How To: Quickly Recover from a Tonsillectomy as an Adult

Written June 22, 2007 in meta, punditry

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I had my tonsils removed Tuesday. Today, I’m mostly up and around (but still not handling computer work because mucking with live databases and codeine do NOT mix.) and active. Sure, I’m not talking much, but I’m also not in crippling pain. Not bad for four days after a major surgery…

First off: Yes, tough guy, you need your mother or girlfriend to come take care of you for at least the first week after the surgery. There’s no driving yourself home after this one. In fact, the hospital won’t even let you. I definitely needed the wheelchair to get out of the recovery room.

Ice. Lots of ice.

Make sure your icemaker is full and your ice trays have frozen over before you leave for the hospital. You’ll want all the ice you can get, and then some.

The biggest single thing that we did right when I came home from the hospital was to get ice on the outside of my neck right away, and to keep it there for 48 hours in a pretty constant stream. This managed the swelling (and therefore the damage) that was done to the tissue throughout my neck. You’ll want to put ice packs around your entire neck, not just on the outside of where the surgery was done; the surgery will make the back of your neck sore as well… and you really don’t need any more pain.

I sucked on ice chips in a constant stream for the first four days. The few times that I tried to push it and consume somewhat solid food (chicken broth, yogurt, or mashed potatoes) were unfortunate experiences.

Drink until your eyeballs float.

They tell you this over and over again, but let me reiterate it — get the coldest non-acidic liquid drinks that you can get, and pour them down your throat in a constant stream. No straws. I like cold gatorade the best. You should drink about 16 ounces of clear liquid an hour. Fruit juice was too acidic for me and burnt m throat. Ensure worked great as a coating, especially when I needed to take medicines.

Don’t sleep.

The most important thing right off the bat for me was not sleeping. Mom let me sleep for an hour at the most. You need to stay hydrated as your first priority. If you sleep, you can’t stay ahead of the swelling and you’ll get hurt worse.

Don’t skip doses of painkiller.

If you accidentally sleep through a dose, you’ll be in a major amount of pain. Don’t do it. Stay hydrated, stay awake as much as you can, and take all of your medications at the right times.

320 comments on ' How To: Quickly Recover from a Tonsillectomy as an Adult '

  1. I had some great responses, questions and comments here before, but they were all deleted recently in a server crash. Please feel free to leave a comment and/or ask for help here.

      Written by karlkatzke on September 08, 2007 at 8:11pm

  2. I read your post before my tonsillectomy and your advice really helped. Its now day 8 post surgery and i feel fine - still in a bit of pain and on softish foods but all in all the whole experience hasn’t been the nighmare i was anticipating,
    many thanks

    annied

      Written by annied on November 15, 2007 at 9:52am

  3. I have found that the pain everyone told me about was true…I tried to over look the anticipated pain and compared it to having child birth naturally (I delivered my son with no medication) so certainly I thought I could handle this…yeah, i was wrong…I am on day 10 and though feel a little better, i was not prepared to have this much pain on day 10…I made a huge mistake of eating a banana this a.m. and it brought me to tears. Best advice is water and warm tea and lipton cup o soup…by far the best soup for this surgery.

      Written by Tammy on January 19, 2008 at 2:27pm

  4. I’m 27 and I had mine taken out a week and a half ago. It still hurts to eat it still hurts to talk. Cold drinks make it hurt even worse i have been drinking luke warm tea. That actually feels good going down. My uvual is and has been and is swollen and the left side of it has been cortarized, and has white coat on it and looks nasty. My tongue was swollen for the fist week with that white coat and white sploshes all over it. My taste buds have been burned off and are non existant food takes like crap, even my favorite foods that I love to eat taste like crap and I only take a few bites here and there. It has almost been two weeks and Im still in pain and still taking my meds. I believe my Doc did the Cobulation. Thank God no bleeding. The left side of my throat hurts like crap and my right side was the one that always hurt more and was more swollen when the tonsills were in there. Now its my left side that is bothering me. WTF

      Written by StillInPAin on January 26, 2008 at 7:16pm

  5. Hey, Stillinpain, I know cold drinks hurt going down, but the cold (especially sucking on ice chips) will reduce the swelling of your tongue, throat, and uvula… which is what’s causing the pain. So if you can stand it, definitely eat some ice chips and other cold stuff, just not dairy.

    And yes, you’ll keep taking your meds for the full two weeks and maybe then some.

    The white coat on your tongue and throat is perfectly normal. That’s what scab tissue looks like when it doesn’t have any blood in it! If the white coat on your tongue persists, you will definitely want to talk to your doctor. It might be thrush. I had to have my teeth cleaned to get it to go away because it kept coming back.

      Written by Karl Katzke on January 26, 2008 at 7:26pm

  6. I just got my tonsils taken out 7 days ago. I can eat some solid foods in small bites and quantities. It just feels like a really bad sore throat to me. The scabs are starting to come off a little and the constant feeling of something hanging in the back of my throat is driving me nuts! Any idea how long it takes for the scabs to come off once they start?

      Written by Allison on February 04, 2008 at 3:32pm

  7. Well I wish I would have read this BEFORE i had them suckers ripped violently from my skull. Because honestly 8 days later and that is exactly how it feels like someone violently ripped out my tonsils. It still hurts to swallow. I can do some food like real food in small bites and for some reason it feels like when they took them they took 1/2 my stomach too because I am full really quickly lately, probably because I am in so much pain when I eat. Pain meds and ice are my friends. They told me to use ice for a couple days… yeah I love ice! Still good. But DO NOT USE STRAWS!!! i DIDN’T READ THAT PART AND IT SUCKS! DON’T DO IT. but thanks for the information really. couple things on here I didn’t know before and I am going to use them and hopefully in 8 more days I will feel better.

