried about it sliding down your throat, and that kinda feeling, its not that bad.

Ahhh!! Tomorrow's the day. I am so nervous. I feel better after I talked to my ENT surgeon yesterday and he gave me some liquid Lortab(hydrocodone) which hopefully will work wonders. He also said I could alternate between that and Tylenol every 3-4 hours, so yayness! LOL

I go in at 8:30 and he said I'd be in a mouth gag for about 45 mins to an hour. He isn't totally sure if he's going to take my adenoids or not, but he's going to do the nasal endoscopy anway. Ummm, I bought some popsicles, push ups and ice cream today. I also bought some noodle soup and will be drinking lots of water(room temperature) Ok, I am off to TRY and get some sleep. I am just so nervous, I could scream. Keep the tips coming for me, I appreciate them!

I will update you when I can!

thats how mine went. he said he might take the adenoids. unfortunatly, he left them. i'm kinda upset about that, i would liked all that junk just gone. but i guess if they aren't giving me any problems, then i guess leave em. good luck. i'm goin on day 10 and its still pretty crappy. mostly cuz of boredom and hunger. pain has never been above a 1 or 2, until i added salt to my baby food. haha, big mistake. good luck and keep us updated. and keep that chicken soup cool, nothing hot. :) bye bye

I ended up having to go into the ER on Tuesday evening (5 days after) for profuse bleeding. I felt like something was running into the back of my throat...thought maybe mucous. I went to spit it out and the blood started flowing like water from a tap.

Got to the ER and the ER docs really had no way of seeing anything, nor did they know how far the tonsils went down my throat. They called in my ENT. In the meantime, I was coughing up HUGE clots of blood. That was the scariest thing ever.

The ER doc thought she would try to shove a gauze soaked in some kind of iron solution toward the back of my throat to help clotting. It had to have been the worst tasting thing I've ever experienced. I told her to just stop it and wait till the ENT got there. I'd rather go into the OR than have that again.

He finally got there and was great. He explained what happened and how he was going to fix it. We went into the OR...he double-souchered and waited about 15 minutes to make sure it wouldn't bleed again. I had lost about 150cc of blood in the whole ordeal. And at one point, the pain was so bad, I almost passed out.

I'm on morphine elixir now and have been told by everyone (ward nurses, ENTs, PAs,) to drink, drink, drink. It is so hard to swallow, but staying hydrated is the best way to avoid prolonged pain and swelling back there.

Another thing my ENT told me to do is to make sure to get up out of bed and not just lie around...open my jaw so scar tissue doesn't form to a closed jaw, and even chew some gum.

I have to take another week off work now because this latest surgery sets me back to day 1 on the recovery scale. This has been the most painful operation I've ever encountered. If you're considering getting it done, please think about it long and hard and do it only if you and your ENT think the benefits will outweigh the pain. I am very tolerant to pain...but I have cried many times during this past week. I can only hope it's worth it come the cold/flu season.

well i'm sorry to hear about your ordeal. i had bleeding like that on day....i think 7 or 8 and it was scary. i didn't need to go to the OR, by the time i got to the ER, it had stopped. but i know the feeling of your blood gushing into your throat. god i hated that feeling. were you eating solid food at all? there is such a small chance of bleeding if you follow directions, that i don't wanna scare people. i've had nearly no pain the entire 10 days, and bleeding once because i broke down and ate pizza, haha. i think its a very personal surgery. you say its the worst pain ever, and i say i've had strep that hurt more than this. so there really isn't a way to tell what its gonna be like till you go through with it. but, i have a feeling that in a month, you'll be happy you did it. i know i will be. good luck with your recovery though. hope all goes well. few pointers. yes, of course, drink tons of water. try using a humidifyer. i also noticed the one day i turned mine off, is the day i was in the ER bleeding. its all about the moisture, lol. good luck :)

No solid foods for me. My doc did say that my tonsils were some of the biggest and deepest he'd ever seen. He had to go down my throat a few centimeters as well to remove them. That's where the bleeding came from.

I agree with you...it all depends on how deep your tonsils are as to how much pain you're going to get and recovery time.

Here I am sitting at the computer desk. I just woke up from a nap and am drinking a strawberry milkshake. My mom is the best. :)

Yesterday, I arrived at the hospital at 8:30 am the time they told me to arrive and got called back around 8:40. I changed into my hospital gown and they came and took my temp and my blood pressure. Then they started prepping for me surgery by starting that IV of sugar water(there`s a fancy name for it- I`ll just make keep to simple terms lol) They gave me some lidocaine. A few minutes later, they allowed mom and Bryan to come back and visit. Then, Bry had to go to work so my mom`s best friend and mom were back there with me before I left for surgery. I also had to drink this nasty cocktail of crap to relax me and use nose spray as my nurse said "To clear out all the snot" They took me about 10:30 am and rolled me into surgery. When I got into the OR it was FREEZING cold, so the OR nurse gave me 3 nice, warm blankets.

My ENT was reassuring me everything would be ok while the "The Sandman" lol was filling my IV with fabulous drugs to make me sleep. I woke up about 10:30 in the recovery room and had a tube in my nose so I could get some oxygen. I guess my pulse oxygen level had dropped into the 80s and it`s not supposed to be lower than in the 90s. So I finally realized I`d be much better off if I could breathe through my mouth. The nurse asked if I was having any pain and I told her it was about a 6, so she gave me some morphine and something else. I was way too out of it to remember what else, but the morphine made me itch so badly.

After about 30 mins I was sent back to Outpatient where my mom told me what my ENT told her. He told her that I had THE LARGEST tonsils he had ever seen and that he didn`t know how I managed to breathe. There were pockets of infection, they were embedded(which required much more work), and he also said that most tonsils are sort of firm, but he said that mine jiggled like Jell-O(TMI, sorry)

I asked the nurse for some Ginger Ale and boy did that taste good. She also brought me some crushed ice and A lemon Italian Ice. Yum! About 1:30 they discharged me and before I even left the hospital parking lot I was getting sick to my stomach. We got home about 1:45 and from that point until about 9:30 I was sick to my stomach at least 10 more times. The ENT called to check on me and told my mom I had probably swallowed some blood during surgery and then my mom had to call the on call ENT so I could get something to make me stop vomiting. They weren`t worried I was dehydrated because I could keep ice chips down and they would be down, but if I ate a popsicle or something it would come right back up.

