Hi, guys. I've been reading these boards for the last month and I just want to say thank you to all who have contributed. I found some really great information here and it has helped me know what to expect.

I had my tonsils out this afternoon. I don't remember much... Got to the hospital at 10am for my 1130 surgery but my doc was running really behind. I think I went in around 2 or 3. I know they clamed my tongue down and put a tube down my throat to help me breathe. He said they used a cold blade and lasers to take them out.

When I woke up my throat hurt, but it was about the same as my worst sore throat ever. Like I had been screaming at a concert all night or something. They gave me tons of morphine. Then they moved me to a different recovery area, and eventually gave me liquid tylenol 3 w/ codeine. I was sipping water just fine w/ a straw and the nausea (which was very minimal) had passed. They offered me crackers, but I wasn't hungry at all. More thirsty than anything. I was able to talk ok, but stopped after a while since I feared that was making the pain worse. After a while I was allowed to leave, this was a little after 6pm.

It took forever to get home because we left during rush hour PLUS it was raining here and people forget how to drive in rain. I was so thirsty that my throat was getting dry and I started to be in pain again. My friend dropped me off and went to Walgreens to get my pain meds (liquid tylenol 3 w/ codeine and amoxicillian) and I just laid on the couch with an ice pack on my throat and ears. My ears hurt a little, but not too bad. Walgreens took a long time because of the upcoming holiday, so my friend didn't get back until 8 with my drugs. I took some codeine and dozed off and on for about 4 hours, which is good because that way i could keep drinking gatorade. I woke up at midnight and I'm wide awake, so I'm contemplating eating some sherbet or jello since I haven't eaten since 8pm Monday night. I'm not hungry at all, but I just feel like I should attempt something... The pain is only bad when I swallow. It feels like there's something in my throat which is driving me nuts. I also feel the need to clear my throat and cough up some phlegm, which i'm scared to do at the moment. My uvula is about 3 times it's normal size, but I'm too scared too look at anything else back there right now. I know tomorrow I'll be in front of the mirror with a flashlight though, hehe.

I guess I'll update this as I go along... After reading everyone else's experiences I'm expecting the worst, so maybe it won't be as bad as what I'm anticipating. Mind over matter! :)

I know that feeling, I can see the phlegm at the back of my throat with a little dark blood...probably either from my septoplasty, inferior turbinates, or from Uvulectomy...

My suggestion is DON'T try to hack up anything in your throat. Use liquids to wash it down.

If you must clear it, do it VERY, VERY carefully...I am thinking if you could aggravate your throat and any healing clots by clearing your throat too strongly. Just my humble opinion.

I wish you the best of luck. Be prepared for pain and discomfort. It's bad, but it's not unbearable. Crushed ice (in a ziploc wrapped in cloth) on the throat every half hour really helps me a lot. I find that the nights are always the worst for me. Sleep with a bottle of water so that you can have sips when you wake up.

I've got water and gatorade at my side all the time. I also slept on the couch last night with the tv on - the noise from the tv kept waking me up, so I was able to stay on top of my medicine. It worked out well for me so far... hopefully I can keep it up and it won't be so bad. I'm thinking positive now, but who knows, that may change. :)

Today hasn't been so bad. I can't talk at all, and it really only hurts when I swallow, cough, or try to talk. I'm not hungry at all, though I forced myself to eat half a pudding cup this morning and I just ate a scrambled egg. I'm pretty coherent. I feel ok other than the pain, although my stomach is starting to hurt now since I just ate the egg. But when I stop and think that I haven't had real food since 8pm on Monday, then it kind of explains it.

I brushed my teeth a little while ago and one side hurt really bad, but I don't know if that's related at all. I feel like I can taste blood every one in a while, but I've spit a few times and there's no blood.

So... so far, so good. I really, really hope it stays this way. The biggest piece of advice I have so far is to stay on top of the medicine. That's been key for me, as well as drinking a lot.

And how are you feeling now? I am a 23-yr-old female getting ready to have mine taken out on Tuesday Sept. 5th… I like hearing stories like yours - makes it seem like I'll be able to stand it! :)But after 2 peritonsillar abscesses, I think I know throat pain :) I'm hoping it won't be too bad... Best of luck to you!

Today was... different. The pain is the same - there, but tolerable. It is starting to move into my ears, but it's not bad so far. Again, staying hydrated and staying on top of my pain meds is working wonders for me.

However, today I am extremely nauseous. About 4 or 5 times today I've wanted to vomit, but I have fought it back because I've read how bad it can be.

I ate some mashed potatoes earlier and felt much better, but the nausea eventually returned. I actually dread taking my meds now because they taste so gross I'm worried it will trigger the vomiting, but somehow I'm managing.

I glanced at the back of my throat in the mirror earlier and was horrified. I promised myself not to look again, especially while I'm feeling so nauseous...

So, all in all I'm hanging in there. I'm hoping the trend continues...

Sounds like you are in the same phase I am. Constant nausea in the morning and pretty much off and on throughout the day.

But for me the Tylenol with Codiene seems to make me feel better...the Percocet makes me feel more nauseas.

I hope when I wake up tomorrow I am not as in much pain as I was the other two days. On the bright side I am one day closer to the Pain Free Bliss I hear everyone talking about.

