Adult tonsillectomy recovery?

Read some blogs that are out there about people's experiences. I read them prior to my surgery and couldn't imagine it would be as bad as what I was reading because I feel I have a decent pain tolerance. I had two c-sections and my pain was nowhere as bad as other people claim it to be. However, the tonsillectomy stories wound up being true. I can't write out all the details right now, but I recommend searching some day to day blogs. They wound up being accurate.

Short summary: I did NOT wake up from surgery in terrible pain, which was something I had feared.

I couldn't do anything at all for well over a week- you should definitely plan for two full weeks of healing. You might get lucky and need only 10 days, but plan on two weeks.

Pain moves around. The ear pain, which didn't really come for a few days, was possibly the worst.

Sleep in a recliner. If you don;t have a recliner... seriously consider getting one! I don;t think just propping up on pillows will suffice. You will spend a lot of time laying there. Practice being comfortable and upright, maybe one of those pillows with armrests would be good if you don't have a recliner.

Don't think you will get all kinds of stuff done with your time off. You won't. Even when you are going through better stretches and not feeling too badly, the pain meds you will take in order to get to that point will keep you from being able to think like you normally do. This was an odd experience!

Don't get stock up on too much dairy- the phlegm it creates is a huge problem because you can't clear your throat or bring it forward to spit it out, it just sort of hangs out in the back of your throat. Plan on lots of liquids, and foods like cream of wheat, mashed potatoes, soups with nothing too hard to chew, applesauce and the varieties that come in little pouches. Consider protein drinks because it sucks to be hungry but it hurts to eat, so these help keep you from feeling too hungry. Different days you will be able to tolerate different foods. I liked almost everything cool or lukewarm, not cold and definitely not hot.

Take the meds. Take all the meds! Don't be a hero. You'll just be there in pain like "yay, I am brave."

BUT!!! Take stool softeners or take some other precaution to avoid constipation due to narcotics. Trust me. I used gel cap stool softeners and went really light on them because i was scared to get runny stools! I should have taken three gel caps every day like the label said. I had to go to laxatives eventually and that's not as good as taking precautions.

Good luck. and remember that it does go away... it takes a lot of patience. It hurts pretty bad for longer than you would expect and in so many weird ways. Don't be shy about getting a lot of help lined up. Many people think tonsillectomy can't possibly be that bad. Let them know that you need help, and best case scenario, you don;t wind up needing them as much!

Good luck!

I had my tonsillectomy on June 30. The surgery went great and I had no bleeding, the scabs were half gone by day 5 and by day 10 I was back to eating solids. Everything is good now, aside from the fact that I can't yawn without feeling like I'm being stabbed in the throat with giant knives. The surgeon prescribed oxycodone, which I ended up taking along with cherry flavored children's tylenol every 4 hours. Drugs definitely make the recovery much easier but day 4 was unbearable! I couldn't talk for several hours of the evening.

Here are some tips:

The first few days will be rough in terms of what you can eat. Eat small amounts of soft foods like mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, IF it is bearable. For me, I couldn't even eat yogurt for the first 4 days. I found that chicken broth worked the best. I also ate a lot of orange sherbet ice cream, it's more icy than creamy so it feels really good on your throat. Avoid things that are really high in sugar, syrupy things don't really feel great, which is why I didn't eat very many popsicles. Dairy did not cause phlegm for me and I actually found that it was the easiest thing to consume. I had ice cream and milkshakes a lot. Sweetened almond milk was my best friend in the later days because it's really smooth and better than water at washing food out of your new crevasses. Okay enough about food...

When I was in a lot of pain (around day 3 or 4) I took a hot bath and it helped me be more comfortable and the steam helped the pain and made it easier for me to talk.

Do what your doctor says and stay out of the hot sun, avoid heavy lifting, etc.

If your throat is swelling, keep your head elevated and drink lots of water, the swelling will go down. (my throat swelled between days 1 and 3)

Take your pain medication as often as possible and try to get some liquid tylenol. Tylenol is most definitely a different drug from what your surgeon prescribed so you can take it every 4-6 hours with your pain medication. The reason I say liquid tylenol is because the pills are probably too big to swallow, and if your doc prescribes pills for your 1-2 weeks recovery, they are going to be very tiny.

If possible, have a parent or friend take responsibility for your pain meds, you will most likely be sleeping a lot because the meds will make you drowsy and it's really hard to know when you last took your pill when you don't even know what day it is.

So, some things to remember:

- Ice cream, chicken broth

- Hot bath

- Elevate head

- Drink tons of water (even if it hurts)

- Take your meds on time

- Liquid tylenol

- Have someone around to help you