Day: operation-4

Hi Everyone:

My name is George and I am going to have my tonsils out on Monday 11 Aug 2008 in Seattle.

My doctor is William Portuese and he performs the newer laser removal procedure vs. the older scalpel one.

Based on everything that I have read on this board, I think I am ready. I have my medication (Liquid Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen) and a good supply of Gatorade and popsicles and apple sauce. I will be picking up the juicy fruit gum and jello + ensure drink over the weekend. After that, I think all I have to do is show up on Monday.

If you read the Tonsillectomy threads on this site it is enough to scare you out of doing this procedure. But almost everyone who posts says they are happy they did it. (after about a month post -OP) I am hoping they are right.

I have had recurring Strep infections for almost 15 years. It seems to hit me bad every year or so to the point that I cannot swallow at night. When it does hit it seems to last bad for about 2 days then be miserable for about a week. I have been toughing it out all this time and after the last bought of this I finally made up my mind to get it over with. This decision took about a year. I recorded my throat/sinus issues on a paper w/ dates and severity. 1 year later I realized that almost every month or 2 I have a med/mild occurrence in addition to the really bad one every year or 2. This is what finally made up my mind.

I will try to keep a daily record of my experience. I hope it helps someone who is considering this.

Stay tuned.
George....

*******

*******
Day: operation-1

Hi Everyone:

Well I got my final supplies ready and now all I have to do is show up at 8am tomorrow. I am a little nervous, but so far so good.

Tonight I am going to treat myself to a good meal (Steak) as I suspect it will be the last decent meal for a while. No drinking or eating after midnight according to the doctor. I think I will stop around 9pm just to make sure my system is clear by 8am.

My wife thought she would be funny and asked me if they were going to use a catheter during the procedure (Ouch). Now I do not think so, but funny as it seems I am obsessing on this rather than the procedure.

I am going to spend the day with my kids (Girl 4, Boy 2) and go to the park. It’s hard to tell them that Dad is going to be a grump for a week or so starting tomorrow. I hope today builds up some credits with them so they forgive me later in the week.

My next post might be tomorrow or the day after.

Stay tuned.
George....

*******

*******
Day: Post-op Day 1

Pain Scale: 3/10 , Ears are starting to hurt.

Hi Everyone:

Well I did it. 8 am this morning. It is now 8pm here in Seattle and I feel surprisingly good. (Good Drugs) The doc said things went well and the Oblation method should help to minimize the pain.


I know that day 2,3,4 are going to be worse than now, but I am off to a good start.


Drinking Ice cold Ensure before the drugs has been a good idea. No nausea yet. I am taking everyone’s advice and I am sipping iced Gatorade frequently.

Here's how it went:

8am: Show up

8:30: Meet doc and Nurse and Anesthesiologist

8:45: IV and a little gas. (No not that type)

8:46 Night Night time.

9:30: Nurse sets me up and I instantly wake up. Throat is tight but ok.

10:00: Wheeled to car and my wife drives me home.

11:00 Good drugs. In and out of sleep for next few hours. Lots of Ice cold Gatorade sipped.

3:00: More drugs. (See Ensure comment above)

5:00 Wife gets kids from day care. Kids surprisingly calm and nice. (Yea)

7:00: wife gets kids to sleep.

8:00 pm: Colin(age 2) sneaks down stairs and is playing next to me as I write this.




Stay tuned.
George....

*******

George, Glad things went well with the surgery. I will be reading your posts. I am having my tonsils out October 24 also with the cobalation method. Im just looking forward to not having throat/tonsils problems anymore. Have to say after reading all the posts here I almost dont want to have it done. So many horror stories but I know everyone heals differently. Good luck and keep us posted.

*******
Day: Post-op Day 2

Pain Scale: 3/10 , Ears hurt some. (left)

Hi Everyone:

So I lasted the night. It was not very bad. I drank my iced Gatorade frequently and I kept an Ice pack on my neck most of yesterday and today. Swallowing hurts a lot but is a necessary evil to get things back in working order.

