I had hijacked someone elses thread and started feeling guilty about it. So my appolgies to all. I've decided to post my own experiences, all in one thread. I know how it goes for someone newly scheduled for a tonsillectomy. There are a lot questions, fears. I don't know all of the answers. I can only pass on what my experiences allow me. I will swear by some of the short term solutions I have to my own pain and nutrition issues. All opinions are purely mine. Some of this might help someone else about to go through what I am currently going through. Or it could be that it only helps me because I am able to put this out there for someone to share if they wish. Here is my story.

I am currently 45 years old and exceptionally healthy, except for the tonisls that is. I started having problems with my tonsils about 5 years ago. Every year I get tonsilitis. Antibiotics never seem to help. It's never strep. Up until this year I have dealt with the pain, knowing it would go away eventually. This year it was different. The pain spread, referred, to my ears. And it was so bad that Dr. ENT gave me vicadin for the pain. We CTs of my head and neck. And of course he finally said it was time for tem to go.

I've always known that it wasn't going to be pleasant for a man my age. But after we scheduled the surgery I looked and found various threads and read everything I could. I even printed LisaMP's guide for my wife and I. We stocked up on pudding, potatoes and popsicles. The things I thought I would want. My surgery was scheduled for Thursday 9/6 at 1:45 PM.

Early Thursday morning the doctors scheduler called and asked if I could come in to surgery early. Of course I could. I didn't have anything else to do that day. So about noon Thursday the anesthesiologist gave me a shot and said wave good bye to my wife. That was the last thing I remember until the recovery room. My wife was there too. Everyone was trying to get me to eat that dumb popsicle. I ate it so they wold let me go home. My wife had filled my prescritions while I was being cut so we were ready to go home. I really don't remember the ride home. I just remember her putting some sheets on the couch so I wouldn't have to climb the stairs.

I was hungry when I first got home so she made me some mashed potatoes. They went down smooth and I felt great. I was prescribed liquid Amoxicillian and liquid hydrocodone, 2-4 teaspoons every 4 hours. Well they had given me two tsp at the hospital for the trip home. So after I ate I took 2 tsp more to get on a schedule. I ate some of the basics that first day. Mashed potatoes, pudding (just once), a popsicle. Mostly though I found that I was craving Cream of Wheat and jello. We had not stocked up on either because it hadn't occured to me that I would want either, since I don't normally eat them. And that first day I got myself on a schedule, taking hydrocodone every 4 hours for the pain. She even set the alarm to wake up and get it for me. The problem is...hydrocodone keeps me awake. But it does take the edge off of the pain.

The first 24 hours weren't too bad at all. She went and got what I was craving to eat. I killed the pain, and ate as often as I could. It was never a lot, but I tried to keep the intake up. I also have a water bottle with me constantly. And I am drinking out of it those first 48 hours...

It was right around noon on Saturday, 48 hours into my recovery, that I started feeling things that I thought wouldn't be coming for a couple of more days. Referred pain in my ears. Yes, both of them. Intense pain when I tried to swallow. A little tingling in my tounge. Pain in my teeth, sinuses, neck. It's not too bad to start with. I put a new schedule together. 15 miinutes before I am supposed to take hydrocodone I eat some jello. It makes my throat exercise and prepares it for swallowing what I really want. MEDICNE. During the day it wasn't so bad. A couple of hours after I take the hydrocodone I am ready for a small meal. My favorite meal right now is Cream of Wheat with a Carnation Instant Breakfast chaser. Later in the day, I get some scrambled eggs. I'm really doing good with nutrition.

By late Saturday (late into my second day of recovery) my hydrocodone dose was only lasting a couple of hours. The pain was radiating down my throat. It is on the side that the worst tonsil was on. My ears hurt something fierce. When I swallow, the pain on that one side is terrible. I still managed some more eggs and Carnation Instant Breakfast, apparently I am going to try to eat every 4 hours. Right now it hurts so much when I eat that I actually pace around the island in our kitchen as I swallow. I still eat and drink though, I am determined to heal. I set the alarm for midnight, put an ice pack on my neck and actually fall asleep for an hour or so.

So an hour ago (midnight) I woke up. Drank some water, ate some jello. And took 4tsp of hydrocodone. It seems to be working right now. I am trying to drink some water while it doesn't hurt so much. I feel well hydrated, and not all that hungry. The cool thing is that I can already see the scabs shrinking. I know that is why I am having the pain right now. I'm healing.

I had read about the different stages. I was expecting it to start hurting more than it was when I first got home. And when it first starting getting bad I wasn't surprised. When it got really bad, I was surprised. I had read everyone had written. But I didn't believe it would be that bad for me. Not after the first couple of days. Like most everyone else, I was wrong.

Well the medication is working for the time being. I am going to put another ice pack on my neck and set the alarm for 4:00AM.

So this is the worse before it gets better part. It isn't too bad if I sit here and don't move. My throat appears to think it is smarter than my brain. I can poor water into my mouth or stick some jello in there but I can't make the entire organism try to swallow it. I might be getting better as I swallow a little more. I learned the hard way on day one that I need something in my stomach before I drink the hydrocodone. I haven't been sick from it, but it doesn't feel good to drink it on an empty stomach. A little jello seems to do the trick for me.

I think I slept for about two hours. It is a record since the surgery. I knew I would get tired enough eventually. It was sleep apnea that woke me up. Scary to snap awake like that. I didn't suffer from sleep apnea before the surgery. I think it is an issue now because of the swollen uvula. If I am sort of half reclining on the couch. My mouth in just the right position trying to breath through my nose, I can feel my uvula close against the back of my throat. It seals up tight.

Until last night my wife had been in charge of the medication. She has to go back to work Monday morning so I asked her to let me do it myself tonight. She made me a little chart saying what I get at each 4 hour period. When she makes it idiot proof like that I ca handle it. But I would suggest making it easy like that during the first day when you can still think. I find that as the pain increases my thought processes aren't what they usually are. I do miss her being there with me though. I know she needs to catch up on her sleep for tomomorrow.

My medicine for this hour is hydrocodone and amoxicillin. I have finshed with the hydrocodone. I will wait 15 minutes or so for it to kick in before I swallow the amoxicillin. I would repeat this paragraph if it weren't so easy. This is not something you would think about normally. It took me a day a half to figure it out.

My scabs are reducing rapidly. I hesitate to say anything, but I haven't had any bleeding issues yet. The surgeon said I didn't bleed much during the procedure. I just hope the scabs stay on long enough for things to heal. Although if my memory is correct it is the scabs coming off that is causing the pain I am in.

This is the part that worries me the most. I have no choice but to manage the pain. But I don't want to have another procedure to seal up an artery. And it does hurt quite a bit, so I know I am not drinking as much as I was. I have been trying to drink a whole bottle of water once the medication kicks in every four hours. And I sip on some in between. Hopefully it is enough.

I had read in here somewhere that people had problems when brushing their teeth after the surgey. I haven't had a problems. I anticipated much pain when the tooth paste hit the site, but I didn't feel a thing. Of course I also did that about an hour after I took some hydrocodone. That hour later seem to be my time to shine.

That's enough for now. I am going to try to sleep for a couple more hours.

The 8 o'clock hour brings even more pain this morning. My throat, ears, neck are all feeling the effects of the surgery. I'm surprised I am in such a good mood considering the pain I feel.

I had to change my routine slightly and take the hydrocodone before the jello I use to keep my stomach settled. After the jello and most of a bottle of water I feel that I might be ready for a little breakfast. So cream of wheat and carnation instant breakfast it is again today. For a little variety she put some brown sugar into the cream of wheat. I had been trying to eat and drink right after the meds, but I am wondering if I should try to space it more throughout the four hours.

So I have been trying to write this while I take my time and eat. The truth is that I feel less pain if force everything down quickly. The pain medication only helps the swallowing pain for about an hour.

The thing that has been waking me up the past few hours is what feels like a twitch in my throat where the largest tonsil used to be. It is a painfull twitch. I am guessing there was a lot of trauma there.

I found a website that has videos of several different types of tonsillectomies being performed. I really don't recommend any of them for most people. I was curious so I had to see it.

Well this was enough for me. I have swallowed everything I can for now..If you are reading this and feeling something close to what I am, hang in there. It is only temporary. It will be over...

As I read back through what I have written I am surprised at the terrible editing job I have done. Actually the problem is that I haven't tried to edit any of it. Apparently I am having issues with some of the basics of the English langage. My thanks to all of you for not pointing out my shortcomings. My normally questionable compostion skills are even more hampered by pain.

