Hello.

I am 43 yo woman, having my tonsils out on 21 Nov. My question is...should I purchase a humidifier before the surgery, and if so, shoudl it be cool mist or warm mist, or a steam vaporizer??

Also, I'm having septoplaty and turbinate reduction at the same time. WISH ME WELL!!!:eek:

Chessie63,

Look into my record... ignore the bleeding and thrush complications I am sure you will follow a more normal recovery route. I posted my trials and tribulations in my LisaMP's Guide repost. I had a T&A alongside a full endoscopic surgery.. sinus window insertion, passage openning, and membrane extraction, etc. It might give you an idea of things to expect.

To answer your question about a humidifier. it is unnecessary to purchase one. You can have better results by using saline solution every two hours or so. Your ENT will probably prescribe it in your recovery routine after surgery. Both mine did as well as my son's and husbands ENTs. It is essential to keep the sinuses irrigated and moist to speed the healing progress and minimize pain due to drying out. I had a humidifier and we used it during... 5 separate sinus surgeries for three different people. It didn't make that big of difference, but the saline rinses and constant hydration (drinking over 100+ ounces of water a day) made an extreme difference once you got passed the initial irritation and were the best way to go for us.

Other things to help manage the pain to come and recommended by my sinus and T&A challenged family, as well as many others on this board.

1) 2% viscous oral lydocaine gargle... don't gargle this, swish and swirl then spit. Gargling will cause excessive pain and may prematurely dislodge your scabs.

2) oticaine ear drops - lydocaine ear drops for the ear pain due to swelling and the descabbing process. Liquid gold in the pain management department. Allowed my 3.5 year old son to go from screaming and crying to eating chicken finger in 15 minutes.

3) ice packs for the first 5 days to hold on the throat and help reduce swelling and minimize bleeding.

4) heating pads for your ears... use right after ear drop insertion... heavenly.

5) Take your pain med's routinely until you are through with the descabbing process.

6) Stay hydrated drink lots of water. The more you drink the better you will feel.

7) Simply saline - nasal spray... best for getting in and thoroughly irrigating my sinuses. My son used childrens saline solution - Ayr.

Good luck on your upcoming surgery. Make a list of questions, because you will be to drugged the day of your surgery to ask them... and read them or get your significant other to ask them and right down the answers.

Best wishes.
MG

Thank you so much. I have read your complete post, in fact I printed it out for my boyfriend to read.

Your information is sure to make recovery easier for me. Thanks again.

I would also like to recommed to stock up on premade food you will be eating these days. After the first few painfull days you wont really wanna go out out, and the last thing you want when you are ready to suck itup and get something down to your stomach is to have to wait for someone else to make it or to buy it, its only the first few days at least. And I also recommend the Freezies, they help tremendously.

Best of lUCK!

Alonso

I personally would reccommend a humidifier. I used a warm mist one, and it made a difference for me. The problem is that you don't want your throat to get dried out while you're sleeping. It can happen if the air in your house is too dry. It being winter and all (I don't know how your winters are where you live), I would suggest the humidifer. I really, really would. I think it really made a difference for me and I'm glad I had it during my recovery.

Bracelet,

I am from the south and live right off a river, so my ambient humidity tends to be at its maximum. The allergist and ENT strongly recommended agaist the use of humidifiers in our home as a result of our allergies. I tried it, because it was so strongly recommended. In my case I didn't see any improvement. Sleeping with a wet rag over my face and using the saline spray rinses proved to offer me the most dramatic results.

Bracelet is right, these next three months are going to be the worst and driest... if you are in a low humidity zone and you do not have medical reasons not too a humidifier might be good for you.

Sincerely,
MG