Ive read the horror stories....cmon be completly realistic...is this pain from tonsillectomy really worse than childbirth (as some people have described it)???? Im a 21 year old male, in good physical shape....only problem is i get tonsilitis about 4, mabye 5 times a year....it goes away with medication pretty quickly....2-3 days almost all better.....should i get a tonsillectomy? And also, is this really going to hurt that incredibly bad, even with the pain meds as bad as everyone says? Ive had some pretty bad sore throats form strep..can it be compared to that?? THanks for the replies.

Dear Need some help,

Yes, the pain really is as bad as they say, if not worse. The first 2 days were tollerable, now I'm on day 5 and the pain is horrific! Check back on all the old posts, you'll see. This is a site for people to communicate honestly about the procedure and the recovery, I don't think anyone is exaggerating. I took a week and a half off from work, I am in pain which the meds can't touch, but I am sill happy that I had the surgery. I know this will keep me healthier in the long run.

Hi Needs--Yep, it's that bad. You have to admit, everyone's story is the same so we can't all be lying. It's very painful and goes on for what seems to be an eternity. As for whether you should have a tonsillectomy that's a personal decision. Granted meds are helping your tonsillitis but remember that at some point the meds may stop working. That's what happened to me. My white blood count would not come down even after antibiotics. The infection from the tonsillitis was outrunning the antibiotics.

Sunset--I wish you the best of luck and I do hope you will be able to get this taken care of as soon as possible.

Hi everybody -- Just got back from my one-week appointment with my ENT. He said everything looks really good and I'm healing unusually quickly for an adult. He said that the difficulty at this stage will be trying to ensure that I don't start bleeding as the scabs come off. He told me what to do if I do bleed: rinse with ice water, then hydrogen peroxide mixed with water (if the ice water doesn't work), then call them to come in to the emergency room. I asked about pain, which wasn't bad at all for me the first several days, then got really nasty between days 5-7. He said that most adults have the worst pain between days 5 and 9 (but that some people only have a couple of days of it, while for others it lasts longer). To my astonishment, I awoke this morning without that horrible, searing, radiating pain upon swallowing. He told me to use Tylenol in pill form (I can't handle the liquid any longer -- it makes me want to vomit) unless the pain gets really bad again, in which case I will go back to the Percocet. So, in summary, i am feeling tremendously encouraged today. Hope you all are doing well.

Thanks Dbaum and Librauno! Dbaum, how was your first day back to work? So you are 15 days after your surgery? Did you go back for a full day? What do you do?

Librauno, I am glad we are so close in days to share our experience and have others to let us know we are not crazy and the pain really is as bad as it feels. When I first found this site, I hadn't had my surgery yet and I read through some of these and decided that these were just extreme cases. Boy was I wrong. I think dhaum said it well when he just said that we all have pretty much had the same experience. And man does it suck!!!!

But anyway, Librauno, I don't see a whole lot of difference between day 5 and 6. I had called my doctor yesterday because I wasn't feeling better, worse actually, and wanted to be reassured that I was doing normally. The nurse told me that day 5 is suppose to be the worst. And it was bad, as you know. The only difference I feel today is that my ears aren't so painful they are making me cry. They still hurt really bad, but I am not crying. How old are you hon? Anyway, thanks for you info and keep me posted!

dhaum, I was thinking of trying half of my pain medication every two hours instead of the full dose every 4 hours. It seems like at hour 3 after the meds I am in so much pain I can hardly stand it. Have you tried this? Is percocet the only medication you tried, or did you go through a few before you found one that worked better than another? Thanks so much for all of your help. It is very comforting to talk with others that have been through and is going through this. It really is much more than I ever imagined it to be!

Hi Melanie--The only med I used was Percocet. 1 1/2 tabs every 3 hours did not touch the pain for several days. It just hurts like the worst pain you imagine and you just have to get through it. My first day at work wasn't too bad. I was just very, very tired. I still can't talk much but I don't really have to at work. I am a product engineer for a software development company so it's a lot of data hacking and fixing client issues and testing new releases. I sit all day so that helps. Oh, and in between issues I post to this board and a few others. ;)

Spashop, I am so glad you've made it to the other side already. Unfortunately I am not there yet. This is day 7 for me (if surgery day is day 1), and the pain just gets worse and worse. Every time I think it can't get any worse, it does. :( I would cry, but I think that would hurt more.

As bad as childbirth? It's hard to say - childbirth has that whole "giant-object-coming-out-of-you" factor. But yeah, the pain part is comparable, and unfortunately you can't get an epidural for your head. (I wish!)

I would describe the pain like this: Imagine two giant canker sores in the back of your throat. Throw in the worst case of strep throat ever, a double ear infection, a few tooth abcesses, and migraine. Then your pain medication stops working. This is where I'm at right now.

I ran out of percocet last night. I have some tylenol + codeine leftover from my husband's appendectomy that I can use if I don't get my refill in time. :(

Maggie, I was thinking of doing half the percoset every 1.5 hours instead of the full dose every 3. What I ended up doing was taking the full dose every 3 hours AND a half dose in between - so don't listen to me. It still didn't help much.

No the meds really don't help much. Sugarbeth--I hope you reach the other side soon. For me, because the tonsil beds were so deep I didn't reach the other side until day 11. I was in the pain you describe from day 5 through day 11. By the way the description is perfect. :)

Does that fact that I am 21, male, and in good shape and take care of myself have anythign to do with a shortnened period of pain???

I doubt it. I have been reading this board since last year and it doesn't seem to matter what age you are as an adult or what gender you are. Everyone has a hard time. Just hope for the best and expect the worst that way you will be prepared.

Hmm... Hi needsomehelpbad. I agree with dbaum on the most part, but will be honest and say that I do know of a couple of people who had the surgery and who have told me that, for them, it WASN'T such a big deal. One even reckons it was no worse than having bad strep throat! (Maybe she's just not normal. lol) For most, I would say it's gonna be a tough time to go through but not all people have it so bad, but then, some even have it worse than we have described. There's just no way of telling, until you actually go through with it yourself. My mum, for one, had hers out when she was 19 and she didn't think it was TERRIBLE. Good luck in your decision making.

I think it also has to do with the method the Doc uses. I have heard that coblation and laser have a lesser recovery time. However, electrocautery is the one that will get you with pain. I think most everyone on this board has had electrocautery.

Before I had mine out, I was perusing back through the threads on this subject and one guy's post sticks out for me. I wish I knew what his username was now, but anyway, he came on this board and said, "Am I normal?". He was however many days into recovery from his tonsillectomy (think it was a guy, sorry if it was a girl) and said it wasn't setting him back.. that he was taking the pain meds bang on time, not missing a dose, and was still going out, eating his normal foods.. it did make me chuckle. Anyway, maybe the next day, his pain did get worse. Don't know. But if you were the one who posted that, AAAGES ago, and are reading this now, I'd be interested to know how the rest of your recovery went!
I found it very painful, but not as bad as renal colic. I didn't stay indoors as the doctor instructed, for one week. I was out and about doing stuff every day, still. The pain was gonna be bad, no matter where I was and couldn't stand getting cabin fever. I just let my boyfriend do allthe driving.. which was scary cos he's used to driving on the wrong side of the road and I was afraid my car would get smashed to bits. :D
OK, babble over.

Dear I need Help,
I am only a few years older than you (27), very healthy and active, my doc used the electrocautory method and I am in severe pain.

Maggie and Sugar, I am right there with ya. This is horrible, no sleep, can't eat. I was thinking of calling the dr. but I can't talk. I think I'll have my bf call for me and ask about altering the meds. Perhaps taking smaller doses, sooner. I am on Vicodin, 500 mg, every 4 hours. I can't quite clear hour 3 without tremendous pain. Sugar I am constipated too from lack of fluids. Did you try something?

