ok...I'm 27 years old and will be having my tonsils out soon. I read some old threads that scared me to death. Has any one out there had this done? Is it THAT bad???? Thank in advance for your help.

hi- i would definately check out the other tonsillectomy post for advice and stuff
but as far as getting it done... if you have to- you have to... and the surgery- you're totally asleep for and they give you like demoral or something fun when you wake up- and its kind of scary- but make sure you have someone there you trust to take you home and take care of you- make sure you have enough pain meds and stock up on juices and lots of ice- soups- oatmeal and smoothie type stuff- i'm going on my 6th day and can't eat solid foods yet- i jsut water stuff down and drink tons. you might have ear pain- thats normal (apparently but it feels like you have a major earache) and have a heating pad or hot water bottles available... other people have said humidifiers are a life saver- i don't have one but i'm sure it will help... i'm still not talking either- and i took 2 weeks of- so have lots of movies and plenty of stuff to watch- don't even plan on doing work or anythign for the first week- you can't do much...
so... take a deep breath- its going to be ok- post questions and rants if you need to:) good luck!

I am 34 and had my tonsils out 3 years ago. I was horrible. The surgery was fine, but the recovery lasted a month and I could not eat anything. Basically, I drank gatorade and water. I just couldn't get past the taste. But everyone is different, and if you need to have them out, you will survive. On a more positive side...I do not get sick anymore. Before the surgery I was going in for throat infections all the time and being treated with antiboitics.

I will try to be brave. Thank you for your info!!
Take care! :)

I would imagine that a surgery like that gets worse with age. I think I was 21 or 22 when I had my tonsils out. The worst part for me was the first week....it was really hard to swallow because of the pain. The pain was never unbearable for me. By the 2nd week, I was doing pretty good.

I was 38 !! It wasnt fun, but it wasnt so horrible as they scare you with. Mostly I got really hungry after a while and finally found that eating the soft centers out of garlic bread tasted good and the garlic was healing. Weird but true. My doctor BIL laughed but said whatever works.

Hi. I'm 36 and had mine out in March. It wasn't that bad for me. By the afternoon of day 4 I was feeling really good and by day 5 I could not stay in bed any longer. My best advice to you is to drink lots and lots of water. I used very very icy water and basically contantly numbed my throat until it was feeling better. Try to keep up your nutrition but even if you can't eat make sure you drink water. I really believe that is what helped me recover so quickly. The first three days were not very good because I was very nauseous and throwing up. I think it was 1)because of the anesthesia, and 2)the pain meds made me sick because I had an empty stomach. I stopped taking the prescription pain meds on day 2 and switched to Extra Strength Tylenol liquid. I started to feel much better after that. Good luck, you will make it through!

Thank you!!!! I'm not feeling as worried anymore. At least I know there is a light at the end of this tunnel. :wave:

I'm 37 and I have had tonsillectomy this past Friday (Oct. 6). So far so good.

Sugery day I had very little discomfort, same on the day after. I easily ate oatmeal, macaroni, soups. But Sunday was awful, I had lost my appetite and ended up throwing up twice that night, and I believe this was a result of taking percocet, too much of it and being severely constipated from percocet. I was scared to eat on Monday, but felt a lot better as I'd gone off percocet, bowels moving, and was taking only Tylenol. Again, I am eating soup (won ton soup is my favorite), mashed potatoes, Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese. Everything in my throat is sore and swollen, including my uvula is very swollen and I can't lay on my back without feeling like I'm going to choke.

The benefits so far are that I don't wake up with a mouth full of mucus or tonsilliths, and my left tonsil, which gave me a constant nagging feeling for years, is gone, and of course my right tonsil is gone too. I can feel a positive difference even with the discomfort of having had them removed. I am sure I will have a few more bad days, but so far I have felt better than expected. I read lots of horror stories and had many sleepless nights before the surgery as a result. I'd say that this is not too bad compared with some of my bad cases of tonsillitis from the past few years. Just 2-3 weeks more and I'll be OK.

Are there more active posts on this subject? Everything I have read is almost a year old.

wow danab, little pain surgery day or day after? I'm wondering about my son. He had his done this am--now 15 hours post op and last 8 hours have been pretty bad. He won't talk, drinks little sips (but has gotten down about 40 oz.) and pretty much just makes the "gun" sign when I ask what I can get him. He's 20, so not dealing with a little kid here. I hope the days don't get worse than this has been.

50plus, I'm sorry to hear your 20 year old son is having a rough recovery. What pain medication is he using? Has he tried the liquid Tylenol sore throat & cough? I used the children's a few times (because of the gentle flavor) and switched to the adult version yesterday. I am taking only 1 percocet at night before I go to sleep and the Tylenol really is managing my pain otherwise. If he is in really bad pain, call his DR and ask for a change in meds. There is no harm in doing so.

Of course I don't feel GREAT, but this is not nearly as bad as I had predicted, I read so many awful stories so I was really prepared for the worst.