I had to make it ALL day yesterday when I got home without any pain meds, whew! I`m just glad it`s over. I`m very sore today. My tongue and uvula are bruised and I have two HUGE gouges in my throat. Yeah, this is the worst sore throat I`ve ever had, but I haven`t cried- YET. Ok, just wanted to let you all know I was ok, just in quite a bit of pain(which is better right now thanks to Lortab and Tylenol) I have heard days 3-5 will be my worst, but I guess we`ll see. I`m off to rest right now. Thanks for your support.

hey, good to hear your doin ok, lol, if i could say that much. sounds like the ENTs tell everyone thye have the biggest tonsils ever, haha. when i saw pics, it looked like they were just chillin back there, but when i look at my throat, i have these huge empty pockets back there. yuk, so gross. use a humidifyer, they help a lot. the one day i didn't use mine, that night i broke opened and started bleeding very badly. not saying you hafta sit next to one for 2 weeks, cuz i go downstairs for most of the day and leave it in my room. but it does help to use one while sleeping. i heard days 3-5, 4-6, were supposed to be the worst, but i think mine would hafta be 8-10, lol. i'm on day 11 and still have my scabs, still can't eat anything solid, and i'm still taking pain meds. man when will this be over. I NEED FOOD! hahaha, good luck with your recovery.

LOL, I think you're right about the whole ENT thing. I've been drinking tons of water, eating ice chips, drinking milkshakes, today I even ate a bit of chicken broth with a few tiny noodles so I could take my Lortab. I've also had two frozen coffees from the coffeeshop right up the road. After I finished vomiting last night, I feel much better. I'm still very tired, but luckily I can update from bed and surf the net,etc. Once I get the Lortab in my system it works pretty fast and I'm a much more pleasant person to be around. My scabs haven't started forming yet- when I look in my mouth it's just white and pus- like. Yuck.

My ENT did tell my mom he had to go far back into my throat to get my tonsils out, he said they had pockets of infection in them and that usually they have a "firm" feeling but that mine were squishy. Yuck. Of course I don't remember anything. LOL. Maybe this is a good thing. I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone in what I'm feeling. Thanks so much for taking time to reply to this. I hope everyone has a speedy recovery(myself included) :) I'll write more maybe tomorrow and give you an update. :)

the white gross looking stuff is your scab. i'm on day 11 and i still have the white scabs. they won't change much, but those white patches are the scabs :) when i was in the ER the other night, i stole a bunch of those wooden tongue compressors, hahaaha. so i've been lookin around, and i noticed that my scab goes like, way down my throat. further down than i thought my tonsils went. very interesting. i know the Dr mentioned to my mom that mine were really bad, but i can't wait till my post op visit to actually ask him about them. should be interesting. i'm sure you know, but make sure that you don't make the broth real warm. keep it room temp or slightly warmed.

Yeah...the part of the tonsil you see is only the tip of the iceberg. There are vessels (blood and lymph) that act as roots that also have to be removed...so that's why you see it going down your throat too.

Jesse, I'm glad they kept you in recovery for an extended period of time. They rushed me out before I was even awake...just so they could get off their shift on time. I'm also glad you seem to be doing so well.

Yeah, keep the broth warm, but not hot. And watch out for any salt in the broth too...it'll burn like hell. Slurpees work well too. The key is just not to get dehydrated.

Mario, day 11 and you're still hurting? Did you have any additional bleeding?

i was bleeding for about 10 min on day 8, but by the time i got to the ER, it was done. thats about it. right now, if i look in my throat, i see the full scabs, red around them, and some little pink patches in the scabs. god, i am really needing some food, haha. i hope these dang things fall off soon. i'm pushin 2 weeks with no solid food.

I don't think the scab has actually started to form yet, but I can see it starting to. Yeah, I've been eating my broth at room temperature like letting it cool for about 20 mins before I'll even put it in my mouth. I have to eat something before I take my Lortab. I was sick at my stomach all day yesterday from the anesthesia, so I had to go ALL day without pain meds. It was hard, but we just ended up calling my ENT and he called me in something to pharmacy to stop vomiting. I've been living on ice chips and my ENT actually told me ice cream would help to coat my throat- and it has. Makes it feel much, much better. I think I was in the recovery for about an hour since my pulse ox was in the 80s(they don't like it to get below 90) Another thing my fiance told me was that they wouldn't allow me to eat red because it would look like I'm bleeding, he did say I could but I haven't yet, I'm trying to be cautious. After being sick last night and so sore today in my stomach and abdomen, I don't even want to think I'm seeing blood after that ordeal :) Again, thanks for all your advice.

the white things...............................are your scabs...............................

Just hang in there. It could be 14 days+ before you're close to normal.

Try to sit up a little as well...keep your head elevated...you don't want everything collecting in the back of your throat...at least if you're up a little, things tend to get washed down a little more easily.

How old are you?

So far, today is a bit worse than yesterday. When I woke up, I drank half of the chocolate shake my mom made me so I could take my pain meds. Luckily, the Lortab kicks in pretty fast. I know I'm sore because of my scabs and because the tissue in the back of the throat is so delicate :) I cannot tell you all how thankful I am that this board is here. It makes me feel so at ease to know that other people are going through the same thing I am. Mario- Which baby food do you find easiest to eat? I read back that you had tried putting salt into your baby food- LOL-- sounds like something I would do. I don't like bland things, but my ENT says no spices or anything. :( Bummer. Ok. More later BTW, I'm 21 will and will be 22 in a few months. :)