      Written by Abigail on February 08, 2008 at 6:06am

  8. Drink lots of cold water and cold smoothies. I almost backed out last minute because of reading all the horror stories on the message boards.I mixed the nasty tasting liquid Vicodin into the smoothies. It does hurt, but water, water, water is the key to getting rid of the pain. It is NOT as bad as the posts describe it. It was certainly worth it. I used to get strep every other month. I am 8 months post op and have not has it since. 6 days post op, I cleaned out my shed and tiled the backsplash in my kitchen. The worst part was yawning. At 15 days post op, all pain was gone. For at least 4 months, I felt like I had a hair ball in my throat, but each month that gets better. Best decision I have ever made. Good Luck!

      Written by Dana on February 10, 2008 at 8:04am

  9. Hey everyone, I just had my tonsils out 4 days ago and I must say that I feel as though I got away with something. I am 19 years old, I have had little pain, honestly strep is usually much worst than this for me, and I am talking mostly okay.

    That being said, I’d like to add some tips do what the first guy said. I agree with ice in your mouth, obviously a good idea. One of my biggest complaints is that my tongue feels like it’s twice its regular size and I feel like there is a big knot in my throat. I have been pounding water. My suggestion is always have one in your hand in 2 in the freezer, just alternate them constantly. It does get pretty old peeing every half hour… literally… but it’s better than writhing in pain. Also I found baby food to not be a great option, but the more savory things like carrots went down easier than the sweeter fruit ones. I found gatorade to NOT be my friend when I tried to drink it, but that seems like it works for some people. To be honest with you, the best thing I’ve eaten, BY FAR, was some ramen noodles yesterday. You just take the little 16 cent brick and bash it up real good inside the bag for about 2 minutes. Then you throw it in a microwave in one of those big measuring bowls with about 4 cups of water and cook for about 8 minutes. Then leave it out to sit with aluminum foil on it for about another 10 minutes. The noodles are SO soft and small that you barely notice you’re eating them, and I found the (warm, not HOT) broth soothing.

    I hope everything goes well for anyone getting there tonsils out, but I wrote this mainly for hope because for every horrible surgery that leaves people in terrible pain, you have one like me that really lucks out, and hopefully you’ll get that too. Good Luck
    ~Andy

      Written by Andy on February 10, 2008 at 8:56am

  10. hello,

    I am 19 years old and i had my tonsils out 5 days ago, the first 2 days after the op i was amazed how good i felt and to be honest didnt understand why i needed so much time off to recover, then from the third day onwards i felt real bad pain in the ears and throat just like everyone else, but one thing i havent heard any1 mention alot about is sickness which i am getting a lot of and this is preventing me from eating. Does any one else seem to be suffering with sickness o is it my antibiotics??

    *t4zh4*

      Written by t4zh4 on February 12, 2008 at 6:56am

  11. If you’re getting pain in the ears and nausea after a few days, call your doctor and talk to them. That’s not a positive sign.

      Written by Karl Katzke on February 12, 2008 at 11:02am

  12. Is everyone here on antibiotics after surgery? I am nervous you guys…..I have surgery on Friday and reading these message boards can be helpful but also increases my anxiety! I laughed and nearly cried when I read Dana said about almost backing out from these sites!

      Written by VicChick on February 13, 2008 at 1:30pm

  13. Yeah, I was on antibiotics afterwards. I don’t remember which ones … honestly, I don’t remember much. :-P The only thing I had a real problem with (besides being a wuss) is nausea from the anesthetics. If your parents are prone to sickness from anesthetics (my mom is), get some prescription anti-nausea medicine just to be on the safe side.

    Don’t be nervous about it, it’s so much better to not have strep throat! Only two more weeks of sore throats to go! And it cleared up a bunch of other health problems for me too… post-nasal drip and coughing up lungs when I try to exercise, tonsil stones, etc.

      Written by Karl Katzke on February 13, 2008 at 1:36pm

  14. Its all true!! Pain,,,is all I can say. I am post op day 4 and was re-admited to the hospital day 3. I read about the ice on the outside of the neck and was told about it at the hospital,(after the fact) but is it to late now? I think the vicodin are fake as they do nothing for the pain. Considering cutting off head….

      Written by Kelly on February 19, 2008 at 1:28am

  15. tonsils removed 7:30 am on feb 19 . Did my taxes on that afternoon and worked some on the 20th . The doctor did a coblation proceeder . I think is how it spelled . The 3rd or forth day the pain is going to catch up to the traditional methods due to the scabs or so they say. Right now very little pain . I am 47 years old .I will post again in a few days

      Written by ted on February 20, 2008 at 11:58pm

  16. Well it’s my fourth day since my operation and yesterday was pretty bad pain as I didn’t have any pain killers throughout the night and woke up really sore - but apart from that, I feel great! I’m almost back to normal, I’m taking half the amount of pain killers they prescribed and eating like normal! It just takes longer to get the food down, but best thing I have done is not stop eating normal for one day. My sister had a major accident and was out of hospital in a month and it could have been longer - just proving that a positive attitude will do WONDERS in helping you improve sooner. Can’t wait til I am back at work and things are normal again - just going to enjoy the next week and a half break I have off seeing as I feel great!

      Written by Jade on February 23, 2008 at 3:55am

  17. Had mine out on the 18th of February. The day after I was up feeling ok enough to clean house in spurts. By day 3 I thought I was going to go insane. I am on my second round of painkillers and I cant seem to eat anything that isn’t processed in the MAGIC BULLET first. My tounge is swollen and all I want to do is sleep. However, I don’t really understand the straw issue since its helping me get all my liquid intake down my throat. I am off work for another week and very glad for it really. I am getting tired of all the sweet stuff I am having to consume. Between cream of wheat, instant mashed potatoes, and all the pudding, jello, popsicles, and ice cream I can down. I have never been a major junk food person so I am at a point where I am drinking alot of slim fasts its giving me my vitamins, and helping to sooth my throat at the same time. I still am not driving almost a week after surgery. Mainly because of the heavy painkillers.

    My dr prescribed ear drops and afrin for the runny nose and the fluid build up ( or so it felt like it) in my head. By day 4 it felt like I have a head cold and my whole head was floating in a bucket of sludge.

