Tonsillectomy Survey
If you’e had a tonsillectomy, and are at least 2 weeks post surgery, please take a moment to complete this brief survey. I hope to get an overview of the various tonsillectomy methods, and the recovery from each.
Thank you,
Greg
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35 Responses to “Tonsillectomy Survey”
Natalie says:
August 10, 2010 at 11:14 am
I’m 22 and I had my tonsils out last thursday. Im now day 6 post-op, and have a horrible smell and flavor in my mouth. It smells like death. Does anyone know what this is from? Ive tred brushing and rinsing with listerine, but nothing helps. I called my DR, but he still hasnt called back yet.
Linsey says:
August 8, 2010 at 9:32 pm
I was not worried about having a tonsillectomy until reading the comments on this website which made me think twice about what I had planned to do for various reasons (recurring infections, tonsillar crypts, asymmetry, etc.) However, I am day 4 post-op and I did not experience pain above a level 5 yet. The worst day was the night after surgery but only when swallowing. Since then the pain has only been noticeable while swallowing and it’s still not as bad as the pain of tonsilitis or strep. I have read some people on here taking off several weeks from work, but I had my surgery on a Thursday and have had this weekend to recover. I have no reservations about going back to work tomorrow, as I don’t need the pain meds anymore. I think being busy or having children to care for might be a good distraction from the pain, or I just had a good surgeon and have been lucky. I asked for the “cold knife” procedure since I read the recovery is less painful than from the electrocautery procedure. I have also been drinking a lot of cold water, ice green tea and jello to stay hydrated. I am really looking forward to when I can eat a good meal though…
Kate says:
August 6, 2010 at 10:47 am
I’m now 2 weeks post-op and I couldn’t have possibly imagined how horrible this experience would be. You’d have to drag me in kicking and screaming to get me to ever go through this again. In fact, at around 3-6 days after the surgery, I said that I wanted to die and – seriously – I honestly meant every word of that. I ended up in the hospital 3 days after the surgery after waking up with the horrible dry mouth everyone complains of and I couldn’t even manage to drink water because of the excruciating pain. As a result, I couldn’t take my medication either – and as if that wasn’t bad enough, I woke up vomiting. After realizing that the most comfortable place was actually laying down in front of the toilet on the bathroom floor, I acknowledged that the chances of me managing to get through the day (it was around 8am at this point) without some sort of intervention from a higher power – whether it be God or a doctor – were slim to none so I went to the ER to get some IV fluids, pain medication, antibiotics and a steroid for the horrible swelling.
It’s been difficult to explain to everyone around me why – although I look perfectly fine – I need to continue to take Percocet to get through the day and I’m honestly beginning to feel like everyone around me thinks I’m developing a problem. What they don’t realize is that I’m constantly in pain and when I yawn I feel like someone is literally taking and tearing my throat out.
Furthermore, I am embarrassed to tell people that this is all due to a tonsillectomy. Seemingly everyone I’ve encountered has either had a tonsillectomy before the age of 8 or knows someone that had a tonsillectomy before the age of 8 (all of whom had wonderful recoveries and most of which were back to “playing baseball the same day”!) so I look like an adult “crybaby.” People seem to equate this to getting a skinned knee or a papercut but I’m more inclined to compare it to 10th century medieval torture. In hindsight, it’s rather barbaric if you ask me.
I now have newly formed craters that seem to store food every time I try to eat and it’s actually making me want my tonsils back and more often than not I feel like I’m drowning every time I try to drink something.
Does this get any better?? I’m kind of at my wits’ end trying to understand how such a seemingly simple procedure could possibly cause such misery. I don’t mean to scare those of you who haven’t had this done yet but I just wish someone would have honestly told me what to expect so I could have prepared myself a little better for it.