Today is day 12 for me. Yesterday I had an emotional breakdown, so my boyfriend found this list for me. I was very grateful because I was beginning to think, all kinds of horrible thoughts. Like, maybe my ENT had butchered me and I was never going to be normal again, etc. I just didn't realize it was going to take so long to recover. I'm so glad that he found this list...now at least I know that what is going on is not unusual. I still can't eat solid foods. I'm still in terrible pain and still need the pain meds. Every evening I think...I've got to feel better tomorrow and every morning I feel like I've had a set back. I've already been back to work and all that jive but yesterday we tried to get out "out" since we haven't been able to really do anything fun since the procedure. We were going to go to dinner and a movie. Since I still can't eat, I ordered some mashed potatoes as I have found that, although I have to flush them down with tons of water, they are one of the things I can eat. if you call chasing them with water to be able to swallow them eating. well, I took a bite not realizing the 'inside' of the bite was too hot....it got stuck in my throat....couldn't get it down, couldn't spit it back out. It was burning the crap out of my already sore and tender throat. I started crying. It hurt so bad. That's what prompted the emotional breakdown. once I started crying I couldn't stop. I just want to be able to eat something! I just want the pain to go away. I just want this to be OVER!!!!!!!!
I'm almost going to start crying again just typing this. This procedure by far has been the worst thing I have ever been through in my life. I'm 35 years old. I've been through a lot, including child birth. Given a choice, I'd take child birth over this any day. This has been the most painful, most miserable experience and if I had a chance to go back and do over, I would have told my ENT to go screw himself. I know many people on the board don't regret it, but to me, the problems I was having before the procedure were not bad enough to warrant having it. I could easily have lived the rest of my life without this...at least that's what I believe. Of course my ENT would say differently but I don't agree with him. So, at day 12, I'm still wondering...when am I going to be able to eat something besides jello, soup, pudding or shakes? When will I be able to take a drink without half the fluid going up my nose? When will the pain go away? I'm seriously to the point where I just can't take it anymore. I'm pretty tough and feel that I have a pretty high tolerance for pain. I have 7 tatoos for crying out loud! I'm not a wuss. I supose I'm not a very good person to be posting here because right now I'm so down I have nothing positive at all to say. actually I probably need to stop posting as I feel the tears coming back. When is it going to end?????

Today is Day 5 and owww my ears hurt when I woke up this morning!!!! I ate some baby food oatmeal with banana flavor, then I immediately took my pain medicine!!! I'm getting nervous because I only have like 2 days left of pain medicine but I guess I can always call my ENT and he'll call more in for me. I have to take Tylenol in between times for my pain medicine sometimes :( I hate this pain that I have first thing in the morning. Today I did eat some diced meat for lunch with some peaches and a small piece of broken up/mushed up chocolate cake which I ate like 2 mushed up bites of.

So far, I've been sleeping about 10 or so hours a night on top of the naps I take daily. Ice chips and water are my best friend. Ok, it's time to take some more meds soon! Hang in there everybody, one day we'll all be glad we had this done.

Hi, my name is jen. I just had my first visit to the ENT today. He suggested a tonsillectomy. I am debating whether or not to go through with it. I've read through all the posts here, good and bad, and my question is would you do it again? I am 30 years old with two small children. I teach school and end up with strep throat at least 5 times a year and tonsillitis in between times. I just want to know if you'd do it again.

Thanks.

Well umm maybe ask me that question in a few weeks lol :D Umm I'm on Day 5, almost 6 and I'm still in a considerable amount of pain. But, yeah I'd probably do it again just to be able to breathe and not have tonsillitis every other month. Today hasn't been terribly bad, I mean it COULD be worse. Gosh, I just hope I didn't jinx myself :-/ Umm, I'm really ready for some real food already. It's been quite a long haul, plus I was sick at my stomach all day the day I had my surgery which made the pain worse. Tylenol and Lortab(liquid) have been my best friends. The main key is to stay hydrated which I've done by keeping ice chips beside me and drinking water, even though that makes me go to the bathroom like 5 times an hour.

Your ENT should have told you that the pain is worse the older you get for some odd reason although my guess is that your tissues are constantly changing along with the nerves and nerve supplies,etc. Today I discovered chewing gum is great, too. I have that nasty taste out of my mouth now. Sorry for the book, it's just nice to be able to discuss it.

My ent did tell me the pain is worse with age. He compared it to childbirth and I've had two kids! :) I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better. It must be hard not being able to eat solid stuff though. Do you feel super hungry? The only part of this whole thing that I'm looking forward to, besides no more tonsilitis, is the fact that my ent told me that I would probably lose between 8 and 12 pounds. YIPEE! Not that that's a reason to get them out, but it is definately a benefit. :) My ent recommeded gum chewing the day after surgery. He said it really helps. Glad to hear it has helped you.

Are you bored just sitting at home? Because I teach school, the only time I have to get these suckers out is on Christmas vacation. It would be like on the 15th of December so I'm hoping by Christmas eve I'll actually feel a little human again. I'm not expecting to eat Christmas dinner or anything though! :)

Feel free to post to talk today if you're bored. I'll check back throughout the day. I like hearing about your recovery. It makes me think I may be able to do it! :)

Jen

Today is Day 6 and so far *knock on wood* I've only had to take my Tylenol once. I have some ear pain today, the throat pain is better than what it has been, but it should be because I keep pushing water down there everytime I think about it. I had a frozen coffee drink this am, and for lunch I had some diced up hot dog and strawberry ice cream.I just got out of the shower because that's my remedy when I'm sick and I always think I feel dirty lol, so I end up taking about 2-3 showers a day when I'm sick.

Jen, what grade do you teach? My mom is a teacher and she teaches 2nd grade. I'm going into the Medical field, no teaching for me lol. I think you can do the surgery, I mean I've tried my best to stay positive and fast forward to fall/winter when I usually get tonsillitis and strep,etc. The main thing is to stay hydrated and rest, rest, rest. Days 1-4 I did nothing BUT rest, today I'm up a little more but still get tired, etc. Rent some movies (some good chick flicks) I don't know how large your tonsils are but mine were embedded, so he had to go deeper, but if I can do it, you can. I don't have a great pain threshold, and I haven't cried once not even the first day when I was vomiting every 30 mins from the anesthesia and not being able to take pain meds at ALL or even keep water down. I have faith in you. If you have any more questions,feel free to ask :D

I have been following this message board for a few days now and have been very grateful for the info. I am currently coming to the end of day 6. I had a right tonsillectomy on Wednesday 4th August. I am 30 years old. The reason i only had the right one taken out is that i had them both removed when i was 5 years old but the right one grew back. Anyway, i thought that because i was only having one side done that the pain would be half. How wrong was i. It has been a living hell. I would quite happily go through childbirth again instead of this operation! I have to admit that i am feeling brighter today but my throat and ear is still very sore. The main problem that i'm having now is the 'white stuff' covering the right hand side of my throat. Some of it is starting to fall off, which i'm hoping is a good sign. I just don't want it to return because at first it tastes foul and makes me feel sick. Is anyone else experiencing this? :confused: By the way, i am from 'sunny' England.