I am once again eating jello to line my stomach for the hydrocodone. I keep trying to find things to do to minimize the pain for whatever I am trying to do. Nothing seem to work the same way twice. The pain in the past four hours hasn't gone away at all. It is mostly farther back in my throat when I swallow. My ears ache all of the time now. And I am still bothered by a painfull twitching in my throat when I try to sleep. I feel a little hot but I do live in Arizona. So we feel that way all of the time.

The hydrocodone burned my throat this time. A sign of the scabs healing? Not a very pleasant sign in any case. It's hard to believe that I am three days post op. It feels like I have hurt like this forever. Before now I had been tyring to keep my mouth pretty still when I wasn't eating or drinking. It has been difficult to swallow though so now I am exercising my mouth and tounge a little. It did seem to help with the jello a little. At least this time.

I keep a little flashlight close and check the scabs often. I imagine I would taste the blood if it started bleeding too bad. But I keep looking anyway. They don't heal like normal scabs. I am assuming that what I am seeing is healing. It's almost like they are fading away. They start out a bright white, sometimes with a little silver. Then I notice less silver and the white fades with a hint of pink. The pink sometimes comes with just a drop of blood. After a while the white is gone and it is nice pink skin. Unfortunately I can't see the part of the scab that is causing the most pain right now. It has begun to hurt when I speak as well. I didn't speak much at all the first day. I could speak very softly yesterday morning. Last night and this morning it hurts when I try to speak. I suspect that the area causing the most pain right now is where the left tonsil had extended very far down my throat. It was huge.

I think I am at the point today where I am willing to try to eat something besides eggs and cream of wheat. Maybe some pasta today. I would love to have a coke. It's funny, I don't really miss any of the foods I can't eat. The rest of the family had a nice Sunday morning breakfast. And that didn't bother me at all. I know my time will come again.

Well everyone else has gone to the grandparents for grandparents day. I am going back to my couch. I will watch as much golf as I can (I should be playing, I play every weekend). I won't fight the sleep if it comes.

Three days, fours hours post op. I was able to sleep on and off for the past couple of hours. The pain kept waking me up. It seems like the pain moves into a new place every four hours or so. Actually I should say that it expands into new places. It still hurts in all of the old places as well. It's like little pain buddies roam around looking for anything else that could possbily add to your agony.

To be more specific. It appears that the inside of my mouth is changing shape. I had the enlarged tonsils for so long that I don't know what it should look like. What I do know is that while this metamorphosis is occuring I have an overwhelming desire to drink a whole bottle of hydrocodone. So I am eating that darn jello again waiting for the next ten minutes to pass so I can have my little 4tsp of hydrocodone.

Okay, so I have taken the pain meds. As I feel better I will check out my mouth better. But it appears that the holes where my tonsils used to be are filling. It kind of feels like when my braces were moving my teeth. Except there is something else moving. I will have to ask Dr. ENT about that when I see him. It does make a little sense. When I swallow now the liquids don't try to rush into my nose the way they have since the surgery. The pain of swallowing is still there. But you get used to that...no you don't. At least I haven't yet.

My tongue has a hard spot on it that hasn't gone away yet. It kind of feels like parts of it are stitched together and they pull when I move my tongue. I still have pretty nasty breath according to my loving wife. I don't expect that to go away until the scabs are gone.

I just looked at my mouth again. It actually looks like it is taking on the same shape as every other mouth in my family. Although the kids may be traumatized for a while now. I always thought that the inside of their mouths were shaped wierd. Apparently it was mine that was odd.

The hard part is that my mouth decided to make the appearance change in just a few hours. I have looked at my mouth at least every 4 hours since I got home. I wonder if it started because I decided to do a few mouth and tongue exercises a few hours ago. Mostly what I have done is open and close my mouth and move my tongue around. Whatever caused it I have been in pain for the past two hours waiting for this dose on hydrocodone. While I was sleeping I put an ice pack on the most offensive side of my neck. It seemed to help.

I don't feel bad other than my head. So I find I have to be a little carefull that I don't try to do something around the house that I shouldn't do. Everyone is pretty good about making sure I behave.

Three days eight hours post op. I think it's funny how I thought things were going so well for me such a short time ago. Now I have thirty minutes until medication time and I can't wait. Once again I will force down the jello. It is like swallowing a knife. I'm at the stage where it hurts even if I just sit here, not moving. But the jello will do its job and make sure I keep the hydrocodone down.

I've felt like I have a fever on and off all day today. The thermometer confirms it. But it is only 99.7. Not high enough to worry about yet. I don't see anything that looks wrong in my throat besides the pain. It all looks good.

I have had to change several things about my schedule today. I used to try and eat 2 hours after taking the pain meds. This afternoon I have moved it up to between 30 and 60 minutes after taking the hydrocodone. After 2 hours I hurt terribly again. A quick check of the scabs show they are indeed healing.

I did all of the research before the surgery. I know why they hurt right now. I do understand. But I wish they wouldn't. Even my dog knows something is wrong.

Well, I know it is only 8:00PM but I am going to try ad get a head start on the night. If nothing else, sleep helps the time pass.

Three and a half days post op. I just slept for almost four hours. I woke up twice during the time but it was still almost four hours. A personal post op best. I don't appear to have the fever any more. And the pain is just about where we last left it.

As my mouth continues to change interior shapes it becomes more painful, and harder to open and close it. I wonder if I over did moving the mouth and tongue earlier. I doubt it, I had heard that the faster you started chewing gum the faster you would heal. It seems to me that the more gum you would chew would demand more swallowing. That has to hurt. Seriously, I do have some gum I bought to help me heal. I'm just not willing to use it yet.

I had set my alarm so I could keep up with the pain. I'm not sure if I really needed it or not. I did wake up about 30 minutes before I actually got up. So I probably would have been awake without it.

Earlier tonight my wife was calculating when she would have to call in for a refill on the hydrocodone. That was nice. She is looking out for me. It brought to her mind another question. How addicted am I getting to this stuff? Is kicking the addiction another pain I get to endure on the back side of this? And how is it that I read of people not taking anything but tylenol for pain after the first couple of days. I could have lived on tylenol the first day or two. But not since then.

It may appear that I spend a lot of my time thinking about the shape of my mouth. And I guess I do. It makes sense when you consider that my mouth had been the shape that it was for so long. I have to wonder how my voice will sound when I can speak again. My voice has found a level that is moderately comfortable. But it is very soft and doesn't sound like me at all.

I keep trying to have a good attitude about all of this. There was really only once that I was a little less than thrilled with what I had done to myself. I keep telling myself that it will be over in a couple of days. And then I will be fairly free of tonsil problems.

I would talk about that some more but the medicine has kicked in and I am ready to sleep again.

Three days 16 hours post op. I looked back and it was around 24 hours ago that I started feeling the severe pain. It's is multiplied this morning by having actually slept for almost four hours again. It is so much harder to swallow and move the mouth and tongue after being still for a couple of hours. In other words...OUCH! Actually it feels like I am having spasms in my throat.

I know I mentioned at some point that the pain was also in my ears. I don't know if any of you had tonsillitis to the degree that you had the reffered pain in your ears. But that is exactly what this feels like. Last month it was this ear pain that was the worst of it for me. Today the ear pain feels mild, even though it is the same pain as I had then. Almost like an old friend.

It is hard to tell yet if my mouth feels better (the throat does not feel better). It is hard to open after being asleep for so long. But it looks more like the throat of a healthy person. Well, you know except for the nasty scabs on the throat and the unidentified growth on the tongue. I am able to brush my teeth with little problems. But I don't force the brush too far past the last molars. I read in someone elses post that they thought they might go to the dentist after they finished recovering. I think it's a great idea. It might just be time for a good cleaning.

I meantioned a few hours ago that my voice wasn't quite what it used to be. I am still speaking at a strange whisper. Part of this is because I couldn't speak in a normal vioce even if I wanted to. So basically I push it until I think it will hurt if I push it any more. It is loud enough to hear over the phone. But sounds sick enough that anyone on the other end of the phone will let you go if you say you need to go.

I have just read LisaMP's guide to adult tonsillectomy, again. It is an excellent guide and will help prepare a patient and their family for downfalls of such a surgery. The big thing to remember is that everyone heals at a different rate. The guide says that stage 1 lasts 1-3 days or thereabouts. So remember, yours could be 1 or even 4 or 5. I was just under 2 days when I hit stage 2 of LisaMP's chart. I really thought it was too early. But I am healing.

I don't know what happened. For the last day or so, about 45 minutes after I take the hydrocodone I get very tired. So I am going to go to sleep before the family gets up for work/school.