Sleeping upright in a recliner chair is not so bad. I have the humidifier running nonstop and a good view onto the street in front of my house. It’s not often you can watch the sun go up and down and watch people all day long. (Now I know what it is like to be retired)

The pain has been manageable and based on previous strep attacks I would even rate this as less painful as there is less tissue to freak out. I think I have been lucky so far.

The major downside to this so far is the swallowing thing. Keep your neck Iced and keep drinking. A dry throat is miserable. The other major thing is the thick flem in my mouth. I am constantly washing my mouth with cool water. Hacking up Picasso's hurts. I went to the dentist the week before the surgery. I started with clean teeth and boy am I glad I did that. I can't imagine what it would be like otherwise.

Well it is now 8pm here. Time to settle into a movie and maybe a little Xbox with my friend Jack. I will post again tomorrow.

PS: tdooders1, thank you for the words of encouragement. Feel free to write anytime. I like talking with the people on this board.





Stay tuned.
George....

*******

Glad you are doing well so far George. What are you icing your neck with? I want to be really prepared for my recovery. I still have a couple of months before my surgery but Ive been reading everyones experiences and what they suggest will help with the recovery. I read some boards here about the bleeding. Thats the part Im most scared of but I think if I stay hydrated I wont have that problem. Keep us posted. Thinking of you.

*******
Day: Post-op Day 3

Pain Scale: 5/10 , Ears hurt (left and a little right)

Hi Everyone:

Well per what everyone says will happen is, pain is increasing some. It is still bearable (With good drugs + Icing of the neck) I still think I have had worse Strep infections vs this.

I am mainly sitting in my Lazy-boy chair and surfing the web or sleeping. I just logged onto Ancestry.com and now I have a good excuse to get all the information entered.

I can tell things are healing, and I sure look forward to the day that I can swallow and not grimace. The Flem situation has not changed and I find myself hacking into a towel constantly. (Makes for great company) Make sure you have a limitless supply of these.

The ensure drink I am using keeps my energy up (I like the vanilla) and it makes it much easier to drink the medicine. (Burns as it goes down if you do not cut it with something) The only down side to the ensure is flem thing. After drinking it I have to wash my mouth out with H2O again. (Its still worth it) I tried chicken broth, but was not impressed. I will stick with the ensure for now. On the Plus side of things I have lost 8 lbs.



PS: tdooders1, You can buy freeze packs at any local drug store. pick up at least 3 or 4 as they only last about 1/2 hr. I have a large cooler one and it lasted me for a few hours last night. Just wrap in a towel. You can pick up the big ones where they sell coolers.





Stay tuned.
George....

*******

George have been eating anything besides liquids? Have you tried eggs or cottage cheese? Thanks for the info on the ice packs. I will be sure to get them. Are you sleeping in the recliner? I heard it would be easier the first few nights to sleep in a chair.

Hi George I had my tonsils out on Aug 11th too. Today is our day 4! Pain has def. gotten worse but with medicine its tolerable. I've been eating things such as Farina (THE BEST...goes right down), Ensure, eggs, jello, sherbert, and am drinking lots of gatorade and ice water.

I've been icing my neck with bags of frozen peas and corn! LOL
I bought a bunch of ice collars but they don't lay around my neck as comfortably. I've also been using a heating pad because the back of my neck and lower back are in PAIN due to the way I've been sleeping and laying since Monday.

I have mitral valve prolapse so I had to stop taking Lortab and Tylenol with Codeine. Now I'm just on Extra Strength Liquid Tylenol which workds pretty well with less side effects. Hopefully it continues, otherwise my doc gave me Darvocet PILLS. ANyone ever taken these?

All in all I am in pain but I hope it will get better soon. This surgery def. puts a lot of anguish on one's body and you have to be strong and just get through it.
Good Luck.

