DaveDugg
02-20-2005, 07:48 PM
I didn't see where anybody else had taken up the gauntlet for this adult tonsillectomy thread, which seems to have been running nonstop for three years or so. If someone has, please let me know -- I'll step off here and jump on there! :)
I'm on day 6 recovering from my adult tonsillectomy. I'm 41. It has not been fun, but there are things I could have done to make it easier. I found this board a little too late, I guess. Anyway, the thing that surprised me most is the fact that I'm still in bed - with very little interest in being vertical - after six days. I didn't think the pain was going to be as pad as it was, or the recovery as long. As I said, there are things you can do to improve your situation, so make sure you read these messages before your surgery. Drink a lot the first couple of days, anything you can -- ice water (if you can, some people couldn't drink cold stuff), popsicles, clear stuff. Flat soda if you want (eecch). Nothing citrus; it'll burn. But lots of water.
Expect things to get a little more intense on the third through the fifth days. I've had some pretty bad pain from those days, some of which was due to my somewhat foolish insistence on waiting the full four hours to take my next dose of pain meds. If you're in pain at three and a half hours, take the meds. My experience has been that it's very abrupt -- one moment no pain, the next everything hurts (my whole head feels like a rotted tooth).
You'll get sick from the meds if you don't eat. You won't have much appetite, but you'll have even less if you throw up. If you wake up from a nap and your stomach hurts, the last thing you think about is eating. But do it. It will relieve the bad stomach almost immediately.
Most of the people I've seen post here have a system that works pretty well. Take your pain med, wait half an hour, eat something. Every time you take it, whether you're hungry or not. That way you've always got something in your stomach for the next dose. The pain med will take care of your throat pain, and the food will take care of your stomachache/possible constipation. I had that. Fun? Nope.
I'm doing okay, but it seems clear that I will be recovering for the entire two weeks. Don't let your boss try to cheese you out of some time off, or schedule it when you don't have a big project due. You will need the two weeks. Some folks may need more, if you have an active job (I do).
Get the rest, get the fluids. When the pain comes, it is very bad indeed, so be prepared with food, water and meds. The rest is just laying around in bed writing posts to message boards on your laptop ... not such a bad deal if you do the other things right.
Take care everybody,
Dave
I'm on day 6 recovering from my adult tonsillectomy. I'm 41. It has not been fun, but there are things I could have done to make it easier. I found this board a little too late, I guess. Anyway, the thing that surprised me most is the fact that I'm still in bed - with very little interest in being vertical - after six days. I didn't think the pain was going to be as pad as it was, or the recovery as long. As I said, there are things you can do to improve your situation, so make sure you read these messages before your surgery. Drink a lot the first couple of days, anything you can -- ice water (if you can, some people couldn't drink cold stuff), popsicles, clear stuff. Flat soda if you want (eecch). Nothing citrus; it'll burn. But lots of water.
Expect things to get a little more intense on the third through the fifth days. I've had some pretty bad pain from those days, some of which was due to my somewhat foolish insistence on waiting the full four hours to take my next dose of pain meds. If you're in pain at three and a half hours, take the meds. My experience has been that it's very abrupt -- one moment no pain, the next everything hurts (my whole head feels like a rotted tooth).
You'll get sick from the meds if you don't eat. You won't have much appetite, but you'll have even less if you throw up. If you wake up from a nap and your stomach hurts, the last thing you think about is eating. But do it. It will relieve the bad stomach almost immediately.
Most of the people I've seen post here have a system that works pretty well. Take your pain med, wait half an hour, eat something. Every time you take it, whether you're hungry or not. That way you've always got something in your stomach for the next dose. The pain med will take care of your throat pain, and the food will take care of your stomachache/possible constipation. I had that. Fun? Nope.
I'm doing okay, but it seems clear that I will be recovering for the entire two weeks. Don't let your boss try to cheese you out of some time off, or schedule it when you don't have a big project due. You will need the two weeks. Some folks may need more, if you have an active job (I do).
Get the rest, get the fluids. When the pain comes, it is very bad indeed, so be prepared with food, water and meds. The rest is just laying around in bed writing posts to message boards on your laptop ... not such a bad deal if you do the other things right.
Take care everybody,
Dave