I had a similar experience with nausea. I've been taking Percocets and they don't seem to bother my stomach to the point of feeling sick. However, there has been a persistent "chemical" taste in my mouth that makes everything taste very bad. It feels like the pills don't go down and dissolve at the back of my mouth - even though I know I'm swallowing them. This taste seems to trigger nausea for me. Does anyone else have this taste?

My doctor told me to crush the perocet and mix with juice...not sure if that is allowed for you but it made the damn things easier to get down my throat.

On a side note this morning I posted earlier I got really sick to my stomach. :( So be careful of those pain meds, they can make you vomit. I had an empty stomach mostly so it wasn't really bad, but still unpleasant.

I don't think I posted yesterday - so, yesterday was probably the worst day so far. I was in more pain than I had been in, but it was tolerable. I made mashed potatoes for lunch and they were really painful to eat, but once I got them down it was totally fine. The rest of the day was normal. Generally tired and weak, pain when I swallowed, talked, etc. Very light headed.

Today was the BEST day so far, which makes me fear what's ahead. I've read about people having a good day followed by a bad day.

Anyway, today I woke up well rested. I was in pain, but I took my meds right away and I was able to eat an entire cup of Jello for breakfast (haven't been able to do that yet) AND I was able to get by on 1/2 dose of my pain meds. I was feeling so good I actually sat up most of the day, rather than just laying down propped up. Barely any dizziness at all! I made mushy mac and cheese for a late lunch, and I cannot begin to describe how much better I felt after I got that down. I had NO pain when eating, and I just had SO much energy. I even tidied up the living room since I haven't left it since Tuesday! :) It felt so GOOD to feel NORMAL again. I even had a friend come over tonight and watch a movie with me. We baked a cake thinking moist cake would be ok for me to eat, but it turned out a little dry and it was like torture eating it since the little cake bits were getting stuck in my throat. Yuck. I talked more than I should have while my friend was here and I was definitely in pain when he left, but no worse than a bout of strep. He even commented that I was acting like my normal self, other than my talking. Yay!!

So, I'm not getting TOO excited yet that the worst may be over, but I'm more optimistic than I've been... I guess I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop -- the scabs coming off. *sigh* But I'm thinking positive! (or trying to.) I just wish I knew when the worst was over so I could tell myself that.

Right now I'm sick of sweet stuff. My pain meds are very sweet and I've been drinking gatorade nonstop to stay hydrated (water too, but gatorade helps with the nasty taste in my mouth), so when I need to eat I don't want anything sugary like ice cream or sherbet or popsicles or jello. The only non sugary foods I have are mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and egg noodles. I need more options! When can I start eating meat again? I am dying for some chicken or tuna... I can't chew very well since my tongue is still swollen. I noticed tonight I can't open my mouth very wide either. Hmmm...

Jogo, glad you are feeling better. I am on Day 11 myself. I know exactly what you mean, I was feeling a lot better the past few days but my scabs started to come off a little more aggressively today and I awoke coughing and in a fair amount of pain. More than the past three days...so I was totally bummed that I felt better only to feel worse.

I have been eating a few other things that have tasted good...soups, chicken, cream of corn (no bits), southwest chowder (no bits), chicken w/ noodle, etc. etc. etc.

I have had scrambled eggs also. And doctor made a suggestion (its a bit much) but she said it was Chinese (I being 1/2 Japanese can neither confirm nor deny) and it is basically really wet rice that is mashed up to create a starchy paste. Personally I can't imagine that being tasty, but she said it has the same effects as toast and saltines do for nausea. I have had really wet rice though (not mashed on purpose) and it was not bad at all.

I have been noticed I have been craving salty...but scared of too salty on the throat.

Day 10 update -

The past couple days haven't been so bad. There's been pain when I eat, and I've been waking up once in the middle of the night every night in pain. Nothing a quick shot of my codeine can't fix.

The pain has mainly been on the right side, and I think I finally figured out why. It appears as though the swelling has gone down and the scabs are falling off of the right side, but the left side is still swollen and covered in white scabs. So when I eat and swallow the opening on the right is bigger, so it keeps hitting everything on the right. It's fun times. I also feel like sometimes food is getting stuck back there, which is gross.

I'm not sure if I should be concerned that the left side is still swollen. It hasn't really hurt at all - when I woke up last night it was a little sore but today it's fine. I guess the worst has yet to come with that side...

My energy level has returned to normal. I went for a short walk yesterday and was fine. Today I've been cleaning the house and it's been ok. My voice sounds more normal today than it has. It's definitely still strained, a little froggy, and it still hurts to talk. But when my dad called earlier he commented that I sounded really good. Another friend commented the other day that my voice is higher, which is interesting. We'll see if my voice has changed once I'm all healed.

I'm going stir crazy and want to go back to work, but that's not happening until Tuesday. One of my coworkers said to enjoy this week off since I won't want to be at work once I get back. :)

jogo, huh, the swelling should have gone down by now on the left side. I would ask your doctor at your post op checkup. I am assuming you have one scheduled for sometime soon.

Yeah enjoy the time off, I went back and was fine on Day 12. But if your left scabs haven't come off yet, you'll have it happen soon...eating tends to "help" along that...depending on what you eat.