*******
Day: Post-op Day 4

Pain Scale: 6/10(Night) down to a 3/10 , Ears still hurt some

Hi Everyone:

Last night was the worst so far. I had sweats all night and I could tell when I was due for more meds as the throat was on fire. When I woke up at about 8 am I felt fine. I guess my system needed to kill some bug or something. As long as I take my meds every 4 hours I am fine now.

I think I am in the false middle ground of this procedure. Things will look ok till the scabs in the throat start falling off, then we will be back to bad days again. Till then, I think I am going to try eating a solid.

Today I tried apple sauce. It was ok. Tonight I am going to try 3 or 4 noodles of Mac and Cheese. Let’s see how that goes. My wife is making hamburgers tonight and the smell is exquisite. I can’t wait to get back to real food.

I learned a good lesson Last night, If you have an electric toothbrush, do not use it. (Ouch) Go for the old fashion type till this is all over. Swelling of the tongue was not fun. You don’t realize this till it is too late.



PS: tdooders1: Gnicsan had a great idea. Use frozen Peas or corn. This will feel better on a throat. Just remember to re-freeze before it turns to mush.

PS: Gnicsan: Congratulations. I think you are doing better that I am. I have not tried any solids yet. I hope to tonight. I have been sleeping in a lazy boy recliner and my back is OK, but I do miss lying flat. I think I am at least a week away from trying that. Keep in touch. Let’s see who the first one is to eat a hamburger.



Stay tuned.
George....

*******
Report Bad Post

George thanks for the heads up on the electric toothbrush. I love mine but will use a regular one when I have the surgery.

Great idea on the frozen vegies. Ill stock up on those.

Keep us posted.

Hey everyone. Its 4:53 a.m. Of course I cant sleep. I'm getting a yuk feeling in my stomach like I have a virus or something. I haven't "gone to the bathroom" since before my surgery so it must be that. I have been getting bad headaches for two days. Has anyone else had these?
Its the beginning of Day 5 for me and George! Wow, I hope we're almost there. The Tylenol has not been lasting very long for me, I'm taking it every 4 hours but by hour 2 1.2 I'm ready for more.
Not sure whats going on with the scabs yet. They don't feel any different.
Keep in touch.
Gina

I'm 54 and in Seattle. Had the surgery 3 weeks ago although I almost backed out after checking out this site. I decided to just take some of the good advice and be satisfied with that.
The surgery was a breeze thanks to excellent drugs. Actually, the first night was good too since the excellent drugs didn't wear off right away.
Days 2, 3, and 4 were not fun. My doc gave me Percoset (1-2 every 4 hours). I did some quick math in my head and decided that taking 1 pill every 2 hours was the same. It really helped me stay ahead of the pain. Best part was I stayed stupid all the time so got plenty of sleep. I was also given a great anti-nausea pill that dissolved on my tongue which I did end up needing a few times. By day 3, I remembered what Percoset does to a girl's constitution and sent a friend to the store for a laxative. Whew.
I didn't even try to eat BUT, I did take the hydration part very seriously. Cranberry juice and flat Diet 7-up were the best. I also chewed gum (yes, that was hard) and almost always had a sugarless throat lozenge going to keep me salivating and swallowing.
Didn't even think of trying anything like ice cream or pudding cause dairy really does make phlegm in your throat and I can't even stand the thought. When I was ready for some food, egg-drop soup from our local Chinese Restaurant was the best. It slid right down and tasted sooo good.
Well, long story short, I had arranged to take 2-3 weeks off from work for this but I GOT BURNED!!! Felt completely better by day 8 and went back to work. Throat was and is still dry in the morning but that's it. I feel great. Except the part about not getting to stay home for 3 weeks.

*******
Day: Post-op Day 5

Pain Scale: 7/10(Night) down to a 3/10 (Day),

Hi Everyone:


Ok, Last night was really the worst. This time I had the shakes and searing pain in the throat. It took all I could do to drink my ensure and take my meds. I was counting the time between pain Med doses as my body would seem to know before I did. I was a basket case in the morning and my wife got a little concerned. It is now 1pm and I feel ok. Night time really sucks.

