tonsils getting taken out :(...any advice??

Enoughwithit

Hey Firestar,

I just got my tonsils out on Sept. 11th so I'm now on Day 6. I'm not a smoker but I can probably tell you this: the pain it causes will probably take your craving for cigarette away...

It's not an easy ride, it's no fun. Last night, I woke up twice because the pain in my ears was so bad, I couldn't bare it anymore, had to go for Tylenols...

You have to drink almost 2 liters of water a day but you can barely swallow your own saliva... So trust me, usually, if you put something in your mouth, it's only cuz it's necessary... I'm pretty sure you won't feel like smoking after this.

There is a post on here that has helped me a lot. It's LisaMP's Guide to Adult Tonsillectomy for Family and Friends... (look it up in the same section). She tells you exactly how you will be feeling and what to expect. It should be able to help you a lot

If ever you need to look for support, these guys have been amazing... It's great to come here and know that most of the people know what you're going through.

On that note, good luck with the surgery I'm sure everything will go well

__________________
Nothing great in this world has been accomplished withouth passion (Hegel)

Bracelet

I think that whether or not you'll be able to smoke will seriously be the least of your worries during your recovery. I'm not trying to scare you, but I think you'll be uncomfortable enough that a cigarette will be the last thing on your mind until you actually start feeling better.

I had already quit smoking about a year before having my tonsils out. But after I had the surgery, I can tell you without any reservations that I would never touch a cigarette again because I couldn't imagine smoking when I was in so much pain.

They say it takes 21 days to break a habit. The overall recovery period for a tonsil operation can be anywhere between 14-20 days. It's very possible that your desire to smoke may actually be gone by the time you feel better, which would be an extra bonus for you.

firestar13

thank you for the advice. hopefully this surgery will help with two things. to get rid of the diseased tonisls and to stop me from smoking.

HRWade

Hi Firestar,

I'm having mine taken out on the same day & I understand your fear. I am scared to death! I was hoping there would be someone else having theirs done around the same time as mine so I wouldn't be alone.

I am also a smoker & planned to use this as my reason for quitting, I knew that I couldn't smoke during recovery. My family doctor wrote me a prescription for the new stop-smoking drug, Chantix, to start today so I wouldn't have to deal with withdrawals on top of pain from surgery. It blocks the receptors in your brain that make you want a cigarette & it takes about a week for it to really take effect. I am hoping it works!

Keep in touch!

Heather

mkgb

Yes try and use your surgery to stop smoking... it will speed your recovery and your lungs will thank you.

As far as advice, I posted a list of a few things in Kfen's September 5th's post and there is LisaMP Adult Tonsilectomy guide that I reposted.

Let me recopy the list of things from the other post:
As far as advice:
My 3 year old son just had his tonsils out. At that age he was only able to cry and beg mommy and daddy to make it stop hurting. He didn't understand "why?". Now he is climbing the walls and more active than ever... not to mention infection free for three months. You know why, you know it is going to be rough and thus you can reason yourself through this... it will be rough, but feeling normal is worth it! I will be able to add my own perspective come mid-October.
There were many things that seemed to help my son:
1) Oticaine ear drops (Lydocaine base), they were like liquid gold. He acted normal, would eat and drink until the drops wore off. These were adminstered even in his sleep during the scab peeling stage... which almost made me cry.
2) Take your pain medicine regularly... set your clock, try not to let it lapse... even after the scabs peel off. You wil regret it if the site dries out while you snore at night.
3) Frequently take sips of cold/room temperature water during the first 48 hrs, after which you can sip warmer stuff if it is preferrable... keep the surgery site moist... otherwise it will hurt like Hadies when it drys out.
4) Your sinuses are going to get dry and irritated due to increased air flow, now your tonsils are gone... this will produce excess thick mucus which drops down the back of your throat and hurts like... yep, Hadies again. To avoid/lessen this complication use regular squirts of saline nasal spray to keep you sinuses moist and dilute excess mucus.
5) You will get weak and slow down the healing process if you don't force yourself to eat/drink. Eating is not always necessary to get nutriuents. My sone was great the day of surgery but began to tapper off on his food intake. I supplemented with protien powder supplemental milk shakes and smoothies. This kept him energized through out the recovery.
Good luck and best wishes.
I will add more as it comes to me. Sincerely, MG