Adult Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy Surgery - Part 7 is continued here.

Please remember to read, know and follow the posting rules.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Moderator BAC

I hope that everyone makes it over to the new board okay!

Needsomehelpbad-
Thank you for your words of encouragement! I have my surgery in 7 days and I've scared myself silly by reading the horror stories. I have gotten a few good tips, though. This board has turned into a little addiction for me. I get on every day at work to see how people are doing. :)

Firefly-

If you're in this much pain at day 12, I would call your doctor and insist on him seeing you today rather than tomorrow. You're a post op patient, I would think that you would have priority over the 3 year old with an ear ache at the ENT office. Call him asap.
Also, I would take this as an opportunity to quit smoking. You've already gone 12 days...that just prooves that you're able to do it! The fact that you're a long time smoker may actually be part of the problem of why you're not healing as quickly and why you're in so much pain. Smoking does a real number on your body. I wish you the best of luck and call that ENT pronto!

-Sara

I hope that everyone makes it over to the new board okay!

Needsomehelpbad-
Thank you for your words of encouragement! I have my surgery in 7 days and I've scared myself silly by reading the horror stories. I have gotten a few good tips, though. This board has turned into a little addiction for me. I get on every day at work to see how people are doing. :)

Firefly-

If you're in this much pain at day 12, I would call your doctor and insist on him seeing you today rather than tomorrow. You're a post op patient, I would think that you would have priority over the 3 year old with an ear ache at the ENT office. Call him asap.
Also, I would take this as an opportunity to quit smoking. You've already gone 12 days...that just prooves that you're able to do it! The fact that you're a long time smoker may actually be part of the problem of why you're not healing as quickly and why you're in so much pain. Smoking does a real number on your body. I wish you the best of luck and call that ENT pronto!

-Sara


Yes, I would have to agree.....Smoking menthol ciggarettes sounds like an awful idea, which will only cause more irritation, not soothe your throat...I quit smoking about 7 months ago, and I think that is a big reason why I am healing so quickly.....however, I have yet another question for anyone who has had this done...is it also normal to have a coating on your tongue?? Its like a whitish looking coating on the back and mid portion of my tongue...doesnt hurt just looks nasty..lemme know, thanks

Have any of you had tonsil stones as part of your whole tonsil problem? I didn't even know what they were until I did some research on tonsillectomies online and I realized....oh geez...that's what those nasty things are.
They are completely gone after a tonsillectomy, right??

I was told Tonsil stones were caused by infection, a deep infection way down in the tonsils. In fact one of my tonsils was quite a bit bigger than the other 'cuz it was full of that nasty stuff, so there was a bigger hole on that side. No more tonsils. No more stones. No more bad breath, no more headaches...

It is major surgery, with some risks and pain, discomfort for a few weeks -- but this too shall pass. When I felt sorry for myself, I just reminded myself that it wasn't heart surgery, brain surgery... and I'd be fine eventually.

Hi Heather,

One of the tough things about dealing with acute pain after dealing with chronic pain is the medications. What works for chronic pain doesn't work for acute pain. I deal with chronic low back pain. Before, I had my tonsils removed, the ENT actually asked me what meds work for my pain and which ones don't. She ended up prescribing something that I have used for my chronic back pain. I stopped all pain meds about 2 yrs ago after my reduction.

Something that I was told about two year ago, before I had my breast reduction. I was told to stay off all pain meds 2-3 weeks before my surgery. This is because it gives your body a break from the pain meds and avoids tolerance. Then when you take them after the surgery, they work better. What you are probably finding is that the meds are just not working. You may have built up a tolerance to them.

Smoking impairs healing. When you go back tommorow, you need to ask him when you might lose the scabs. I would have thought by now, they would be gone. What you eat may have something to do with it. I started losing them when I went to soft, mashed foods. If you are still on liquids, that may be why.

thefer

Matt

It's soooo good to hear that you're recovery isn't too bad! Didn't you have a coblation assisted tonsillectomy? If so, that is definately the reason (or one of the reasons) why you're doing so well. I am getting it done with coblation, so at least I have something to keep me going here.

As far as the white coating on the tongue- I do know that thrush is a possible issue post tonsillectomy. Hopefully it's not that, but if it is, it is easy to treat and. Call the doc just to make sure.

Take care
Christine

Yep cobalation assiststed tonsillectomy definatly seems the way to go...if any of you guys can get it i woul dsuggest it enthusiastically....as for my tongue..i called my doctor, said nothign to worry about right now....long as it goes away...its really not too bad of a problem I just tend to worry, but any how...Got new pain meds today....doctor is writting my a perscription of percocet pills, which i should be able to take now.....Managed to get some macaroni and cheese down today too.....FOr those who have had this...What were you guys eating around day 3 and 4??????

Saltines mashed up in lukewarm chicken noodle soup. Canned pears. Custard/pudding at room temperature.

Well, I've been reading this board for a few days & it's truly freaking me out. I am having my tonsillectomy in exactly one week from today. I have never had any type of surgery before & I'm a 33 yr. old female. I have been posting on the GERD messageboard - because my ENT diagnosed me with LPR. I initially went to him complaining of difficulty swallowing. I have had enlarged tonsils since January & have been having these tonsil stones or whatever they are. I had a throat culture & it was negative. He gave me steroids to shrink the swelling, but it didn't do anything. I have had numerous throat infections in the past - so my tonsils definitely have the tonsil crypts. Anyway, he told me he couldn't guarantee me that I would get relief following this surgery. I told him I would risk it with the hope that it would work. My main symptom is difficulty swallowing - especially my own saliva as opposed to food or drink. If I go through some extreme pain for a short period of time to gain relief versus the chronic pain I've been dealing with, then it will be worth it.

My question is, does anyone know exactly what tonsil stones are? I've read that most consider these to be food particles & debris...others seem to think it's infection. If it is infection, wouldn't that have shown up on my throat culture?

I am looking forward to no more tonsil stones - but I'm dreading the pain following surgery. It sounds just awful!! I have stocked up on popcicles & am looking forward to taking pain meds & losing weight. I'm sure I'll be checking in here after the surgery for advice and/or sympathy. Thanks!

Hey All :)

It's day 6 for me. Today for the first time since my surgery, I cried. It has been IMPOSSIBLE to swallow all day. My tongue feels like it's swollen. I feel like the scabs in the back of my throat are little knives attacking me. It's just horrible. My ears have been killing me since day 2 and seem to be getting progressively worse. Hopefully, this whole thing has to get worse before it gets better. :confused:

Enough complaining...Can anyone tell me when I can expect for the scabs to start "falling off"? What is it like when they fall off? Is it accompanied by bleeding, and if so, do i definitely have to go to the ER?

Thanks for all your help.


Get well soon everyone.


c.i.n.d.y

Cindy,

There is an end. It tends to get worse before it gets better. Can you call your ENT and ask for steriods to reduce some of the swelling. Then it will be much easier to swallow. You need to keep up on the fluids or you will get dehydrated big time and that can make the pain much worse.

The scabs for me started falling off around day 5, then it peaked around day 9. For me the ear and the throat pain got worse as the scabs were coming off. It does kinda feel like there are knives in your throat. It is a weird, strange feeling. Some will have bleeding when the scabs come off and some will not. I think that as you get older, you tend to have more problems with bleeding from what my ENT says.

I just had mine removed on June 17 and I am 30 yrs old. Mine started to bleed on the morning of day 9, in the middle of eating breakfast. Something went down the wrong pipe and I started coughing. Next minute later, I was bleeding heavy from the tonsil area. My parents took me to the ER. Luckly, it stopped and I was kept over night.

If you get over a teaspoon of blood, you should go to the ER. If you can't stop the bleeding, go to the ER. Once the scabs do fall off, your throat will feel very raw and painful. If the scabs come off naturally and on its own, you may not get blood. If they come off with force or too early, like coughing, it can bleed.

thanks
thefer

cindy ~ I am 33 and I didnt notice any bleeding when my scabs fell off ~ I didnt notice any bleeding at all during recovery ~ so no, you wont necessarily bleed and you wont for sure have to go to the hospital ~ sorry for the pain you are going through! hope it gets much better very soon!!!

Hey All :)

It's day 6 for me. Today for the first time since my surgery, I cried. It has been IMPOSSIBLE to swallow all day. My tongue feels like it's swollen. I feel like the scabs in the back of my throat are little knives attacking me. It's just horrible. My ears have been killing me since day 2 and seem to be getting progressively worse. Hopefully, this whole thing has to get worse before it gets better. :confused:

Enough complaining...Can anyone tell me when I can expect for the scabs to start "falling off"? What is it like when they fall off? Is it accompanied by bleeding, and if so, do i definitely have to go to the ER?

Thanks for all your help.


Get well soon everyone.


c.i.n.d.y

jeez i feel so bad for you people.....This is my 5th day since surgery....I have big white spots, i assume scabs in my throat, but no bleeding.....It seems everyone is talking about how painful this is...but to be honest, besides the first thing in the morning, the pain has been a walk in the park..the worst part is the mild naseausness i get from the pain killers, and being stuck inside on the couch not being able to eat...i dont know if Im just having an exceptional recovery or if i handle pain well, but Ive had sore throats worse than this......Hope you guys who are havin bad times hurry up and recover....lookin forward to day 6 tomarrow..one less day till total recovery

Hi all! Well, I took DD to the ENT today for the second time in three weeks. I asked for a referral for her from her regular pediatrician (she's 16) since she constantly complains of sore throats. I've had her in the doctor's office so many times with her tonsils completely covered in white spots thinking she had strep. After the test, which often comes back negative, they send me on my way and tell me to give her advil.

Well, she's had problems with her throat and tonsils since she was tiny, and if she would have 5 strep infections in a year they would tell me she needed six to consider a tonsillectomy. Last year she was in 10th grade and missed 31 days of school because of throat problems. She still ended up making all A's, but I can't see a reason for her to be sick so often.

The ENT we've seen seems very nice, and I believe we needed the second visit because this just may be the way they handle things. He made it quite clear at her visit three weeks ago that she needed her tonsils removed. Anyway, I filled out paper work to order the surgery and we are waiting now for the scheduler to call us with a date that they can do it.