    I just want to say I would still go through with it. I want to get back to being me. I am tired of being sick and having all the sinus problems, laryngitius, (sorry if I spelt it wrong) and other throat issues. Also not sleeping well before. My dr said that I will sleep better once I am over all the recovery stuff.

    Good Luck to everyone looking for information. I say don’t be too scared or worried. The pain will last a few weeks at most then I am planning to have the biggest steak, fahitas, and seafood I can stuff myself with as a reward for dealing with the mushy food and having it eat it or drink it should I say for at least 2 weeks. I have to say if you own a MAGIC BULLET use it. Its gonna be like baby food but well its at least gonna help you have some taste to your food.

      Written by susan on February 23, 2008 at 9:34pm

  18. Had my tonsils removed Feb 21 (my 30th birthday no less). I am on my 3rd day of recovery and have not had many issues as of yet. The first day was the hardest because everything was swollen and made it difficult to breath. I have been napping on and off for the last couple of days but have been making sure to remain well hydrated. I have made a couple of attempts to eat actual food (mashed potatoes w/gravy, egg drop soup and lo mein noodles). I found that I could only tolerate just a little at a time and of course they just aren’t tasting the same. Talking has not been easy but I have been icing my neck today which has helped. So I have to say that so far, so good and hope that the rest of my recovery continues as well as it has.

      Written by Berta on February 24, 2008 at 3:22pm

  19. I’m 19 years old im on day 12 after my operation im off the pain killers pain isnt as bad as once was but cold water and anything cold seems 2 be hurting my throat alot i wake up in the morning in alot of pain… it used 2 be the left side that hurt more when they were swollen now its the right side that hurts alot more able 2 eat but hurts abit i cant eat 2 much either anyone gone thru it like this and reknz they no when itll all stop coz the pain is so annoying and not being able 2 eat much is making me very weak…

    Editor’s Translation: I am 19 years old. I’m on the twelfth day after my operation. I’m off the pain killers. The pain isn’t as bad as it once was but cold water and anything cold seems to be hurting my throat a lot. I wake up in the morning in a lot of pain. It used to be towards the left side that hurt more when they were swollen, but now it’s the right side that hurts a lot more. I am able to eat but it hurts a bit. I can;t eat too much either anymore. Anyone gone through this and reckon that they know when it will all stop? The pain is annoying and not being able to eat too much is making me very weak.

      Written by Richi on February 26, 2008 at 9:30pm

  20. Richi -

    If you’re feeling weak from not being able to eat, Ensure or a similar “meal substitute” will provide the nutrition you need. If you’re feeling weak, you won’t be healing very well, which would explain why you’re still having so much pain after 12 days. Even though the cold ‘hurts’, eating ice chips will help bring the swelling down and will help keep it from hurting more.

      Written by Karl Katzke on February 26, 2008 at 9:42pm

  21. Thank you so much for the infomation. It makes a lot of sense. I’m having a T & A on March 19th. That gives me a month to prep. I’m not sure if that is a good or bad thing - LOL. I’ll come back and let you know how well these steps worked for me.

      Written by Danielle on February 27, 2008 at 10:20am

  22. I have a consult next Wednesday to get my tonsils out. (4+ years of constant strep throat and my doctor has finally agreed it’s time to get my tonsils out!)

    I have a major concern about pain management. Most pain medications do not work for me. I had gallbladder surgery two years ago and my surgeon tried five different pain meds before finally putting me on the Fentanyl patch. (which provided no pain relief, just made me dizzy) Vicodin, Tylenol with Codeine, all drugs like that make me hyper and don’t work.

    I get major migraines, and the ONLY drug that has ever worked to relieve any pain is Dilaudid. (I use it in suppository form due to severe nausea with migraine)

    My question is, does anyone know if there are stronger liquid pain medications out there that my surgeon can prescribe? I’m not afraid of the operation, I’m just afraid of being in pain.

    Thank You in advance!

      Written by Shell on February 28, 2008 at 2:44pm

  23. Good question for your doc. I don’t know. They gave me cough syrup with tylenol3.

      Written by Karl Katzke on February 28, 2008 at 2:50pm

  24. I’ve never posted anything before in my life so we’ll see if this goes through. I’m 29 yrs old and I’m sceduled for my T&A on March 24. The doctor told me today that I have severe tonsil stones. I’m glad to finally have an answer but now I’m really scared. Well, I do feel alittle better since I’ve read all the great feed back you’ve recieved. I hope through the pain I remember to make use of all the wonderful tips you guys have posted. The pain isn’t my big issue(I know it won’t last forever). I’m more concerned about the bleeding. How will I know when I should contact my doctor? How much is not “normal”? Oh, and what’s with the staw thing? Why shouldn’t I use one?

      Written by Davina on February 28, 2008 at 5:42pm

  25. Well - I’m scheduled on Mar 11th to have my tonsils and uvula removed. Also, he’s going up my nose to do some remodeling there, too. Severe apnea and snoring. Abnormally large tonsils and uvula and tissues in my nose. (Car wreck prettied up my face by smashing my nose but good some years ago.) I’m 42. The tonsils alone would have been a challenge. I think I’m in for pure hell, but in 3 weeks I’ll finally be able to sleep AND rest. Woo-hoo!

      Written by Steve on February 28, 2008 at 8:53pm

  26. I had my tonsils removed 2/21/08 and am still in pain. Somtimes the pain is worse than other times now. My first two days, I thought the same thing about not being in “too” much pain. Well boy was I wrong. I have been truly suffering. Don’t get me wrong, I heard all the horror stories from people who had the procedure and my doctor informed me of the extreme pain I would be during recovery but I promised myself that if someone ever asked me how the recovery was I was going to be explicit and not just describe it as “terrible pain”. Well, it starts off like I said, very uncomfortable then goes to EXCRUITIATING (sorry about my spelling) My doctor prescribed me liquid Morphine and I also take liquid tylenol in between and the morphine is disgusting. (almost unbearable to tast) let alone swallow. I went through the whole vomitting thing (nothing came up but liquids)and most of the time I have to hold my ears and quickly open my mouth when Im drinking because it feels that between choking, burning and feeling like the fluids are going to come out of my nose. Don’t worry, I’ve called my doctor after hours and during regular office hours and still all these things I explain to her that I’m feeling she says is normal. So most positive thing I can say in writing because I actually talk like a moron (which is also terribly painful) I am looking forward to not having any more sore throats. Best of luck to you. They say the surgery affects everyone different, so please don’t be turned from my views I just wanted to be honest.