Three days and almost 20 hours post op. I am not sure what changed with the medicine but it has made me so very tired for the past twelve hours or so. Hydrocodone usually keeps me awake. And it did keep me awake for the first few days. Now it seems like it puts e right to sleep. My wife thinks I could have just finally reached my breaking point and need the sleep. Either way I am getting it now. I have been sleeping on the couch so she can sleep all night. I would sleep in the guest room but we only have limited cable in there. And the couch is close to everything I need. Besides, it was kind of nice to see everyone when they woke up this morning.

The pain in my mouth is the same as it was last time I wrote. I think you can know too much about things sometimes. I know that the pain is supposed to be the worst just before you heal. I keep hoping this is the worst of the pain. Although I have found that I really can't speak as well this morning as i did yesterday.

For the unpleasant subject. I have been constipated since the surgery. I have not been able to go even once. I am not dehydrated. It's just what the hydrocodone does for me. Since I don't speak so well yet I have asked my wife to call the doctor today. She did talk to the pharmacist on Saturday. They said not to worry about it. I'm not really eating alot. I just feel like I need to go to the bathroom and can't. Or I don't want to strain too much and cause bleeding from my throat. If I get a good solution I'll let you know.

The scabs are still healing. They are shrinking very slowly. I guess that explains the long term pain. It was terrible waking up this morning. But I think it was worth sleeping through most of the night last night. As you can see by my posts I was up just enough to take some medicine and write a little here.

Just under four days post op. Another lesson learned today. After my 8:00AM meds I stayed awake to check work email. Catch up on what I could for work. But I didn't eat as much as I should have. I just didn't feel like it because of the pain I was having before the meds. I did manage to get some water down, and a carnation instant breakfast. But cold isn't good right now. LisaMP wrote in her guide that during this stage of recovery you would probably want things room temperature. For me she was right. The cold milk drink this morning was terror to my mouth.

So actually there were two lessons. One being drink room temperature when the scabs are healing. The other, if you want to sleep during any four hour period do it right after the medication takes effect. I waited too long and now my mouth hurts again so I can't sleep or eat or drink. I guess it is just another change in the dailey schedule since the surgery. I know it's not the first one. It seems to change regularly. So I have a lot to do after the nexy dose of hydrocodone. Eat, drink, brush my teeth and shower. And hopefully sleep. Sleep doesn't actually make the pain go away. It just puts it off for a while.

I'm still amazed by the way I feel. Besides the pain in my head and neck I feel fine. I don't feel weak even though I haven't been eating like I should. I am a little tired but it's to be expected with the way I have been sleeping. When I try to talk I feel bad. So I won't try to talk until the kids come home from school. I had answered my phone a couple of times this morning. I won't do that again.

I am curious about why I have hurt where I have hurt through this whole process. Before the surgery I had tonsillitis with a peritonsillar abcess. The abcess was on the left side but the majority of the pre op pain was on the right side (including the reffered ear pain). Since the surgery most of my recovery pain is on the left side where the abcess used to be. I'll have to talk to Dr ENT when I see him again.

For now it is time to try that nap again.

Right at four days post op now. I've been pacing for the past hour waiting for medicine time. I'll be smart this time. I have some cream of wheat cooling beside me and after I eat I'll go brush my teeth. I've also been downing alot of water the past few minutes. I did learn my lesson. When you have the chance you have to ingest whatever you can.. The cream of wheat (new flavor this time, maple brown sugar) is so smooth to swallow. But do wait until it is room temperature. Hot and cold both hurt at this stage. The nerves in my neck are so sensitive right now. So I have will have to give up my carnation instant breakfast for now. I do have some room temperature applesauce I can add to this meal.

Even though the pain is worse than it was this morning I am encouraged by the way my throat looks. There is much more pink skin showing through the scabs then ever before. I am really concerned about bleeding today. The way it feels when I wake up is that it has dried out too much. So I am beginning to fear falling alseep. I feel that if I were to start bleeding it would be a major set back. And my real goal is still to be back to work a week from today. Dr. ENT said it would be light duty if I went back but even light duty seems like a victory in the recovery process. He wants me to avoid lifting anything over 5 pounds until the end of next week. Which drives my 8 year old crazy. He likes to be carried to breakfast in the morning.

It has been strange how my emotions can change over the course of a day while I am dealing with the revovery. LisaMP's guide said that the patient can become an emotional basket case and while I am not quite that bad I do feel some ups and downs. I think it stays more stable as I tell myself that it was all my decision to do this. So the pain is my fault. It keeps me from feeling sorry for myself. You just can't feel sorry for yourself if you do something to yourself.

I'm finished eating, it's time for some self maintenance.

Well it's been four days and four hours. The bleeding did start after I ate my lunch. It's really hard to guage how much I am bleeding. I don't think it is all that much. My wife has called the doctors office to see what we should do. I think it will be okay. My concerns are that I may have an infection that the amoxicillin isn't handling. I had a low grade fever last night. And of course I don't want to bleed to death. Okay, that's a little dramatic. But don't I deserve just a little drama? Okay, I'll try to keep it to a minimum.

I did wimp out and ask my wife to tell the doctor that the hydrocodone isn't doing its job. I am starting to understand the outline of the pain. It feels like it is coming from the edge of the scab. I mean all of the edge, like the entire circumference of the scab. And that's just wrong.

I can feel some of the medicine after just a few minutes of ingesting it. It kind of numbs the places that don't hurt. It takes a little longer to find the places that hurt. I wanted to hold out and see if Dr. ENT decided to give me something different for pain but I couldn't wait. I can always take something new for the next dose.It helps the medication move quicker when you have an empty stomach. I would have eaten more jello before the meds but it hurt too much. And, the jello was cold. I forgot to plan ahead and put some jello at room temperature. It is sitting out now and I will eat some once the pain stops.

Stop the presses. Dr. ENT just called. He doesn't want me to eat anything else for today and tomorrow. I have been put on an even more liquid diet. That's not going to make me a very happy guy. And he didn't change my meds. I had asked him for a script for a lidocaine mouthwash before the surgery. He gave it to me then. Now he is asking me to fill it and use it to help manage the pain. None of this is good news. I like the doctor, and I trust him, so I'll play along for a day or so. What other choices do I have.

My momentary hope of increased pain relief is dashed. Now I am an emotional basket case. And with some fresh hydrocodone in me I find it's time for another nap.

Four days and 8 hours post op.

I keep writing this and it appears that people keep reading at least part of it. My wife asked the question if I should continue this or not. Actually I think she put it more like "Do you really think anybody cares what you are writing there?". Obviously she is also a basket case. It is catchy inside these closed buidings. So, unless someone writes and lets me know that it is futile I will continue with periodic updates.

For now I am doctor ordered liquid diet. Sucking on ice to both kill the pain and cauterize the leaking blood vesels. I don't know if it is effective for either cause. I only know that my most recent dose of hydrocodone should take effect any time now. Once that happens I'll have another hour or so of feeling tolerable. My wife is currently waiting for that hour so we can have a semi pleasant conversation. She really is a saint. She tried to get me something more effective for pain today. Dr. ENT wasn't going for it. I will call him tomorrow and plead my case personally.

On the bright side, several days ago I had reported that there was a numb spot on my tongue. Well it is still there, but it feels a little better. And the scabs really are healing. I think I will survive the ordeal. However long it seems to be taking at the moment. There is an overall feeling of pain, then always one really bright spot of intense mind blowing pain.

So my diet is down to Carnation Instant Breakfast and water. I suspect I will eat jello during the night to coat my stomach. And I will keep waiting for that day that everyone says is coming. The day when all of the sudden you feel great.

Four days 12 hours post op. The bleeding doesn't seem to be any worse right now. I've slept most of the past four hours. I'm still working on waking up my thoat though. This is one of the worst so far. I think the longer I let it rest the harder it is to wake it up without bleeding. It just dries out too much.

I spoke too quick. The bleeding is worse since I woke up. I am currently sucking on ice water to try and get it to stop. It's bleeding from the same place as yesterday afternoon excpet on the other side. The ice water against the raw nerves feels great. This is the time when it is so hard to get yourself to swallow at all. My throat is so dry, and it really does hurt that much. My brain says swallow but my throat just closes up and laughs at the ret of me.

So my question is, do I just take the medicine I so badly want? Or do I get my throat used to swallowing and try to put something in my stomach with it? realizing of course that the medicine hurts even more than water does when it hits the raw nerves.

I am being less than responsible. I don't know for sure that the nerves are raw. But it feels like they are raw to me.

I have the medicine down now. I am continuing with some water. Trying to keep hydrated. I suspect that Dr. ENT expects the scabs to come off in the next day or two. Once that happens I imagine the pain will reduce alot. For now it seems that the pain increases daily.