I asked him about the method he used and he said he uses the old-fashioned method now. He doesn't do cobalation or laser. He feels that the old-fashioned way causes much less pain in the long run. We are in the metro Atlanta area, and I assume he knows what he's talking about. (I hope)

Anyone offer any advice for a 16 y-o or give any first-hand experiences? Thank you so much!

Impatien-
She's lucky to have you. She'll definitely need someone around when she has the surgery. My surgery is scheduled for a week from today. My tonsils have 7 days left to torture me and then its SEE YA FELLAS. From what I've read, getting them done sooner than later is the best idea. The older you get, the worse it's supposed to be. I'm 24 so I'm hoping I still slide into the moderate category. Definitely read through all of these posts. There's a lot of great ideas and a lot of stories to let you know what to expect. Don't let the horror stories freak you out, though. There are a LOT of people that don't have complications and get along just fine. Good luck and stick around for the posting, I'll let you know how mine goes. Hopefully they can get her in before school starts! Good luck!

Sara

impatien,

I am glad to hear that your DD, got into an ENT now than later. This is one of these surgeries that children and adolescents do better than adults. The younger she is, the easier time it will be for her.

The biggest thing that I can suggest is to make sure she stays hydrated. Drink fluids big time. Also, stay on top of the pain meds. Try and get this done before school starts. It takes a couple weeks to feel back to normal. She is lucky to have you nearby to help her during the recovery period. I just had mine removed about 3 weeks ago and it was nice to be at my parents house recovering from it.

Hopefully, once the tonsils are gone, she won't have to deal with the infections. I also got repeated infections, 6 of them in a 5 month period. All strep test came back negative. It was not fun to deal with while attending college. The last infection was bad enough to send me to an ENT. They got removed almost a week later.

If your DD is underweight, try and have her gain a couple pounds now. After the surgery, she won't feel like eating and will drop weight fast. I think between the infection and the surgery, I lost around 13-14 lbs.

Thanks
thefer

DAY 14. 4am.

Thanks everyone again for responding with great information.

I had my second check up yesterday. My doctor seems more patient and understanding now, since I apologized for getting mad at him at the 1st check up. (Yah, I took the higher road since he really was being a butthole but it seems to have helped).

I had MANY questions, thanks to all of you, to ask him.

First, I asked him about why I was having so much pain still. He said my tongue is causing a lot of it, making it feel like every time my tongue moves, my tonsils scabs are being pulled. And YES, he concurred that I still have my tonsils scabs. BUT, he said since it was day 13, they will be thinner and when they eventually start to slough off, the bleeding *shouldn't* be too noticeable, since the scabs are "well done." (eww) He thinks they are still there since I have had so much pain and have still been following a restrictive diet of liquids and some soft foods. He said absolutely no aspirin or ibuprofren products are to be taken since I still have my scabs and am at great risk for bleeding. (I took ibuprofren in large amounts up to the day before my surgery. It was the only thing that kept my fever from chronic tonsillitis down). He also said to try more variety in my diet, to see if that would help slough off the scabs faster. He said (and I quote), "You are about 1.5 weeks behind everyone else in your healing." I am not TOO sure what he meant by that, but I assume the scabs still being present might be why.

Also, I asked him about my soft pallete issues I've been having. He said it becomes "lazy" during and after surgery and that it should start to get back to normal in the coming week or so. I read somewhere online that adults can take up to a month or so to fully heal and resume their normal diet, etc.

He ALSO prescribed me Darvocet N-100, since I explained that the Percocet did NOTHING. I *might* venture to say that Darvocet took a *slight* edge off the pain but NOT the pain from swallowing, just the "general" pain that has not gone away.

And on a sad note, yes, I did go buy Menthol cigarettes yesterday. I managed 12 days without them but my best friend took me to a concert (and she smokes too) and the cravings came back. BUT, I have only managed to smoke a pack in 36 hours so that is 10 cigarettes less than usual. So, we shall see.

Thanks all. I just dont think I will ever be able to find a pain medicine that works. I wish I could ask for something like OxyContin but I would feel like a drug addict if I go in there asking for something without Tylenol in it. Plus, the whole tylenol thing you guys mentioned... I cant take that much tylenol so adding the adult liquid stuff is probably not an option. My liver might blow up. The Darvocet I'm guessing is stronger than Percocet which means more tylenol and I cant take that chance. (I used to drink a lot when I was in my late teens, early 20s, so I have an idea my liver isnt so great as it is).

Oh, I also mentioned to my doctor about the oncall butthole. He did not say anything in response, but I was on my way walking out. It was a quick visit and my insurance still sucks.

Any suggestions on pain medicines that I havent mentioned? Is OxyContin hard to get? I have just heard so many good things about it, that's all. Thanks.

Percocet is actually stronger than darvocet, believe it or not....as for getting oxycontin, i dont think your doctor would presecribe that to you...You should ask about the roxicet patches they sometimes provide..i hear those are helpful

I agree. Darvocet isn't actually as strong as most. I took Lortab after getting 4 impacted wisdom teeth removed. When it was making me sick, they switched me to Darvocet. Wasn't as strong, but at least the pain was manageable.

You may need to resign to the fact that this is a serious surgery and no matter what, you will have some pain. I don't think the point of pain medication is to make it so you feel 100% better, I think its to make the pain manageable enough that you're able to function. It sounds like you may be seeking a medication that will completely take the pain away and make you not feel anything at all.

Due to the reluctance of your doctor to prescribe anything more than darvocet at this point, I think you'll have a very hard time convincing him to prescribe oxycontin.

You'll feel better soon. I hope you're doing things to keep you're mind off of it. I truly do with you the best of luck with this.

firefly214,

I was on Oxycontin several years ago for almost a year. I was prescribed it after a back fusion and after a breast reduction. It is a tough med to get. After my back surgery, I had to be sent to a pain managment dr, who prescribed it.. Oxycontin is good med in some ways such as it lasting 12 hours, but the side effects of it are not good. This med is used as a very last option for pain managment. Oxycontin is extremely expensive.

The reason for all the pain is that the scabs are still there. Once, those suckers fall off, the pain goes way down. Before you start looking for other pain meds to try, I would start adding stuff to your diet.

I am now on day 26 and was able to eat pizza last night. There is still some pain when swallowing but not much. Still coughing up alot of stuff but was told it was normal. Things still taste a bit off.

I hate to break it to you, but no matter what med you try, you are still going to have some pain. Oxycontin won't take it completely away.

thefer

Matt
How is the recovery giong as of now? Are you still doing well?

Matt
How is the recovery giong as of now? Are you still doing well?


To be honest with you...Im a little concerned...I keep waiting for the "increased pain" as everyone talks about....waiting for the ear aches, the head aches, the blood...etc......nothing....Like i was saying before, aside from the nauseasness of the pain killers, which i only take once in a while now...this has been a complete walk in the park.....I was eating a full dinner last nite, rice a roni, applesauce, boiled chicken breast...day 5.......although i feel i could have eaten that on day 4 even.....My throat only hurts on one side, and even that feels like a regular case of strep.....Im suprised, because my tonsils were always infected, about the size of golf balls, but for some reason, I really have very little pain associated with this surgery......Am I wrong, and is there going to come a time when the pain spikes??? I have white things int he back of my throat where the tonsils used to be...are those the scabs???? How long till they usually come off....I had my surgery last Friday morning, and here we are on day 6, and this has been a breeze.....is the worst still yet to come???

Matt-

Let's hope not. I'm so glad your recovery is going so well. It gives me encouragement because I have my surgery on Tuesday of next week. You may have some more pain when the scabs start to come off but I think you're doing the right thing by getting back to normal food as soon as possible. I think babying yourself could make the recovery period take longer.

Not to gross everyone out, but AS I was typing this I coughed up yet another tonsil stone. That was definitely another sign that having my surgery next week was the rigth choice.

Matt, how old are you?

I just turned 21 last march.....Which I guess isn't that young to be having this done, or exactly that old....I think my easy recovery is due largely in part to the fact I quit smoking ciggarettes about 7 months ago, and the fact i am very active and in shape...My immune system is always very good at fighting off infections and the such and think that may be why my recovery has been so easy......Does anyone know when the scabs start to come off??????

My scabs began falling off around day 5 and continued for about 7 more days until it was all said and done.

I am going to have my tonsils taken out, but my doctor hasn't told me much about the advantages of having them out, I heard that it will get rid of headaches, coughing, and acne......has anyone else heard of this?

I am going to have my tonsils taken out, but my doctor hasn't told me much about the advantages of having them out, I heard that it will get rid of headaches, coughing, and acne......has anyone else heard of this?

I really dont see any connectin between lymphatic tissue and acne or coughing, unless they are blocking your throat..but besides that, you will have less infections of the throat with them removed....if you dont know what the advantages are, then why are you even having them out in the first place??? Mabye theres nothing wrong with you to begin with..you should check that out before you have it done..

sarakay444

Hi. I just wanted to wish you luck on your upcoming tonsillectomy. I am leaving for a week tomorrow, (going on vacation) and I won't be here to keep up on your recovery posts. (If you plan on posting.) Anyway, I'm sure you will do great. My surgery is 3 weeks away and I am still pretty nervous. It seems like you're staying pretty positive about the whole thing though- I wish I could! :)
Best wishes,
Christine

Christine-
Thanks for the well wishes! Tuesday is D-Day. I'm sure it will all be fine. I have everything stocked up...soup, mashed potatoes, jello, pudding, sorbet, a couple of good books, a list of movies I've been wanting to rent, sore throat lozenges, tylenol sore throat, all my meds and strict instructions for my parents to wait on me hand and foot. I'm just glad I'm at home and have someone here. I don't know how people do stuff like this on their own. I'm just crossing my fingers that I'm well enough to go back to work after a week. I just have to sit at a desk because I'm a secretary so its nothing strenuous. But I don't have a lot of sick days and my boss will be in Pakistan. Here's hoping. If not, I'm going to try to do at least 1/2 days.