      Written by Khan on March 01, 2008 at 8:55pm

  27. Hi,
    I just had a tonsillectomy this morning at 7am. It was done as an outpatient procedure so I was home by 11am. It is now 11pm and so far so good. I have ice packs (since I got home) on both sides of my neck, water at my side and my meds at hand (and trust me I will never miss a beat with them). I am 28 years old and have suffered from extensive problems over the years (strep, tonsil stones, etc. about 4x/yr). The best piece of advice I can give (i know, not even 24hrs in) drink no matter how bad it hurts and dont miss your meds!! Good luck

      Written by SFrick on March 03, 2008 at 10:16pm

  28. Ok so to follow up. I had my surgery on the 18th of Feb. 2008. I still have a sore throat and it is still hard to swallow anything that isn’t smooth as silk lol or liquid. I feel like I am gagging alot but I am better. I keep reminding myself that this wont last forever. And once its gone it won’t come back Thank God. I have downgraded from Dilaudid to Tylenol 3 I dont have to take it every 4 hours anymore either. But talking still hurts after a while and I have to go back to writing everything down again. I don’t understand the straw thing personally. I used one my whole recovery. It helped me to get my fluids down.

    The two things I would like to say to anyone having surgery in the future is this DO NOT MISS A DOSE OF YOUR PAIN MEDS EVER. If it says every 4 hrs every 4 hrs is when you take them trust me and

      Written by susan on March 04, 2008 at 6:51am

  29. DRINK DRINK DRINK even if it hurts drink you have to keep hydrated and you will know if your not drinking enough. the pain meds wont work as well if you don’t drink right. It is recomended to drink 8 8oz glasses I say do 10 8 oz glasses. even if that means you are at bathroom more it will help those pain meds work.

    Ok well sorry this got split up. I accidently hit the tab key and it sent it.

    Good luck everyone. Remember the pain wont last forever and once its gone ITS GONE FOREVER lol.

      Written by susan on March 04, 2008 at 6:54am

  30. I just scheduled my surgery yesterday with the doctor for April 15th, and just listening to him talk about the procedure i almost passed out…i was litterally sitting with my head in between my knees in the exam room. I dont know why, but i am having major likey anxiety attacks over this. It will be my first time ever beeing put out by anestetics, and i don’t do IV’s well.

    I will definetly be following the post-op intsructions to a “T”….i am definetly a wuss!

    I will for sure let everyone know how it went and any tips that i may find!

    good luck everyone!

      Written by Sarah on March 04, 2008 at 11:33am

  31. Sarah, make sure you tell them that when you go in for your surgery. They’ll put something in the IV that’ll make you really, really happy to be there. And kinda drowsy. But generally happy to be there.

    And yes, I have major anxiety attacks over medical stuff too. It’s OK.

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 04, 2008 at 2:24pm

  32. First off, Karl thanks for putting this together and responding to posts by others. I have been reading this page for the last couple of weeks and I just had my tonsils removed yesterday. And if that wasn’t enough I also had a septoplasty and turbinate reduction.

    I was having some major anxiety in the days prior to the procedures. I have young girls and I wasn’t sure how all of us were going to handle it. It was all for naught, the procedures went well and already I can feel the improvement in my nose. I’m so psyched about being able to breathe better already! I don’t even mind that the sites where tonsils used to be are all kinds of colors and my uvula is ENORMOUS! I know it’s only day two, but I’m off to a good start. I’m drinking around the clock and not sleeping for more than an hour or two at a time. That’s not a bad thing. I wake in the middle of the night to use nasal spray, eat, take my meds, drink, drink, drink and of course make lots of trips to the bathroom! Even with such a sleep schedule, I feel okay right now. I remember how it was when my husband had his tonsils out two years ago. He honestly went from “I want do die.” to “Don’t let me die!” Still, he survived and recovered just fine.

    I’m trying to keep an upbeat attitude and I’ll report back later on how things progress.

      Written by Suzie on March 05, 2008 at 11:25am

  33. Hi,

    I am 47 years old.

    I am scheduled for a UPP, Septum Repair, Sinus Surgery and Tonsillectomy on 3-14.

    I have OSA and Sinus issues leading to all kinds of issues.

    I am most concerned with the loss of taste thing, I have

    read that it can take a long time to return.

    I am just a bit worried it won’t return at all.

    I have scheduled 2 weeks off work,hope thats enough.

    I have never had a surgery or a day in the Hospital so it is a bit nerve racking to think of going under.

    Thanks for all of the advice here, I will post some results
    when I am post op to let you know what works for me as it sounds a bit different for everyone.

    Good Luck to all.

      Written by Tom on March 05, 2008 at 5:11pm

  34. My son is 43. Bad, huge tonsils. But has horrible insomnia and I wonder if anyone experienced poor sleeping and if so, did it improve after surgery.

    He also had a nasty upper resperitory flu, toncillitis, cough, you name it. Gets it every winter. Often Strep.

    I know it’s risky and rarely recommended for people his age, but man, he needs to sleep and not miss so much work.

    Love to hear advice.

      Written by Sandy on March 05, 2008 at 9:30pm

  35. My sleep got far better after the tonsillectomy. For the few months before, I’d often (literally) choke on my tonsils.