Jessgirl-
Sorry to hear about your ear pain, but I wanted to post a tip for you. My ent gave me a pamphlet about what to expect. Here's what he says for ear pain. "considerable relief can be obtained by filling the ear canal with warmed oil, such as mineral, baby, or sweet oil. Using an eye dropper the ear canal should be completely filled. A piece of cotton is placed into the opening of the ear to keep the oil from running out of the ear canal. It is the heat which is providing the beneficial effects, and in order to maintain it, it is advisable to lie on a hot water bottle."

Try it. Maybe it will help.

I'm glad you're doing well Laura. I had my tonsillectomy on August 5 so it's nice to know that someone has had the same experience. Jen, I have been using a warm cloth and that does seem to help somewhat. I've also been chewing gum. I've only had to take the Tylenol twice so far today and I've managed to eat some diced hot dog and some mac and cheese spirals. It's still quite uncomfortable to swallow, but I'm trying my best. I've lost about 7 1/2 pounds just since Thursday. Unreal. I've seen so much TV and layed around so much, it's a wonder the ice cream and slushes don't go straight to my hips :D Laura, the white stuff is your scab and I can already see some pink in the back of my throat, there are a few tiny places where fresh skin is starting to "peer" through.

I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere now. I feel like I'm progressing some, which is great to feel that!! My post op is August 24, so I have a while still. I still have a lot of popsicles to eat lol. I miss real food. :)

Laura, I had the same taste and bad breath after my initial surgery. After my emergency surgery, my ENT noticed how bad it smelled and prescribed a very rigorous antibiotic protocol. Are you on Zithromax right now?

Yeah, the white stuff is the scab. What happens sometimes is that pain will occur when they start to fall off because they're exposing "fresh" skin.

Hello everyone, My name is Cori (from Nebraska) and I just found out today that I was going to need to get a tonsillectomy on Monday or Tuesday. I am an 18 year old female and all that I keep hearing about is how hard to deal with the pain because of what age I am receiving this procedure. I have been reading through all of these message boards and they are making me feel a little better to know that someone else has gone through what I am going to. I am really nervous about the whole process pretty much. I have never had surgery, but I think that I am ready to get rid of these tonsils, I have had tonsillitis 6 times in the past 8 months and they wont stop flaring up. Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone has any advise for me while I am going through this and Im sure that I will be back to talk to you guys. But I have a couple of questions too..... Does everyone loose weight? What are some good ideas for things to eat or drink? And what did you guys do the whole time while recovering??? Im paranoid, sorry. lol.... thanks...
Cori

Hi Cori-
Well, your Dr. is right about the age. The pain increases with age unfortunately. Mostly on Days 1-4 you're going to want to sleep,watch tv, movies,etc. (I know I have) It will vary wth what you can eat. I bought those Minute Maid juice bars and about three different kinds of ice cream because I was afraid I'd get tired of one kind. Another important thing is to push your fluid intake that helps to keep your throat moist. Also the bleeding they warn everybody about usually happens on your 7-11 day so be sure not to eat anything hard or anything like that. I guess it just varies from person to person :) For me I've been able to eat diced meat and things of that sort :) Good luck and if you have any questions just ask. I've lost 7 1/2 pounds btw

Thanks for the info, I havent had anyone close to me have to go through it so its nice to have someone to ask questions to. How much time would you say would be reasonable to take off of work? My doctor said about one week, but Im not real good about pain so I dont know what to expect. Maybe I am worrying about it way too much, but I thought that the doctor was just going to put me on another anitbiotic, so this whole surgery came to me as a big suprise. I am so tired of being sick, I just want to get this over with....
Cori
BTW jess, what day is it for you now??
One more question (I am full of questions), are you not supposed to do any physical activities afterwards?, and for how long? Sorry if my questions are stupid, im nervous....
Ill take advice from anyone..... : :p

Hi Everyone,
I am hoping desperately to get some feedback from anyone that has had a tonsillectomy recently in the past few months. I had mine July 1, 2004. Of course, just like you all it was awful, but now I am somewhat back to normal, other than I can still not swallow any food. I can only swallow food if I have a glass of water sitting next to me. It will be 6 weeks on Thursday since my surgery and I still can't swallow without food getting stuck in my throat. I am also waking up quite frequently now gasping for air. Almost like the sensation you get when you hold your breath and then let it out. I am not experiencing any pain just a very tight and constrictive feeling in my throat. My ENT told me to chew gum and keep drinking, so I have, and I don't notice it getting any better at all. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this and if so what was done to correct it. I am a 33 year old mother of 2 little boys. So this has been quite an ordeal for me. I hope you all are doing well and healing fast. Thanks for any replies. I appreciate it.

geeze, 6 weeks? thats crazy. i've never heard of going 6 weeks after a tonsillectomy and not being able to eat anything. i am on 2 weeks to the day today, and i am able to get soup, pasta, and things like that down. but my scabs are still kinda there. if i were you, i would wake up nice and early tomorrow and go find a new ENT. i don't see any reason why after 6 weeks, you are still not fully back to normal. go to another ENT, tell him your situation, and get rid of your current ENT. thats just what i would do. it may be nothing, but if after almost 2 months, hes still saying "keep drinking" i would want a second opinion. my mom recovered from a full hysterectomy faster than that. second opinion, thats my advice. good luck and please keep us updated. i can only imagine what your going through. i'm on 2 weeks and i'm goin nuts, haha.