I am sure that the scabs are falling off now as I can feel this presence on both sides of my throat. I also see a little blood in the saliva. Not enough to get concerned about, but it does make you take notice.

It hurts too much to drink Gatorade or anything too cold now. I have moved to H20 and some vitamin water. Both go down better. On the plus side I stepped on the scale today and I have lost 14 Lbs. It is a side benefit.


Stay tuned.
George....

*******

George you said you have a little blood in your salvia. Nothing to worry about? Thats the part Im most concerned about. Is bleeding. From reading some of the posts here about the bleeding some have had it scares me to death in having the surgery but Im not going to back out of it. I need the surgery. Sick of constantly clearing my throat. Sick of trouble swallowing when I eat. Sick of the snoring when I sleep. Sick of the sore throats. Sick of the tonsil stones. Sick of the low grade fever I constantly have. Keep us posted.

tdooders1:

Hi, Yes if you read enough of these threads you will get yourself scarred. Rememeber you hear the bad news more than the good stuff.

Bleeding and dehydration are probably the 2 biggest things to look for in a normal procedure.

Dehydration is something you can control. Bleeding you can only partially control by drinking a lot of fluids, sitting/sleeping upright, relaxing and not getting your blood pressure pushed up.

If your throat decides to bleed then all you can do is get yourself to the ER asap. (apply ice to outside of throat - Per my Docs advice) When it happens in a bad way it is very noticeable. I do not know the statistics, but I do not get the impression that this is common. (Anyone know the official statistics?)


In my case I just noticed the phlegm had some blood in it. Not enough to worry about.


It is 2 pm and the pain meds are working well and I feel fine. I hope tonight goes better than the last 2 nights.


Stay tuned.
George.......

Hi there!

Was browsing the interent as i had a tonsillectomy in the UK 10 days ago.
I heard so many horror stories before i went in for my operation but on the whole my experience hasn't been too bad.

I was completely fine after the operation, ate, drank and was talking the nurse's heads off! Came home the next day and felt rubbish but reasonably alright till the 5th day of recovery.

5th day...i was in extreme pain. No bleeding but pain! I rang up my local GP and they told me it is very commont for the 5th-7th day to be the most painful, and they were.

Im on my 10th day of recovery and im feeling so much better. The yellowy-white stuff is slowly decreasing, though the black-ish scabs are still there. Not looking forward to them coming off!

Iv been prescribed Co-Codamol and Bruphen - they controlled most of the pain however the co-codamol made me feel really sick, gave me constipation and sent me to sleep! (sleeping through most of the pain was probably a good thing!) So now im only on paracetamol and bruben. The pain isn't bad now, just a little intense when eating.

The thing that has helped the most for me is ice water. Drink as much water with ice in it as possible. Numbs your throat a little so you can drink more. Plus it washes away infection.

Anyway! I shall stop going on! i have some pictures of my throat up to the 7th day i think if anyone wants reassurance that their throat is looking normal after the tonsillectomy!

I think you were really brave George for going for your operation! I know that the older you get the worse it is. I'm 23 which maybe why its not been so bad for me.

I know it seems like its all such a slow process but think of all the time and pain with Strep Throat and Tonsilitis! I know id rather feel this pain than be waiting to see if every sore throat turns into an infection!

Loves to everyone in the same situation!

Clare

xx


^^^ oh and george! im jealous because i must be the only person to have a tonsillectomy that hasn't lost weight!

*******
Day: Post-op Day 6

Pain Scale: 2/10 (Magic)

Hi Everyone:

Well I am still taking my pain meds every 4 hours, but other than that things are getting back to normal. I am able to sleep well and I have started eating small amounts of solids. (Egg W/ soup, Jell-O, toast, Cheese)

My energy level has jumped up and I am wanting to do stuff. I am having to restrain myself as I do not want to get too aggressive too fast. I think things have turned a corner after a few miserable nights.