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 05, 2008 at 9:32pm

  36. Hi im 29 years old and had a tonsillectomy on 28th Feb. I was hoping to feel fine by now but oh my god it hurts so bad. I had to go to the docs yesterday and had discovered i had an infection so i am now on 2 lots of antibiotics co-codamol tramadol and diflofenac. Also i have throat spray. if i knew before i had my surgery what i know now i would never have had it done. I suffered from tonsilitus about 8 times in 12 months. The first couple of days after surgery it was painful but ok. on the 4th day i woke up to find i couldnt talk or swallow the pain brought tears to my eyes. i sipped on ice cold water all the time throughout. Its now day 7 and i really need advice on how to handle the pain, also i have lost a lot of weight. What are the best things i can eat. Please help me……

      Written by Clair on March 06, 2008 at 3:07pm

  37. Clair: The best thing for me when I could barely swallow as Ensure or other meal-replacement drink. Put it in the freezer for fifteen minutes or an hour to get it really cold but not quite frozen… feels REALLY good on your throat.

    Do you still have the codeine cough syrup or other pain meds the docs gave you? Read the advice above about that — you want to make sure that you take it every time you possibly can, don’t skip doses — although it may not be effective since you’re already in pain.

    Sorry about the infection, that happens sometimes. Good thing you went to your doctor when it hurt that bad. Don’t worry, this too will pass — and no more strep!

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 06, 2008 at 7:01pm

  38. thank you karl. iv sent my mum out shopping today to get me some. i cant believe how much it hurts still and im on day 8. i keep thinking its improving then a few hours later its hurt really bad again. i am taking all my meds off the doc which are co-codamol, tramadol, diflofenac… the only time i dont take them on time is if im sleeping. maybe i should set my alarm.

      Written by Clair on March 07, 2008 at 6:32am

  39. Oh, god yes set an alarm! You have to get ahead and stay ahead of the pain. If you let it catch up with you, you’ll be in … well, as much pain as you’re in right now!

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 07, 2008 at 9:28am

  40. Hi, here I am on day 6 and I’m still doing fine. I think I have gotten the hang of this! But let me tell you about my last days. On Wed, about half an hour after my first post, I started to feel nauseated and then proceeded to vomit for about 5 hours. The doc thinks my pain meds and I weren’t getting along, so he prescribed Zofran and after one dose, I wasn’t ill! I don’t even need the Zofrm anymore.

    By the way, I’m 35 and have two small children who are “helping’ me recover. =) I cannot stress enough that ice water and LOTS of it is the answer. There are times when I get to “medicine time” when I feel like I’m swallowing razor blades. This is especially true if I have been sleeping and my throat dries out (I can’t breathe through my nose enough yet!) I will drink a bit, take my medicine, wait a few for meds to start to work and then I will CHUG water. I found that sipping it is not enough. I need several good swallows in a row to take the edge off the pain and then the ice water starts to feel good! You need to get the freezing water in contact with your throat and you need to stretch those muscles. After about half an hour and a lot of water, most of the pain goes away again.

    I thought I would lose weight, but so far this is not the case. Since my surgery I have eaten sandwiches, a ham dinner with potatoes and veggies, I had fettucine alfredo with chicken and asparagus and last night I went to a friend’s and had pizza with ham and pineapple. I also eat tons of ice cream and popsicles. Again, I swear that the water is what has allowed all of this and real food is giving me the energy I need.

    I have also found that chewing gum helps. It stimulates saliva production and it helps stretch out the throat and jaw muscles.

    My husband says that he wishes that I had my tonsils out first, so he could have had a better recovery. Good luck, everyone!

      Written by Suzie on March 09, 2008 at 10:25am

  41. had my surgery mar 5. i am post going on day 6 post op. as with me the first couple of days after surgery i felt great. day 3 hit me hard. luckly my parents are here because i have an 8 month old that i have not been able to do anything for. day 3,4 and 5have been really bad. drinking pleanty of water but it really burns my throat. obviously i cant sleep because it is 3 in the morning and i am writing on this forum. im just hoping it gets better and better everyday. i have been going bak and forth on vicoden and just tylenal. ill keep you posted.

      Written by lori on March 10, 2008 at 2:49am

  42. I am 39 years old and my surgery is scheduled for March 18. After reading everyone’s experiences, I am scared to death to go through with this!!! I have also read on other web sites that food tastes funny after having this done - up to 12 months long. Some people claim that they can’t taste at all. Is this something any of you have experienced? Food is one of my true loves and if I loose the ability to taste, well I don’t even want to think about that!!

      Written by Melinda on March 11, 2008 at 2:49pm

  43. Melinda - Yes, and in my case it was a combination of a post-op case of thrush plus the codeine cough syrup — the bad taste is supposedly a side effect of the codeine.

    I got my teeth cleaned by a dentist about a month after the surgery and that took care of the thrush.

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 11, 2008 at 3:36pm

  44. Eek, I am 25, and going in for a tonsillectomy tomorrow morning. I took a week off from work, thinking that would be enough time, but now I am beginning to wonder! I’ve had swollen tonsils almost constantly since Thanksgiving of last year, and antibiotics do nothing. Steroids have worked twice, but once I stop them, it comes right back. I really don’t care how bad the next few weeks are, it’s better than constantly feeling sick and miserable for months at a time.

    Thanks for posting this, I will be sure to use the advice and tips listed!

      Written by Julie on March 13, 2008 at 9:17pm

  45. Julie - Good luck! Your case (timing and all) is almost identical to mine, ‘cept I held out for another three months and had my tonsils out in June/July. Same deal with the steroids and antibiotics.

    And yes, it’s much better. Wouldn’t go back to the misery I was in.

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 13, 2008 at 9:40pm

  46. Hi, I’m 27 and I’ve been debating whether or not to get my tonsils out. I never had any problems until fall of last year, when a case of mono seemed to set off my tonsils. They treated the swelling that time with steroids (injected, and an oral taper) as well as pain meds and antibiotics. The mono obviously just had to run its course.
    The throat specialist recommended we wait until the mono had gone away, but that I seriously consider having my tonsils removed (they were gigantic, they kept calling other people down to the ER to marvel at the size).
    The steroids worked great, my throat was significantly better within 4-6 days.
    Not being a huge believer in less than absolutely necessary surgery (I don’t even go the doctor until something is unbearably bad usually), I discarded the idea of having my tonsils removed. However, since the mono went away at least once every other month I’ve had serious inflamation of my tonsils (the pain from swallowing is terrible) and numerous other less intense soar throats. The anti-biotics help knock it back sometimes, sometimes they don’t. A variety of clinics and doctors have told me they don’t know why my tonsils keep getting infected, other than a cycle of infection sometimes sets in.
    I’m in the midst of one such bout now. Even after reading some of the less positive things, I think I’m going to go to the doctor and schedule a time to have them removed asap. I can’t imagine the general pain afterwards being much worse than what I’m experiencing now anyway (can barely sleep, swallowing is indescribably bad, talking is difficult and forced, slightly difficult to close my mouth all the way).
    I’ll definately be following the post-op advice I’ve found here. Thanks.