I'm going on a blind date on Sunday night. I'm excited but if it goes well, I have a feeling I'm not going to be up for going out for a little while. Let's just hope he's understanding. I've never been on a blind date. Yikes.

sara ~ good luck on the blind date, maybe he'll bring you chicken soup :)
that is so great that you will have your parents to help you, but it really wasnt too hard for me to be on my own during the day during recovery ~ I basically just layed on the couch and slept most of the day ~ the pain meds made me very sleepy, which is good, cuz its good to rest ~ I just got up to take my meds every 4 hours and then eat a little something, to pee and stock up on water, then on the couch for rest of the day ~ wasnt too hard :) you'll do great next tuesday! good luck! and let us know how you are doing as soon as possible

hi all

its almost two months now since i had my dual surgery on UVULA + TONSILLECTOMY
i'm quite well now except that i developed fungal infection just below the tongue
this causes a lot of discomfort and the feeling that something is scratching the throat.
i revisited the ENT surgeon who in turn told me this was caused by the antibiotics
TAVENIC.he diagnosed me with acute stomatitis.
DAKTARIN gel was given and later on MYCOSTATIN nothing much has changed with these two drugs.
occassionaly i gargle with apple cider which helps a little.
any suggestions will be much appreciated
my regards

Sara

Have fun on Sunday with your blind date. It sounds like you are all ready for surgery. Let your parents wait on you hand and foot. When I had my surgery, almost a month ago, I made the decision to go back to my hometown and have the surgery there because my parents could help me. I don't know what I would have done if I had it in my university town without help. I stayed there for a week before surgery and 3 weeks after surgery.

thefer

Hi

Here is a quick update. It has been almost 1 month since my tonsil surgery. I am pretty much back to normal. Foods still taste a bit off. I can't taste anything sweet. I still have some phlegm but it alot less. Throat feels a little weird when I swallow.

Eventhough, I had a tough recovery, I don't regret having it done. In the end, I will have less infections.

thefer

I havent really had too many taste bud issues..but something I realized the other night is that, food with just alittle spice, honey bbq sauce for example...tastes EXTREMELY spicy...anyone else have this?? I hope this goes away as I used to like eating spicy foods, but even non spicy foods are almost unbearable

Hi needsome,

I have stayed away from spicy foods because it seems like it burns or it is more spicy.

Also, sweet stuff taste bland. Which is driving me crazy because it is 90 deg. here and I can't even taste ice cream..

thefer

hello, my daughter is 7 yrs. old and is on day 8 post-op from an adeno-tonsillectomy and she is having a horrible time. she will not drink anything. She has also ran a high fever for the last 3 days. Does anyone know if this is normal?

Hi

How high is your daughter's temp? I was told by my ENT that it is common to run a temp below 101 deg for the first 10 days. If it goes above 101, then I am to call the dr. If she is still not drinking anything, she is probably dealing with dehdration which will make the pain worse. You really need to try and contact her ENT and inform him/her what is going on.

Can you get your daughter to eat popsicles? Also, is she on any pain meds?

thefer

Thefer is correct. That's exactly what my ENT told me. If your daughter is dehydrated this is only going to complicate matters. If she is having a lot of pain swallowing have her chew gum. This will help loosen the jaw and encourage saliva production and swallowing. It does help. When I was at my worst I would chew gum before drinking anything. It helped a lot.

hello thank you for the info. Today her fever is down but it got up to 102.8 we called her ENT and he said she was dehydrated and to really push the fluids also to give motrin for fever. She is also taking liquid lortab every three hours. The kid freaks out every 2 hours 45 mins. in pain. Today we managed to get 8ounces of water in her with a syringe and that was a fight. Every time i mention taking her to the ER to get an IV for fluids she says no she is not going and crys. Says it even hurts to cry. Her lips are cracked and dried out. She also has a huge cancker sore on the inside of her cheek. It is the biggest canker sore i have ever seen which only makes matters worse. She keeps saying the canker sore hurts her also. We got some medicine to put on that also. I bought her popsicles, pudding, jello, applesauce, icy drinks, snow cones, but she says everything stings even gatorade. I wonder how many ounces of fluids a child needs a day to stay hydrated. Do you think if i get atleast 10-15 ounces in her a day she will be fine? i can not wait until she is fully recovered. I feel sorry for her and at this point for my self. I am sick worrying about her drinking enough.

Jennbombard,

She needs to get in more than just 10-15 ounces of fluid. If her lips are cracked and dried out, she is dehydrated. I know this because I had my tonsils removed almost a month ago. 2 days after my surgery, my parents took me to the ER because I was weak and not drinking much. I ended up being dehydrated. They gave me fluids in the ER and steriods. After getting the fluids, I felt so much better.

If I was in your position, I would take her to the ER, kicking and screaming. She will thank you in the end. She is only 7 years old, she should not decide if she should or shouldn't go to the ER. Being dehydrated makes the pain so much worse, not to mention further problems. Also, you might want to see if her ENT can prescribe steriods. Between the fluids and the steriods, I was able to swallow easier.

I had alot of problems finding things that I can drink without it stinging. The one thing that I was able to drink was diet coke, sprite, dr. pepper without ice. You might want to try giving her pop without ice. Just be sure, you don't use a straw. Sucking up a straw can cause the scabs to come off early.

If I remember correctly, your daughter had her tonsils removed 8 days ago. What she might be experience is pain from the scabs. When my scabs started falling off, the pain was severe. Luckly, I was admitted to the hospital on day 9 cause of bleeding and they were able to control the pain with morphine. I just remember my throat feeling very raw and painful. Once the scabs fall off, the pain drops off.

thefer

well it is now, day 9 for me......and Id say that the experience is about 90% over for me.......I was eating pizza today, and have been going out and being normal since day 7.....went out to a bar the other night and tried to drink a little bit and the carbonation bothered my throat, but aside from that I am normal.......I have been waiting for the pain to increase like everyone says, but it never happend....my scabs are getting smaller each day, and to be honest I've had sore throats from strep worse than this......So let this be some form of encouragment to everyone out there about to have this surgery....For every bad horror story you hear, Im sure there are plenty of people like me.......I had HORRIBLE tonsils, they couldnt have been any bigger or infected, and I still had a breeze of a recovery...the pain, at it's height, was NOTHING........It hadn't even been a week, and I was pretty much back to normal....another 4 or 5 days...and ill be completly healed.....This was easy, Id do it again in a heartbeat...keep that in mind when your going in to have yours done......Also, if you can have it done the cobaltion way...DO IT...it made the difference to me..

Hey, I have a quick question. When they gave you your IV on the day of surgery, did they put a little shot in the back of your hand to numb it first before they put the IV in? I remember they did that to me when I was in high school but I didn't know if it was just a thing they do for kids or for everyone. I have my surgery tomorrow and right now the IV in the back of my hand is what's on my mind. I'm getting nervous about the whole thing and I'm sure I won't be able to sleep tonight. When I asked the nurse what method they'd be using for my surgery, she responded with "I really don't know". She acted annoyed at all of my questions. It may be because it was the third time I'd called to ask questions but come on! I'm having something cut out of me! Don't I have the right to be a little scared and to ask questions. I hope that's not the nurse that helps me tomorrow at the hospital. If it is, I'm going to give her a swift kick in the shins!

Sara,

You can request that they numb it before the IV goes in. I always ask for that because then you don't even feel it. It is alot less stressful for me. The numbing shot feels like a bee sting but that is it.

You have every right to have questions and get them answered. When you go into the hospital tommorow and before they give you any meds or before you sign the consent form, request that you need to speak to the surgeon. Ask questions before you go under.

thefer

I have a couple more questions...
How long are you in recovery before you go home?
When I got my wisdom teeth out, I was barely awake before they were shoving me out the door in a wheel chair. I don't even rememer the ride home or anything.
Also, do you wake up in pain? Or does it come on gradually?
They told me not to take my daily meds and to bring them with me and that I'd take them there when I woke up. Luckily, they're all tiny, tiny pills.

Jennbombard,

I just want to confirm every word of thefer's post. Dry, cracked lips are a tell tale sign of dehydration. Dehydration can be fatal....seriously!

Cathy

Hi Sara

I was in the recovery room for about an hour and a half, then transferred over to short stay where I stayed for another 2 hours. In my opinion, they shoved me out way too soon.

I woke up in pain. They put pain meds in my IV in the recovery room. I wasn't in any frame of mind to swallow a pillow till later in the evening.

Tommorow is your day.. I wish you the best. Just remember, drink fluids and take your pain meds.

thefer

Jennbombard

I'm in agreement with the others, take her to the ER. She is dehydrated and yes, it can get serious. She needs an IV if all you are getting down her is 10-15 ounces. You take control, she is only 7. I am grown and I had my tonsils out 4 weeks ago and the pain is worse if you are not hydrated. That was the main thing they told me, drink, drink, drink. I imagine that sore she has is making it worse but she has to have some fluids in her or things will get more complicated.

Good Luck

Man.....I feel bad for my mom for having to wait in the waiting room all that time. I mentioned to my mom how I felt bad about it and she she was used to it. When my older sister was little she had a serious problem with the bones in her leg and she was at Shriner's Children's Hospital in St. Louis for a while. I coughed up another one of those nasty tonsil stones and it made me feel like this is all going to be worth while. I'll post and let you guys know how I am. If not tomorrow, then the next day. See you guys soon!

Hi Sara,

Good luck tomorrow. You will be fine. It's been almost 5 weeks for me. They numbed my hand before they put the IV in. For me, I was kept overnight at the hospital so I was able to get several doses of pain meds in me (Lortab) and also steroids. I'm glad they kept me. I don't remember too much about recovery. I think I do remember hurting but in just seconds, they gave me something and then I was out again. They used the coblation method on me. (Best way to go).

Let us know how you do.

Well tonsils are healing nicely, but I have another slight problem......After having been on painkillers...Percocet and lortab for almost 2 weeks....I no longer need them...However, tonight, I feel as if I am having some sort of a withdrawal....Im shaky, feel weak, and just have just an overall uneasy feeling.......Anyone else go through this, and if so know how long I can be expecting to feel like this for?? I still have some percocets left, and I know if i took a couple more this feeling would go away, which is why I am a little worried.....While I do things the average college student may do, I have never touched a serious drug and am not used to this feeling....Anyone know what might help???