My throat still feels a little sore if I go too long without meds and swallowing is still a very slow process, but every day just seems to get better. I can now talk in very quite whispers. (Kids think it is fun)

My plan is to continue taking meds and drinking H2O frequently for at least 3 more days till I see the doc for the follow up appointment. After that I may try to drop the meds.


I hope all is well with everyone else. Feel free to drop a line. I will keep you posted.



Stay tuned.
George....

*******

Hey.
Glad to hear you feeling a little more engergetic! Took me 9 days to feel like that.
You mentioned you having a follow up with your GP. Is that common in the US? because i've not been given a follow up at all...apparently we don't need follow ups here unless something goes wrong. hmmmm...I'm thinking i may make an appointment with my GP soon though, just to make sure its all ok!

There seems to be a bit of skin still attached from the right side of my tonsil bed to the middle 'dangley' bit (not sure what its called!) Leaving a hole above the skin. It's starting to annoy me as food gets stuck in it and when i breath i can feel the air go through it.


Things never run easy! im hoping i get use to it but i'll mention it to my doctor when i see her.

Hope things are going well for everyone :)

xx

*******
Day: Post-op Day 7

Pain Scale: 1/10 (With Meds)

Hi Everyone:

Today was the best day yet. I got out of the house with the family and went to the mall. I even ate a normal lunch of Mongolian stir fry. (Very very slowly)

I am still taking my meds as i notice after about 6 to 8 hours that my throat gets sore. I can feel the scabs falling off on the inside of my throat. It is not pleasant, but it has not been to bad as long as I have been keeping hydrated. (Still drinking constantly)

Tonight I am even going to try and sleep in my bed. I will let you know if I make it through the night horizontal.

On Tuesday I have my scheduled follow up appointment with the Doc to check things out. If all goes well, I plan on ramping back into a normal life over the next week or 2. I still plan on no exercise for at least 2 to 3 more weeks just in case. By then I am sure my body will be screaming at me to get on the new bike and go for a ride. (Just a little longer to go)

I hope all is well with everyone else.

Stay tuned.
George....

*******

Hey everyone its day 8 for george and i! I've had a rough few days. Apparently, I cant really take pain med. so ive been living off extra strength tylenol which is prohibiting me from eating. Last night I had a sensation like I couldn't breath which kept getting worse and worse. Finally, I vomited a ton of phlegm and felt better. A few hours later, I threw up again. Yesterday, I was rushed to the ER because I could not breathe. TUrns out I have bronchitis from alll the phlegm thats been sitting in my chest so I was given a Z pack.

This reallly has been a nightmare.

Hi George! Im a big fan! I am on day 5 of post op tonsillectomy. I have been very nauseated today especially when it comes to eating mashed potatoes/rice/oatmeal or even drinking V8 Fusion (to get serving of veggie and fruits). Been trying to drink water but can only get down 1-2 bottles of water a day. Gonna try some Gatorade/Powerade tomorrow. ALso I have only been eating Jello, Broth, and soggy bread. Just gave up on the ice cream (thanks to you, my roommate is VERY happy). So I was wondering y I am so nauseated..is it from the Roxicet (Liquid Percocet), the flack of food, or just the pain? Also, would Slim Fast powder mixed with water be a good substitute for 1-2 meals a day and give plenty of vitamins and nutrients body needs? I am off tomorrow for gatorade and eggs...not sure about the ensure, it seems like it would cause mucus. My hearts out to you Gina with the not breathing well...That is the reason mine were removed was lack of breathing due to tonsil enlargment which caused panic attacks/low energy/sleep apnea/etc. I feel like I have more energy now then i did before surgery, too bad it comes with the pain at the moment. Take Care and good luck to all who is enduring this pain!

*******
Day: Post-op Day 8

Pain Scale: 1/10 (With Meds)

Hi Everyone:

Things went well today. I am starting to wean myself from the drugs. I am taking only 1 Tsp now instead of 2. I am also only taking the meds when the throat starts to complain. My hope is that I will be off the stuff in a few days.