C'mon another day... :bouncing:

I've been taking a stool softener for the past two days, but still no poop. So that's a week with no pooping. I don't feel like I *have* to poop, so I'm not quite sure what to do about it, if anything.

well just got back from the doc...he put me on Zpak...to treat tonsilitis bacteria and the such....aske dhim about having them removed an dhe told me its a very rare procedure to be done these days and he seemd like my problems werent even worth going to an ENT for to determine if i should have them out..kinda relieved me a little bit....but thanks for all the input

My bf called the dr. and the dr. does not want me increasing my dosage of Vicodin, aww. My perscription runs out tomorrow and the botle says no refills. The pharmacy has to call the dr. to get authorization for the refill. He better hook me up.

I started sipping lukewarm tea and it is sort of soothing. I thank Charlatan for the sugg. I am going to try a heating pad too, rather than the ice. :)

librauno--Yes the warm stuff will help you at this point, better than the cold stuff.

Charlatan--Just got back from the ENT visit. I asked him about the talking issue and he said what we are experiencing is normal and will take time. Hmm, like we didn't already figure that out. ;)

He did tell me I'm a bit behind in healing but still doing OK. The pain, the white stuff the aching in the throat will just take time. He told me to do whatever I want and eat whatever I want as long as I can tolerate it. Now it's just a waiting game.

Just in case anyone needs help with post nasal drip my ENT highly recommended that I continue using the Flonase. I had stopped it prior to surgery but he gave me the all clear to take that and my vitamins including aspirin.

Not a bad visit just wishing things would move along a bit faster. Oh, he did say after the first two weeks the improvements are pretty quick. Much faster than the early days.

:bouncing: Hooray, my stingy dr. okayed the refill! My bf is picking up the meds after work today. I sipped down a cup of warm tea, very relaxing.

dBaum and Char, When did your voices begin to come back? Does your voice feel stronger everyday? Did you have your adnoids out too? Mine is a garbled, mummbled mess right now.
TGFI: Thank God For the Internet, no speaking required!

I can talk but only for short periods. If I talk too long my throat gets sore. Early on I could talk but thick saliva would build up and then I would get mumbly. No, I did not have my adenoids taken out.

Hehe! Thanks for enquiring with your ENT, dbaum. Yes, it's as if we get over the main part of pain and problems, but then the healing process slows down. At least, that's how I see it. Nevermind, the worst is over, thank gawd.

Hey lib.. Good to see you got more drugs to take. I never did lose my voice through any of this. It was just too painful to talk. Then when I did start talking, it wasn't sounding quite right. I think it's slowly getting better now, though. The voice change, for me, was due to the back of the throat physically changing (ie.. soft palate dropping).

P.S. I am still sleeping at night with my humidifier on, but last night it stopped working.. probably 2 - 3 hours before I woke up and I woke up with a BONE DRY mouth and throat and blocked nose, because of it!!! Crikey, it was sore to swallow!

I just did the warm tea thing too. It was so much easier than water! I am glad that your doc came off with the refill librauno. He needed to! I can't imagine being without some pain meds right now. Even if they don't help much, we need them!

Dbaum I am glad to hear about the thick saliva. That is what I am experiencing now. I have been chewing gum, thanks for the suggestion, and it has helped some. I so wish I could fast forward time! I also have the taste of anestetic in my mouth. Anyone else have that going on? I am glad you had a good visit at the doc!

I'm in agreement with you here on the scabs coming off at this time. Unfortunately, they don't all come off at the same time, so we're stuck with having them off here and there and some pain coming and going from them. Make you strictly ahere to your pain schedule from here. It's easy to try to stave off having the meds and ending up in some hella pain later on that they won't even make a dent in.

Just as an update. I had an appt with my ENT today to complain about the codeine in person. I don't think he was taking the pain of all of this too seriously. I told him that the codeine was giving me an itchy type of reaction, and that my face had completely gotten red, mushy, itchy little pimples all over it (with no white or black heads on them, I might add, really odd). My face never breaks out. Even as a teenager! The skin around the effected areas seems to have gotten quite scaley and dry looking. Well, he finally believed me when I also added that it could be a reaction from taking too much of the stuff, since it only lasted for 45 min to an hour at the most.

So get this...he goes on to ask me "How do feel about taking Advil?" If I could snort out of my nose, I would have. My husband saw my expression and said..."Um, she needs something a bit stronger than an OTC medication.". So finally I get some Vicodan> I'm still extremely zoned out from that stuff, but yes it did take that pain away. I can barely keep my eyes foused nearly 2 hours later.

How is everyone else doing today? Hope all is going well for you! :)

Sabrina

Sabrina--Good for you. Sometimes you just have to stand your ground. Of all the nerve of your ENT to even think Advil would work. LOL We all know better than that. Enjoy your pain free moments.

Sabrina, I can't believe that your doc was serious about the Advil!! It would be like a piece of candy at this point. I am on Vicodin too, 500 mg, every 4 hours, what is your doage. I get some relief about 20 min. after taking it that lasts an hour or so. Then, the pain comes right back, mostly in my left ear. Glad that you won't be having any more allergic reactions now.

Glad to hear that my scabs should be coming off soon. It sounds like everyone has been seeing their dr. for follow up visits. I don't see mine till May 9. He is away on vacation this week. Should I try and see someone else in his practice?

Maggie, I do not have a bad taste in my mouth, most foods and drinks taste like they should. Perhaps they gave you something at the hospital? I have heard of people losing their taste for a few weeks post operatively. Not sure what it's due to.

Does anyone have pain along the back of their tongues? It feels like there are cold sores back there, and gets worse when drinking ice water.

Crossing my fingers for a better night.

librauno--I asked my ENT about the pain in the back of the tongue and he said that is due to the tonsils. The tonsil roots are actually attached to the very way back tongue area. Again, it will take time. I still have it from time to time.

Sabrina I have the same reaction to codeine. My face broke out the same way, little bumps all over my face, like underneath the skin. And I itched everywhere too. You will be happier on Vicodin. I do okay with hydrocodone instead of the codeine. I can't believe he had the nerve to suggest advil.

I have to say that my day 6 has been slightly better than day 5. I am hoping it is all down hill from here, but I know that is a pretty high expectation. The pain is still off the scale!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Libra I do have that feeling on the back of my tongue. Have you tried warm tea yet? I just tried it today because I was struggling with water and it was kind of soothing. My jaws ache, and ears still really hurt. My tongue has a huge white covering over it, which dbaum said was normal, so that is good to know. I don't have a follow up appointment for another 2 weeks which is 3 weeks post op. Is that about right?

Maggie, I am having another cup of warm tea right now, it feels nice. No more ice water here. I am glad to here that your day 6 was slightly better than day 5. I hope I am in for the same tomorrow when I hit day 6. Did you say you were going back to work on Thursday? Are you still planning on it? Are you allowed to drive on your meds?

Libra, I am definitely not going back to work on thursday. I called my boss today and told her it would be at least monday before I get back. So I have more time to recoup. Yeah, hopefully tomorrow will bring you some improvement!

Get all the recup time you can get. When I went back to work, yesterday, I was soooo tired by the end of the day. I didn't want to get up this morning. ;) It does take a bit to get your strength back.

hello all!
I too have chronic tonsil stones and have elected to get my tonsils removed. My appointment is not for another month (May 24). I am a bit aprehensive about the pain and the possiblity of bleeding. I am 29 and have been told by my ENT that it's rather painful but that patients say it's worth it when they have no more infections and discomfort. I do fairly well with pain and will be given liquid Tylenol as well as a narcotic. I hope it goes well. Good luck to all the April folks! I will be looking back to see how your post-op experiences went.

hey everyone.
My surgery went ok. Im day2 now. I had a rough first night as the swelling made me gag a bit but I am ok now. Not much pain but i think i am on too many medications. I have trouble standing. Just get out of bed to go to the washroom and thats it. But i waas right the wiat is worse than the experience.

copperpot - i had stones too. I am 30 and just had them out yesterday. Its not that bad really. dont worry to much. I think it will be worth it to never have those stones in there again.