Hi Everyone,
I am hoping desperately to get some feedback from anyone that has had a tonsillectomy recently in the past few months. I had mine July 1, 2004. Of course, just like you all it was awful, but now I am somewhat back to normal, other than I can still not swallow any food. I can only swallow food if I have a glass of water sitting next to me. It will be 6 weeks on Thursday since my surgery and I still can't swallow without food getting stuck in my throat. I am also waking up quite frequently now gasping for air. Almost like the sensation you get when you hold your breath and then let it out. I am not experiencing any pain just a very tight and constrictive feeling in my throat. My ENT told me to chew gum and keep drinking, so I have, and I don't notice it getting any better at all. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this and if so what was done to correct it. I am a 33 year old mother of 2 little boys. So this has been quite an ordeal for me. I hope you all are doing well and healing fast. Thanks for any replies. I appreciate it.
When I had my tonsils out it took me about 2 and 1/2 weeks before I could eat anything. After that I was fine except bread and spicy foods. Spicy food irratated my throat and bread felt like it was stuck. Your uvula could still be slightly swollen try cutting everything finely.

Cori- Tomorrow will be actually 6 days, but day 7 on the recovery time. That's how my ENT told me to count it :) Dr. S, my ENT, told me I would be on 3 weeks of no activity since after the first week there's a major risk of bleeding. Don't worry, I don't mind answering any questions you have. I was SO nervous before my surgery and this board helped ease my fears tremendously. Like you, I had frequent bouts with tonsillitis and I was SO tired of it. Finally my regular Dr. told me I had no choice but to get them out. Dr. S. said they had pockets of infection and were embedded and HUGE. I'm not good with pain either, but I can honestly say I haven't cried once. If I were going to cry I would've cried on the first day while I was sick ALL day from the anesthesia and could hold NOTHING on my stomach, it was horrible. I would definitely talk to your ENT and ask him which instrument he plans to use. Supposedly, a hamonic scaple is supposed to cut your healing time in half. My Dr. used a bovie and then cauterized my throat after to stop/prevent any additional bleeding. To be totally honest, the ear pain has been worse for me than the throat pain. I've been able to sleep at least 10 hours at night. Today I did take my pain medicine once (just a few mins ago) to assure I will sleep well, etc.

The main key is to rest because you don't want to increase your risk of bleeding, and PUSH the fluids, seriously. I even keep water by my bed at night in case I wake up during the night. Sure going to pee every 5 mins is annoying, but so worth it. Ok, sorry for my book. I'm so glad I can(hopefully) help. If you have any more questions feel free to ask. :) Everyone on this board is so nice.:)

Oh and to the lady who is still having pain, I agree w/ Mario, you should definitely get a second opionion b/c something doesn't sound right at all. Best wishes, I really hope you get the help you deserve.

Thanks for the responses. I am not having any pain at all, just can't swallow anything without having to use water to wash it down. The waking up feeling like I can't breathe thing is a little irritating too. I do have an appt. with my ENT for a follow up check up on this Friday. Hopefully, he has some answers for me.

mfratella, i am currently taking penicillin vk(antibiotic) which i finish tomorrow. i find the taste is worse in the mornings and gradually gets better throuout the day. chewing gum definately helps. i think some more of it fell off last night anyway. i'm so glad its day 7 and i can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! i'm feeling much better in myself aswell. its just my throat and ear that is still quite sore. its amazing all the things you miss when you can't have or do them. i managed to only wake up once last night aswell, so i got more sleep than usual. :D

Hello Everyone!

I just found this message board yesterday. I am a 24 year old who had her tonsils and adnoids removed August 6th. I guess if you are counting the day of surgery it has been 6 days. I am still in so so so much pain, I put ear plugs in my ear to help the ear pain, but other than that i do not feel like the pain medicene is working as well as it should. It is hard to swallow water, I can't imagine real food. I can not eat ice cream it coats my throat way to much, I have been ablt to eat Ramen noodle soup, which i swore I would never eat again after college.
I can relate to everything you all are saying. I do have a few questions though. I started spit out my scabs, is this normal? I guess they wouldn't come out unless they are ready, but I guess I want to the the process some of you went through, how long after the scabs starting falling off did you feel better. The doctor told me that I had to eat and had to talk to make my throat stronger. I don't think he understands how much it hurts.
I really enjoyed the message board, it helps knowing that I am not alone. I will appreciate any tips, comments, and suggestions.

In so much pain,
Megan

Well, this is day 7 and I still woke up to lovely ear pain :( I am so ready for the ear pain to GO AWAY. :yawn: Grrrrrrrrr. Megan, it's nice to hear from somebody who had their surgery very close to me. I had my surgery August 5. My scabs are starting to dissolve. I'm just ready for this to be over!!!! Grrrr. I'm gonna go take a bath- more later :)

Jessgirl01

What type of Tylenol are you using? I am using the maximum stregth sore throat, is that the right one? The doctor has me alternating the tylenol every six hours with demerol every six hours. I was just wondering what your trick was to be feeling so good.

Thanks
Megan

Hey Megan,
I'm using the Extra Strength Tylenol for Adults(liquid). I think the trick is to drink, drink,drink. I've been drinking and chewing gum since the day I had surgery. Tomorrow will be a week. The ear pain is still getting me some, so I have to take the Tylenol a couple of times during the day. I was put on hydrocodone(Lortab) but I haven't had to take it since last night before bed- just so my ears wouldn't hurt as bad when I woke up. I will be so glad when this is all just a memory, I really wish I were able to eat real food. You sound like you're hanging in there though, so that's something to be proud of. :)

Hi. I had my tonsills removed when I was 28 and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made! You will be sooooo happy you did it. I was in some pain for about a week or so, but in my experience, it wasn't as much pain as I would have when I would get tonsillitis and be sick for over a week, missing work, etc... I waited too long to have them removed. I didn't have any problems at all as a child. It all started in my 20s and got worse each year. I can't tell you how many antibiotics I took over the years before the surgery!