Well......I'm home and I have fewer body parts. My tonsils are not longer with me. It wasn't a pleasant experience and now I'm at home and am miserable. Not only is it impossible to swallow because of the pain, its impossible to swallow because my epiglotis is so swollen that I keep choking. I looked at my throat and its about the size of a golf ball. I can handle the pain but the choking is making me miserable. Does anyone know how long the swollen epiglotis will last? I have an hour and a half before I can have more pain medicine. I hope I can make it. Its wearing off too fast. You should all be very proud, though. I've drank probably 7 glasses of water since the surgery. The only think I've eaten is some passion punch sorbet, though. I'm thinking about requesting some DQ here in a bit. This sucks!

Well......I'm home and I have fewer body parts. My tonsils are not longer with me. It wasn't a pleasant experience and now I'm at home and am miserable. Not only is it impossible to swallow because of the pain, its impossible to swallow because my epiglotis is so swollen that I keep choking. I looked at my throat and its about the size of a golf ball. I can handle the pain but the choking is making me miserable. Does anyone know how long the swollen epiglotis will last? I have an hour and a half before I can have more pain medicine. I hope I can make it. Its wearing off too fast. You should all be very proud, though. I've drank probably 7 glasses of water since the surgery. The only think I've eaten is some passion punch sorbet, though. I'm thinking about requesting some DQ here in a bit. This sucks!

I agree...the swolleness was the worst part for me too....you get used to that feeling however within a day....in the meantime..learn to breath slowly and under control so you dont feel like you are choking...i spit my phlegm into a cup whenever i had to...but dont use too much force to do it......my advice to you....get back to a regular diet asap...i was eating almost regular meals 4 days after..carefully..but still doing it...i think that had a lot to do with my extremely quick and easy recovery

I think I shall try some luke warm chicken noodle soup. Do you think that's too much for my first day?

By the way, thanks for all of the words of encouragement.
I just can't wait until its all over.
I'm totally craving a hamburger!!!

Hey Everyone!

Okay, well...I have been reading through all of the threads for some time now. I finally decided to stop being a lurker and actually post.

*Background Info*
I am 16
They found a bacteria in my stomach and an ulcer 5 years ago
Thats around the time I started getting "tonsil stones"
I've always had tons of sore throats and infections
I've been "Anorexic" and "Bulimic" for the last 4 years (insignificant I suppose)
This last year my thoat/tonsil have been horrible and chronic along with the earaches.


My primary doc found out when this first started happening - but thought it would pass and wasn't very up to date on the matter...like most. Then this year she started realizing how bad it was getting and was much more eduacated on the stones. Finally she reffered me to an ENT and I had to wait for 2 months to get in. I go tomorrow for my first meeting with him!

Most people with this problem have huge tonsil...i on the other hand don't. I'm pretty sure that will be the only real problem. My doc said she would do whatever she could to convince him that they need to be removed - even though they are small...My tonsils have massive holes and craters in them...Like they have been eaten away. The holes have gotten so deep...its ridiculous! When the holes get so full and blocked...puss seeps. GROSS. And as I said above...The earaches have become out of control lately. I hadn't noticed the ear pain until this year...which is when the pain got so unbareable.
I'm still confused as to why my tonsils are still so tiny... Yet have these CONSTANT stones, sore throats, coughing and irritation! It makes no sense to me. Not to mention the fact that at the openings on the holes and craters...it's red and looks a little puffy - like the stones are collecting throughout my tonsil!

Side note: we are starting to think that my chronic cryptic tonsils are what gave me the bacteria in my stomach in the first place.

Anyways... It looks like I'm writing a book - SORRY! I'm sure there is more I left...but maybe I'll get the courage to post again.


Hope everyone is doing well...and that I'm not interfering. It would be great if someone would reply...but completely fine if ignore my post!


So...tomorrow is the day I find out if this man will take them out...or make we wait and suffer for the rest of my damn life. Sigh.

--Ashley--

Note to Obsessions

I haven't posted on this thread since I had my tonsils out in March but I just wanted to put forward a few points on your particular situation. I had tonsil stones, something stuck in throat sensation, throat clearing, coughing. My ENT consultant told me that my cryptic tonsils were caused by acid reflux in my throat. This is known as LPR or Laryngopharyngeal Reflux. He felt the long standing exposure to the acid opened up the crypts. The crypts then catch debris mostly a mucous called Post Nasal Drip from your sinuses which settles on the back of your throat and tongue and enters the crypts. The bacteria on the tongue and throat then feed on this mucous and other oral debris and the result is tonsil stones. This is why they smell so bad. If you had an ulcer then you probably had H.Pylori which is a stomach bacterium picked up in childhood and the main cause of ulcers. It is unlikely that the pylori would cause the cryptic tonsils. The more likely cause is exposure to stomach acid over a period of time. LPR is known as silent reflux as there is rarely heartburn and no symptoms for some time. My earliest symptoms were coughing bouts especially drinking beer, clearing throat of yellow/ brown mucous every morning and coughing up small stones. I ignored these but soon after I noticed almost constant something stuck in throat feeling, excess mucous/ Post Nasal Drip, bitter taste and breath, thick tongue coating, burning acidic mouth and throat, blocked and stinging nostrils and of course cryptic tonsils and those lovely stones. I got rid of the tonsils and the stones but still have the LPR and the other symptoms. If you have stones you have a chronic infection and they should be removed and hopefully that it is all that is wrong. Do not mean to alarm you but with your gastro problems I thought I would flag up this possible cause.

Ginger65:

Yes, I forgot to mention that I do have acid reflux and the bacteria was H Pylori! Thank you SO much for your reply...Just out of curiousity - how did you know it was Hpylori? Also, were your tonsils large...or still normal?

Sorry for all of the questions...its just that I've never really got to talk with someone who actually knows what I'm talking about!

Lastnight was horrible, and I ended up having to pick out the yop stone that was sticking out in the hole. The skin was very irritated and swollen...causing the worst oain I've had so far. I let them build up because it was becoming to painful to pick them out...but as soon as they get full, it just hurts as bad. I finally had to pop it out and almost died from the pain...AND the gush of puss after!! EH! My right tonsil is still FULL of these nasty stones and puss...But I'm not gong to touch it until after the appointment. Ther holes are so deep that its hard to see the stones way back there unless you push on my tonsil...I hope this doesn't make the ent think I'm lying...urg...I should of left the stone that was sticking out ;(...


Wish me luck! Sorry for the ramble...

And thanks once again!

--Ashley--

Day 2:
I just woke up a little while ago. Well not really woke up...got out of bed. I didn't sleep at all last night. I took your guys' advice and set my alarm to take my pain meds every 4 hours. I slept like an hour between the doses and that's it. At least I got some sleep. I keep having the feeling like I want to cough but I'm scared. It already looks and feels like my epiglotis is tearing away from the roof of my mouth. I'm afraid that coughing will really hurt me.
A new development today...my body aches ALL over. My abs, my sides, my back, my neck, my legs. What the heck? I'm hoping that its just from laying around in the recliner all day yesterday and then sleeping.
Well I'm going to get back to my movies and my water.

Sara,

I am so happy to hear you made it through the surgery and already taking in fluids. The swelling will go down with time. It is an awful feeling. It feels like you are choking. I can't remember, did your ENT prescribe steriods. If not, you may want to request some. It can help alot with the swelling and the choking feeling.

Try to eat whatever you are able too. Alot of it, is going to be trial and error. I found that I did well with Jello and soups the first couple days, then mashed pototaes and gravy.

I just read that you are having problems with body aches. Take your temperature. When I have a temperature, every joint in my body will hurt/ache. You will run a temp after this surgery. If it gets too high, call your ENT.


thefer

Thefer-
Thanks for responding! My ENT didn't prescribe steroids but I remember what they did to me when I took them last. I don't know if I could stand the insomnia again. I was wired for a week straight. I'm not choking as much today. I'm trying to eat what I can. Today I've had oatmeal, soup and jello.
I don't think I have a fever. My forehead is very cool. It just feels like i have killer muscle aches all over. I'm okay as long as I don't move around. I'm just watching lots of movies and laying on the couch with my dog. I'm loving that part of it.
I just looked at the back of my throat again. I looks like something died back there!! My epiglottis looks like its tearing away from my soft palate and is completly outlined in white and hange halfway down my throat. Did anyone else have this experience? It's normal, right? And how long does it take for that part to go away? My pain meds don't really make it much easier to swallow but I wasn't expecting pain meds strong enough to totally kick the pain, just to make it tolerable. Maybe I'll try maccaroni and cheese for supper. Do you think that's pushing it for day 2?

YES!!! :bouncing:

Just got back from the ENT...and he scheduled my tonsillectomy for August 17th! Oh goodness I'm so incredibly relieved!

*signs*

Hope everyone is okay and progressing! :D

--Ashley--

Sara,

The thing that I learned about the seriods is that you have to take them in the morning. For the first couple days that I took them, i took them in the evening and I was up for 2 nights straight.

I would wait on the maccaroni and cheese. I had that on day 4 and had it coming out of my nose. I couldn't swallow it at all. I would try eggs or even spaggetti O's, or mashed pototatoes and gravy. Anything with milk, will cause increase phlem, which is painful to get rid of.

I think what you are describing is the Uvula. It hangs down the back of the throat, towards the middle. That area was very swollen and white. The swelling went down after the steriods and the white stuff finally went away around the 2nd or 3rd week.

I was sore after surgery, like I was ran over by a truck. Mine might have been from a fever cause I was running a 101-102 for a couple days. Once I got below 99, pain was gone in my arms and legs.. I think the most pain that I had, was around my neck, chest, ears, jaw. More or less everything above my shoulders hurt. That stayed around for about a week or so.

thefer

Thefer-
The steroids that my dr. had me on was some kind of power pack that you take for a week. You take 7 pills throughout the course of the first day, 6 the next day, 5 the next day and so on and so forth. I'll wait it out another day and if its still this annoying, I'll call and ask if there's anything they can do.

I actually tried the mac and cheese and it was okay. It took me 40 minutes to choke down a bowl of it but I got it down. I agree with the phlem, though. Ice cream is so easy to get down and feels good...but I always cough afterwards. Maybe I'll try eggs in the morning.