I also have found that warm food feels just as good as cold, so I am eating warm soups and mac & cheese. Mashed potatoes last night was NOT good though, won't be trying that again. What is your son eating? asking for?

Thanks for the reply. He is taking liquid vicodin (hydrocodone with tylenol). I think part of the problem is that he was convinced that he was a big, tough guy and it really wouldn't bother him so much.

We are 32 hours out now (notice I am still counting hours) and he does seem some better. He is eating jello, sherbert, gatorade, and had a fruit smoothie. I haven't been able to talk him into anything warm, though I've offered mac & cheese, cream of wheat and broth.

He did get up and take a shower a little while ago, so that is improvement since yesterday and his friends in pathology emailed him pictures of his tonsils (he worked there during summer) which elicited first smile of the day:).

He wants to return to college on Sunday, so I am hoping he rallies rather quickly. Part of this is the stress of knowing he has so much work to make up for every day lost.

I'll pick him up some of the liquid Tylenol to use when he gets off this vicodin. Any other suggestions?

I'm glad he seems to be feeling a little better.

My nurse and surgeon said to stay away from ice cream for the first 3-4 days because it creates more phlegm, if your son is having that choking feeling might it be a result of eating sherbert or a smoothie? They suggested fruit sorbet and non-dairy type of popsicles.

I also was told that a humdifier was helpful but mine is too noisy and there's not much dry air around here right now, but if you are in an area where it is dry, it could help with keeping his mouth moist at night when sleeping.

Seems fast to get back to school but I guess you have to leave it up to him and how he is feeling. When is his post-op appointment?

Best wishes!

We are using humidifier. I'll get some sorbet--thanks for suggestion. Well, the bell is ringing, must see to patient. Thanks!

I had mine removed 10/10 too and I am still in so much pain. I still fight to get water down and finally I had to look at my throat yuch. My jaw does not feel as sore but my throat even with liquid Lortab is killing me. You made me hungry talking about lean cuisine mac and cheese I am sending my husband off to get some soon. I tried Mash potatoes no good. Tried real watery oatmeal ate a few bites. My toes still curl drinding water. Was gatorade any better?



I'm 37 and I have had tonsillectomy this past Friday (Oct. 6). So far so good.

Sugery day I had very little discomfort, same on the day after. I easily ate oatmeal, macaroni, soups. But Sunday was awful, I had lost my appetite and ended up throwing up twice that night, and I believe this was a result of taking percocet, too much of it and being severely constipated from percocet. I was scared to eat on Monday, but felt a lot better as I'd gone off percocet, bowels moving, and was taking only Tylenol. Again, I am eating soup (won ton soup is my favorite), mashed potatoes, Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese. Everything in my throat is sore and swollen, including my uvula is very swollen and I can't lay on my back without feeling like I'm going to choke.

The benefits so far are that I don't wake up with a mouth full of mucus or tonsilliths, and my left tonsil, which gave me a constant nagging feeling for years, is gone, and of course my right tonsil is gone too. I can feel a positive difference even with the discomfort of having had them removed. I am sure I will have a few more bad days, but so far I have felt better than expected. I read lots of horror stories and had many sleepless nights before the surgery as a result. I'd say that this is not too bad compared with some of my bad cases of tonsillitis from the past few years. Just 2-3 weeks more and I'll be OK.

Are there more active posts on this subject? Everything I have read is almost a year old.

In my compiled recovery tips post... there was a recent suggestion of a lydocaine based gargle. This gargle is a 2% lydocaine oral viscous solution. It tastes nasty, but will numb your throat remarkably well. It is by prescription only, but I am sure your doctor will write a script if the pain you are still feeling is near your 8-10 scale :blob_fire mark. I tried my old bottle last night, because my surgery is tuesday and I have had the stuff for a year. The stuff still works and tastes just as nasty as I remember; but I couldn't feel the back of my tongue or throat for a good 4 hours. I will ask my doctor if it is okay to use, but if so... I will use it during the worse parts of recovery.

Sincerely,
MG

thanks for all the great info!!!i had a tonsillectomy, UVP3, and i think the other 2 had to do with radio frequency??? well anyways it has really helped me prepare for this surgery and to come to terms with the help ive needed the past 3 days... sad that this had to be done around christmas time, but it was the only time i had. i had my surgery on the 22nd and waited 6 hrs for it to be my turn since there was a few setbacks with some other patients at the SDC clinic a was at. it's now day 3 and i've given up the oxycod yeasreday as it brought on fever. naseau, and vomiting ever time i took it (every 4 hrs). no real pain, but dont want to hold my luck on that since its only the beginning days and i dont want the stitches to be undone. ive been really hungry and have eaten a lil ramen, soup, jello, and a lil mash potato although it seemed to heavy.... i drink water like a fish and gatorade and popsicles every chance i get so as to stay hydrated like it was mentioned here..... i hope i can get better soon though in time for the new year and to show my gratitude to my fiancee for taking care of me :) thanks again for the great info