I ate normally today. Bread, cheese, soup, mashed potatoes. It felt really good to be back to a normal (but soft) diet.


Tomorrow is my follow up appointment. I expect they will just stare down my throat (Charge my insurance) and tell me I am doing well. I am not expecting any new information. As far as I can tell healing is going as expected.

I hope everyone else out there who is mid process starts to feel better. When I see some of the replies on this thread I know I have gotten off lucky.

Gnicsan/Austin123456: My thoughts are with you these days. Please keep us posted as to your progress. On the topic of the Ensure drink, I had found the recommendation on this message board. It really kept my strength up the first 5 days. I never felt weak due to lack of nutrition. You are correct about the phlegm situation and the drink. It only made matters worse, but I rinsed my mouth after each feeding so in the end it was no big deal. I would recommend Ensure as well for at least the first few days to keep your strength up. (BTW the chocolate and vanilla drinks taste quite good.)


Keep posting folks:


Stay tuned.
George....

*******

George, I am so glad to hear you are healing very well. Your recovery sounds a lot more encouraging than some of the others I have read. I hope mine goes as well when I have my surgery. Question on meds. Not to sound stupid but I am assumming the pain medications are liquid form? I have trouble now swallowing pills that I cant imagine swallowing any form of a pill after my surgery.

Have you tried eating cottage cheese or yogurt the first few days? Or do you think they would cause too much mucus?

Thank you for your posts.

i tried eating yogurt but makes tongue numb and nauseated. feeling really nauseated now, is that things were with you george? I am constantly nauseated to where i can do anything. lemme know. thanks!

Austin

*******
Day: Post-op Day 9

Pain Scale: 1/10 (With Meds)

Hi Everyone:

Today turned out ok. I only had to get up once last night to take some pain med. I went almost all day till about 3pm this afternoon before I took another dose. I expect that it will take me another 2 to 3 days before I am fully off the meds.

The medication that I am taking is Liquid Hydrocodone and Acetaminophen. This has worked quite well for me over the past 1 1/2 weeks. I have never had any nausea. I have always made sure to eat something or drink an ensure before each pain dose.

Today I ate soft pasta with cheese. It went down well. I still have a very small appetite. (Took some home for later) I also had yogurt for breakfast. I have not tried any dairy other than cheese till now. I have lost 10 lbs and with any luck, some of it will stay off.

My throat is still slightly sore. I only notice this when I eat or late at night. During the day I do not notice.

I went to my follow up appointment today. As expected she spent 5 min with me said all was ok and to keep off hard foods for a while longer to ensure no bleeding occurs. (I will keep with her advice)

Well that’s all for now.

Keep posting folks:


Stay tuned.
George....

*******

George What made you have the surgery? Were you having lots of infections each year or ? Just wondering what problems other people have had with their tonsils to make them have the surgery.

Also if anyone can answer how long were you out of work. Im hoping to be back to work after 10 days.

George, sounds like things are looking well! I cant wait till i can go most the day with no meds. I planned on having surgery last thursday and being at work the following monday...didnt work out. I told them i need this whole week off. Throat is feeling better...seems to feel good in the morning after having some toast with butter. Then for lunch and dinner is a switch off of rice or mashed potatoes. When i made rice today instead of using water i used beef broth...was an interesting taste but assumed it would be better of a meal. I think no less than 10 days out of work would be good, more if there happens to be a slight complication (bleeding or getting sick). I have been renting a CPAP machine (used for sleep apnea, pumps regulair air into your nose with humidity to help keep air passage widened) for night time sleeping and has been helping out alot, especially with a high humidity setting. Good luck to everyone!

Austin
27, Minneapolis

*******
Day: Post-op Day 10 (Final daily post)

Pain Scale: 0/10 (No Meds)

Hi Everyone:

Well I went 24+ hours without Meds. I guess I am now good to go. My throat is still a little sore at times but nothing I can't deal with. I expect that over the next month or so it will be fully healed and I won't notice it any more.