      Written by Joel on March 14, 2008 at 3:29am

  47. Hi All,

    Well I am day 13 post op and still sore- definately not wanting to cut my head off any more but exepected to feel fine by now and just found this site- taking comfort that i am not a wimp and other people feel the same way I do.
    I have finished all my antibiotics today and am due back to work on Monday. Do I go if me throat is still sore? Also, my voice is far from normal- how long will this last?

      Written by Emma on March 14, 2008 at 8:40am

  48. Hey everyone,

    Had my tonsils out yesterday morning, and aside from the initial wakeup omg pain, I am feeling a lot better than I expected. I didn’t nap at all yesterday, and drank a ton of fluids - lots of water and 3 cans of lukewarm chicken broth. I even managed to work from home on a database problem last night. Right now I’d say the soreness is similar to when my tonsils were bothering me before, definitely not any sort of sharp horrible pain. One thing that has been working for me is how I am taking my pain medicine. I am on 2tsp of percocet every 4 hours, but I have been taking 1tsp every 2 hours, and it’s been heading off any pain. And I never miss a dose. I also spent most of yesterday with ice packs around my neck, which was a great tip. :)
    Overall, I feel like I could be back to work on Monday, but I know rest is important and intend to take the entire week. I just wanted to comment because I have heard a ton of horror stories from people, and I wanted to let anyone else reading know that everyone is different, and it isn’t always that bad.

      Written by Julie on March 15, 2008 at 7:53am

  49. hi everyone, had my tonsillectomy march 11th, felt ok when i woke up after the op and the day after took all meds prescribed lots of fluid etc….. but boy… woke up yesterday and felt like absolute crap:-( throat is soooo sore especially down my right side and i have earache also:-( your tips have helped still have problems sleeping with the pain though. really feel like sitting down with a nice bottle of chilled wine and drinking the lot! maybe that will help me sleep eh:-(

      Written by Francesca on March 15, 2008 at 9:51am

  50. My daughter, age 23 is scheduled for a tonsillectomy on March 19th. Her doctor has perscribed TONS on medications pre-op and post-op. The one I am most concerned about is osycodone, but also will be taking amoxicillan, flurazepam, and dexamethasone. Has anyone had experience with any or all of these drugs? I’m freaking out here!!!

      Written by Jean White on March 16, 2008 at 11:08am

  51. Jean, if you’re worried, go talk to the doc. :-P Oxycodone is also known as Tyleonol 3. They gave me that in the form of the cough syrup. It’s not habit forming and it’s sold over the counter in most other countries in the world, the US is just more conservative about what they’re controlling. Amoxicillan is a penicillin-based antibiotic. They gave me that in liquid form too. Flurazepam is a muscle relaxer / sleep aid… it’ll knock her flat for two days (which I honestly wouldn’t take for the first few days, see my notes above in the article about drinking a certain amount an hour and taking the codeine cough syrup every 4 hours on the mark!) Dexamethasone is a steroid, which will keep the inflammation of tissues in her throat down. These drugs are all likely to be things that she has had in the past while she’s been being treated for tonsillitis.

    That’s a pretty complete list. The only thing I had extra was promethazine suppositories, but that’s only because they put me under anesthesia for the operation and my family has a bad history of reacting poorly to anesthesia. The promethazine suppositories cleared the nausea and vomiting after surgery up right away.

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 16, 2008 at 12:07pm

  52. Thanks, Karl. All of the meds are in pill form…..and big ones at that. Should I ask the Doc for liquid form or just wait and see how she does? Liquid seems like a better idea than choking down pills.

      Written by Jean White on March 16, 2008 at 12:58pm

  53. I would definitely get the antibiotic and the codeine in the liquid form… the codeine was nice because it had a surface effect as it coated the back of my throat.

    And really — don’t skip or delay doses of codeine. The mission is to keep the swelling and the pain under a certain level … if it passes that, you’ll never get back on top of it again until she’s healed!

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 16, 2008 at 1:24pm

  54. Jean, I am 22 and had my tonsils out on Friday. So far, it has not been so bad, but I wanted to write and let you know that you should ABSOLUTELY get all your daughter’s medication in liquid form. Only 1 of my medications came in pill form, but it was traumatizing trying to swallow it because my throat was so swollen that I felt like it was stuck!

    Also, I’m staying with my parents because I have not been able to drive myself anywhere, and my mom has been sleeping on an air mattress in my room for the past few nights to wake me up every few hours for some liquids and more medication since I am on anti-nausea pills that make me VERY sleepy. I thought we were both going to kill each other multiple times, but it has been so worth it becuase my pain hasn’t been unbearable yet.

    Good luck!

      Written by Ansley on March 16, 2008 at 11:05pm

  55. I am 48 and scheduled to have my tonsillectomy on April 18. I am encouraged by reading all of your reports. My tonsils have been huge for a long, long time - enough that they block my airway at times while I sleep - thus waking me up because I am not breathing. I really have no choice but to have them out, and this website has actually encouraged me - so THANK YOU!!

      Written by Wendy on March 18, 2008 at 2:26pm

  56. I am 24, on day 15 post-tonsillectomy, and I still have a significant sore throat. I can finally get through the day without taking a nap, but I’m still not sleeping well; I wake up between 1 and 3 a.m. with searing pain in my throat, which my Dr. said is likely from breathing through my mouth and drying out (a humidifier will fix that, I’ve just been lazy). I was in bed for 4 days (day 3 was the WORST, I threw up all morning and wanted to DIE).