I would get so very sick - like having the flu, but worse. It was awful. I finally went to a new doc that referred me to a specialist. My specialist said if you get tonsilitis more than 6 or times a year, you should have your tonsills removed - I was getting it more than that. It's sad, but my other Primary Care Phys. kept telling me I didn't need surgery and that sometimes you still get sore throats, etc... He was making so much money off of me having to come in all the time! He was a quack, AND - I haven't had ANY problems AT ALL. No sore throats except the usual ones that come along with a cold or allergies.
I am now 34, and am still so grateful that those nasty things are out of me. You will be too, I promise!!! :wave:
Just drink water through a straw - lots of it. Not too cold. Warm soup helped me and popsicles, yogurt bars - eaten very slowly.

um, thats nice, but every ENT, and hospital worker i've spoke to, said to NEVER drink out of a straw after this surgery, because it will alter the preasure in your mouth, and rip a scab and cause severe bleeding. NO STRAWS. i'm on day 15, still can only eat soft pasta with butter, soup, and junk like that. no pain, just discomfort in my throat and left ear. follow up visit tomorrow. hope i'll be able to eat soon.

Yup, I've been drinking water without a straw. Well today is day 7, grr. I'm ready for this to be over. I am going to leave the house tonight(FINALLY) to go see a movie. Drinking is definitely the key, my scabs are starting to dissolve a lot, I mean I looked at my throat and was amazed. You can still see quite a bit of white back there, but it's thinned out some.

Ok, I think I'm conviced. Even though it's scary and the pain is terrifying me, I think I'm going to go ahead with plans to have these things out. I have to verify my work schedule when I get back next week, but if all works out I'll be having surgery dec 15. Seems like a long time from now, but it's the only way I can do it with my school schedule. I hope you all have a speedy recovery and I'll be checking back in on your progress. I hope someone's around in December! :D

Hey guys, Im still waiting for my doctor to call me and tell me whether im going on Monday or Tuesday, but I would probably be saying no to it if I hadn't found this site, I am so happy that I have people to ask questions to. I am still worried about missing too much work, but I guess I can deal with it. Im still nervous though... :)....

Questions to all,

I am having a really hard time today keeping pain medicene down. Yall say drink a lot but crap it hurts. S :( orry can't help the yall I from Texas. I am afraid of taking more medicene, becuase vomiting was worse than the pain. So drink no matter the discomfort?

PS day 6 for me and feel very gloommy

Megan

Wow Meg,
That sounds horrible, Do you think that it is the meds that are making you sick or is it just the pain of swallowing them?

Cori,

I think it is because I have nothing in my system. All I have eaten is ice and more ice. I am going to try to eat some soup for dinner and then take the demoral for the pain and hopefully I can sleep through the night! Thanks for caring!

Meg

yeah, no matter how bad the pain, you need to drink. if you get dehydrated, you'll be worse than you are now. i remember when i first started eating solid food, i would get sick too. so i think its just the pain meds going into an empty tummy, lol. good luck

Yeah, he's right. If you get dehydrated, you are going to hurt more, I can promise you. Today I had a meltdown. I finally got to leave the house and I was so excited and then my ears started hurting and I started bawling about how tired I was of all this crap, etc. I'm ok now lol. Women and their breakdowns :rolleyes: Hahaha. Drink lots and lots of room temperature water- not too hot or cold b/c you don't want it to hurt your throat. Meg, I feel your pain b/c I vomited litereally ALL day after my surgery until late that night when I got something to help me stop. The more moisture you give your throat, the better it's going to feel!! Hang in there! :)

Hey,

Sorry to hear about the movie Jess, I was going to try to see one on Friday afternoon but will see. Well today has totally been the worst day ever. I finally got some demoral down at 9pm. That is 8 hrs without pain medication. I constantly eat ice, but when the pain medicene is working I will start chugging water. Please keep updating me on everyones progress. I look forward to these chats, it gets my mind off the pain and will hopefully see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am going to try to eat something and drink some water before I go to bed. Thanks for everyones help!!!! :D

Megan

Hello My Tonsillectomy Friends,

I just got my tonsils out on Monday, so I'm in the same crowd as you. So far the pain has been bearable as long as I keep up with my pain medication.

My surgery only took about 15 mins. The doctor said that when he took my tonsils out, pus cam out of them (sorry for the image). I just think it's amazing to think that I've been trying to fight off that infection for the past 4 years, and I never knew I was (besides when I got sick)! My tonsils were constantly huge, even when I wasn't sick. How crazy is that. I'm glad they are out.

You guys seem to give a ton of support to one another! Which is great for a lonely, boring time like this! At least we have each other.

Just wanted to introduce myself. I hope everyone has a speedy recovery....

Much love,
Stargrl

Hello
Its Day 8 for me now and time seems to be passing quicker these days. I'm managing to get a bit more sleep at night. Its still very painful to swallow but i'm eating cos i have to. The white in my throat is starting to disappear now, which is a relief. I think i may have overdid it yesterday though, cos i ended up just feeling exhausted by the end of the day. I feel a bit like a hypocrite saying this, cos i thought it would never get better, but it does. All those people who are in the early stages and feel so depressed (i did) and think it will never end, think positive because you do turn a corner and realise you are getting better. I'm starting to feel like i want to do things now aswell. I would never put myself back in that position again, but if you have to have it done you don't have any choice. It will be great not to have any more tonsillitis. :wave:

Hi guys,

Not doing to good it is 5 in the morning and I am up with the pain again. Please tell me some of you wake up in the morning without pain?Tommorrowill be a week. Well it doesn't look like I will be going back to work on Monday. Just wanted to talk@

Thanks for listening,
Meg

Meg24,
I wake up every night with pain. I usually sleep for 2-3 hours at a time. I just have a drink and eventually go back to sleep. I don't take any pain med in the night though. It does start to get less painful with time.

Hey Meg,

I also wake up at least 2-4 times a night. Sometimes I'm in pain, others I'm not. I think it depends how long its been since I've drank anything. My best remedy for pain is frozen smoothies. They've helped alot. I do take my pain medication during the night because I don't think I've reached the point where I can't take it without feeling miserable. Are you still taking yours? I hope you get rested up some today.