Yea...uvula! I coudln't remember the correct word. I can't get over how far it is hanging down. It looks as if it is ripping away from the roof of my mouth. I can't even see the end of it because it's so far down my throat. I'm miserable, but I'm managing. I just hope that this is the worst of it.

I agree....I feel like I've been run over with a truck, too. Everything above my waist hurts. All of the muscles that surround my rib cage in the front and the back hurt. My neck hurts...the back and the front. Lucky, my ear pain has been pretty minimal. No worse than the ear aches that I've become accostomed to.

Everyone has been relaly nice, though. :) The florist delivered flowers from two girls that I used to work with. The family that I babysit for brought by the cutest card and a DVD to add to my collection. Daddy Day Care...I haven't seen it but it looks cute. And very appropriate seeing as how I watch their two year old.

Okay...I'm rambling. You have NO idea how torturous it is for me to not be able to talk. I'm such a talker so my silence is killing me.

Ohhhhh gotta go...another guest is here. :)

day 21. 9.30pm.

i will be back on the fill in the gaps from the last 7 days. i am still in quite a bit of pain, the scabs finally came off last week. if i get a chance tonight or tomorrow morning, i will detail more. still cant eat hard food. am on my 2nd script of darvocet. helps a little, but my headaches have come back TEN FOLD. it feels as if i have a sinus infection. my throat is on fire! and my headaches came back on monday, it is wednesday now and i am so tired. i am sleeping up to 12 hours, but tossing and turning. what is wrong with me? why am i getting sick again/????????????? i have been draining from my face and my throat feels like someone poured acid down it. WHY? i am pissed. i thought getting my tonsils out would stop this!

heather.

sara, how are you feeling today? any less swollen?

Hey all. I feel like crap today. In addition to the pain...just a general feeling of total crappiness. When I woke up this morning I took my pain meds and as soon as it hit the back of my throat I started gagging. I dry heaved for a few minutes then felt better. I slept until like 1pm today. Now I'm just lying around and am feeling crappy. I called to ask for better pain meds and they just told me to take 1tsp more and see how it worked. Ugh. I'm getting frustrated. We're going for dinner for my dad's birthday on saturday.....i wonder what the heck i'll be able to order off of the menu. I'm going through the "why the hell did I ever allow someone to do this to me" phase. Well I'm tired of typing and i'm in a pissy mood all the time. I'll catch you guys later.

Hey all,

I am new to the board and have been reading for awhile. I had my surgery July 13. It was just as aweful as they told me it would be. It's been 9 days and the pain seems to be getting worse again. Today I have little white patches of stuff around my uvula and the back of my throat. I have a doctors apt. in the morning but, was wondering if any one knows what this is.
I also feel very achy, every part of my body hurts. My ears and my teeth feel just as bad as my throat (ugh) I did check my temp. and it was 99.7 which I guess is ok. I can't wait till this pain is over :(

sorry you guys arent feeling well! :(
it will get better, I promise!
sara, what kind of pain meds are you on?

I'm on tylenol w/codeine and zythrimax.
The doctor gave me the okay to take 5 tsp. instead of 4 tsp. and see how it works for me. I felt a little better this evening. I tried to eat mashed potatoes and that didn't go over well. They were just too thick (even when I wet them down a lot) and I had to swallow too hard. I think I'll stick to soup. I had scrambled eggs this morning and that went over well.

I made my first venture outside the house today on day 3. I just got home from WalMart (my mom drove, of course). I bought coloring books and crayons! Fun, huh?

Well I'm hoping that tomorrow will be a better day. Wish me luck. Do NOT even tell me I'll be feeling like this until day 9.

Hi Sara,
I hope that tomorrow is a much better day for you! :-) Eggs were pretty easy to get down, and so was mac and cheese! I got so tired of Reese's Ice Cream though. I am a chocoholic, so I LOVE chocolate in any shape or form and I was SO excited to eat all the ice cream I wanted. I was wrong! To this very day when I look at it in the grocery store I have no desire to ever eat it again LOL.

Hopefully the coloring book and crayons will take your mind off some of the pain! :-)

--Suzanne :-)

Today was a weird day. I just feel so weak. I practically slept all day. I'm getting enough fluids, I'm just not eating enough. I'm currently overweight so I know it takes more food to fill me up. Eating one serving of jello, ice cream and soup a day is just not cutting it. I went to the store with my mom today to get something for my dad for his birthday and I starting sweating so profously and had to sit down. I had on a pink baseball hat and when I got out to the car, it was drenched in sweat. I don't know what my deal is.

My parents are going to Champaign (about an hour away) tomorrow to go shopping and out to dinner with my family from up north. I haven't decided if I'm going to feel up to going or not. My mom claims that if I don't go, no one is going. I don't want to make everyone change their plans but I don't want everyone to have to wait on me like I'm an old woman.

Not to mention that I haven't pooped since Tuesday morning! THIS from a girl with IBS-D. Its insanity. I got something gentle to take but it hasn't kicked in yet.

Oh, i feel yet another nap coming on.

Are we having fun yet?

When am I going to start feeling better? It's DAY #4.

Advice please.
How do you get the pain meds down when they burn like fire when they go down?
I looked on the side of the bottle....%7 alcohol! Why do they even MAKE this medicine with alcohol in it?! Jerks.
It didn't start burning until today.
I'm getting very frustrated fast.
I'm weak, tired all the time, in pain, can't poop, feels like someone stabbing me in my ear, sweating all the time, can't speak......WHY did I let the doctor do this to me? Were my infections really that bad? This is starting to make me wonder.

Hi Sara,

I am on day 9 and went to the doctors today for the weird white spots in my throat. It is thrush (yeast infection) YUK! Anyways, they gave me medicine and said it would go away quickly. Something for you to watch out for. Advice for the pain meds to go down. I would dilute mine with water and it helped a great deal! The pain in my ears got worse by the day up until yesterday. Today they just feel like pressure and a bit of pain but nothing like it was... I know it feels like its never going to get better and you are questioning yourself but just think some day we will have no pain :)
Good luck!

Sara,

Relax. I know it's hard to do. It will get better. The worst days for me were from day 1-9. The reason why you possibly can't go the bathroom is because you are not eating enough. This happened to me. Once I started eating, then I went. If I were you, I would take colace or stool softener.

After my surgery, I was given both liquid and pills. I tried the liquid for the first two days, and was throwing up. I switched over to oxycodone pills which were tiny and stuck those in ice cream. I would try the liquid then a bit of ice cream to stop the burning or ice water.

If you are sweating alot, I bet you are running a temp. You may need to check it a couple times. I went out on day 4 for a couple hours with my mom, and I was exhausted.

If you go with your parents, I would pack your meds. Also, be careful with what you eat at the restaurant. A couple days after I had my tonsils out, my sister gave birth to a boy. I went with my parents to the hospital around 7days after my surgery. We ended up going out afterwards for a light dinner and desert. I skipped the dinner and went straight to the ice cream.

If you are just not able to go, tell them to go ahead if you are comfortable being home alone. If they have a cell phone, write down the number and let them know you will call them if you need help.

Just think, in the end. This surgery will be worth it. The first couple weeks are rough but it does get better. Like I have said before, this is one tough surgery. I went through a breast reduction 2 years ago and it was a piece of cake compared to having my tonsils out.

thefer

Hey all!

I haven't posted in a while, but here I am, a month and a day after my surgery, and my throat only hurts in the mornings or if I've talked for extended periods of time. This is great considering that between days 3 and 6 I was certain that I was dying. I had my post-op appointment and my scabs are gone.

I do have a question though. Has anyone else experience a consistantly clogged feeling nose and a scratchy throat a month later? My throat doesn't hurt, but sometimes it just feels tickly. For example, I was singing in the choir the other day, and I sang a note I've hit every time before, and my voice just broke, and I had the weirdest throat sensation. This happens often, I just get this unusual feeling in there. And then, my nose, well, it just seems like it's not allowing as much air to flow through as it used to. Just wondering if anyone else was left with these strange feelings.

To all of you in recovery now, hang in there! I promise, the day will come when you can eat a cheeseburger and not be in pain, even though it doesn't seem like it now!

Well I went on the little excursion with my parents. Didn't go well. I woke up this morning feeling good. I was shocked. I could swallow with little to no pain and it had been a solid 6 hours since any meds. I got up, took my meds, ate oatmeal and we headed out. We drive a big SUV and I was feeling a little car sick but nothing too major. I was just thankful to set food on solid ground again when we got to the restaurant. At the restaurant, there was nothing I could eat! The only two soups were chili and chicken and rice. I opted for the chicken with rice but the rice was so tough that I coudln't swallow it. I would put a spoonful of soup on my mouth, swallow what I could and then spit the rice in my napkin. It was really quite appealing. They brought my dad some icecream for his birthday and I ate a little of that. They didn't even have icecream on the menu.

Then we went to the mall. That's when I started to get hot. I was okay for about the first 20 minutes but then I started to sweat....and sweat, and sweat, and sweat. I'm used to sweating because I'm a sweater but this was freakish! My hair was soaked and it was dripping onto my shirt collar. It was embarrasing. I sat down for a while and then I was feeling sick. Like I was going to throw up or crap my pants or something. I raced to the bathroom and then nothing. I had to tell everyone that I was ready to go home. I felt so bad because everyone was having a good time but was in tears. Not because of the pain...I just felts HORRIBLE. My skin was freezing to the touch but I was sweating like a beast and I was so HOT. We got in the car and went home. By the time we got home, I was feeling a little better. Now my sore throat is back.

I told them not to take me with them! But they insisted. So they shouldn't say much about it.

On another note, I bought an adorable tank top which made me feel better for a millisecond.

Now I'm off to take some Tylenol Sore Throat. I'm giving that a shot because I think that codeine is evil.

Hey Sara,

I take 2 tylenol extra strength every 4 hours and it works wonderfully! Usually at night I will take a little pain med to help get through the night. I am on day 10 now and it just feels like a real bad sore throat now. I can eat real food again! Yeah!