Hey, I don't feel like such a newbie anymore. I am on day 5, aka the most horrible day so far. I finally decided against my drs orders to increase my vicodin dosage. I am take 1/2 of a pill in between my regular doses. I am so loopy, but it has helped ease the pain. James, wait another day or two, the pain increases and I am waiting for it to subside. Are you allergic to the meds? How come you are having trouble standing up? Are you taking the correct dosage. :confused:

Good luck sleeping tonight my fellow patients, have "patience"

James -- Congratulations on making it through the surgery. I too had a very rough first night due to the swelling at the back of the throat which, combined with my post-nasal drip, led to some very panicky moments on my part since I thought I was choking to death! The swelling subsides in a couple of days, but then some serious pain starts. In the morning, you'll take a sip of water and be literally unable to believe the amount of pain that radiates to your ears and stays in the back of your throat. It really takes your breath away. When I was experiencing that, I took 2 T. of the liquid Tylenol with codeine immediately upon rising, drank some more ice water, then within an hour took a Percocet. Staggering the meds that way seemed to work pretty well. I took something every 3 hours (unless I needed it more frequently, in which case I didn't hold back). And I constantly used heating pads alternated with ice packs on my head and throat to ease the pain. Sleeping with a humidifer, and sleeping propped up, will help since your throat won't get so totally dried out at night. Good luck and I agree with you that this will all be worth it.

Congrats, James! I just had mine done last week, and as of tomorrow I'll be day 7.

I'm thinking back to all of the things that the nurses tell us before we leave the O.R., with our final instructions for care. One thing that they never warned me of is all of the post nasal drip. I mean, it make sense for the body to be producing more mucous around this time due to the tonsils being removed, but jeez, telling us would help! For days now I feel like my entire mouth and throat area has been slimed. Which then leads me to the next part...they tell you not to clear your throat or cough, but how on earth do we keep from doing that when we've got ten pounds of mucous draining down the back?

One thing that my ENT told me today that they didn't touch upon in the OR is that we should make efforts to take larger gulps of water if we can stand it, instead of tiny little sips. His explanation made sense. One, if the water is cold and the gulps are bigger and more of them, it'll anethetize the throat better. And, two, if throat muscle is given a slightly more intense work-out with the bigger gulps, (albiet, slightly more painful, as well), they'll recuperate faster. I've tried it his way today when I thought to do it, and it does seem to help a tad. It's not supposed to be huge gulps...just two large swallows with some sips in between.

Another thing I have to catch myself at is sitting here while doing whatever (watching T.V, pc) with my mouth hanging open. I must have the dumbest expression on my face! My mouth naturally just wants to drop open a bit now because of the pain and tightness in the jaw area. Which leads me to my next musing...It seems like there is a preponderance of women on the board here who complain of jaw pain. My thinking is that since men tend to have larger jaws than women, theirs isn't getting as stretched out during the procedure. I never thought that I'd enjoy gum as much as I have been lately.

Well, I hope all of you are doing well. Tonight is day 6 for me and I'm not impressed. The pain is intense, the drip down the back of my throat is annoying, and I can't tell if my scabs are all coming off like I thought. I think they are starting to, as every now and then I feel an intense burn in the throat, almost as if it's acid reflux burn, and then the burn fades to a deep aching. I'm curious to know what others felt when theirs came off?

Take care, everyone :)

Sabrina

I'm sitting here trying to distract myself from wanting a smoke, so I thought I'd ask you all a question who has had the surgery (or any surgery where you were under general anesthesia). What was the first thing that came to your mind when you awoke, and what was the first thing you said to your O.R. nurse (or whomever was in the room with you at the time?).

When I got my tonils out Wednesday, I woke up cough very hard. Probably from the anesthesia, but man that was a painful cough right after the surgery. My nurst put a small basin under my chin to chatch the little drips of blood from the coughing, I looked down at the little basin and thought, "Oh, gross. Well, blood and coughing means I'm still alive, cool!"

I then noticed that they had taken out my 6 tooth upper denture, as I could feel around my mouth with my tongue. The first words out of my mouth were, "Could I have my teeth back, please?" lol

So, what were you guys like after you woke up?

Heya Sabrina. I too, thought, "hey, I'm still alive!" lol Of course, right about now I'm wishing I was dead - you can't win, I tell ya! ;)

James, 'twas only a few days ago that I felt as good as you. "This ain't so bad!" I thought. Boy, I was smacked down in a big way. Enjoy this honeymoon period.

I'm making my husband buy me a humidifier tomorrow. I didn't think I needed one until tonight. The scabs are coming off, and everything dries out in a matter of minutes. It used to be that sore parts were swollen and pressed against the moist parts, but no more. I've been squirting water up my nose and down my throat to thwart off the dryness and pain. But you can't sleep and do that at the same time.

The good news...I pooped a little bit! lol

Oh yeah, Sabrina, my mouth keeps falling open too!

Sounds like everyone is right on track. James, enjoy your few days of minimal pain and don't be alarmed when you first experience the intense pain around day 5. It's normal. ;)

Sabrinaleena--When I came around in the recovery room the first thing I asked for was water and ice. Seems while I was lying in the recovery room my throat dried out and I had some serious pain. That's about the only thing I asked for was water, ice and then one nurse told me they had popsicles. I had four of them by the time I left. LOL

thanks for the heads up on the coming pain. This morning when i woke up it was pretty raw. 2 percocet and 20 min later its not so bad. I think it may be better to take 30 min naps so you dont dry out so much. I will try that tonite.

I think the first night is the worse. The back of my throat swelled so much I was gaging and thinking if its 10 days of this i am in trouble. Pain I can take much better.

I also think it helps not to talk. I have been writting notes for what i need. I am milking that one a bit. Full room service.

James--You are right to take naps during the night. When I slept too long the pain was unreal. You will still have pain but you will be able to get it under control if you haven't let your throat dry out too long. As for the swelling, if it's too bad ask your ENT for a course of steroids. I was given Methylprednisolone and it really helped.

Enjoy your room service. LOL

Jmes -- I agree with you about the first night being the worst, for me anyway. It really was even worse than the intense throat pain. If you're taking 2 percocet, you should be fine (my ENT didn't want me to take more than 1/2 tab but I quickly learned to ignore that bit of advice)! Waking up often to drink water is helpful also. It intereferes with sleep, unfortunately, but it's better than waking up with a totally dried-up throat. Your period of bad throat/ear pain may only last a couple of days, as mine did. Hang in there.

Good morning all,
James, my first night was the worst too. Each day the swelling reduces making it easier to breate at night. Good luck tomorrow, that's your Day 5 right?
Sabrina, the first thing I thought of was what is this intense pain? I began crying and the nurse said Do you want something for the pain? I shook my head. Then I mumbled for suction to clear the crap out of my mouth. The nurse suctioned my mouth once and then made me start swallowing. I too ate 4 popscicles in th recovery room. Strangely, no other popscicle has tasted that good.
I finally went to the bathroom last night by taking pain meds, and eating yogurt mixed with wheat germ. This morning I had warm water with honey and a little oatmeal.

My scabs are coming off, I assume I am swallowing them. The pain shoots in the back of the tongue while this happens.

Hope everyone has a better day :p

I am getting the pain now. And my jaw does hurt. My meds (one of them) make my itchy but are worth it. I have not talked since the operation. I am tired of writing everything down I want. But it is nice to have my girlfriend running around getting me stuff. I get some great massages too. The pain is bad but overall I am positive. Nice and sunny and warm out today. And the birds are singing.

I am planning a trip to NYC for when I feel better. Something to look forward too!

Good morning everyone. Sabrina I had two nurses with me when I woke up, and I remember crying because of the pain. I was trying to talk and all that came out was "this sucks" and both of the nurses laughed but agreed. I think that I had a much easier time right after the surgery. I was on a lot of pain meds but it didn't feel like they were doing much for me. I got up and walked to the restroom. Everyone couldn't believe how well I was doing. Yeah, well, as we all know that lasted about 2 days. I came home the hospital and actually did some laundry, and cleaned the bathroom. Ahhhh those were the days....lol. I had surgery a week ago today, so does that make me at day 7 or 8? Does the day of surgery count as a day? I have terrible time in the morning, as everyone does, and I don't have a humidifier. Is it too late in the game for me to get one now? Or do you think it would still be a good idea?