Hey Guys,
Well today is Day 8, I've been tonsil free for a week now. After my little meltdown last night, I ate some cheese breadsticks.(just mainly the cheese and soft part of the bread) I've been able to sleep really well besides waking up having to pee around 4 am and then I go straight back to sleep. I'm sorry you're still having a bunch of pain- mainly my pain is in my ears and today it's much better than it was yesterday. I'm going to go eat at Chic-Fil-A in a few minutes with my grandmother. I'm going to cut the nuggets up though, and maybe eat the inside of some fries :)

It's been a rather long week, but I can really see the progress I've been making and I'm glad to say that I think the worst part is over. (Finally) I still have to be careful so that I don't bleed, but all in all I'm getting somewhere. I can't say it enough, but this board is AWESOME and everyone on here has helped to give me the encouragement that I need and I am so grateful for that! I'll be back later to check in w/ you guys!!

Ya Jess, you are giving me encouragement that I will finally be able to eat real foods soon (slowly and carefully of course). I'm glad that your worst is over. I think I've had a good recovery so far. I've had worst pain when I was sick with my tonsils. It's weird how everyone recovers differently.

I'm just exhausted now. I'm on day 4 and I find myself falling asleep every chance I get. I need to get out of this habit. Ha, has anyone else experienced that?

Stargrl09, That's good you're getting lots of rest. That's your body's way of telling you to take it easy. You've already come a long way- Day 4&5 were my worst days, after that it's much more of a smooth sail. Just think, as much as you're sleeping, the day goes by even faster! Yay!!! :D Just drink, drink, drink :) I started eating those meat stick things toddlers eat by Day 3 I think cuz you can dice em up and they're soft, but still tasted good to me! Mac and cheese is pretty easy for me to eat and so is fettucine alfredo(which I'm going to have for dinner) and spaghetti :)

Hope everyone is doing ok. Somebody write, I'm bored. LOL

Hey,

I am glad to report that I am doing much better today. I hope that this is the light at the end of the tunnel. I have been chewing gum most of the afternoon and the most exciting news was that I ate a cheese sandwhich today. I have barely had anything to eat all week. I am working on my second bottled water, I told myself that I needed to drink 5 bottles before I go to bed tonight. My problem is that I wait to long to take medicene and the pain gets out of control. I am not taking Tylenol anymore just demoral every 5 hours. I think I am still going to take it through the night since I am still waking up with horrible throat pains. I am happy to hear that everyone is feeling ok? Jess have all of your scabs fallen off? Just wondering because a few of mine are stil back there and they are bothering me!

Meg

Meg, I still have some scabs back there. They've been dissolving and they taste nasty, blech. They are about to drive me nuts. I've only taken Tylenol once today and that was this morning b/c my ears hurt. I ate some chicken for lunch(cut really thin) and then some fettucine alfredo for dinner. That glides down really easily! You sound better today, I'm so glad. :)

Hey everyone I am 21 years old and i just had my tonsils removed this morning, as well as, having the cartilige in my nose realigned b/c it kept making me receive sinus infections. This forum has been a great help to me so I want to thank you all. But the one thing that scares me is the fact that some people have said that it gets worse. Right now i feel ok and the doctor said i should be a lot better in 3-4 days. But it seems like everyone's worse days are 3-5. So i am just wondering if that is the consensus and if everyone gets worse before feeling better. thanks

Greg

Hi
This is day 9 for me now and i can't believe i've been home from hospital for a week. It goes so slow at first but the past few days have flew by. Greg, i'm sorry but it does get worse before it gets better. But it does get better, i feel 100 times better than i did 4 days ago. I still have pain in my throat and tongue but the pain in my ear is going. For me, i think the worst time is the middle of the night and mornings. Everyday i've been looking in my throat to see any progress and there's even less white in there today. I think the reason why it feels so tender is because now that the white is going its all fresh new skin underneath. I am starting to get really hungry now aswell but i don't want to start eating proper food yet until my throat feels nearly right. I've been going for a little walk each day aswell to build my strength up and to get some fresh air. It helps. :wave:

Hi there ..just curious of how long you are kept at the hospital for this surgery ? Thanks in advance !!

I went home the same day - just a few hours later. I don't think they usually admit you for a tonsillectomy.

Hello everyone. Greg, I'm on day five and I think it's the most painful day I've had. It's just because my scabs are starting to wear down and the new skin is starting to show through. This pain is very tolerable though. At least for me. My surgery was very quick (10-15 mins). I haven't experienced any ear pain either. Also, my worst times are in the morning just because I need my pain medication and some water. I think others can say the same.

Overall, my experience hasn't been to bad. On a scale from 1-10, my most pain has been a 5, which is reduced right after I take my meds.

To answer the recovery question, I was only in recovery for about 25 mins. They just want to make sure all your vitals look good, and the pain is minimal. I did feel nauseous in recovery, but I never threw up.

Laura, have you been walking everyday? That's awesome. I wish I could do that. I just don't want to push my luck!

Talk to everyone later!

I just found out on Thursday 8-12-2004 that they want me to have a tonsillectomy done on Monday 8-16-2004. That is only four days to prepare and I have a two year old girl. I just turned 21 on Tuesday and I am starting back to school the week after surgery. I was wondering if I can do anything to make this recovery go any faster than I have heard it to go. Any help would be great.
:wave:

I'm scheduled to have a tonsillectomy in December over Christmas vacation. My doctor told me that I would spend 8 hours at the hospital in recovery. He said he likes to keep you that long to make sure there's no complications. Just wondering after reading 25 minute recoveries, how long everyone else was there. Personally, with 2 kids at home, I was hoping he'd keep me overnight or a couple days!! ;)

I was in hospital for 2 days (i am in England). Over here they usually keep you in overnight to make sure everythings ok. If you don't feel well enough to go home, you stay in a bit longer. I have a 6 year old daughter and knew that i felt too ill to go home after one night.

Hi there ..just curious of how long you are kept at the hospital for this surgery ? Thanks in advance !!


I was in the hospital for 24 hours after my surgery.