    I came back to work yesterday, thank goodness it’s a slow week!

    Freezing cold anything was best for the first week, but week two all I wanted was very warm liquids (I used to hate ramen, but it is my favorite now!) My uvula is still very swollen, but the scabs are about 80% healed now, and I can finally notice improvement every day.

    As for the pain, well, in the beginning it was beyond horrible! I had an allergic reaction to the percocet, but I couldn’t talk, and the woman who was helping take care of me refused to call my Dr. and just gave me Tylenol!! It sucked, but I did survive.

    Drinking lots of fluids is the best advice you can take; it will get you moving around, which will help your body detox from the anethstesia, and help you to have BM. I was constipated for 8 days!! Do light calesthenics as you can, even if it’s just walking around–you may want a nap afterwards, but you will feel better faster!

    Good luck, and TAKE IT EASY…your body needs to heal!

      Written by jessi on March 18, 2008 at 3:46pm

  57. Hi everyone… i am 25 and had my tonsil out 9 days ago. actually, I’ve had my tonsils out before, when i was 12 or 13 but they missed a large piece on my left side and was giving me recurring problems. So i had it removed and had an alright time with it, except on day 3 i got sick and was vomittng all day and had the worse headache I’ve ever had in my life! I truly wanted to die. So I asked my boyfriend to take me to the ER where they gave me painkillers and did blood tests. They found nothing, and thought it might just be a bug. I had been prescribed codeine and stopped taking it when i got sick as I was afraid that might be what caused it all and I haven’t taken it since. I’ve just been taking regular tylenol. I also had a prescription mouthwash which temporarily numbs the area but that’s almost gone. Does anyone know if there is anything i can buy myself that will help? For example is it safe to use throat sprays like cloraseptic you buy in the drug stores? thanks for all tour help.
    p.s. i stopped taking the drugs on day 3 but i still felt dizzy and light headed until day 7. Does that seem wierd to anyone? i wasn’t taking anything except regular tylenol which is normal for me.

      Written by tanya on March 19, 2008 at 8:37am

  58. Tanya - **Call the doctor that did your surgery**. He’s the one that can answer those questions!

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 19, 2008 at 10:15am

  59. hi all, thanks for all the helpful tips on here. I am from UK and had my tonsils removed 2 days ago and so far I am doing well staying on top of pain by regularly taking painkillers, using ice and eating the best i can. But i wanted to ask if anybody else has had this problem: my right tonsil was pretty huge and has left a large space which is quite deep, but i keep getting food gathering in it and it is hard to get it out. it is not the regular scab as some of it has come out by itself and it was definitely what I had eaten earlier on! my concern is that my throat will heal but it will remain this shape so I will always get food gathering here. anybody else have this problem????

      Written by Jay on March 20, 2008 at 4:25pm

  60. Hi all, also from the UK! Im 18yrs old and had my tonsils out the 17th - making this Day5. It seems like the UK go a little easier on drugs than you guys - all I was given was 500mg Paracetemol (every 6hrs) and Dicolfenec (every 8hrs). I have also started taking Ibuprofen. My op was in the morning and by that evening and the next day I was feeling fine. Day 3 however, hit me like a train. SInce then I have been in agony pretty much consistently. The worst was when I missed my meds because I was asleep, woke up at about 3am with my head on fire. Swallowing is very very painful, talking is just about bearable but takes ten times longer. Hopefully things will start improving soon!! The real pain for me however was the intense and severe earaches which spread to my jaw. As previous posters have said I am dying to eat real food when I want and to be able to chug drinks. THank you Karl for the ice pack tips - I will try them tonight as my tongue is still swollen. I would also recommened a heat pack on the pillow for those with earaches just before bed - quite soothing.
    x

      Written by Gabrielle on March 22, 2008 at 1:21pm

  61. Hi everyone, I am on day 20 post-op and I had a relatively easy recovery period. I did have a bad reaction to the liquid vicodin I was on, I spent day 4 throwing up and had a nasty headache. I guess I should say that I also had a septoplasty and he opened up my left sinuses, so I’m sure my experience was a little different. Just follow the advice on here, especially drinking lots of fluids and staying on top of the pain. My doctor wanted me to eat normally so that I would have strength to recover, so believe it or not, I was actually able to eat a slice of french toast and half a sausage the day after surgery (I had to stay overnight in the hospital and thats what they gave me). My voice still sounds funny, but its better then what it was. Right now, my biggest problem is that I can still feel the scabs at the back of my throat. I just want to reach back there and rip them out. So far, I would definetly say the surgery was well worth it. Getting either tonsillitis or strep throat at least 4 times a year was beginning to get old.

      Written by Trina on March 24, 2008 at 6:11am

  62. Hey
    Thank you for all the tips on here regarding tonsilectomy..they were very helpful!
    Im just wondering how long everyone stayed in the hospital for? Was it a day thing or did you stay overnight? Im getting my tonsils out in a month and am kind of worried about it :(

      Written by Nicole on March 25, 2008 at 3:03pm

  63. For me, it was a day thing. I was in at 6am and out by noon.

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 25, 2008 at 3:23pm

  64. I think it all depends on the doctor and the hospital rules. I had to stay overnight because it was hospital policy. My stay was 23 hours.

      Written by Trina on March 26, 2008 at 8:59am

  65. Hi everybody. I’m 24 and on day 7 of recovery. Finding this website the day before surgery was very helpful (I had already heard horror stories and knew what I was getting myself into). Icing the neck is key, I iced it up through day 5. Everyone is different, but for me it wasn’t as bad as I was prepared for, and there wasn’t much bleeding or any throwing up thankfully. The throat still kills in the morning from drying out all night, so I eat popsicles for breakfast (with a side of codeine syrup) and then work my way up to some soft food later on.