Everyone seems to be on percocet. I am on lortab. What is the difference and should I ask for percocet? My meds don't last long, however, they don't seem to be working for any of us. What does anyone think?

dbaum, how's work going? What day is this back for you? Are you still very tired? Libra, congrats on going to the bathroom, it was a relief for me too (no pun intended). Was day 5 your worst also? You are at day 6 today right?

No, it's never too late for a humidifier. I have a cool mist one and a warm mist one and I have to say the warm mist is much better. Get one and you will not be sorry especially at night. I am still using mine.

I'm on day 3 back at work. Getting better and not quite so tired. Throat is very sore right now but I think it's due to the second round of scabs coming off. My Doc told me that is common especially if the original scabs come off a bit too early. It's just like any other scab that falls off to soon. It just makes another one. Grrrr, at least the pain is not that horrible Day 5 pain. LOL

James, a few people mentioned that they were itchy from the meds, are you on codine? You may be allergic.

Maggie, I had surgery on Thursday April 21, so it is the 6th day after the operative day. Yesterday, Day 5 was the worst. Today I am actually feeling some relief. I got up, took a shower, and am going on some errands with my bf. I think it helped that I added a half Vicodin between my regular doses. I'm only going to take this extra dose when things are rough. i am worried about getting hooked. How do you feel today?

dBaum, I feel so bad that you have to go through losing your scabs again.

My problem right now is figuring out what to eat. I have def. lost a bunch of weight, and I'm petite to begin with. Any suggestions?

I have a question for everyone, if you could eat anything right now, without any fear of pain, what would you have? I'd have a warm grilled cheese sandwhich with tomato, pickels, and lots of french fries.

librauno--Don't worry about the second scab round. It's no where near Day 5. I'm at work and I'm drinking water and just took some tylenol. As for what to eat, I had the same problem. I am at my ideal weight and did not want to lose any. Get yourself some protein shakes. They have great nutrition and are easy to get down. I only lost about 3 pounds total. I also ate Macaroni and Cheese, scrambled eggs with cheese and fruit nectar. Try to eat and drink stuff based on nutritional value and that will help keep things on track.

Libra I am one day ahead of you, as we determined before. So I am at day 7. Is day 6 any better for you than day 5? I am off to buy a humidifier as soon as my pain meds kick in. Dbaum I thank you for the input on that and am looking forward to using it. I just want to feel normal again!!!!

James if you are allergic to codine you can get vicodin or something else with hydrocodone in it. That's what I did because I would itch and break out from the codine. It helped that problem at least.

Dbaum, you said that you have been on this site for about a year and a half? Is that how long you were thinking of having your tonsils out?

I can't believe that before surgery I thought I would be back to work tomorrow. Which would be day 8. I could never make it. Showering makes me tired. I can't imagine getting ready for work, driving there, walking to my office, and then actually having to work. There is no way. I think I will be lucky to be able to go back on Monday, but can't really afford to take any more time off.

Hi Maggiemae--You will notice the difference with the humidifier, especially at night. I love mine. I think I may have mistated how long I've been haunting this board (I blame the Percocet. LOL). I found it last year around October. At that time my surgery was scheduled to happen over Thanksgiving. But, I had a family emergency and could not have it done. Finally, after the new calendar year rolled over and I had vacation time to use I had it done. But, I have been checking out this board for quite awhile.

Maggie, day 6 is about the same as day 5, except I am taking more meds so I feel less pain. I am worried. About an hour before I am due for my next dosage I can feel the pain trickle back. It heightens until it is so strong and I can barely swallow. I am trying to distract myself from not taking the meds sooner but sometimes I have to.

Are you feeling better today at day 7? When do you think things will start to subside? I just e mailed my principal and told her that things may be questionable for returning on Mon.

Anyone know if the pain gets less by day 7,8, or 9?

librauno--The duration of the pain is individual. For me I was not able to back off the Percocet until Day 10. My pain started on Day 5. But you may be different. Some folks it's longer and others it's shorter. I wish for you that your pain will last less than mine.

Maggie, I found out that Lortab is the same as Vicodin.

Hi again, I posted once a couple of days ago. Well I had my surgery today, I feel awful. My throat hurts so bad I keep thinking I will die if this gets any worse but that which does not kill me will only make me stronger! Off to get a popsicle and a nap. Take care all and I will be back. :yawn:

Good morning Sunny, I hope you are doing well today.

Good morning. Been catching up on old posts for a bit... to those of you that just recently had your surgeries I hope you are all doing well so far. Hang in there! Sunsetskater, I'm so very sorry you weren't able to have your surgery :(

I am on day 24, and I'm finally going to have my first post-op visit with my ENT in a couple of hours. I still have a slight sore throat all of the time, but it isn't bad. I don't take liquid Tylenol anymore because every time I do now I get extremely nauseous, so I'm completely off meds. I have almost no sense of taste and it's depressing but I know it's too soon. I still have a tiny bit of scabs left in the deepest parts of the tonsil beds. I'm still having a rough time with my sleep schedule. I can only sleep a few hours at a time and then I need naps to get through the day, and I feel tired all the time. Also, it hurts to chew and I'm wondering if I got some cavities from the first few weeks where I could barely eat anything but sweets like ice cream and pudding. This is all minor stuff though compared to what the first two weeks were like so I can deal with it :) I can eat whatever I want now. Only thing is food still gets stuck in the tonsil beds so I'm still taking smaller bites and such.

dbaum it sounds like you had a really rough time with the scabs coming off :( Did the new ones that formed come off yet? It sounds like the worst is behind you and things should improve a little day by day.

Charlatan how are you doing? Does your rib still hurt? Are you still having problems with the uvula? How is your voice doing?

Hi Ariane--Good to hear from you again. I can't wait to see what your ENT says. I hope he says you are doing great! My ENT says I'm at 70%. The second round of scabs are coming off today. Actually it started yesterday. Yep, there's some pain but nothing like the first round. ;). Eating is getting better but there are some things that still really burn. I can relate to the tiredness. By the time I get home from work, I am exhausted. I guess that will just take time. I'm on Day 16.

Good luck at your Doc's appt and don't forget to come back to let us know how you are doing.

Please help,
I woke up this morning with blood in the back of my throat. It looks like the scabs are coming off. I am spitting the blood/spit mixture out and rinsing with a little water. There is not a lot of blood, am I okay?
Veterans, I need your advice...
Thanks,Lib

Lib--Put ice packs to each side of your neck and hold the iciest water you can stand in the back of your throat. Let the water sit for a couple of second and then let it run out. Don't spit. Just let it run and keep repeating for 20 minutes. If it doesn't stop call your Doc.

Librauno, dbaum is totally right. This happened to me and it was really scary but it stopped. I called my doctor after an ice collar and drinking ice water for an hour hadn't stopped it, and he advised I gargle with ice water for 30 minutes. It was very difficult to do and you may not be able to gargle normally but that's ok - don't even try. Just let it sit in the back of your throat on the scabs like dbaum said. Then let it run out, don't try to spit it out. After it slows or seems to have stopped you may want to keep doing it every few minutes for about an hour after that until you are sure it has stopped. Don't panic, just try to focus on holding the water in the back of your throat and letting it run out. Good luck and please let us know you're ok.

Thanks dBaum and Ariane, The bleeding has stopped for the most part. The white scabs are gone from the tonsil area, but there is still some tissue back there, hanging on for dear life. Did you start to feel better when you lost your scabs. Will I begin to make improvements from now on? It feels easier to swallow, but the ears are still very sore. I'm so glad you guys could help me.
Thanks again, Libra

lib--Most likely what happened is the scabs came off a bit too soon. That happened to me but I did not have any bleeding. Once the scabs came off it seems easier but then I had the serious burning pain from the raw tissue being exposed. It's individual and you may not have too bad of a time. Don't let your throat get dried out as that can encourage bleeding. If you don't have a humidifier, get a warm mist one to sleep with.