I was reading through past posts to decide if I should try to sleep later in the medicine does, or sleep right away. I wrote earlier today that I should sleep while it doesn't hurt. So once I feel good I will do that. I think I am going to pass on food of any sort tonight. I am sucking on ice water to seal up the leak. Ice water does seem to be working. It's not a big leak. I suspect that ths one will leak in four more hours as well. Then if I am healthy enough it should seal up after that.

I'm sorry if some of the content is a little disgusting. I am trying to write this without too much unnecessary gore, sarcasm or drama. But sometimes one or all will slip in.

The scabs are about one half to three quarters their original size. This is of course estimated. And with the shape of my mouth changing after the procedure it is hard to be precise. It must be about two days of really intense pain right now. I hate to guess how many days of this are left. I don't want to be disappointed when it extends beyond where I think it should. But it seems to me that in around 2 or 3 days I should get some sort of relief. I think I will be happy if I can get it to end before the weekend. That will give me Saturday and Sunday to prepare for work next week. I so look forward to feeling like I am human again.

Okay, The medicine is working. I am going to try and sleep before my stomach gets too upset. In four more hours I am going to have to have jello before the medicine.

Four days 16 hours post op. I do fight small bleeders everytime I get up at four hour intervals. Ice water does seem to stop the bleeding. It also increases the pain. It's great fun. I got up a little later than I should have so I just have to deal with it until I get used to swallowing. It's possible that someone else may be able to swallow the medicine right off upon waking up. I don't even want to try it. I suck on then swallow ice water until it reaches a more bearable pain. Then I know that the hydrocodone will be worse.

I just finished taking the meds. The only reason I can stand it at all is that I can see in my throat that the scab is getting smaller. That means that the really intense pain moves.

It is possible that I have found a sequence to the pain. If this is so I may be able to calculate a duration for the pain. Of course I may not want to know. I'll have to think about that one. You can think about it too. If you are the type that likes to know everything that is going on then I suggest looking at your scabs regularly. If you just want to survive it. Ignore the scabs and just look for bleeding.

The bleeding is something to really pay attention to at this stage. You will bleed more than you think. But it should also stop. I'm just getting confortable with how much I am seeing. I always see some blood when I wake up. And remember, my goal is to sleep 3.5 out of 4 hours.. So I get up, deal with the bleeding. Learn how to swallow. Take my meds. Drink some water. The water I will change to room temp once the bleeding has stopped. I am going for quantity then. I want to go to the bathroom every time I wake up. So far so good.

Every once in a while I start feeling hungry. It is worse now that I am not eating. I am going to stick to my carnation instant breakfast until the scabs are gone. Cream of wheat and applesauce stripped off the scabs before they were ready. I can handle going without the food if I have to. I just don't think about it all that much. My family loves that the food freedom. They have been eating all of the things they love that I don't even consider food.

The thing I hate is taking the medication without something else in my stomach. I hasn't made me sick, but it does hurt a little. I am surprised how much the ice water does help. You just have to get used to it so it doesn't hurt so much. I've also found that if I stick my tongue out just before I want to swallow that it helps me swallow. I wonder if it is because my tongue keeps creeping towards the back of my mouth where the pain is? It's possible.

So, I hurt, but feel confident that things will improve. And now I will nap again.

Four days 20 hours post op. It doesn't hurt any more today. That's a fine thing to be able to say. I start by sucking on ice water as soon as I get up. I swallow from the second or third mouthfull. The first just doesn't make it down. It seems to be harder for me to swallow if it's been in my mouth for too long. It seems like my tongue just gets out of position.

I slept pretty good between medications. I only woke up twice because of the pain. I am having a problem with my uvula blocking my airway. I'll have to keep an eye on that. I thought it was because my uvula was swollen. It's not swollen any more. But part of my mouth is still a little swollen. I'm not worried about it yet. I've always been able to wake up when it blocks my airway while sleeping. Mostly I sleep on my side.

I am going to drink a carnation instant breakfast before the medication this morning. The meds don't make me sick like they do some people but it does bother my stomach. I just mixed the milk but I am going to let it sit for a couple of minutes. I swear that cold won't kill you, but it will make you wish..

My ears hurt a little more today. I kind of expected them to hurt more. It all has to do with those darn nerves. I still haven't calculated the duration for the pain. I decided I don't want to know. I'll just deal with it as it comes. And when I wake up and feel great one day...that will be just fine.

Dr. ENT wanted to hear back from me today. I won't be calling him. My wife will call him. I think when I go back to see him I will have to tell him that patients of this particular procedure need moew help in the pain management department. I can't believe that I keep reading that so many people suffer so much after the procedure. And it is acceptable? I saw one ENT group web site that claimed that this is a major surgery. Yet it is not treated that way during post op pain management. I'm sorry, I'll get down off of my box now. It's just the pain talking. I would however recommend discussing pain management with your surgeon before the procedure.

And for now. My pain management is going to include sleep.

Almost five days post op. By the time I finish writing this it will be five days. I actually felt better after I iced down my throat (from the inside) and took my pain meds this morning. I talked too much this morning and I am paying for it right now. But I felt better than I had in a long time. So now I am sucking on ice water again. Swallowing as much as I can. By noon I should be ready to take the next dose.

Dr. ENT called to check on me this morning. He told my wife that I could add another tsp of hydrocodone to my dose. Just for today and tomorrow. There is a lot of acetamenophen (that can't be spelled right, tylenol is what I mean) in the liquid stuff here. And you always want to be careful how much of that you ingest. Don't want to hurt the liver. I may want a cocktail when this whole thing is over.

I know this is a temperary repreive from the pain. I sill have a lot of scab left in the back of the throat. The majority of the pain so far has been from losing the scabs closer to the sides and the roof of my mouth. And they were painfull. I don't know how the nerves farther to the back of the throat are. I guess I will be finding out soon. I haven't had any more problems with bleedinig since this morning. But the scabs in the back, which are really just an extension of the scabs on the sides, are starting to fade.

The odd thing today is that my teeth hurt more than they did yesterday. It's the teeth in the back. Not like the front where mine used to hurt if I had a sinus infection. For now I will assume it's related to the nerves in my neck and ears.

I'm going to stay on the liquid diet for the rest of the day. We'll see how it looks tomorrow to decide if I will eat or not. I am losing weight. I seem to have lost about 15 pounds in the past 5 days. That tells me that I used to eat too much. That's sad considering I rarely eat lunch. And it's always something small for breakfast. I may have to reconsider my meal options when I recover.

Between the pain, medication, and lack of food I really get tired easily now. I could push it more. But there isn't any sense in it. So when I get tired I quit and go lay down for a while. Which is where I am going now.

Five days and four hours post op. My pain is now psycotic. Sometimes there and unbearable. Other times I feel I could play 18 holes. Right now I am looking forward to my next dose of painkiller. It's not as bad as the past couple of days yet. But I can feel and see where the pain is going to originate from next.

I think I will be fine to return to work next Monday. Which is a good thing. I've been tyring to keep up with the scheduling for the next two months. I officially quit that for today though. My manager and several others are now refusing to talk to me. That is also good. Speaking does hurt after a while. And my poor wife is waiting patiently to talk to me when I am well. Not about anything, just about whatever.

I tried to nap after my 11:00 dose but the phone rang...or something. I think I did too much today. My ears still hurt today. I think they will continue to hurt with the next set of scabs to heal. Perhaps even worse than the last set.

I have noticed that the scabs act as scar tissue in the throat. When I turn my head I can feel them irritate something in my neck. I have learned to pay attention to them as I lay down so they are confortable. I have also noticed that I am producing a lot more saliva than I used to. And it drains into my throat in a strange and annoying way. I haven't been able to figure it out yet. But I am working on it.

The constant headache I have feels like a hunger headache. I usually do okay without the food. Today I have been eyeing some home made banana bread that my wife made yesterday. She can very cruel can't she? By the time itis gone I will have lost the craving I am sure.

No one bothered to write and tell me to stop this thread so I will continue it. Like I said once before. It is at least helpfull and distracting for me.

chris

I think day 5 is the worst day from what I remember, the pain through the head and in the ears is unreal, but you will survive! (with regular pain killers) What is happening with your saliva glands? are they overworking? have you seen my taste disturbance posts?? my tonsilectomy was exactly a year ago now. Good luck.:)

Thanks liz. Yesterday and the day before were the worst for me so far. That was when the scabs closer to the roof of my mouth were fading away. My scabs haven't been falling off. It's like they fade away. My salivary glands have always been overactive. It's nothing new. They just took a break after the surgery. Now they're back again. My taste buds are working just fine. Everything tastes great, except the hydrocodone...

5 days and 8 hours. My scabs were huge and started coming off almost at day two. The first wave of pain lasted until sometime this morning. Then it kind of faded until this afternoon. It's a little worse right now. I can't tell yet if it is because it is actually getting worse or if it is because the pain meds are wearing off. I get a new dose in 25 minutes. I think I will once again stay at the original high dose for now. Until I need that extra tsp I will hold off.