Sara,

I waited til the last minute after my tonsillectomy to tell my son that I couldn't attend my granddaughter's dance recital on day 9...was hoping I would be able as I could tell my son thought for sure I'd be able to on DAY 9! I felt so guilty because I wasn't up to the two hour trip, much less the recital. Luckily, (seems odd to say, but luckily in this case) my husband has had a couple of major surgeries in the past couple of years and he would tell me after my tonsillectomy that my body had undergone a trauma with part of it (even a small part of it) being cut out and it was just going to take time to feel better. Anesthesia itself is a shock to your system and can take a good while to work completely out of your body. Rule of thumb is one month per one hour of anesthesia. Less than an hour, of course, with a tonsillectomy, but still the shock to your system and the pain from the proceedure itself requires some time for the body to return to normal.

I think too, what makes it worse is that we've all seen small children bounce back from this proceedure in a day or in the case of my kids, in a couple of hours....and we go into this surgery with hearing that it's worse on adults, but keep thinking we're going to bounce back like toddlers do..... and you know the rest of the story.

Hang in there...take whatever you need to be comfortable, even the "evil codeine"... you will feel better eventually and it won't make it any better to suffer needlessly until your body recovers.

Cathy

Thanks everyone! I'm not so pissed off today. Sorry about my ranting. Today is day 6. I went a full 24 hours without codeine but I just took some. That stupid regular tylenol just doesn't last long enough. The heat index in central Illinois is 110 today and I'm laying here with a heating pad on my head. It's really quite a site. Our heating pad is from like 1975 and is pretty small so I can't get it to span both my right and left jaw and my right and left ears so they're having to take turns. I'm supposed to go back to work tomorrow. HA! Aint gonna happen. I think I'll stay home tomorrow and try on Tuesday for a half day. I'm just so worried about talking. I'm a secretary and that's all I do all day is talk. I went to church today and everyone asked how I was....my throat was so sore by the time I got home. It just feels like every tiem I talk, my tongue is ripping out of my throat. It just takes too many sore muscles to talk. If you guys knew me, you'd know what torture this is. I NEVER shut up! :) My being sick is even having an effect on my parents. They're both feeling sluggish....like its transferring onto them. Kind of funny. I just want to eat something that isn't liquid! Since Tuesday I've ONLY had the following: soup, ice cream, scrambled eggs, oatmeal, pudding, and mashed potatoes (but that didn't go over well so now I'm scared to try again)...uhm...that's all. I'm getting tired of these same ole things.

I was thinking today how sorry I feel for cancer patients and those with horrible pain that never goes away. For me, I know the pain will go away eventually. But it totally made me understand how people with severe pain turn to suicide. Pain really is a funny thing that totally gets into your mind, as well as your body.

Let me also add that I have cramps today. Yes, I woke up with my period. I'm beginning to wonder if I was a very bad person in my former life and now I'm being punished. :)

Since I'm on day 6...I know I'm closer to the finish line than the starting line. That's a good feeling. I'll be so happy when I can have that hamburger that I've been craving.

Thanks to you all for being here and listening. It's so good to talk to people who KNOW what you're going through.

Talk to you all soon!

Sara

DIdn't your Dr. advise you to stay in bed for the first 10 days? You are entering the scabbing phase and the pain (at least for me) is the most intense the next couple of days. My advise is stay on top of your medication and relax because believe me you do not want to start to bleed. :angel:

Hi all, new to the board and just had a couple of questions. I am 31 and had a tonsillectomy, adnoidectomy and uvula shortened 3 weeks ago. I have encountered the pain as many of you have mentioned, but have had the unfortunate experience of developing what doctor seems to think is a bacterial infection. I developed diarrehea on week one until two days ago. At first, the doctors thought it was a reaction to the medice - but at the end of week 2 I just felt like a train had run me over - like a bad flu. I am now on flagyl and cipro to knock whatever I have out of my system. First stool test came back negative and I went for additional stool tests and blood work this past Friday, so I anxiously await the results. I was wondering if anyone ran into a similar complications and what the results were.

In addition, I have noticed that some of you have had issues with your taste. To this day anything that I eat tastes horrible - I can taste something the first time I put it in my mouth - but then after that it might as well be dirt because that is what it tastes like. For those who had their taste effected - how long was it before you can enjoy your full taste again. I have lost 20 pounds since this operation and even though it is nice to shed the weight - it would be nice to eat and enjoy a meal again.

Thanks,
Pete

My doctor didn't really give me any kind of strict orders. He said I probably wouldn't feel like working for 7-10 days. Tomorrow is day 7. I probably won't go to work tomorrow. I will have to at least do half days starting tuesday, though. I don't have enough sick days left. I'm hoping that the whole scabbing thing starts soon. I already coughed up a couple of chunks.

Hey, can you guys put into words what the back of your throat looked like after your surgery but before your scabs came off? Please be graphic. :)

day 26. 12.30am

i think i got overlooked last time i posted so i will try again.
guys, i need to know why i am sick. i called my ENT and they seem to think i have a "head cold" but all the drainage (from my sinuses???) is really irritating my throat still. WHY ME??? My tonsillectomy was a horrendous experience, if you guys recall. Like *THEFER*, i went to the hospital for 3 days b/c of complications. I dont have any more pain meds. I still see white spots on the back near where my tonsils were. I can talk again. Most of the scabs are gone it seems. But my headaches, ear aches, and throat STILL HURT!!! WHY>>>>???? Can anyone tell me anything about this? I feel out of it, my body hurts. It COULD be a virus but it feels like a bad sinus infection. Why would I get one right after surgery? It's like as soon as my throat started feeling better, I got sick again. I still cant eat real hard foods. I cough a lot and there is loads of stuff going down the back of my throat. PLEASE, does anyone have a similiar experience or suggestion? My ENT is a little baffled and seems to think this is not related to my surgery... :confused:

Thanks,
~heather

Oh, it's not allergies. I've been pricked with enough stuff and had no reactions to anything last year.

Also, in response to "PETEYBY": I still cannot really taste sweets. They taste bland or like nothing. I lost 10 lbs, and have gained 6 of it back. My first "real" meal was last week, and today is day 26.

Hi Fire

I went through a similar experience as well on day 21. For me it was a cold but after the surgery the cold is very painful. I think it is so painful because all the skin on the throat is new and sensative so the mucous really irrates it. I really couldn't eat hard food for about 6 months because my soft palate had a hole in it so I really got used to soft foods. One of my favorite meals was cucumber with spiniach dip wrapped with lox and provolone cheese. It would just slide down!! Also humous is good with avocado and protein shakes come in handy. Just hang in there I had white patches on my throat for at least 10 months. :wave:

Day7:

Woke up today with the most excruciating pain in my ears today. Like someone was driving an icepick through both of my ears. My ears hurt yesterday and I laid around all day with a heating pad which helped but today....I actually wimpered. Didn't cry...but came close. So its back to the full dose of codeine for me. Now I'm in my drug induced head fog again and I grab the flashlight. SOME OF THE HORRIBLY THICK WHITE STUFF COVERING MY THROAT IS NOW A THIN LAYER AND I CAN SEE SOME PINK UNDER IT IN SPOTS!! I am SO relieved to see that my scabs are starting to come off and so far no bleeding and no coughing them up! I was horrified to think that I would cough those nasty things up. I'm gagging now just thinking about it. Also, its satisfying to know WHY I'm in such horrible pain today. Not just because I'm a freak or a big baby but because my scabs are coming off. Yes, there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Slough you evil scabs, slough! :) Obviously I didn't make it to work today. I don't think they'd want me there seeing as how I'm taking 5tsp of codeine every 4 hours and am talking to the scabs in my throat telling them where to go. It's 230pm and I haven't eaten yet. I'm starting to get a little shaky so I think I'll try some soup. I can almost see that cheeseburger in the distance. Dear God, let this be over soon. I'm so TIRED of feeling like crap.

I hope you all have enjoyed my drug-induced rantings. I'll see you all soon.

Hi Sara. I had to catch up on all of your posts the other day (I've been on vacation all last week.) I'm so glad that you made it through this nightmare o.k. You're already at least halfway recovered! I feel bad that you've been so miserable though. I am so shocked at how much you have done for the first week of your recovery. Dinner, mall, Walmart... What a trooper. I know as a fact that I won't be doing anything for the first week after surgery! (I am too much of a baby...) I have 15 days to go, and I am not holding up very well. Besides the emotional toll this has taken on me, I have been sicker than I've ever been in my entire life. The antibiotics that I've been on for the last 4-5 months have literally eaten at my stomach lining, and have caused so many problems. I can't eat because my stomach is always in pain, (need to see a GI Dr. this week) I had to stop taking antibiotics for a while due to the stomach problems, which led to a severe throat/sinus infection, which led to the worst migraines ever. Needless to say, all of that b.s. led to one serious mental breakdown! I feel like admiting myself into a hospital and telling them that I am not leaving until they fix me!!!! AHHHHHH! :mad:

Anyway, I am so sorry for the babbling that I did- I just am so frustrated right now. I feel bad because I know that you're in way more pain than I am, and here I am going on....

I really hope that you get to feeling better and that your recovery is almost over. :)

That goes for everyone else out there that has had to deal with the wrath of tonsillectomies. I'll be one of the next victims posting my recovery soon. :(

Christine

Christine-

Thankfully, the worst of it is over. I have had a textbook tonsillectomy so far. Everything everyone has told me was going to happen, has happened. No bleeding, thankfully. The pain on day 6 and 7 was excruciating as my scabs started falling off. I think that process is almost over, though. It is now day 8 and I'm at work! I came in for the afternoon only. I took tylenol with codeine when I woke up this morning and laid on the couch for a few hours. This afternoon I only took Tylenol Sore Throat and I'm functioning pretty well. Has anyone else experienced EXTREME sweating from tylenol with codeine? I have been having insane night sweats lately and even now I'm sitting here sweating. Not underam...like face, head (my hair is all wet), chest, back, etc. Yet my skin is very cool to the touch. It's so weird. Nothing horrible, just a nuisance. I think I may get to eat dinner with the family tonight! I'm feeling up to something NON-liquid. Even after my recovery I'm going to try to stick with small frequent meals. I like what it is doing for my weight loss. Even though I'm going to start eating more than 700 calories a day, I hope this still helps me keep losing.