Hiya Ariane! Nice to see you're still about the place. I'm still having niggly problems, as you are. My rib's getting better. lol. I still can't lay on that side though. Wish I'd known what they did to me in there!! Anyway, the tonsil beds are healing nicely. My main problem still, is the soft palate and uvula.. although I think I'm kinda getting used to the uvula now. But the dropped palate thing, I am not, so much. It's weird to talk and I seem to garble. Hard to explain. Still can't talk well or for very long. How about you and your palate and voice? Are you OK with this now? Eating is still a bit daunting. I mean, it's a slow process, but I CAN eat. Still can't yawn. Oh, and my taste hasn't returned to normal yet either. ;((
Did your soft palate go back up, then??
Let us know what your ENT says today, too.

Hi lib, sorry to see you have some bleeding trouble but glad to see you managed to get it under control. Scary moment, eh? Take it easy.

Hope everyone else is alright today.

Actually, I should just add that I'm still having the throat spasms.. but it's not painful. It's like a discomfort when swallowing. Then a minute later, I won't feel it at all, then it can come back. So it's like the spasms between days 5 and 11 (for example), but not PAINFUL. Not sure what that's all about.

Charlatan -- Aren't those throat spasms annoying? As you say, it's not that they are painful, but you feel them and they feel weird.

Librauno, I too had some bleeding last night. I held ice water at the back of my throat and it went away in a couple of minutes. It is scary, I know. I'm glad you got through it okay.

I would agree with dbaum that a warm mist humidifier makes a big, big difference in terms of helping your throat stay moist while you sleep at night. I would imagine it also prevents the scabs from coming off earlier than they should.

This morning was the first morning where I awoke and didn't have really bad pain as soon as I had something to drink. It felt sort of uncomfortable, but without that escalating pain that would have me pacing the floor, clutching my ears and wondering which painkiller to take first!

Good News Spashop! What day are you on?

I'm on day 10 (counting the day of surgery as Day 1). The biggest annoyance for me at this point is my inability to talk for any length of time. And, when I do talk, my voice sounds like I have a thick stream of post-nasal drip running down the back of my throat at all times. And I'm sort of talking through my nose. (That's disgusting, I know -- sorry to gross you out.) I wish I could insert a tiny vacuum into the back of my nose and throat and suction all of the gunk out so I could speak clearly. It's driving me crazy.

How is it being back at work, dbaum?

Spa--I am slowly losing the thick mucous goo and my talking is a bit better. I am Day 16. But I still get a raspy voice and my throat hurts if I talk too much. My ENT told me to go ahead and use Flonase and it does help. Work is going OK. I'm just tired and my throat is just sore all the time and that is annoying. The second round of scabs are coming off and it hurts but no where near like the first round coming off. I just want it to be over. Oh, and I really want to be able to yawn. LOL

Spa, Congrats on feeling better. When are you planning on returning to work? Are you still taking your full dosage of pain meds?

I'd like to get back to work on Mon. I'm a second grade teacher so my voice is vital to controlling those little buggers. I can't be on the meds. though. I was thinking of lessening the Vicodin and using more Tylenol. Has anyone had success replacing pain killers with Tylenol?

Dbaum, could you tell me a bit more about using the Flonase...what's it for? does it help?

Thanks,Libra
PS I am going in for a follow up tomorrow with the ENT

Lib--Flonase is a steroid nasal spray, prescription only. It helps with the post nasal drip that contributes to the mucous build up. It's great for allergies. I have used it on and off but was concerned about long term use of a steroid but my ENT assured me that the absorption was so little it was not a problem and it was safe for long term use. It really helps me at night since the mucous and post nasal drip seem to be worse.

I was able to stop the Percocet entirely on Day 10.

dbaum, glad to hear that your scabs are slowly but surely bidding you a fond farewell! Mine are just gross -- I spat some out yesterday. I'll spare you the details. Having lived through it yourself, I suppose you don't need to hear about MY scabs, now do you??

Lib, Flonase really does help. I take Flonase during the day and Astilin at night. I'm not clear on how they work but I know they're different types of sprays. I work from home so my work schedule hasn't really changed over the last couple of weeks -- I just have been communicating more via email than I usually do. I have kids in kindergarten and the 2nd grade and I can TOTALLY understand your apprehension at not being able to control them with your voice! Since you are their teacher, though, they will probably rise to the occasion and be very respectful and solicitous of your health. My daughters are good when I tell them my throat is really hurting me and they have to simmer down. Of course, it lasts for maybe 10 minutes, but they do try.

lib- as for pain meds, I stopped the Percocet a couple of days ago. Today I've only taken extra-strength Tylenol in pill form (the liquid stuff makes me sick to my stomach). I haven't been taking anything else and I feel okay. I'm on day 10.

Spa--How lucky you get to work at home. If you don't mind, what do you do? I am able to work from home sometimes but not always. Just curious because I just love working from home.

My sister just came over. She's a Physician's Assistant. She gave me some Flonase. I am trying to replace the perscription Vicadin I've been taking with Tylenol in preparation for going back to work. I also found a numbing alcohol-free throat spray. Can anyone recommend anyting to help soothe the throat from talking? I'll need all the help I can get.

Thanks all,


Maggie, We haven't heard from you today, I hope things are okay in your neck of the woods...

Hey all. Did you bleeding finally stop Libra? How scary! I have had some computer problems today so this was the first chance I have to get on here. Overall I have had a decent day. I was able to get out to get a haircut, how exciting, but it was nice to get out for a bit. Was exhausted afterwards. I still don't feel good by any means but I keep reminding myself of how bad day 5 was and it makes everything look better.

dbaum I am glad work is getting a little easier for you. Sure wish those scabs weren't giving you such a hard time. I am still taking my pain meds, but have been stretching it to every 6-7 hours and taking Tylenol in between. I have been having really bad pain in my jaws today, all the way down to my chin. Anyone else ever experience that? Today is the first day that I have had shooting pain like that. Usually it is in my ears and throat :)

Glad to hear everyone is surviving one more day. We are all one more day closer to being pain free!!!

dbaum -- I am an attorney but I don't practice any more. I do legal recruiting. I went into NYC for a couple of years doing this until I built up a client/candidate base, went to my employer and essentially said "look, I can't afford to keep doing this any more" (because i had to hire a nanny and pay ridiculous commutation charges from where I live in Connecticut). So they agreed to let me work from home full-time. It's a bit dicey at times since my younger daughter isn't in school all day (I have no child care), but I am very fortunate to have been able to work something out. Now, what I grapple with is the isolation and loneliness of not having co-workers around! I'm always very intrigued to learn about others' work situations because I feel (perhaps mistakenly) that there must be some ideal solution out there somewhere that I just haven't managed to find yet!

How are those scabs doing? Hope they're just about gone. :)

Hey all, day 9 for me now.

I just couldn't even bear to check in here yesterday. My recovery has just been so rough and long. I had better luck with some leftover tylenol + codeine that we had around the house than I had with the percoset, which had no effect on me any longer. The codeine seemed to work twice as well as the percoset, and then I ended up doubling the dosage on that, even. I was just desperate to get away from the pain. I figured the pain would go away before I OD'd, so I stopped watching the clock and just popped another pill whenever the pain came back. Much better for me, mentally. Luckily I only had to do that yesterday. In retrospect, I should've made the doc prescribe me something harder than percoset the day that it stopped being effective.

Most of the scabs came off in pieces yesterday. As you all know, each new raw spot feels like there's a hot needle poking into it. Ow.

