Mom2 - So you don't think the yawning could cause a scab to pop and start some bleeding? I can deal with some pain, but I still have blood-tinged mucous when I spit it up (sorry - that's gross!), so I'm a bit worried about causing bleeding. I eat ice almost constantly through out the day.
Haha - I read all of your posts about wanting a big, messy cheeseburger! I think for me, I want to eat out somewhere tasty! Well, I've been eating "real" food since yesterday afternoon (with lots of ice between each bite to numb any pain), so it's starting to go a lot better.
Well, tomorrow morning it will be officially two weeks since my surgery date, and I have to say I can finally see the light at the end. I think yesterday was a turning point for me just because I began eating some and started to feel a fair bit better!
I have to say that I really thought once the "turning point" came, everything would be downhill from there. And I guess it is in a way, but I still have quite a lot of pain and am just plain exhausted despite the fact I've done almost nothing. Still, I'm in better spirits now that I can see this really will eventually end.
I am still waking up with such a sore throat in the morning, that it is painful to swallow (and I do have a humidifier, although it is a warm mist). We live in a relatively "humid" area anyway, so I haven't made much use of my humidifier outside of this surgery. I guess even the fact that I am able to sleep a full night now is good news. The back of my throat is starting to look a bit better. The right side looks as if it could be almost normal in a few days. The left side still has a ways to go, but I'm optimistic now.
I think it will be 3-4 weeks before I really feel "recovered", but I'm so glad things are turning around! I think eating actual food is helping me a lot, too! My post-op appt is Wed of next week, so I'm looking forward to it. Things are actually starting to seem a lot better despite the lingering pain, but I'm so thankful that I've finally turned the corner!!!
Yup 2 weeks tomorrow I had my post op appointment yesterday and they say everything is looking good. They said my main thing it not to gulp drinks since I don't have my uvula any longer. I have found it hard eating somethings like noodles. My tongue is still swollen and they said that it will for a little. So I go back in 3 months unless I have complications.
Adpace- Glad to hear that you are doing better and eating. Things should be getting better and back to normal.
mathiss01 - sounds like things are looking good for you! My post op appt isn't until Tuesday, so I'm anxious to see how that goes.
Day 16 update
I'm still doing a lot better, but I guess I'm just one of those that is recovering very slowly. I still wake up with a very painful throat that gets better throughout the day. The right side looks fabulous now with just a very few specks of white and very little pain. The left side is looking much better than it was, but still has a fair amount of scabbing and still hurts a lot upon waking.
But the fact that I can eat most anything now makes it all better! I will say that I tried to eat some salad last night and that may have been a mistake. I think more of it got stuck in the left pocket than made it down, but I figured it was worth a try.
My tongue is still a little numb, but I can tell it's getting better. I'm thinking it may be another month before I have full feeling again, but I'm hopeful since it seems to get a little better.
So, I'm still getting just a little better each day. I did push too hard last night trying to get the kids ready for bed and felt miserable afterward - just general exhaustion which led to my allergies starting up. I also had to take my Advair (asthma medicine) this morning and that is painful since you are supposed to suck the medicine in - so both the act of pulling it in and when the medicine hits the back of my throat, it burns. But I suppose it is worth it to be able to breathe!
Well, things are just slowly improving. But that is a good thing!
I finally got out and about yesterday with my family. We went out to eat and to several stores. Today, I made it to church, but sat in the pew during the singing as I'm not ready for that yet.
I also had been dying to try a soda again, but I was really hesitant. I had one last night, and although it feels strange going down, it seems I'm able to tolerate it.
So, the basic summary right now is that I can eat/drink most anything, but I still have an awful sore throat when I wake up in the mornings. I'm exhausted throughout the day and yawning is still painful. But I'm nearly to the end of this mess, so that's good.
Still no feeling on the left side of my tongue. I will ask my doctor about that at my post op on Tuesday. I'm ready to talk to him and see what my tonsils looked like/had in them. Overall, life is starting to look pretty good again!
I have been reading these boards in the last few weeks as I prepare for my tonsillectomy scheduled for March 7th. I am nervous, especially after reading some of these horror stories, but I am mostly excited to get these nasty things out of my body.
I have had recurrent tonsilitis since I was a teenager. I am 31 now, so that is a long time to be dealing with it! My tonsils are massive and block about 40% of my airway. Also, I have to dig tonsil stones out on a daily basis. I snore, get constant sore throats, and generally just feel fatigued. I currently have a terrible bout of bronchitis, so I am hoping it goes away in the next week so I do not have to postpone the surgery.
I mostly know what to expect thanks to this wonderful community. I will be posting my experiences with the surgery and recovery. Thanks to everyone for all of the good stories and advice. Good luck to those who are about to undergo this surgery!
Welcome to the boards! It's a great place to come and get everything about the surgery off of your chest. And everyone here was very supportive. I understand how you feel as I've had recurrent tonsillitis since childhood. They even scheduled me to take my tonsils out as a child and then changed their minds - I've been cursing that doctor ever since I had to have this surgery as an adult! LOL
Anyway, I wish you the best and hopefully you can have your surgery on time! I had the same worries as I got a nasty sinus infection exactly 10 days before my surgery was scheduled. They told me they would do it as long as I wasn't running a fever and it worked out fine.
I had a pretty rough recovery, but I still think after all of it that it will have been worth it in the end. Just wanted to offer up that encouragement for you. You may have a few rough days during the recovery, but I think getting these awful things out is a good thing for those of us who have enlarged and infected tonsils. Two weeks (or so) of recovery will be worth it to have the rest of a lifetime of better health. Good luck to you in your surgery!
I just wanted to give what will hopefully be one of my final updates. My post-op appt was today and I had several things I wanted to find out about. I took a peek at the back of my throat before going in and noticed there is still what appears to be quite a bit of scabbing on the right side (BTW, I was getting the right & left sides mixed up in some of my earlier posts - blame it on the surgery LOL). I also still have a numb/tasteless tongue on one side.
The doctor said the tongue should really be healed by now. He said he thinks it will get better each day over the next few months. I am hoping he's right, but I do know there was a risk of this mentioned prior to surgery. It was just so minimal, I didn't think I would end up in that category!
Also, he says there's still a lot of inflammation back there. That's comforting to know, in a way, because I always thought I had a high pain tolerance, but this recovery has taken so long. . . So it's good to know that it's not just in my head (not that I thought it was, but still nice to have the confirmation). So it looks like I still have a ways to go despite the fact I'm nearly 3 weeks post-op, but it's looking lots better every day.
I meant to ask him about the lab reports, but the appt went so fast, I didn't think of it. I have to go to another follow-up in about 6 weeks because of the tongue issue, so maybe I can ask him then.
Hopefully I will be able to talk soon without sounding funny and be able to wake up without a sore throat or any discomfort throughout the day, but I'm just so happy to be beyond the worst of it!
