Advice for adult tonsillectomy. - Ear, Nose & Throat Message Board

LisaO925 · 03-10-2009, 02:26 PM

Hi, I am new to the board. I am 33, and am almost 4 weeks out after having my tonsils removed.

I had been dealing with large tonsils, and constant "throat infections" for many many years. I had a recent ER visit at the end of January of this year because my tonsils enlarged so bad, I couldnt breathe. So, I finally found a great ENT doctor, and we set a date (2/19/09) to have them removed. The procedure was easy, I went in at 9am, and was home by 2pm. No problems at all, and I actually felt pretty good.

I started having problems about 3 days in the recovery. I thought I was drinking enough, but I clearly wasnt. I wasnt eating anything, and even started not being able to take my liquid medications. A week to the day after, I hemmoraged, and lost almost 2 litters of blood. I ended up in the ER via ambulance, and stayed in the hospital for 3 days. My blood pressure went from 140 in the ambulance to 86 in the ER. I narrowly avoided being intubated and having a blood transufion. This is a RARE event!! I am not trying to scare anyone. But please please keep hydrated! Drink, drink, drink. If you think you are drinking enough, drink more. My tonsils were so enlarged from infection that my doctor had to create huge holes to get them out. Which created a thin wall, and me being dehydrated caused the wall to become even weaker and burst, causing the bleed.
Once I left the hospital, my pain was nearly gone. I took 6 bags of iv fluids to get hydrated again. But since I left the hospital, I feel stronger, and am getting better each day. I drink atleast 2 glasses every hour of water. I keep on next to my bed at night. I am healing so much faster then before.

I dont regret the surgery. I know in a few weeks I will be 100% better (having some trouble swallowing, and have almost zero taste is whats bugging me as of now) and this will just be something of the past. I look forward to having no more throat infections!

Drink, drink, drink!!!

falconer24 · 04-06-2009, 11:25 AM

Maybe tonsillectomies are different here in Canada? I had my surgery last Thursday, so i'm in day 5 post op. I am 31 yrs old. The pain is managable, but i'd be lying if i said it didnt hurt alot, especially in the morning when you wake up! I have A LOT of saliva in my mouth naturally, so keeping my mouth moist hasnt been an issue. Now, my doctor gave me some advice that goes against the grain of what most people are saying. He recommends eating rough scratchy foods from the very start (potato chips, french fries, hard toast, hamburgers...) so that it will gradually scrape away at the back of the throat. in fact, he gave me crackers and cheese to eat on the first day in the hospital. Its tough to get it down, but you should eat rough foods a couple times a day at least. i am on T3s and amoxicillan, as well as these supposotories hes told me to take on days 3, 4 and 5. those take the pain completely away, which is a good time to eat lots of food. my advice is:
-chew gum (really helps with the tightness)
-eat rough foods from the start
-fruit juice hurts
-use a humidifier

and most importantly.....

EXPECT PAIN....BUT STAY POSITIVE!! in the big picture, its a very small part of your life, and it will be over before you know it.