    Had to stop myself rambling. Here is some useful stuff that may not have been mentioned: Powder-whey protein is your friend. Get some, and mix it with stuff. Make smoothies. This will give you sustenance. Use a blender, but stay away from citrus (IT BURNS!) Also, when you burp, it will hurt, esp. if your mouth is closed. Anyone else experience this? So keep mouth open to vent.

    In closing, and to reiterate the most important thing: Ice, Ice, and more Ice. Baby.

      Written by Steven on March 27, 2008 at 4:26pm

  66. Hello All! I am 32 years old and four days post op. It has not been a great experience. Think having two gives was easier! I have been using ice packs constantly since I got home. They have been like my best friends in the world! They have really helped keep the swelling down outside of neck, which helps indside. My anthesteolgist (sp?) gave me a motion sickness patch before surgery which limited my nausea from the anthestia. GOD SEND! Did get sick from the vicadin. That liquid stuff is nasty, and it burns. Have finally tried to brave trying to just get small amounts of food down at a time. It is very true what others have said, it feels like swallowing knives! And I feel pretty weak from not eating much. Have lost 7 pounds. Wanted to lose weight, but not this way. I agree with others, when I can eat, I can’t eat much. Feels like my stomach shrank. I keep hoping that it will get better. Day 3 was the worst do far!

      Written by Tanya on March 29, 2008 at 8:08am

  67. Hi, I’m 23 and at the end of day 5 of my recovery. I didn’t find this site until yesterday, but I agree with most other posters that day 3 is the absolute worst. Day 4 was actually really bad also, but today is a slight improvement.

    My main problem is finding things that I can eat. Even apple sauce is really hard to get down since it’s thick. I’d drink something like slim fast or ensure, but I’m a vegan and I don’t know of any good alternatives. So far one of the best things I’ve found is to throw some good healthy cereal in a blender with soy milk. It’s actually pretty good. Any other suggestions?

      Written by Shannon on March 30, 2008 at 9:21pm

  68. Damn, that’s a good question. Do you have soy yogurt available in your area? Stay away with things that are acidic like apple- or citrus-based stuff… if you baked the apples in the oven for a while (like apple pie) that might work. Try mixing soy milk and a banana… smoothies that aren’t acidic are good for you right now. Silk does have soy smoothies… And Spirotein apparently makes an ensure-like product in a can, but I can only find a few references to it.

    Funny, I’m not vegan, but I used to help plan menus at a vegan restaurant. But most of our stuff was seriously of the crunchy sort, so I’m having a hard time thinking of things!

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 30, 2008 at 9:32pm

  69. Im in day 4 of pos op. I’ve been in a lot of pain sometimes just unbearable bringing tears to my eyes. I’ve been on bed rest constantly taking my meds and going straight to sleep. I’ve been sleeping on my stomach.. Is this bad? My uvlva is so swollen that if I sleep on my back it blocks my airway… it like a flap..opens when I breathe out and closes whn I breathe in. I know I should be drinnking way more than I have but I haven’t been wanting to. Im not able to talk.. Is there something wrong? I can barely open my mouth.im hoping to see the bigger picture soon.. When will it come?

      Written by tootie on March 31, 2008 at 7:41am

  70. I got my surgery done on the 27th, stayed in the hospital that night and was released to go home the next morning. Everything seemed okay, until day 3,4 and today..day 5 is the worst so far. This is the worst pain I have ever felt in my life, It kills to swallow, to move, I cannot eat anything. I can barely drink anything. I have been prescribed T3’s and have gravol. I also have an ice pack on it at all times. Is there anything else I can do? Please help!

      Written by tinkerbabie on March 31, 2008 at 10:02pm

  71. Suck on ice! You need to get it inside and out to reduce the inflammation. And keep drinking water even though it hurts. If you don’t, it’ll hurt more!

    And see if you can get the T3 in liquid form.

      Written by Karl Katzke on March 31, 2008 at 10:18pm

  72. I’ve had over 20 cups of water everyday, and the membrane is starting to hang which is irrating my throat and making me cough really bad.. Anyways to get it rid of it sooner :( ?

      Written by tinkerbabie on March 31, 2008 at 11:57pm

  73. Hi guys,

    Well, I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and the sleep doctor recommended I get my tonsils removed. My tonsils are abnormally large and I must say I realllly freaking out at the stories I hear about the surgery. I am old (28) and am scared of pain. Does anyone here have or had the same situation? Did it help? I am just curious. Tomorrow morning I go to the ENT for a final analysis on my sleep study results. If he tells me I need them taken out I might very well panic. Need some assurance …. TY!!

      Written by Alex on April 02, 2008 at 8:26pm

  74. Life is *MUCH* better without tonsils!

      Written by Karl Katzke on April 02, 2008 at 8:28pm

  75. Hi everyone! I’m in day 6 of recovery and I’m glad I found you guys!!! I have been pretty miserable - today has been the worst day of all, so bad in fact, that I ended up going back to the doctor to change up my painkillers to Dilaudid from Lortab, which was doing nothing. For Shannon - I’m not vegan, but my boyfriend is a vego and here are some things for you to eat - instant mashed potatoes, miso soup - this is great for ANYONE who just had a tonsillectomy (just avoid the seaweed because sometimes it can get caught), instant cream of wheat, if you have a blender, you can make a great smoothie of whey powder, mango, blueberry and mango juice - AVOID BANANAS. I find them to be really irritating.

    Anyway, even though I am miserable, I put together a “fun” blog for all of us adults recovering (or about to become victim to) tonsillectomy surgery. It sucks, yes, but it’s a necessary evil for most of us, and I’m just trying to stay positive and try to find the good in it.

    Karl’s was one of the few message boards that I found on the subject and it was a godsend just to be able to share stories and trade messages. Hope you guys enjoy it:

    http://web.mac.com/tkteri/TONSILLEMPATHY/Welcome_to_Tonsillempathy.html

    Here’s to a speedy recovery for all of us!!!
    :)

      Written by TK on April 02, 2008 at 9:57pm

  76. I have been making soups, and blending them, and they are currently in the freezer, waiting for my surgery day (April 18). They will