Hey Christine,

I think you and I are on the same boat as far as the whole notion of "checking yourself into the hospital until they fix you." Read my last 2 previous posts. Hope you get to feeling better soon!

~Heather

Heather

It's awful that you have to go through all of that after your surgery! I swear, that is the kind of stuff that happens to me. (If it's not one thing, it's another!) I wonder why your recovery has taken so long? Maybe your body just heals slower than normal. I feel bad for you. Hopefully you will be back to normal soon.

Did they put you on some antibiotics? Did you used to get frequent sinus infections, or is this new to you? I have always had a problem with sinus infections, so I know that after my tonsillectomy I will probably still continue to battle them. Who knows... maybe I will be cured from them????

Well, I hope that you are doing better- If not, than I would go back to the Dr. and get some better answers.

Take care,
Christine

Sara

The sweating might just be from the shock of the whole experience and the drugs combined. Going under anestesia takes a lot out of you, your body is undernourished, and you just had some lymph tissue removed form your throat last week- Not to mention the drugs that you're taking.... I have heard a lot from other people about the sweating after a tonsillectomy. Have you asked your Dr.?

Hi everyone. I have posted my horrors with my tonsillectomy before. I've read a few posts but nothing to answer this one thing. I'm going INSANE with the altered taste. It will be 3 months on Aug 10 and my taste is horrid. The worst thing is, my doctor says she has never heard anyone complain of this before and doesn't know what to tell me. Should I have it looked into? ID LIKE TO FIND OUT FROM YOU GUYS WHAT THE LONGEST FRAME OF TIME WAS WITH ALTERED TASTE BUDS???? Pls reply to this, i don't know what to do anymore. Drinks are the worst!!!!

Thanks
Beka

No, I haven't asked my doctor about it because I just assumed it was part of the recovery process. If it's still happening two weeks from now when I'm supposedly healed, then I'll mention it to him.

I'm feeling much, much better. Only a few problems. When my pain meds wear off, I have nasty pain in my throat and in my right ear. It burns like an SOB to even drink water. We're talking burns so bad I dance around and have to bite my pillow. When I'm fully medicated, its not that bad, though. I'll just be so happy when drinking doesn't burn anymore. I can't wait just to CHUG something. ANYTHING...water, pop, tea, lemonade...ANYTHING. Just drink and drink and drink. Who would have thought that I'd miss gulping so bad? Still the hardest food that I've eaten is a ham salad sandwich on bread with the crust cut off. My dog is loving this because whatever I can't eat, I slip to her under the table. Another advantage...my nails are getting really long. I used to bite my nails (not really really short until they bled or anything like that) but since I had my surgery....I won't even get my hands near my mouth. I'm too scared to put anything in my mouth anymore.

I'm back at work again this afternoon. Pretty good for day 9 of my recovery if you ask me. My boss is out of the country so luckily I don't have to run around too much. Talk to you all soon.

Happy Recovery!

christine ~ it's too bad they couldnt get you in for your surgery earlier since you cant take antibiotics for awhile and have gotten a bad infection :(
hopefully the tonsillectomy will help a ton and you will be feeling much better soon!

beka ~ I didn't notice too much change in taste after having my tonsils out, so I'm not much help ~ maybe someone else can help more, but you could try talking to a different doctor, 3 months seems like a long time! I'd try to look into it more if I were you ~ good luck

sara, have you taken your temp to make sure you dont have a fever? if you have a fever you could be dehydrated or have an infection so I'd check with the doctor if you do have a fever

Hi Swayze.

It's been almost 4 months since I had my tonsils out and I haven't got my taste back to normal, either. I still can barely taste chocolate. So I don't even bother eating it now, whereas I was a chocoholic before. Other things taste different, too. And often I have a real bitter taste, right in the back of my mouth.
I know at my pre-op appointment, I was warned of this happening, but was told only in very rare cases did taste not return to normal and that I'd be fine.
Good luck if you do go and ask the doctor about this problem. Maybe it's just very slow at getting back to normal. I don't really know. But you're not alone.

campingirl-
I don't have a fever. My head hasn't felt the slightest bit warm throughout this whole thing. I didn't break into a sweat today or last night while I was sleeping. Aren't you proud? Also, I wore a pair of jeans today that I haven't been able to fit into for the past six months. I got to eat a real dinner with my parents tonight. Mashed potatoes burned for some reason so I didn't do much of those but I was just so glad I could eat what everybody else ate...granted it took me three times as long to eat it, though. I'll just be glad when this is allllllllllllllllll over.

Sara,

Hang in there kiddo....you know what I found amazing....it is soooooo wonderful to swallow now and feel NO PAIN, whatsoever. I'm 53 and had mine out on 6-2-05. All of these years, I thought it was "normal" to have throat pain when swallowing and dry scratchy pain in throat when doing physical work....I thought the "dry, very scratchy pain" meant I was thirsty....go figure!

The whole surgery ordeal was WELL WORTH IT!

Cathy

Well, I had mine out on July 18th & today is my first day back at work. I still have those white scabs/patches in the back of my throat - so I guess they'll slowly just slough off, right? I hope soon. I actually had one break open yesterday & had some blood in my throat. It clotted up quickly though. I'm sure my breath smells lovely. :rolleyes: I am attempting to eat a hamburger for dinner tonight - I can't wait!! :bouncing:

I just wanted to say to all of those out there dreading this procedure, it really wasn't that bad. I know everyone has different experiences, but honestly I had more pain with throat infections in the past than this. The best advice I can give is drink tons of water - it really helped & stay on schedule with your pain meds.

Good luck!

Hey SuchiK...I had mine out on the 18th, too! Today is day 10 of recovery and I was able to eat a hamburger and french fries and even drink part of a Dr. Pepper!! The Dr. Pepper started burning after a little while but I was just shocked that I ate some real food! I've been back to work for 1/2 days since Tuesday. I feel so much better now, though. I'm only taking tylenol now. Woo hoo! I still have white patches in my throat, too...but they're thin..nothing like that 1/2 inch thick white stuff that was there the first week. I still can't get a good yawn in because it makes it feel like my whole throat is ripping open but that's minor in the grand scheme of things. I am in no way taking the fact that I could eat a hamburger as a sign that it is now a free for all. I'm still not going to eat anything sharp or even tough in any way shape or form. Plus, this eating like a bird thing is working wonders for my diet. Well....I'm off to watch some TV. I'm tired and sweaty....just go in from taking my dog on a walk. Haven't done that in a while! Thanks everyone for all of the encouragement. I thing this journey is almost over!

Hi Sarakay444,
I've been reading your posts...our stages of recuperation were very similar. I too am unable to yawn & sneezing is very painful. I've also been having this tickle in my throat that causes me to cough - do you have this too? I wonder if it's just tiny pieces of the white scab sloughing off & causing a tickling feeling. Anyway, it hurts a lot to cough as well.

I was able to eat 2 white castle hamburgers last night...yum!! It wasn't easy though & I too ate like a bird, tiny little bites & chew thoroughly. I've lost about 7-8 lbs. so far, I think I may try to stick with it & lose some more weight.

I'm hoping I can get back on the treadmill this weekend & get some exercise again. I haven't felt up to doing that since the operation. I really hope these white things come off this weekend...so tired of looking down my throat with a flashlight. Well, I'd have to say the worst is behind us now.

SushiK-
I read your post and I have to laugh at how similar things are for us right now. Especially, the flashlight part! I used to go get it every day to go look at my throat, now I just keep it in the bathroom on the counter so I don't have to go fetch it every time. :)

Yawning hurts. I haven't sneezed (thank goodness) but I don't think I want to. Blowing my nose hurts. I have to do it very gently...and only one nostril at a time. It's so weird how everything is connected up there. I get tickles and have to cough, not as much as earlier in the week, though.

My pain is pretty much on the right side of my throat and in my right ear....coincidentally the side where my tonsil was the most enlarged. I'm only taking 3 rapid release extra strength tylenol now. I'm so happy to be rid of the codeine. Don't get me wrong, it helped....but I despise liquid medicine.

I've never had White Castle...but I hear that they're small and greasy so hopefully they just slid right down. :) My mom told me not to get fries with my burger because she said I'd get a stomach ache after not eating for a week and a half and then chowing down a burger and fries. I didn't eat all my fries, though. Gave some to my dad and my dog. I couldn't even finish the burger....gave some to my dog, which she thoroughly enjoyed. But my mom was right. I had a stomach ache last night for like 5 hours.

I'm going to take my doctor's advice and wait a FULL two weeks before exercising. I'd probably be okay...but I don't want to take any chances. I'm out of sick days and I can't afford to get sick again for a while. Besides, when I go back to the gym I want to hit it hard because I was seriously slacking off the month before my surgery. I have 57 days until I have to fit into a chiffon bridesmaid dress. It is getting altered next month so I want to be able to take it up at least one size.

Now that the pain is okay, I feel like saying.."oh...that wasn't so bad". But I must remember.....up until Monday, I was in hell. A tonsillectomy for an adult is serious and I must say was probably the worst pain I've ever experienced.

I had my tonsils removed when I was 27 and I was very nervous about it too. I had mine done a week before Thanksgiving and was able to eat a little of Thanksgiving. It did hurt right after I had it done (2-3 days afterwards), but it was worth it because my bad breath went away along with nasty colds and sore throats. I am a teacher so I am always exposed to germs, so it was a good choice for me to do this. I did find that popscicles were good b/c the coldness helped numb the pain. Hot foods were very difficult (even though I was starving!) and ice cream made the mucus (sorry folks) worse. Good luck!

Hi Swayze & Charlatan - did you have anything other than a tonsillectomy. I had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and my uvula was shortened. It was 1 month ago yesterday since my surgery and my taste is way off. Yes, sweets are disgusting - my wife bought Godiva truffles the other day and I actually had to spit it out it tasted so bad (if you can believe that). But not only sweets, everything is altered and nothing tastes the same. I see people on here that are eating burgers 2 weeks out - I tried eating a burger last week and it tasted like I was eating my day planner.

