Try not to worry too much. My son just had a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy at age 15 and he did just great. Spent the first two days lying around but after that was eager to get back to normal. He did have trouble talking for about a week. As far as pain goes, he refused all pain meds., even Tylenol, because he said it wasn't that bad. I was shocked because I expected at least a week of him being in serious pain. He did like sucking on some of those numbing cough drops for a couple of weeks. Anyway, everyone is different so I always say prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones too. As far as pain meds. go, there are lots of choices so I the one you're given is not working, don't hesitate to let your doctor know right away so he can try another. I have had major spine problems and found that Percocet works best for me because I don't get nauseous with it. It can take some trial and error to figure out what is best.
One more thing - if you have the slightest problem after surgery with nausea (the anesthesia can cause this) let the doctors know. There are great meds. which can prevent nausea and I know from experience that vomiting after any type of neck/throat surgery isn't pleasant. Don't be afraid to speak up and be a bit of a baby with the doctors and nurses - they're used to it and surgery can be a scary thing. Good luck!