I think I mentioned before that the pain was moving. As it should be with the scabs reducing. I do wonder if it will get as bad as it was before this morning. I also wonder if I talked too much today. I did a little work over the phone today. And now it hurts me to talk at all. It is the right area for the scabs to healing so that may be all it is.

It also hurts more when I swallow right now. It's all about the location. I ate some scrambled eggs for dinner. Dr. ENT had told me to go liquid for a couple of days but I was starving. I ate almost two eggs and finally gave it up. It didn't cause any bleeding so I made it through okay. Although I think I still have some egg where a tonsil used to be. I hope that little trend quits after I heal. I would just like to eat again. I have lost 15 pounds in 5 days. I could afford to lose that 15. The rest I want to keep.

It's meds time. Then maybe a nap...

5 days 9 1/2 hours. I didn't want to wait for the next dose to post this. I thought I had scrambled egg stuck where the tonsil used to be. It even looked like scrambled eggs...I'll tell you the story.

I took a short nap after the last post. Maybe an hour. When I woke up my mouth hurt pretty bad where the egg looked like it was stuck. This is just about where my tongue meets the jaw on the left side. Anyway, I took the light and looked in, there was blood all over my mouth. I started rinsing it with ice water. I gargled gently and up came a fairly large blood clot. It felt like it came from the same site as the egg. I rinses constantly with ice water until it came out clear. Then I had my wife look at the egg. I got a pair of forceps from my tool box, had her wash them, and I gently preid at the egg. I got it and a couple of small pieces. But I don't think they were egg. I think they were scab pieces. I have stopped the bleeding. I'm not even sure where it was coming from except I think between the tongue and jaw. I think when I was talking so much today I rubbed the scab off. It feel much better right there now. I'm just glad I was gentle when I was prying the stuff out. I didn't make anything come out that wasn't ready. And I really wouldn't recommend this to anyone else. I think I was very lucky.

That's a nasty place for a scab. What the heck was my tonsil doing there? I feel a little better every time a scab comes off. It's another step to complete recovery.

five and a half days post op. A short nap since the blood clot incident. It is painfull trying to moisten my mouth again. But there has been no bleeding this time. The worst of the pain this time is coming from my throat. I think it is the very end of the scabs. I can't see the area so I just have to go by feel. This is the area that I have been worried about bleeding. Rinse and spit and clear water. Just a few more days of this and I feel I will be over the worst part of it. It all seems to be shrinking into the middle of the scabs.

Normally I enjoy taking time off from work. I am one the lucky guys. I honestly love what I do. But I love vacations even more. Especially when they include golf. I missed golf last weekend and will miss it again next weekend....I haven't missed golfing two weeks in a row in several years. The last time I played, the back 9 holes, were the best 9 holes I have ever played. I scored okay for the round. But the back 9 was a dream. I'll be pretty bad when I go back. I'm trying to prepare myself for that. Okay, enough of that.

So I am curious about the sequence of todays recovery. First I felt okay after the morning wake up and moistening. I spent too much time on the phone today and started hurting this afternoon and evening. After dinner I spit out a big blood clot. Rinse and clear again, with less pain. Back where I was this morning. It would appear that it is too early to be talking that much.

There is another possible explanation. I just took my dose of Hydrocodone. It burns, alot. I finid that I clear my throat after I swallow it. That could have caused the blood clots as well. I'll start checking that now.

The hydrocodone also leaves a mucous type coating in your mouth and throat. I didn't mind that early in the process. Now I don't like it at all. So my diet will be changing away from carnation instant breakfast. I may be back to just jello for a couple of days. That's a depressing thought. But I really don't want a repeat of the blood clot/scab event of earlier tonight. The scabs that are left are really thick in the middle. I suspect it may take a little while to clear that one up. I'll have to see. Oddly the surgeon doesn't want to see me again until 4 weeks post op.

Well, that's the excitement for the evening. I am going to try to sleep for a few hours. Then I'll fight the dry scabs again...It gets scary after a day or too. You begin to dread the first ten minutes of being awake. Good night.

Five days and 16 hours post op. I feel the additional pain I was expecting this morning. I don't have a lot of scabbing left to be rid of. I wondered what it was going to hurt in the location it is in. I think I know now. My ears and mt head are pounding terribly. So I know what is in store for me for the next day or two. Not pleasant at all. I won't be eating anything but jello and drinking only water. I just hope I can be done with this round by Friday night. I would like to start weening myself off of the hydrocodone by the weekend. I still aim to start work Monday morning. I don't want to be drugged Monday morning.

I tried to eat some jello this morning to moisten my mouth before the hydrocodone. It hurt too much. I think it was the cold. So I have left it sit out and I will eat it once I am brave enough to swallow the meds. I also get amoxicillin this morning. I usually wait until 15 minutes or so after the pain portion. It doesn't hurt by then. If you have been reading along it was a leason I put in a previous post.

I am still amased at the intensity of the pain when I swallow. I am equally amased at the lack of concern for pain management for this procedure. All of the stories of suffering I have read. If you are going to have this procedure I think you should discuss pain management with the surgeon before you begin. Have the prescription in hand. And a promise to follow up with additional meds if what you are taking isn't sufficient. The inside of your mouth is being burned, and you are being asked to endure the pain. It's a barbaric practice.

So I am eating my jello now. Slowly. I never seem to wait long enough. I think it's because I am programed to want to sleep after I take the hydrocodone. The funny thing is that sometimes I will sleep and sometimes not.

I have something that should be added to LisaMP's guide for us. As patients we have to remember that our loved ones that are taking care of us are not having it easy either. My poor wife seems depressed this week. She hates that I hurt. She wishes she could stop it. She feels that she is letting me down because there is only so much she can do. And I waste my voice during the day so I can't talk to her when she comes home. I don't really feel like doing anything to make her feel better. I want to feel better. I feel bad for her. So, today I am going to have one converssation. Then I will save my voice for her. If not today then tomorrow I will send her some flowers at work to say thank you for putting up with me.

I thought when I first woke up that I might use some ice when I went back to bed. I think I will wait until later in the day. I think I will need it at some point today. For now, the meds are down, I am tired. It's time to sleep while I can.

Five days 20 hours post op. I think I scared myself this morning. I slept three hours after the last meds. When I woke up I did my usual check for bleeding. It was wierd. I saw alot of red stuff running around my throat.
I looked and rinsed and rinsed, I think it was left over jello coloring freom last night. I guess I need to rinse my mouth better after eating jello.

Other than that it was a good night. Things feel okay. There is still pain but it is no worse than yesterday. I am hoping to save my voice today. But I had a work crisis and have already hurt myself.

Other than that I feel okay. I just want this to end soon. I am getting restless.

Six days and four hours post op. I seem to have reached a steady level of pain. It's not as bad as it was at its worse. My wife called the surgeons office again and told them the pain was still not managed. Dr. ENT's partner called me this afternoon. He was very understanding about the pain a tonsillectomy can cause. He increased my hydrocodone dose to as much as 6 tsp every four hours. He said that if that doesn't work I should call him back tomorrow. He also offered whatever refills I need to take me through the end of this.

I think the trick is that if you are not comfortable you need to continue calling the surgeons office until you get the relief you should have. I am concerned about the effects on my liver so much of this medication will have. So, I just took 6 tsp of hydrocodone. Let's see how that works for the next four hours. I may start spreading it out 3 tsp every two hours.

I also wish I could eat something. I am hungry. And water isn't cutting it. Scrambled eggs are now out of the question. The scabs are so close to falling off in the back of my throat that anything I eat will have to be very easy to swallow. I wonder if yogurt would work? I don't know, we'll see.

It may be nap time for now.

Chris,
Thank you for telling your story. I had the laser tonsillectomy in the doctors office and he didn't take near enough tonsil away. I may have to have it redone and eventually have the full procedure. Hope your pain days are coming to an end. I just wanted you to know that there are people out there reading.

Nita

Chris,
Thank you for telling your story. I had the laser tonsillectomy in the doctors office and he didn't take near enough tonsil away. I may have to have it redone and eventually have the full procedure. Hope your pain days are coming to an end. I just wanted you to know that there are people out there reading.

Nita

Thank you Nita. I appreciate your kind words. I hope things work out for you in as painless a manner as possible. We can survive it, it just isn't pleasant.