And even with my new humidifier, I would still dry out if I fell asleep. And the scabs would stick to each other across the socket hole, and when I woke up - riiiiiiipp. GAAHHHH!!!! So I started bleeding for the first time in the middle of the night last night. But the ice trick worked. I was so afraid I'd end up in the emergency room getting recauterized and having to start from scratch. I would've slit my own throat!! I've realized that having that layer of mucousy slime in there prevents the scabs from sticking to each other, so I try to tolerate it.

Now that most of the scabs are now off, I can get by on a normal amount of codeine and ice packs. So I'm crawling my way out of this pit...slowly.

Hugs to you all.

Sugarbeth -- hang in there. Glad that the codeine is giving you some relief. I also found that the Percocet didn't necessarily have the same great effect after a few days. The humidifier is quite helpful. I'm sure you will turn a corner very soon but I sympathize deeply.

This whole thing is just so . . . exhausting.

Coming up on Day 5. Pain has not been so bad. I seem to have a reaction to the Percocet that totally knocks me out. Makes me loopy. I just got 40 more in a refill ;) I just stay in bed and take the pills. I am down 10 pounds. I was guessing that would happen. All the best to my fellow April Tonsil buddies!

I know there are rough times to come. But so far things are goign well.

Today is day 8 for me. I'm starting to feel impatient to get well. I'm almost out of codeine, but I do have quite a few left, along with a refill, of vicadin. I complained loudly about the codeine in the beginning, but I think I actually like it better than the vicadin as it takes the pain away long enough to eat something, but doesn't knock me out too much.

I'm pretty sure that all of the scabs closer to my mouth have fallen out, but it looks as if there are still quite a few at the throat area, if you know what I mean. It's hard to tell. I'm so over this. I'm starting to regret having done this because I don't feel better, I feel like crap. I expect each day to get a little better, but really it just stays crappy or actually gets worse. I'm sorry for ranting, because I know there are others who are experiencing a far worse recovery than I am. But, I can't help it lol, this is just irritating me!

I keep wondering, how wide did that Doc need to crack my mouth open to get in there? My jaws ache like crazy, even the temples near my foreheard hurt! I feel like someone smacked me in the face with a baseball bat while I slept.

Ok, enough ranting here. I'm truly sorry for all of us right now, it's a collective whining that I'm doing :P

Take care everyone! I hope you all get a good nights sleep :)

Sabrina

Spa--I know what you mean about the ideal work situation. It is kind of fun to interact with co-workers from time to time. But, considering the expense it sounds like you have a pretty decent setup.

Today is day 17 and the second round of scabs are slowly coming off. Believe me, if this happens to you the pain is tolerable. I agree with the lack of patience. Sometimes I have patience but by the end of the day when my throat is so sore I just wish it were over. But it does sounds like everyone is on track despite the pain.

I wish everyone a Good Moanin' LOL Stole that saying from Charlatan.

Sabrina, Spa, and Maggie,
I am right about where you are...This totally sucks! I just had to take off a few more days from work because I know I wouldn't be ready on Mon. Today I am feeling depressed, I thought I'd get throught the recovery much smoother.My right scab has come off, but the left one doesn't want to leave. I still have shooting pain in my chin and cheeks. It is so hard to swallow anything still. But, the worst is the explosion of pain I feel in my ears.

I'm trying to be responsible and go without the perscription pain meds, but Tylenol is not cutting it. I see the ENT today and will ask him about putting me on Codine instead, sounds like lots of people are having luck with it.

DBaum, thanks for the recommendation of Flonase, I'm loving it.

I'll be back later to tell you what the ENT thinks. :confused:

Yep Flonase is a beautiful thing. ;)

Lib--The pain will end. I know it seems like it just goes on forever but pretty soon it will become tolerable. I still use the Tylenol every now and then but it's been a week since I've used the Percocet.

Good Morning everyone! I have some questions abouut the Flonase. I don't really have a stuffy nose, and not sure about allergies, but I do feel the like I have a ball of snot in my throat. Would Flonase help that? Sorry to be so descriptive.

This is day 9 for me and I too, Libra, Spa, and Sabrina, am ready for this to be over! Libra I am also having a lot of pain in my cheeks and jaws. And the pain in my ears is enough to make me crazy. I have to go back to work on Monday. It really isn't much of an option. You know how it is, live alone and have run out of sick days, and have actually taken some days without pay. Not only will my boss kill me if I take more time off, I won't be able to pay the bills! How sad am I at 30 I am not more financially stable? Oh well.

My mom has been here from Todelo taking care of me since I had surgery. She was suppose to go home on tuesday, but I just wasn't able to take care of myself and my animals. She is going to leave tomorrow and I am very sad about it. We are very close and live about 4 hours away from each other. I am very grateful that she was able to be here and take such good care of me, but I am going to miss her so much!

Spa, it is nice to work at home but I understand about needing some coworker contact. I worked full time as a massage therapist for awhile and there would be days when none of my clients would talk. I would go crazy with boredom, but then when I worked in an office all day filled with others, I was wanting to be alone. That place in between is hard to find.

Anyway, I guess I have complained and whined enough for the morning. I am sure I will be back later to do some more!

Maggiemae--The Flonase helped me because that ball of snot you refer to was coming from post nasal drip. It just collected back there because of the swelling and what not. It helps me a lot. As for your pain. Just remember I was able to stop the Percocet on Day 10. I still had pain but much more tolerable. Hang on, it will end. At least that's what the ENTs keep telling us. :)

I just had to post this. Today, for the first time, I drank a Diet Coke. It was wierd but it didn't hurt! I am in heaven. I have missed my Diet Coke so much! There is hope after all. ;)

Hiya everyone. Librauno I'm so glad your bleeding stopped :)

Went to my ENT yesterday and he said everything looks great. I asked him how my tonsils looked when he took them out and he said they were cryptically infected. So like I suspected I pretty much always had a low grade infection that antibiotics just wasn't helping. So I finally know I did the right thing. He said I should be feeling a lot better than I have in a long time in about another month.

Charlatan glad your rib is feeling better. My soft palate is the same, but I guess I'm getting used to it. It really feels like I have a lot less room to swallow and I guess if it's permanent I'll always have to take smaller bites. I really wish my ENT wouldv'e told me about it before the surgery. My voice is getting better. It only goes away on me while talking once or twice a day now. I still have to clear my throat a lot; it just doesn't feel right and my voice doesn't sound right to me. I have fun doing some truly atrocious singing in the car :)

Ariane--Yep you did the right thing is in having those nasty things taken out. That's exactly what the pathology report said about mine. I can't wait to have my White Blood Cell count re-done so I can see it finally in the normal range.

Carnation Instant Breafast. I prefer strawberry. Goes down smooth and fills me up a little. My tip for the day :)
You can make it as thick or watery as you like too. Another bonus.

Ariane, hiya. You know, your descriptions sound very similar to mine. I too feel like there's less room to swallow now and have to have smaller bites. My voice has probably not recovered as much as yours, since you are singing away in the car! lol I can't sing at all. It hurts. It sounds bad too, but then, it always DID sound bad! :rolleyes:
Found that I could actually laugh yesterday, which was a bonus. But the same as you.. voice doesn't sound right to me and it doesn't feel right and I too, wish I had been warned of all this happening BEFORE surgery. But little we can do about it now eh? I also, have to keep clearing the back of my throat, as it gets a bubble in the back of it and makes me sound even funnier than I do already, when talking.

Besides all the little grumbles, I am glad all went well with your ENT appointment and that it does seem you made the right decision, having them out.

dbaum, congrats on the diet Coke. Haha! That first swig of soda is sooooo nice!

Where the soft palate has dropped in my mouth, where the uvula hangs, I often have a kind of stinging or burning sensation, that seems to be up my nose too. Dont know if anyone else has had this. Can feel it more when eating or drinking.

Anyhoo, best wishes to all. Hope you're doing well. :wave:

dbaum, congrats on the diet coke! When my pain med was working on about day 6 I tried to eat a happy meal from McDonald's with a diet coke. I did get down one bite of the burger and one fry (that was all it took to realize it wasn't going to happen), but the diet coke burned so bad. I couldn't believe how much it hurt. I am a big diet coke drinker too, so I understand the triumph of the day!