I hope someone can come on here and ease my mind that this will go away - but you guys being 2 & 3 months out from me - I think I am going to go crazy!

Hi Swayze & Charlatan - did you have anything other than a tonsillectomy. I had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and my uvula was shortened. It was 1 month ago yesterday since my surgery and my taste is way off. Yes, sweets are disgusting - my wife bought Godiva truffles the other day and I actually had to spit it out it tasted so bad (if you can believe that). But not only sweets, everything is altered and nothing tastes the same. I see people on here that are eating burgers 2 weeks out - I tried eating a burger last week and it tasted like I was eating my day planner.

I hope someone can come on here and ease my mind that this will go away - but you guys being 2 & 3 months out from me - I think I am going to go crazy!

Peteyby,

When did have your surgery? Mine was June 30th and sweets taste much like cardboard to me. Also, it took me over 3 weeks to be able to eat much more than jello and mashed potatoes. Also, sodas taste funny. I am a smoker too and am still on menthols. I cough at night and have mucus constantly dripping down my throat, almost to the point of vomiting. My ENT said it might be a head cold but i feel as if i have another sinus infection. What is the deal???

Has anyone else gotten sick after their surgery this soon? This sucks!

~heather. :confused:

Hi everyone,

My tonsil surgery was June 17. Things still taste odd. We got a pizza tonight for dinner from a place that uses alot of garlic and guess what. I couldn't taste the garlic. Still can't taste anything sweet. Which is a good thing because I was told a week ago to stay away from sweets due to being borderline diabetic. I still get phlegm up.

Sara, I am glad to hear you have made it through the worst. Just still be careful with what you eat for a couple more weeks.

thanks
thefer

Hi firefly - you & I were on the same day the 30th. If I could accurately explain - I would have to say my taste is moves everything to the bitter side or no taste at all like eating paper. I like Thefer tried pizza tonight w/ garlic and it was just off - the garlic was non-existent. My wife looked at me cross eyed cause she can't imagine how I couldn't taste that pizza. I wish i could just hear from someone who has gone through this and got their taste back, so I can get a better idea of what to expect and see light at the end of the tunnel.

As for your sinus condition, I did have heavy mucus build up from my nose. Not to be gross, but I hacked up flem at the drop of a dime and that nasty, thick yellowish - green stuff. I developed what dr's think was a bacterial infection (lots of stomach problems & I felt like I had a bad flu w/ all the sinus goodies) week 2 of recovery. As a result they put me on 2 anti-biotics flagyl & cipro. I finished the flaygyl this past Wed. and the Cipro will be finished this Sun. - since I have been on those anti-biotics my sinuses have been better, not as much mucus, but I still get my bouts here and there. I am still not feeling 100% - I went back to work this week, so I am just hoping that getting into my daily routine helps me get back to my good old self again.

Hang in there and maybe go see your general Doctor if it persists. I had to do that with the infection - hence the 2nd anti-biotic plus he sent me for the proper testing to identify the situation. If this taste things keeps on - I will be sure to press that as well to get an answer.

Hi Swayze & Charlatan - did you have anything other than a tonsillectomy. I had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and my uvula was shortened.

I had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. What is shortening your uvula for? Yep! Almost three months. Finally, I talked to someone else who had the surgery and they are in month six with terrible taste. They said that their dr. said it takes time to Adjust and get straight. Water is tasting worse and worse. Carbonated drinks are horrid, so i drink lots of water. Now it tastes like ive been soaking skittles in the bottom of the glass. Good luck and keep me posted.

Peteyby.. I only had my tonsils removed. Since you had your uvula shortened too and are still only one month post-op, I'd say give it time to heal. Your taste may very well return to normal. I hope your phlegmy sinus infection gets better soon. It's enough to deal with already, without having infections on top.

Swayze - it was shortened due to restrictions to my airway. I didn't meet the criteria during my sleep apnea test to qualify me for complete removal which is usually the route that doctors go for sleep apnea patients that elect the surgery option. I didn't know he was going to do it before surgery. Before surgery I only knew that the tonsils were a definite - the adenoid removal was based upon what he evaluated during surgery. So when I awoke from surgery - I ended up getting it all. He felt that it would really increase my quality of life from sleeping, snoring and the lovely tonsillitis and sinus infections that I have been battling my whole life. The same surgeon did my deviated septum 2 years back and that surgery went beautifully - there was such a difference after that surgery, as I never could really breathe through my nose prior and now it is just great! Plus - the intensity of my sinus infections improved as the pressure build up subsided.

The reason that I am getting concerned about the taste is that I can't seem to get a straight answer of when it will go back to normal. I know that everyone's body is different - but for those who suffer from this side effect there should be a point where a doctor should say that it is normal, but if we find ourselves x months out and the condition persists we have to be concerned. As many on this board have shared - 3,4, 6 months with this effect - that just plain sucks.

In my professional life and my personal life I do a lot of entertaining around wine tastings and small seminars - with my taste in this condition it will be hard to truly and effectively continue to give my opinions and share enjoyment with my clients - so it looks as though I may be in a long haul relying on others taste buds and hope that the research I read (tasting notes, pairings etc.) is correct.

But you are correct Charlatan - I'll give it time to heal. I visit my ENT at the end of Aug., so if the symptoms persist - I will have to lay a game plan out with him and try to map out when we should be concerned.

DBAUM? Hiya, I just wondered how you're doing? Did your sinus operation cure your one-sided dropped palate? :)

Does anyone feel like they get choked easier now after their tonsillectomy?
I'm on day 13 of my recovery and I'm pretty much back to normal. I'm eating okay and pain is almost non-existent but I seemed to choke easier. Sometimes even when I'm drinking water I'll realize that it has come out my nose! Attractive, huh? Just wondering if anyone else has experienced it.
Also, now that I'm eating real food again, I'm getting killer stomach aches. I'm sure its just from eating like a bird for two weeks then switching back to my old diet. Anyone else experience this?

Does anyone feel like they get choked easier now after their tonsillectomy?
I'm on day 13 of my recovery and I'm pretty much back to normal. I'm eating okay and pain is almost non-existent but I seemed to choke easier. Sometimes even when I'm drinking water I'll realize that it has come out my nose! Attractive, huh? Just wondering if anyone else has experienced it.
Also, now that I'm eating real food again, I'm getting killer stomach aches. I'm sure its just from eating like a bird for two weeks then switching back to my old diet. Anyone else experience this?

Yes, that happened to me. I still have it a little and I am on day 32 I think. It's because your soft palatte Gets "lazy" during the surgery. That is how my ENT described it. I still choke on bread and have not fully gone back to a regular diet, like chips/crackers/etc. b/c of that fact. As far as the stomach aches go, yes, had those also. I had to stay on the liquid/soft diet longer than most since I had complications from my T&A and the healing took longer, i didnt really lose my scabs (with no noticeable bleeding) until week 3 or so... I know! Weird!

Anyways, PETEYBY- I had a deviated septum and had my sinuses "roter-rooted" about 3 years ago also. And you are saying that b/c of your tonsils and adenoids, you still got sinus infections??? ME TOO! Thank god someone else knows about this. My old ENT was telling me I'd probably NEVER have a sinus problem again. HAH! I dont see him anymore, and it took me 3 different doctors to do my T&A finally, June 30th! So, is there a light at the end of the tunnel? Or should I call my ENT back and get on antibiotics. It is about day 10 since I've had mucus constantly running down the back of my throat and making me cough horribly to the point of almost vomiting at night. Plus all the facial pain. BUT, I had a sinus CT scan in June that showed nothing, which is why I had the T&A surgery sooner than expected... PLEASE HELP. Thanks!

~heather

P.S. I DONT have a "general doctor." I am a college student with a horrible health center on campus that kept throwing antibiotics at me for over 8 months... :nono:

I'm not on the liquid/soft diet anymore but some things are still a little weird. I tried to drink pop today for the first time and it almost feels like it takes my breath away. I can't explain it. I haven't tried chips or anything really crunchy like that but the past few days I've just been eating whatever and hoping that I don't have a coughing fit. Tomorrow it will be exactly two weeks since my surgery. From what it sounds, I think I got lucky and that I had a speedy recovery.

I can't even imagine not having health insurance. I had to pay a $100 co-pay for my surgery and that's all. I'm a student, too....but I'm getting through school by working at the university full-time. If you're a full-time employee, then you take 6 classes a year 100% FREE. Not many people can say that they got their MBA for free. Another perk? Full health insurance. I am really curious to see the bill for my T&A. I wonder how much the whole thing cost.

Hey Sarakay,
Sounds like you're healing nicely. I had stomach aches too, but unfortunately mine ended in diarrhea, it was from the antibiotic - I stopped taking it & the stomach aches went away.

Do you still have white patches in your throat? I do. They are smaller & don't look quite as thick, but still there. I still have some discomfort with swallowing, but it's better. I actually bled a little yesterday after I sneezed really hard, man did that hurt. As far as food goes, I've been eating most things, no hard cereal or crunchy chips or anything yet.

The choking thing happened to me once early on in recovery & I had water come out my nose. I have a little choking problem with drinking liquids, but nothing has come out my nose since, just a little coughing.

I actually went on a short hike in a state park yesterday, but still haven't gotten back on the treadmill, hopefully this week sometime.

I go back to see my ENT next week, how about you?

That is too funny firefly - yeah the antibiotics did wonders for me, much better now. If you can't kick it - then go to the meds. Hopefully for you & I this will be the last for infection for a while. Now, if my taste came back I may be on top of the world :)

Hi Charlatan--Sorry I haven't posted in awhile. No the surgery didn't do a thing except make matters worse. I just had a second CT scan and will be seeing the ENT today. Seems the surgery center or the Doc did not send a culture off after sinus surgery to see if I had a fungal infection which is very different and very hard to treat. I think my palate will always be lopsided, but right now that's the least of my concerns. I just want this to end.

I am most certain you are doing well. Am I right? Hey, how that sweet BF of yours?

SushiK-

Oh man...my stomach aches ended in the big D as well.....I was just too embarassed to say that. :rolleyes: We're talking 4 days straight of torture. I've been okay since then, though. It's nothing I'm not used to, though. I have IBS so I have stomach aches about every day anyway. I've been