Five days and 10 hours post op. I tried the doctors new prescribed dose of 6 tsp of hydrocodone. WOW. It didn't kill all of the pain but I thought it might kill me. It hit my head and stomach like a ton of bricks. I actually called my wife an hour after I took the meds this afternoon. I thought I might pass out. Is that being a wimp? I didn't think so. I've lost almost 20 pounds. I haven't eaten anything substantial in so long I don't remember. Anyway, this evening I took my dose back to 4 tsp. I can handle what that does for my head. Looking at my scabs I think they have really reduced a lot lately. At least I know the pain was for something. I haven't had any more bleeding to speak of.

My wife had made some banana bread the other day. I want some so bad. I know I can't right now. If I am careful I will make my return date of next Monday. I just have so much to do. With luck I will be able to speak too.

Well it's been an exciting an busy day. I think it's bed time again. I say that alot don't I?

Six days 20 hours post op. I think my time was off on my last post. I told you it made me behave a little odd to take so much of the medicine. I moved back into the bedroom tonight. I have been using the alarm on my phone all week to wake me up for the meds. I just put it on my side of the bed and she never even hears it. I have been using it to wake up for golf on weekends for years now. She has it tuned out.

I actually woke up almost an hour before it was time to wake up anyway. This new set of healing scab substance is in full swing. And it hurts a little. I really am happy to say that Nita may have been right. For me day 4 and 5 were the worst of it. That was when I needed 6 tsp of the hydrocodone. I slept like a baby there with my wife though. Of course what that means is that my mouth was very dry when woke up. There really is no good way that I have found to moisten your mouth either. The best seems to be to start out with a small sip of room temperature water (cold and hot kill me right now). Hold it swish it gently and if you can swaloow it. Do a few of those until you're brave enough to do some cooler water. Work your way up to iced water. I just use the water. Leave the ice in the glass. When you can swallow that you are ready for your medicine. Of course you must remember to check each time you wake up, and again before returning to bed, for bleeding. That has almost always been when I have found it. The one other time was right after eating...cream of wheat and applesauce. So that water could loosen a clot and start some bleeding. If you are like me and not eating because of the risk of bleeding don't be affraid to use this time to drink another bottle of water. Your body is needing it.

I think my wife was happy to have me back in bed. We got married July 14th this year. Then I got sick, her office closed down. They keep moving her to different offices so they can keep her. But she's so very unhappy. And she has this big mean man at home who wants to be the center of attention right now. It's been a hard time. That's why I missed an entry in this last night. She needed some attention. Even from an old grouchy man like me. And I was ready to move into bed again. I am not worried about climbing stairs anymore. The medicine doesn't make me sick. I can actually sleep for three hours at a time. That's a luxury.

It appears that the part of the scabs doing their work right now is the biggest part. The main part of mine at least. So it takes a little longer. And may be more painfull. It is a different pain then I was having before. The firsr part of the pain, as I have said, was more like the worst case of tonsillitis I had. The one that convinced me to have the sugery. This one is farther back and affecting different nerves. Of course swallowing and talking is very painfull. And in this part of the mouth there is a great risk of bleeding from food.

The medicine is putting me to sleep. I should give in. Good night.

Apparently my sense of time is completely gone. I am now at six days and 16 hours post op. The last two posts were all wrong when I reffered to the time. I did the math though and I think I am right this time. I really need to get back to work and get the brain working again.

The pain got a little worse tonight. I actually woke up before the alarm for the 4:00 AM dose. I think one of the reasons is that I could sleep on my right side in bed. On the couch I am forced by location to sleep on my left. Which by the way seems to be healing faster. And it had the bigger tonsil. Although the right side was the one that got the reffered pain into my ear during the tonsillitis.

The way it looks I really think I have a day or so left of the bad pain. It's coming to an end. The scab on the left is just about all gone and the one on the right is working hard at it. That's why I have so much pain today. LisaMP's guide said there are 4 to 6 days of severe pain during her stage two. I'll be glad when that's over.

It seems that everyone thinks there is really one day of bad pain. I thought so too. I think the severe pain is actually there the whole time the scabs are coming off. It's when they are finished coming off that the pain subsides. So keep that in mind, and don't get discouraged when the pain lasts longer than you think it is supposed to last.

Again, good night.

I have posted in earlier threads. I'm 58 years old. It's been 4 weeks. I'm doing great. Just a few ideas. Gargle with warm salt water after eating. It really helps. Also eat something with more texture than jello or yogurt. Yogurt isn't really a good idea. No diary products are good. Leaves a coating on the throat. Eating something with texture gets rid of the scabs.

I also posted earlier to not spit. Gross I know, but swallow everthing. Spitting makes it worse. Also chew gum before eating or drinking at this stage. Strange again but it really helps.

Drink water constantly. Keep the throat wet all the time. Don't sleep for several hours during this without drinking water. At this time you should be drinking room temp water. Nothing cold.

I had an excellent ENT that gave me great meds. Also it was capsules. She said it's much easier to swallow the capsules than the liquid meds. Just her opinion and after the experience I agree. I had a slight headache one day and tried liquid tylenol. It burned like heck. That was her point.

Good luck. It will get better. You are in the worse stage now. Another suggestion. Don't look in your throat until about day 10. You really don't need to see what's going on in there. That was my ENT's suggestion also.

I have posted in earlier threads. I'm 58 years old. It's been 4 weeks. I'm doing great. Just a few ideas. Gargle with warm salt water after eating. It really helps. Also eat something with more texture than jello or yogurt. Yogurt isn't really a good idea. No diary products are good. Leaves a coating on the throat. Eating something with texture gets rid of the scabs.

I also posted earlier to not spit. Gross I know, but swallow everthing. Spitting makes it worse. Also chew gum before eating or drinking at this stage. Strange again but it really helps.

Drink water constantly. Keep the throat wet all the time. Don't sleep for several hours during this without drinking water. At this time you should be drinking room temp water. Nothing cold.

I had an excellent ENT that gave me great meds. Also it was capsules. She said it's much easier to swallow the capsules than the liquid meds. Just her opinion and after the experience I agree. I had a slight headache one day and tried liquid tylenol. It burned like heck. That was her point.

Good luck. It will get better. You are in the worse stage now. Another suggestion. Don't look in your throat until about day 10. You really don't need to see what's going on in there. That was my ENT's suggestion also.

Thanks for the words of encouragement, and the advice. I keep trying different things until I find what works. I don't mind looking at my throat. It helps me know how close it is getting. And it is getting closer. I think today and maybe tomorrow may be the end of the worst of it. I hope so anyway. I haven't been able to eat in several days now. Swallowing anything is far too painfull. I keep drinking water constantly. Actually I kind of suffer through swishing ice water through my mouth. Once it warms up I swallow it. The cold helps ease the pain where it hits. But you're right, swallowing anything of any temperature, hot or cold, is dreadfull. I go ahead and sleep when I am tired. I know the scabs dry out when I do that. But my naturally active salivary glands have kicked back in. In other words I drool when I sleep (attractive eh?).

Six days 20 hours post op. I think today is one of the worst days so far. The last of the scabs is starting to heal. Have mercy. I am just at the point where I can't tell which is worse any more. The pain in my throat. Or how mcu I crave food. I don't crave anything in particular. Just nourishment.

My mouth on one sode feels different. It may be the same feeling I had when the left side changed shapes. But the right side had done that as well. Or so I had thought. I wonder if it is infected. I would wonder how though. Nothing has been in my mouth but meds and water. MOst of the water is bottled. The rest filtered through my refridgerator.

Hopefully it is nap time.

Seven days and 4 hours post op. I don't know if the pain is any better today or not. I know I am exhausted and starving. I think tomorrow I will be able to eat something. The scabs are pulliing back so quickly now. It's no wonder they hurt. But it is so close now. I just want to be able to eat this weekend. Build up some strength for next week. I have been trying to figure out what I should eat first. Something mild, not too greasy. But full of protein. I'm starting to get restless so I know I am getting better. And I think about food more than I ever have. It's just the thought of eating and causing more bleeding that scares me. But I do know that the pain canges by the hour now instead of the day. That has to be a good sign.

I had poured some gatorade to let it sit out and get warm. I just took a sip. It tastes nasty. I love gatorade. I just thought I would put something besides water in my stomach. A little later I might go back to some carnation instant breakfast. It helped keep the hunger away for the first couple of days. I was thinking about some yogurt too. I might need the bacteria it will give me.

I'm still sipping the gatorade, it's starting to taste better. I think it just freaked out my taste buds. Very nice.

I'm still having what feels like muscle twitches in my throat. They don't hurt. It's just odd. I wonder what a piece of bread would do. I could chew it easy...I'll let you know later.