Also dbaum, I wanted to tell you that I put a call into my doc asking for some flonase. I haven't heard back from the office yet, but had a big gagging spell this morning due to that gunk back there in my throat. I am anxious to get it started. Also I got a humidifier a couple of nights ago (can't remember if I told you this) and it made a HUGE difference. Thank you so much for that idea. I won't sleep without it now.

Sabrina, I totally hear you! I'm so ready to be done with this!

It's interesting to hear you all are having problems with post-nasal drip. I'm having the opposite problem - it feels way too dry in there. I even squirt saline up there and it dries up again in a couple of minutes. And as you all know, the drier things are, the harsher it is upon wakening. I can't for the life of me keep things moist in there unless I'm constantly drinking or eating, so sleeping is dreadful.

Anyhoo, I was wondering if this was because I got my adenoids fried too?

But I'm slowly on the mend. Down to half a tab of codeine every 3-4 hours.

End of day 5. I should try to get outa bed more. Tomorrow I plan to move around the house a bit. But as I have had no real pain yet I scared to vary my routine. I do hurt more at night and when I wake up. But once the meds kick back in I am ok.

Thanks everyone for posting your stories. Lots of great info.

Charlatan--My voice isn't quite right yet. Seems it just doesn't last all day. By yesterday evening I could hardly talk and my throat was sore. That's what happens when your Mom comes in to town and you haven't see her in a year.

James--Do get out of bed if you can. You need to keep your strength up. You will not believe how tired this makes you. When I went back to work I was so very tired it was unbelievable. Try to keep your strength up, it will make things easier.

Sugarbeth--Good to hear you are able to back off some of the pain meds. It's a good feeling when you can stop them all together.

Maggiemae--Were you able to get some Flonase? Just my personal preference. The instructions say use it once a day, so I use it at night right now. It seems to work best that way. Aren't humidifier's nice? It makes such a big difference.

No repurcussions from drinking the diet soda and feel pretty good today. Still some pain in the throat and a bit of white gunk but I think Day 17 (yesterday) was another turning point in recovery. I ate a good dinner; more than I have been able to get down since this whole thing started. I had two pieces of baked chicken, cauliflower with cheese and a bit of chocolate cake for desert. It took a bit of time but it was so good.

Today, my Mom is going to help me plant some roses.

Moanin' dbaum. ;)
It's nice that you have got to see your mum again and I'm sure you have much catching up to do, so I'm not surprised your throat is sore now! lol
It must have been lovely to finally eat a decent meal. How much weight do you think you lost, by the way? I remember you saying you were slim built in the first place, like me. I'm surprised I only lost 4 or 5lbs myself.
Have a nice day doing your roses! (The "have a nice day" was in my best American accent. lol lol.)

LOL, OK I hear that American accent all the way on this side of the pond.

I ended up losing about 3 pounds. Not too bad and I'll have no problem putting it back on. LOL

Have a great day, my tonsil buddy. :-)

Day 4 here and it SUCKS! Up until very early this morning I have been having bareable pain, just the usual dry throat, hurting when swallowing and little ear pain. I was able to sleep through nights 1 & 2 with only waking up once to take a drink or get some painkillers. BUT 2:30 this morning I woke up to what felt like having a stake stabbed through my ears and the most awful burning sensation in my throat. I took some pain meds cranked up the heating pad and eventually fell asleep only to wake up this morning in twice as much pain. All I could do was cry which hurt really bad but sounded pretty funny LOL. I guess I didn't sound like I was in that much pain because my husband couldn't be bothered to pause his video game to see if I was okay :( LOL men......

Hope everyone is doing okay, take care!

Sunny--Unfortunately you are right on track. I sympathize with your pain but remember keep up the pain meds and don't sleep too long at one time. I hope you have a warm mist humidifier. It will help. My pain subsided on Day 10 and I stopped taking Percocet. Hopefully your pain will not last as long. Hang on, it will end. Yes, crying really hurts!

Greetings, all -- Has anybody else noticed that you have an unusually heightened sense of smell since having your tonsils removed? I can't BELIEVE how sensitive my sense of smell has become. Last night I made my husband brush his teeth again before getting into bed since every time he turned to face me the smell of garlic was incredibly pungent! (Sorry to gross you out with personal details . . . ) :eek:

Spashop--I have not noticed any difference with smells. But, I guess it's possible if the tonsil stuff can block your sense of smell and taste. Maybe it's just getting back to normal. Who knows! Maybe someone else can shed some more light on this issue

Hi all,
I went back to the ENT yesterday and complained about everything. He said, "You're not supposed to feel good, you had a tonsilectomy which has one of the must difficult recoveries around" I have to be more patient and drink more fluids and rest. The pathology report on my tonsils was also cryptic infections.

I called my friend and told her I couldn't be in her wedding today and my principal gave me a few more days off from work.

I think I have the medication down to a science. I take a vicodin every 4 hours, but it runs out after an hour and a half. So I take Extra Strength Tylenol in between and I am much happier. Last night I srt my alarm for every 2 hours and I was okay. I no longer like the heating pad. Ice packs on my face feel better.

Sunny, you are right on track, the next few days will be very difficult. Be prepared. Take you meds and drink fluids when the pain subsides. Stay positive, you'll get through this.

Maggie, so sorry your mom left, hope you'll be okay. Keep posting, we're all here for you.

Spa and Sabrina, how are you handling the meds now?

Hi librauno -- I'm not on any meds at this point. Well, unless you count the tension headache/migraine meds that I've taken for several years now (and which work quite nicely for the throat and ear pain, along with my headaches). It's helpful for me to be reminded of how difficult this recovery is, since I would have expected to feel all better by this point! (I know, I'm an idiot.) The biggest problem I'm having at the moment is depression. I feel totally exhausted and unmotivated and icky. I'm sure it must be the after-effects of the surgery, and the ongoing physical limitations, but I just can't stand it since I'm normally a high-energy person who likes to have a lot of projects going on. I have also noticed, as dbaum as said, that by end of the day I'm totally FRIED and ready to collapse. Apart from feeling sort of depressed, the post-nasal drip is really, really, really annoying. It's unfortunate that it's also the time of year when seasonal allergies are really kicking in. I will be grateful when I can awaken without several inches of goo strangling me!

I know I need to have patience, I know -- something I'm not very good at. hope y'all are doing well and sorry for whining!

Spa,
I'm so jealous that you are off of meds. That is a huge success. I can't go 2 hours without the throbbing creeping back into my face. I understand about being exhausted. Getting out of bed and going down to the kitchen is still a big outing for me. Today I washed my hair, forget the blow dryer, and I was ready for a nap. You'll be back to feeling like yourself again soon, it takes time.

Anyone have any exciting Saturday night plans?

Hi Lib -- It tooke me until Day 10 to get off meds an Day 18 was my major turnaround. I am still not 100% but am doing so much better. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and I can really see it now. My energy has just started picking up today. Yesterday was a bit better but today I can notice the difference. So hang on everyone good days are on the way.

Hey hey, Day 11 for me now. I've weaned myself off all of the narcotics, and am barely taking tylenol, even. At least for the day today. Last night was still pretty dicey, so I wouldn't be surprised if I went into my percocet stash to get through tonight, but we'll see!

I've been eating things that I wouldn't have thought possible - like pretzels and bacon. Oh man did those things taste good. In contrast, mac-n-cheese still hurts. (????) Also got a cheese quesadilla down today. I'm still sooooo weak, but I finally feel like I'm in rebuild mode.

Hugs everyone! :)

Yay Sugarbeth, you've reached the first milestone! The mac n cheese becomes too sticky. I had to back off of that as well. The strangest things will hurt your throat. I could never eat pudding it just stuck and then burned, so I guess you just have to eat what you can get past those nasty tonsil beds. Good for you, now just get through the next week and you'll be ready to turn another corner !!!