Hey guys - I'm 18 and just had my tonsils out Aug 6th so its day 8 now and I'm like swalloqing parts of my scab bc i can feel it going down my throat and I spit up a lot, does that happen to anyone here? I still cant eat anything besides ice cream and popsciles and of course water. I still cant talk that well. I could talk a lot better on day 7 but now today I cant talk well, i'm guessing its bc of the scabs falling off and stuff? Anyways, I was reading some of the posts from earlier and you guys are all wicked nice. I came here bc I didnt know if I was the only one going through all this. Well thanks guys bbye!

Hey everyone,
Sounds like lots of new people are on here from the last time that I looked, lol. The doctor moved my surgery to the 31st so Im still waitin to get them OUT, they are the most annoying things.... Anyway, just thought that I would write and say hi, I had a question for everyone, you all say to drink water that is about room temp... does it hurt to eat ice cream or stuff like that? And one more question, is it hard to eat soup with noodles or whatever during the first few days? Thanks for answering my questions, Its helping me feel a lot better about it....I'll talk to you all later, I have to go out, the weather is AWESOME here!! BYE...

Hey guys! My scabs haven't started falling off yet, so I'm not sure about the spitting up. I would think so though. My scabs just started forming and I am talking alot weirder! Plus, its sick to feel them back there. Yuck!

Cori, eating cold things did not hurt me. My best friend during recovery is smoothies....no dairy or seeds in it. The cold felt very refreshing to me. As far as noodles, I started eating Chicken Noodle soup on day 3. I had to cut the pieces up pretty small though. It still tasted good though becuase it was different from my other foods! It's a good thing to have. Just try it out and see if it works for you. Another thing that worked for me was scrambled eggs cut up into REALLY small pieces. It gives you a little protein to work with too!

Well I'm on day 7 and very bored. I'm excited to start eating normal. I want a BIG CHEESEBURGER! hahah have a good one!

Hey everyone! I'm 35 and just had my tonsils out on Friday...day 3 for me and it totally sucks! I threw up this morning for no apparent reason and now I am so lethargic I'm having a hard time getting out of bed. How much are you guys drinking to keep from becoming dehydrated? I'm trying to force myself to drink but I am having such a hard time with it!!! I have totally lost my appetite now and I keep coughing...I need another nap!!!!!

You need to drink constantly. Luke warm water is the best thing. You're probably being sick because of all the medication. Have you managed to eat anything yet? Its difficult, but it does stop you from being sick. I'm just coming to the end of day 11 now. I think my last scab is in the process of falling off. My throat is still sore but 100 times better than it was. I feel so much better in myself aswell. I'm still tired but i can cope with that. Time seems to pass much faster now aswell because i am actually doing things. I'm hoping as soon as i hit day 14 it will all be over, only 2 more days to go. I can't wait to be able to eat all the things i've been dreaming of for the past 2 weeks!

I haven't eaten very much at all...It's so weird because the first two days I ate just fine and now I can't stand the smell of food at all...my Uvula is HUGE...it is so hard to swallow and the water I'm trying to drink just sits there! I'm going to keep trying though!!!! :rolleyes:

AHHH Dalania. I'm so sorry that you feel horrible. It's good that your sleeping alot...that means less time being awake and feeling horrible! Laura is right, you must drink something. I always dreaded the first couple sips of the day or from waking up from a nap, but you must do it! It will become easier the more you drink. Plus, it will make your recovery time speed up a little. You have a good attitude though! Keep trying!

Laura, sounds like you are doing great. HAve you tried anymore advanced foods? or are you still with soft foods?

I'm eating mainly soft food still only because i don't want to cause any bleeding. My diet has consisted mainly of bread, mashed potatoes and pasta. I've started to eat chicken again aswell. I'm gonna start eating properly in the next day or so because i've lost so much weight. The main reason why i'm still tired is because of the lack of good food. I want to be able to eat a spicy curry next weekend! And have some wine with it aswell! Thats my focus. :wave:

Thanks you guys! I'm going to go see how much water I cn force down! Good luck to you!

Well guys, today is Day 10 and I feel so good. My scabs are almost ALL gone and I'm eating pretty normally now. That best news is that now, my ear pain is almost completely gone. I've been totally pain medicine free for 3 days :D :D :D :D :D:D:D:D:D:D I'm a bit excited about that! HEHEHE! I'm still trying to be careful though. My post op appointment is in a little over a week(a week from Tuesday). I'm still forcing water down and making sure I don't over do it!

hey everyone - well im at the end of my day 9 and i actually ate scarmbled eggs this morning and the broth and some noodles of chicken soup...now my throat hurts the most it has in the past couple of days but nothing like it was before..i had a tiny tiny tiny tiny amount of blood in my saliva tonight..is that an okay thing if its just a little? im thinking maybe i pushed too hard with the noodles and thats why..but i dont know..well my appointment is in 4 more days so hopefully i will be back to normal then ..thanks guys bbyee!

Well...I'm on day four. My apetite is pretty much gone but I'm still forcing down the water! I threw up yesterday and I'm starting to feel that way again but i'm trying to ride the wave, ya know? How long have you guys had to take pain medication? I'm on Percocet and I think that is part of the reason that I'm so sick...switching to Lortab when I run out. I haven't noticed any scabs? Should I know when I'm losing them or is it too early? :confused:

I took my medicine for about 6 days. (til I was completely off it) I've been completely off anything for 4 days. I was on Lortab though and that rocked my socks :bouncing: My post op instructions told me to eat before I took my meds b/c pain meds and empty stomach = yuckiness. My scabs were there by the second day, but now they're almost completely gone. YAY!!! I'm so glad I'm here and I promise you there'll be a time where you can look back and say YAY, look where I am! I DID IT! :D :D :D :D

:wave: Jess

Hey guys...sounds like everyone is doing ok. I'm on day 8 and I'm 75% feeling back to my normal self. Still a little pain when I swallow though. Its still very tender.

I had my post-op appointment today and the doc said everything looks good. He said my scabs allready fell off, but I never noticed it. I thought they were still back there.

I stopped using my pain medication on day 6. I now just take extra strength Tylenol. It seems to be doing to job.

I just lost a scab!!!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, what