Seven days and almost 12 hours post op. Did I mention how much this hurts? Actually today the pain has come and gone. I finally broke down tonight and ate some strawberry yogurt. I tried the plain stuff she bought for me. That's disgusting. I did have just a little bleeding from a newly healed place. But it stopped with some ice water. Of course I just broke it open again with some pudding. I couldn't take the empty stomac any more. I have found that if I leave things out to get closer to room temperature I can swallow most of it without screamming. Otherwise I still pace around the kitchen while I swallow and make funny faces.

I have also done something else with the medicine. Dr. ENT said I could take 6 tsp every 4 hours. Instead of that I have been taking 4 every four hours. Then I take 1 tsp about 1.5 hours before the next dose. It helps with the dose running out too quick. So the pain stays at a dull roar, unless I swallow.

A friend called to check on me today. She said she will have to take me out to eat once I heal all of the way. She wants to fatten me back up. The kids are shocked. I haven't looked like this since I quit smoking. I wasn't in bad shape. I just a few pounds on after I quit.

I have figured out that milk products aren't so bad. You get a mucus coating. But I rince it with room temperature water until it is gone. It helps you feel better plus you get even more water intake.

Well I am going to try to sleep for a while. I think tomorrow will be a better day.

Seven days and just over 12 hours post op. OUCH! And, What the heck! I took a little nap before med time. Even thought about not taking the meds this time. But I wake up and I'm bleeding from the same spot as before. and my jaw and ears are on fire. What's the deal? I thought I was seeing improvement. There is just a little more to come off in the very back. It must be on a sensitive spot. I tried to use iced water to seal the bleeder. But it pain med time...iced water hits nerves = more pain. So I used room temperature water and liquid hydrocodone. It seemed to have worked. I usually have a couple of times to stop a bleeder before it is gone for good. So I may have to stop it one more time at 4:00 when I wake up.

My wife said earlier that I seemed to be sleeping better the last night or so. I think I have just a little. I think eventually your body complains and you have to fall asleep. I would have slept through the time for meds if not for the alarm. I was going to wake up and decide if I would need any. And I did. I wanted to start weening myself off of them. Maybe this next dose. I know the miraculous time is close...I'm trying to hard aren't I?

Okay then, back to bed...

Seven days and 16 hours post op. I just slept for almost three hours. I woke up with no bleeding. That's right, no bleeding. It is a strange pulling sensation in my throat this morning. There is definitely a difference in how things feel and hurt as you recover. I think this is interesting so give it a try. Before surgery take agood look at the insiade of your mouth. Make a metal note as to how it appears. The shape it is in. It's hard to concentrate when you first get out of surgery but try to remember that first day to look again. Then look every day at around the same time and tell me whaat you see. It's pretty cool I think. The first sensation that felt like healing started up closer to the teeth and the roof of my mouth. A day later my mouth was in the basic shape it is now. Any of these movements is painfull. Just so you know.

The spot on the left side is probably the size of a dime. Very nice pretty new pink skin all around it. The right side is the size a quarter or larger. Obiously it is most painful side this morning. I'm still trying to decide how much medication to take this morning. I may drop it back to two tsp and see how I feel. I can always take more.

I just took two tsp of liquid hydrocodone. It was the easiest swallow in seven days. It was still painfull, but I didn't beat my head on the counter top after I did it. My ears hurt a little today. This is more like what my tonsillitis felt like in the ears. If i can get away with two tsp all day I may run and get a hair cut and some liquid tylenol for the pain. I would sure like to be on that instead of this nasty stuff....YUCK! WOuldn't it be great if this is my day to feel better? I think it would be great. You all might too. This darn post wouldn't keep showing up on top of the list. Over 440 viewers though. I wonder how many of you actually read most of what I wrote. Some of the tips were hidden in the body of text. I suggest you take my tips with a grain of salt. Start out doing what you feel you need to do. Then fall back on what has worked for others as you need an alternate plan.

Well I find I have time for a nap before the kids get up. Take care for now...

Seven days and 20 hours post op. I was a little early with cutting down the meds. I was actually at the point where four tsp would have been perfect. So, I just took four tsp. It's a little depressing, but I guess I should be happy. I am a little better.

I have to make a trip out today. I am going to get a haircut. I need one if I am going back to work Monday. I look terrible. I am also going to try and eat some more today. Lite and soft things. But I need to have some intake. The yogurt I ate yesterday was good. I might try my cream of wheat again this morning as well. It didn't hurt so bad to swallow last night. That's why I went for two tsp. I just need another day or so.

I'll let you know later how it goes.

Seven days and 6 hours post op. I want to be well so bad. I went back to the full dose of pain meds. I can't seem to catch back up. But it hurts again in a different place and way than it did before. But I have been eating a little again. I've said the heck with it. I have to have something in my stomach. I have cream of wheat earlier. Some strawberry yogurt, somehow this past week I have developed an alergy to strawberrys. Two bites of that banana bread I have been drooling over, it hurt so bad to swallow, but it taste amazing. Some carnation instant breakfast. I have some more carnation instant breakfast warming on the counter (it has to be room temperature). Four bites of beef rib meat cooling beside me. Can you believe she will only let me have four bites? And a few noodles cooling. It's a feast for me tonight. I dn't know how much of that I will be able to swallow. But I'll eat what I can. It's a start. Actually the beef is going down okay. I'll have to fight for more of that. The noodles too. It still hurts like hell to swallow. I now have just a little food in my stomach. WOW! I'll eat more tomorrow.

There really isn't much of the left side scab left. The right side is bigger. I think it was because I always sleep on my left side. It probably stayed more moist. But they hurt about equal.

I think that is all for now. I hope everyone is well.

Eight days and almost 12 hours post op. Okay so I have lost count of days completely. The last post was a day off.

I just thought I would post once more before going to bed. I ate a lot of little stuff throughout the evening. Mt stomach is not happy at all. I tried to take it easy and eat bland things. There really wasn't anything in my stomach for several days. It doesn't want anything in there now.

The last part of the scab is trying to heal way in the back. It's a pain that's nice to have. I know it's almost over. I can't wait to stop taking the meds. That's no fun either. I've tried to eat some yogurt for bacteria. Didn't work yet. Anyway, I will try it all again tomorrow. The end is near.

I don't know anymore. I think it's been 8 days 17 hours post op. I actaully slept for five and a half hours last night. I took a good dose right before bed time and just woke up. The pain seems a little better so far this morning. I took the normal dose just to make sure. I'll see what it feels like in a few hours. For now the majority of the pain is coming from right around the back of the mouth where the throat opens into the mouth. The scabs are so close to being gone that it's amazes me. My throat is still very red where the scabs used to be. I don't have a fever but it looks like it is infected. My wife thinks that it is the way it should look and has always looked. That doesn't mean it's right!!! I am just amazed at the shape the inside of my mouth has morphed into. It has never looked like this.

What a boring week to have been laid up. Nothing interesting on TV. No good news items to keep track of. It's been terrible. And it's been 108 degrees here in Poenix. The pool water is still wonderful. The kids have been swimming. I get to watch. I might go with them tomorrow. Just wading. I'm not ready to strain anything.

It's still too early to think about breakfast here. It will be three more hours before anyone else wakes up. But I think I might have to have some fried eggs this morning. And some more yogurt. I'll see. Take care for now.

Chris,

Did you say what type of tonsillectomy that you had?

Nine days 4 hours post op. I did have some yogurt and scrambled eggs for breakfast. It fely so good I had some gravy over a piece of bread. It was like I actually had a real meal. Or close to it. I didn't brave the bacon or english muffins. I did have a glass of carnation instant breakfast with the meal.

My stomach wasn't used to the richness of the food so I had to deal with the intestinal problems shortly after I ate. But it was worth every second of it. I tried to have a ham sandwich for lunch. It was far too rough for my mouth and throat. I finsihed all of the ham and tried to add some yogurt to the meal but my uvula husts too bad to eat now. I actually called the doctor. I think it has gotten bigger today. Dr. ENT said to call back tomorrow if it hasn't improved and he will get me something to help with the swelling. I'll see tomorrow. I was hoping to eat something good tonight. At least some beef cut into small bites. I had just a few last night and they were great.

Anyway, the pain isn't as bad today. But it has continued moving back and down my throat. The scabs are almost completely gone. At least those that I can see. The skin that was underneath the scabs is pink like a new skin and very sensitive. I am handling hot and cold foods better now. But I still need moderation with temperature. Most flavors are just fine. Some of the sweeter flavors I have had to get used to again. But mostly I get one or two bites of anything I try. It all hurts to swallow. Just not as bad as before. At least it didn't until the uvula started acting up.

Well it's almost med time. I am still taking them. And they still help...

Nine days and 8 hours post op. Dinner was some ground hamburger and mashed potatoes with cheese. I even drank some apple juice with dinner. The juice made my ears hurt. But it sure tasted good. My uvula is still pretty big. And there is a lot of pain when I swallow. But the meds seem to working better now. I think over all I will be ready for work on Monday. I'll still be watching what I eat no doubt.