All I need is a 2 min. pain free window to eat some real food! Guess I can't get that deal. I think thats a big part of the stories of no energy. Liquid diet can only go so far. A trip up and down the stairs can leave me ready for a nap.

dbaum. Glad to hear you are mending well!

Hi James--You're going to get there. I didn't think so, but now I know. Day 19 and just ate a piece of pizza. It was a little hard but I did it. So, you will get to a good place. :)

Hey librauno -- I am sure you will be off the pain meds soon. In my case, I turned a corner quite suddenly around Day 10 and suddenly didn't awaken with that agonizing throat/ear pain any more and was able to get through the day without feeling like I needed anything. But keep using them for as long as you need them to feel better. When are you getting back to the classroom? Your students must really be missing you!

Pizza? I envy you. My big Italian family ate pizza last night and I had to leave the room.

How do you know when you are ready to stop the meds? Does your mouth not hurt the way it usually does? It sounds like Day 10 is a good day for most of you, tomorrow is my Day 10...I can't wait.

Sugar, Hooray, no more drugs. Way to go. Are you able to talk well or is your voice weak?

I've been out for 5 school days, the kids sent me cards with funny pictures on them. One said "Good bye tonsils" with a picture of two tonsils waving in the air, they are clever kids. Hopefully I'll be back at work by the middle of this week-if I regain my voice.

Lib -- I stopped the meds gradually and didn't push myself. If I felt like I needed something, I took Tylenol. My voice has gotten much better in the last 48 hours -- I was able to speak normally today for the balance of the day without undue discomfort. I'm sure the kids' cards were adorable -- love the tonsils waving you goodbye! :angel:

Hi everyone. Glad to hear everyone is making progress. I think I am at the same day as you Spa, one day ahead of Libra. I didn't get the flonase dbaum :( He said that he wouldn't recommend it and called me in "Mary's Magic" gargle. Never heard of it. I wouldn't say it is doing anything.

My jaws and ears have stopped hurting for the most part. But I am having a lot of swelling in one side of my throat that is still really painful. I have been taking vicodin too, but hope to be done with that soon. I am so tired. Or I guess, like us all, have no energy. I was on the couch nearly all day. My voice is pretty much back but I can't talk for long periods of time. I am hoping I will do okay at work on monday.

It was nice to hear everyone is doing well, considering. Hope we all have restful, painfree nights tonight!

Lib--How cute the cards must be. It's a shame you can't post them to share. But I know they had to have put a smile on your face. When I stopped the Percocet on Day 10 I did take some liquid Tylenol. Not quite ready for "cold turkey" but the transition went well.

Maggiemae--Sorry you weren't able to get the Floanase. Did your ENT say why he wouldn't recommend it? What in the world is Mary'g Magic Gargle. I have never heard of that! I wish you well on Monday!

Hello everyone! It sounds like we're all on the mend here, except maybe James (heh heh sorry James), but if my dates are correct, I think he's only on Day 6 maybe? Those were bad days for me :(

Today I went and picked up BK for everyone. I was feeling frisky and got myself a Double Whopper with cheese and fries. They went down well so long as I took small bites, small mouthfulls, that is, and chewed very well. I was a bit leery of the fries, but they actually made my throat feel nice, almost like a massage. The outer scabs have all come off, but I know I have a few left deep in my throat and the fries helped them a bit.

Mornings are still pretty rough for me. Ear pain is exquisite, along with jaw pain. The open cracks at the corner of my mouth are healing a bit as I started putting neosporin on them.

I have noticed that the right side of my throat is where it is most painful, and funny enough, when my tonsils were in and very enlarged, the right tonsil was the worst. I'm still taking Vicodin throughout the day, but I see a very faint light at the end of the tunnel. The BK is what cheered me up :)

I do hope everyone is doing better, and good luck to you, James. Get as much naps and sleep in as you want or need. You need it!

Best wishes,

Sabrina

Good for you Sabrina! Sounds like you had a pretty good day. Onward, ever onward.

James--Soon, you'll be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Today I woke up to Day 10, and I still feel like I'm on Day 7,8, or 9. Rough night, with pain still on the left side where that scab refuses to come off.

Like Sabrina, I have more pain on one side, the left side. I keep thinking it's some sort of infection, but it sounds like just radiating ear pain. It looks like the uvula is still very large back there.

Maggie, Is Mary's Magical Gargle magical? lol

I am uber jealous of the Whopper. I'd eat one right now if I could...you should know I am a vegeterian.

Last question: when does the offensive bad breath go away? I feel so bad for my bf, he doesn't even mention it anymore, but I can tell it's bad.

Hello, all -- I meant to mention that one thing I used regularly before my surgery and just started up with again is my neti pot. If you don't know what this is, it's a device for rinsing your nasal passages with water (and a pinch of salt mixed in). I started using it a couple of years ago based upon the recommendation of a friend, who told me that rinsing the nasal passages can help significantly reduce the effects of allergens. You can find it at your local health-food store. Anyway, I started using it again yesterday, following the rinsing with a squirt of Flonase in each nostril. And my post-nasal drip was dramatically better by yesterday evening, so much so that I actually got a normal night's sleep!

Lib--I had more pain on one side than the other and that was the side where the tonsil was in worse shape. I still have some scabs on that side so don't give up hope. I would love to know when the uvula gets back to normal. Mine is still somewhat swollen and I cannot lay on my back without raising my head a bit. If I lay too flat the uvula falls back in my throat and cuts off my air. But all in all it does get better. I have been outside, today, doing a bit of gardening and it really felt pretty good. Energy is coming back as well.

I still have not looked at my throat. I dont wanna see whats going on in there.

Aynone else get bad breath and a bad taste in the mouth? Im sure thats normal. I brush of course but I dare not use mouthwash. That would burn big time.

dbaum~ I still can't lie back flat yet, either.

Sabrina~ it's amazing how much normal food can pick up our spirits - and it's amazing that we can actually eat it sooner than we think.

Day 12. Mornings still suck. I dread waking up in the morning, but I've realized brushing my teeth helps things feel better. Finally was able to scrub off that extra layer off my tongue last night, and I think the zombie rotten corpse breath is almost gone. Still looks pretty scary in there, though.

Okay I take back everything I said earlier about Day 10 not being a good day. I've turned around!!! I went out, ate some BK french fries (dipped in ranch dressing), played with my dogs, and have not taken a pain pill in over 8 hours. If I feel the need I'm going to go with Tylenol. Hooray, I'm on the mend (as they say).

The best part of today is that my voice is slowly returning. I think going back to work on Wed. will be fine.

Dbaum, what are you planting? Here in NJ I wait till Mothers Day to put in my flowers.

Spa, is the neti pot like a bottle with an opening at the top that you squeeze water up into your nose from? I have one that I use when I get congested. You just put warm water and salt into it? I may try it again too.

Happiness to all,Lib

Lib--Hooray, Day 10 is a magic day isn't it. ;)

As for planting I have most everything in the ground and things are blooming. I'm in Georgia so our magic date is April 15. I have roses, iris, foxglove, asiatic lilies, azaleas, hydrangeas, day lilies and new guinea impatiens all in various stages of bloom. It's very pretty here right now.

Hi, lib -- Congratulations on suddenly turning the corner! It only gets better from here on. The neti pot looks like an elongated teapot with a handle on one end and a spout on the other. You put warm water and salt into it and insert the spout into one nostril, tilt your head to one side, and let the water run out of the other nostril. Then you do the same thing on the other side. It works very well.

dbaum, I lived in Atlanta for two years, and I remember this time of year as the prettiest of all there. The flowering plants are just gorgeous. But woe unto those who have seasonal allergies and want to go outside!!! I remember my husband couldn't believe the yellow coating of pollen on our car every morning.

Spa--LOL oh yes the yellow pine pollen is horrible. But, that has finally passed. Every year, when the yellow stuff appears I am so thankful I have a garage. ;)

This thread is continued here:

http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=280143

Thank you.

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