I took 2 weeks off work and plan on going back on Monday. For me 2 weeks was the magic amount of time. (No complications)

This is my last daily post. I will hop on occasionally to try and answer questions or lend support. Thank you everyone for your good words over the past 2 weeks, it really helped.

If you guys want to keep this thread alive for other Adult Tonsillectomy discussions feel free.


George....

*******

Thanks George! Im on day 9 and have gone 8 hours without meds and feeling better than ever...except one downfall, being on mostly liquid diet over last 9 days catches up to you...and all at once (think about it, lol) was up all night. George I tried an ensure yesterday for the first time and wow the Homemade Vanilla Shake is awesome! I think I will continue with ensure for a daily after the gym snack. After this surgery I have only lost about 8 pounds and have so much energy so they should keep on dropping off. Thanks Everyone and Good Luck!

P.S. Gina where are you? Is everything going ok? Haven't seen you here in awhile...let us know how things are going!

Hey everyone. I haven't posted in a few days but I'm doing well. Its day 12 now and I had my post-op yesterday. He said everything is healing perfectly and I could start eating normally on day 14.
I feel a lot better, yesterday was my best day yet. I got dressed, went out for the day and felt like a person.
My throat has minimal pain except for at night. There is this one part of the bottom of my throat on the right side, really deep down, that still hurts badly at night. I think its a scab still trying to fall off cuz I can feel it.
My energy is good during the day but I get tired real fast. I had to lay down midday to take a nap!! I NEVER NAP!!
All in all this was a really interesting experience. It really has been a roller coaster. The tonsillectomy for me wasn't the worst part either, it was all the complications that I had with it, that I never expected (reaction to the medicines, trip to ER for trouble breathing.)
I do feel like I've been through something traumatic and it will take time to recover completely. I am happy they're out of my body because that disgusting taste and smell from the tonsil stones are no longer there!! My family and friends still don't understand why I would go through all this for "bad breath." To me, I know I would have never been happy if I didn't. I'm glad its over!
Good luck to everyone! Make sure you surround yourself with supportive people because its a hell of a ride.

AUSTIN: I'm so happy you are doing well. You are definitely almost there. You'll see in about 1 or 2 days you'll fell normal!! Good luck.

I'm 18 and I had my tonsills out yesterday due to tonsil stones and crypts feeling like I'm chocking everytime I eat. I had my gullbladder out when I was 12 but I can say this was the worst. My uvula has swollen a ton it's about 3 times it's normal size easy, its actually resting on my tounge, makes it interesting to swallow, I have to keep my head tilted back otherwise it feels like I'm gaging on it lol. Anyone else have this problem?

Hey Gina! Glad to hear all is well! I feel great! Pain is minimal, and best of all breathing is great! Going to the gym this afternoon to use up some of this energy I now have. Only really weird thing is my tongue goes numb when i eat and taste buds are way outta control. Had Subway for lunch with some banana peppers on it and WOW! I read online that with tonsillectomy's many people's tongue will go numb for up to a year due to the tongue clamp used during surgery, but I will double check with the doctor on Thursday for my post-op. I never liked to chew gum (and still don't) but definitely recommend it (gets your jaw some exercise). Thanks for everyone's help through this unforgettable surgery and Good Luck to Everyone!!

Spiderspecialed: I had the same thing and it will shrink (slowly) over the next day or two. May have some tongue numbness, I am on day 12 and still goes numb when I eat and with some drinks. You have quite the journey ahead of yourself just take it slow. You will find alot of useful things others have tried throughout these messages, thanks to George! Most important is to stay hydrated, 2nd+ day i made myself drink 2 16oz bottles of water (I couldnt drink gatorade or juices due to numbness and pain) a day.

I am having my tonsillectomy on October 24th...big time scared. This is a good thread and I will probably re-read it as I go thru my process.