I can't seem to get coke to agree with me. It was what I was drinking when my uvula started hurting earlier. It leaves a little mucus type film in your mouth. I think that makes it worse.

Overall I don't feel bad right now. I have eaten a little. I could use a nap. The pain isn't terrible any more. I still pace when I eat. The kids look at me like a freak. But they are starting to understand.

I think I am still at the stage where I want a few small meals every day. I think as long as am taking pain meds I will want to eat in the middle of that. Almost every time. I'm going to try not take the meds at night again tonight. I'll take a dose right before bed time and try to sleep through. But for now it is snack time.

Nine days 16 hours post op. I woke up after sleeping four and a half hours. I am in pain again this morning. The lasy part of the scab on my right side is trying to heal. I have a lot of bleeding this morning from the right side. And I think from a place behind my uvula or in my throat. I'm not sure what that is all about. I can't see what's back there and where it may be coming from. I did spit out a lot of blood clots this morning. All small ones. The majority of the pain today like yesterday is from behind the uvula and down my throat. I think it was too early for the sandwich yesterday. It sounded so good though. So my day today is going to filled with ice water trying to get the bleeding to stop. I don't see anything that shouldn't stop. At least I hope it will all stop.

I keep waiting for that day everyone says you have that just all of the sudden you wake of feeling great. I seem to get better slowly, a little more every day now. I'm cruising up on day ten. I want to feel better darn it. I didn't get my hair cut yesterday. I was still in the recovery mode. I have to get it done today. Like it or not. I'll have to see when they open and go early.

Well, I am going to try and get some more sleep. Going back to work on four hours sleep is not my idea of fun.

Ten days post op. I think this is my day. It was rough when I first woke up. But after I took care of the bleeding and took a little pain medication I felt fine. I ate a couple of pancakes and a fried egg for breakfast. My uvula has finally recovered. It actually moves like a uvula should. And after I cleaned up my mouth this morning it looks really good. The hard part is that it eems like every little part that heals has to bleed just a little as the scab falls off of it. So I have to clean it up a couple of times and stop the bleeding then it is fine. I'm not sure how much pain medication I will take today. I just ate a piece of cheese without any meds. So I will have to see. I may start going through withdrawl. I may have to ween myself. It seems like I have been on this stuff forever.

There are still two little spots of scab left. One on each side. And they are still a little painfull. But so far not anything close to what the rest of this has felt like. I will continue watching the spots. But I think I am in really good shape from here. I have to watch myself and not try to do too much too quickly. It still hurts a little when I swallow. And the skin is still new and tender. So I will have to eat soft foods for a while. And foods that leave a mucus substance behind are still bothersome. The worst is that when I tried a bite of the kids ice cream last night I just didn't have any taste for it. I used to love ice cream. The whole family is hoping I lose my taste for beer. I think that's just rude.

I'll post again later tonight and let you know how the day is to me. I wish everyone well.

Chris,
I posted earlier, but you must have not seen it. Did you ever say what type of tonsillectomy you had? Just curious.

Thanks,
Nita

Chris,
I posted earlier, but you must have not seen it. Did you ever say what type of tonsillectomy you had? Just curious.

Thanks,
Nita

I'm sorry Nita. I didn't see your question. I had the old standard cautery tonsillectomy.

Chris

Ten days 4 hours post op. Well I guess it really is the ten day point that you feel better. I really do feel better. I took a half dose of meds long after I would normally have taken the full dose. And I may not take anything else today. We'll see what happens after dinner. I am swallowing a root beer right now. Carbonized liquids hurt a little. But it tastes so good. Better than the last coke I tried a few days ago.

Most of the scabs are healed. About the same as my last post. It's the lack of pain that is so different. I do still hurt a little. And even more when I swallow. But it's not so bad. I'm looking forward to dinner. Steak, in very small bites, and mashed potatoes. Still have to go soft remember.

I think tomorrow will be interesting. My big hope is that I can get a decent nights sleep. I haven't had one on in so long now. I don't really feel tired. But I've been able to sleep whenever I wanted so I didn't care. I have a long day tomorrow too. I'll have to make sure I find something soft for lunch.

I can't wait to see how much better I feel tomorrow morning.

The whole family is hoping I lose my taste for beer. I think that's just rude.

LOL

<---also likes beer ;)

I think tomorrow will be interesting. My big hope is that I can get a decent nights sleep. I haven't had one on in so long now. I don't really feel tired. But I've been able to sleep whenever I wanted so I didn't care. I have a long day tomorrow too. I'll have to make sure I find something soft for lunch.

I can't wait to see how much better I feel tomorrow morning.

Hoping you are having a good day today :)

Hoping you are having a good day today :)


Thank you! I have actually made it through two days of work now. I ate my first real meal last night. It hurt to swallow but I was able to get through it. Of course I can't eat as much as I used to but that's not all bad.

I still wake up and have small bleeders in my mouth every morning. I rinse my mouth until they stop. It seems they are different every morning so I know they are healing. The scabs are almost all gone but the skin is still so new. And there is still pain from what is left of the scabs. And it still hurts up into my ears. It does seem to get worse as the day goes on and I talk more.

I think I get a little better every day. I didn't take anything for pain yesterday until I got home from work but it hurt pretty bad by then. So today I took something small when it hurt today. It is getting better, slowly. I ate all three meals today, even though it hurts a little (sometimes a lot) to swallow.

I hope everone out there is doing well. I'll check back in tomorrow or the next day.

Of course I can't eat as much as I used to but that's not all bad.

That's the part I'm looking forward to ;)

Well everyone, it's been two weeks today. I feel a lot better today than at any other time in the past two weeks. There is very little pain left. Still a little when I swallow or yawn. But I am eating full meals now. I even ate chips today. I probably shouldn't have. I still have just a little bleeding at night when I sleep. I can't tell where it is coming from. I think it is from the very top where the skin is the most pink. But I really can't tell.

Over all I think I will be happy this is all done. The worst of the pain has faded to a memory already. I think I will even be playing golf this weekend.

If you've read all of this, two weeks worth of me rambling, I thank you. It helped me when I was writing it. I would like to think that somewhere in the rambling was at least a little good advice. Mostly I think everyone has to decide what is working for them at any given point of what they are feeling personally.

If you have read all of this because you are going through something similar right now I wish you a speedy recovery. If you are readinig this scared of what is about to happen. Don't listen to all of the horror stories. I meant what I wrote this past two weeks to help people along the road, not to stop anyone from traveling it. If you have a chronic condition that points to a procedure such as this. I think you have to decide if a few days of discomfort is worth a lifetime of health. To me it was. I wish you well with your decision.

To everyone. I wish you all good health. Perhaps I will check back in from time to time. For now. Good night.

One final update. It's been over two months now since my surgery. I feel great. It's hard for me to even remember the worst of it. I have been eating and living normally for long enough to have put the lost weight back on. I haven't had a single sore throat or sinus infection since the recovery. My family is very unhappy to realize that I have learned how to sing with my throat open (without the tonsils). Over all I am happy that I am finished with it. In my opinion it was worth it. Just to not have the sore throat, which I had for years. I do have to be carefull when I drink. The fluids have found a new route, up the back of my throat and into my nose. I suppose I'll learn how to control that.

I stopped taking the hydrocodone a couple of days after I went back to work. I didn't need it any more. I had been on it for quite a while, even before the surgery due to the tonsil pain. For the rest of that week I felt terrible. Finally Friday morning I called my family doctor and went in that afternoon to see her. She decided I had become physically dependent on the hydrcodone. It took me 5 or 6 days to get over the withdrawl. I did some searching and it can be pretty nasty so I was lucky. But I was also determined. Besides, by the time I saw her I had already gone through the worst of it. I mention this so you can be aware that after a long enough period of time it may be hard on you to stop taking it. It really wasn't that bad for me. Felt like th flue without being sick. I just hurt eveywhere.

If you are wondering if you should go have this procedure. I say stop reading all of these posts and go have it done. After the procedure when you can't sleep. come back here and read. There are people who have been through it and survived.

Good luck everyone. And thanks again for reading.

I got mine out when I was 7 and I threw up blood every night for a week until i passed out from throwing up so much blood. So that was my post op bleeding experiance and I've never had the flu or strep throat since:)

HI Chris, great reading by the way(and I read the whole thing :))

Just wondering, since you have some experience with bleeding, how exactly did you stop//rinse the wounds? Did you gargle, swallow alot or just keep it in your mouth?

I`ve been through 3post-op bleedings now and almost 1 month has passed since my first surgery..