I am at day 9 of my recovery. My "first" tonsils were removed at age 4 and now again at the ripe old age of 50! I guess they grew back or were never properly removed the first time around. I did not want to know in advance any of the specifics of the surgery because I knew it would scare me and I probably wouldn't have gone through with it. I was released from the hospital the same day. I wonder if this is normal procedure? The first couple of days were painful and I am limited on what pain meds I can take due to allergies. I was given 2 Darvocet N 100's every 4-6 hours. A Lidocaine numbing gel gargle to be used every 2 hours, prednisone steroids and the usual antibiotics. These seemed to work OK but when the time for more was near - I was ready! As the days went by, it seemed every day brought on a new or different pain. I was drinking enough water, popsicles, jello etc. I would try to add new and "exciting" foods to my menu of the above. Sherbet, baby foods, cream of whatever soups, cream of wheat cereal, mashed potatoes and lo and behold instant grits. OH did they seem to taste good! The junk at the back of my throat, which can be seen by looking into a mirror and shining a flashlight at the image of your open mouth, slowly sloughed off and I didn't notice any bleeding. There is still some back there, but not like it was. By the way, for me all the dead stuff tasted like old, rotting medicine. The way to get rid of that taste was by carefully chewing a "gentle" gum - nothing real strong flavored, or letting some pastel mints kind of melt in the mouth. The first few days of adding baby food seemed to be OK, but then I found that they burned my throat. I don't know if it was the ascorbic or citric acids in the foods, but watch out for that too. I tried a little piece of fresh watermelon yesterday and even that burned. OK - about day 6, I was beginning to get referred ear pain. My throat was still sore and it was hard to swallow, but nothing compared to this ear pain. Day 7, I had a call into the Dr. because something different HAD to happen. The Darvocets were not helping AT ALL!! I was pacing the floors, crying like a baby, holding my head, applying ice packs to the throat and face, and ready to find a gun. Finally heard back from the nurse who said that I could add liquid Motrin - 800mg according to package directions. You can only buy over-the-counter (OTC) 100-200mg liquid dose bottles. I am taking 4 tsps. every 4 hours along with my Darvocet N 100's. It is AMAZING how fast the Motrin works on the ear pain - within 5-10 minutes!! When it wears off - I definately know. I have lost 17 pounds these last 9 days and my stomach feels like it is gnawing at itself, I am SO hungry! Can't wait to sink my teeth into a large ole Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. This has been hard work for a 50 year old lady and what upsets me the most is that the Dr. was only going to remove one tonsil, but he decided to do both of them since he was there! I know I signed release forms, etc. for the surgery, but this just seems WRONG to make someone suffer like this. Anyone out there reading this, if you need to have the surgery - do it. But make sure you know what you are getting into. Make sure you have a responsible, loving, caring caregiver to help you. You will be on drugs and will need help with going to the store, keeping track of medicines and general pampering. I would not want to have to do this in a stressful situation - chaotic home life, young children underfoot, or a demanding work schedule. I don't know why kids handle this surgery so much better than adults do. I just want the ear pain to be gone!!!!! Will post more as I progress. Wish me luck!
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