Meta says:
August 4, 2010 at 9:59 am
I am 39, and wish I had done this years ago. I am on day 3 of post surgery. I was also told both tonsils were rotten and needed to come out. Only pain is in the back of my mouth. I am trying to drink lots of water and wean myself off the hydrocodone, but after looking at all the other posts it may be too early. I had them removed by coblation, and have never had strep before, so I cant compare it to that pain. Honestly, during my worst bouts of tonsillitis, this pain doesn’t compare. It will go away, and I will never regret having this done.
Grace says:
August 1, 2010 at 4:49 am
My Nephew had his tonsils out (aged 21) on Tuesday. Was allowed home Wednesday and was rushed back in Wednesday evening with quite heavy nose bleeds. They messed him about puitting drips and all sorts up then after starving him decided it was his nose and cauterised it. Fat lot of good that did! He has had six nose bleeds since. I wouldn’t mind had it been an op on his nose but the worry that this beeding may be coming from the tonsil op site is a bit worrying. It is like speaking to a brick wall getting any answers at the hospital. No-one on here appears to have had nose bleeds so that coumpounds my concern about his!
Terri says:
July 31, 2010 at 9:09 pm
Well I am four days post op and cant seem to get enough to drink, I am always thirsty and ny tongue at the back of my throut hurts the worst! I have a great combination of medications so I sleep a lot when I take them but everytime I sleep I wake up dryer and in more pain than before! I usually can not speak right after waking up and ice cream is the best thing to chase the pain meds with!
Any idea what to do about the tongue pain?
Melissa says:
July 30, 2010 at 7:48 am
Just like you Elle, I too had my surgery on Wed, July 21. I am a 24 year old who has experienced chronic swollen tonsils since a bad tonsil infection when I was 18. Two months ago I got very sick and since then had been having stabbing pain in my tonsils, so the ENT told me they needed to come out. (A little note to anyone out there who has been going to a regular family doctor for their throat problems: see an ENT! If I had done that years ago, I would have had my tonsils out when I was at an age where it wouldn’t have been as painful.) Anyway, as it happened, I waited so long that the surgeon told me (post-op) that my tonsils were completely rotten and pretty much fell apart as soon as they were out of my mouth. Yuck.
I thought my recovery has been awful until I read Elle’s story. Thank God I have not had ANY bleeding, however I did throw up once and I agree that it was the most painful thing ever. I too started out pretty good–able to drink constantly and eat pudding and ice cream. I sat up on the couch to sleep for the first 6 days to avoid that choking feeling I got when I laid down. (My husband didn’t really appreciate this.) Even sitting up though, every 4 hours when I woke myelf up for more pain meds, I woke crying in serious pain, unable to even swallow.
Around day 5 I started spitting/ gagging up pieces of my cauterized throat (is this the “scabs” that thedoctor told me about??). I’m talking big, whitish pieces of skin substance. This totally threw my body out of whack and made my troat very irritable and scratchy. Then the coughing began. I have asthma anyway, so my cough is pretty deep and ragged, so this was incredible painful.
Today is my 9th day and I have not been able to eat for the past 2 days. Everything I eat or drink (that is not room temperature water) sends shooting pain down the right side of my throat and into my ear. It is unbearable. Nothing will take it away and I simply have to sit and rock myself for about 5 minutes until it subsides. In addition, things get stuck in the right side of my throat causing it to build up pressure until I feel like my head is going to explode. Needless to say, I have decided to forego eating for a while to avoid the pain and pressure. Good news is that I am finally able to do about 7-8 hours between doses of pain meds, so I am beginning to feel more alive and less groggy.
I pray to God that this is over soon. I was hoping for about a 10 day recovery, but with the way my throat looks and feels, that is not going to be possible. I never imagined that this process would be so painful and so miserable. I have had 2 surgeries in the past and neither one caused this level of pain. Never again will I take a good meal for granted. I can’t wait tl I can eat pizza and fried chicken and real food like that again!!!
Elle B says:
July 27, 2010 at 4:07 pm
Hi all,
I’m 26 and just had my tonsils out after 18 months of Strep, tonsillitis and being chronically fatigued.
I’m so jealous of the people who had a seemingly quick recovery time… I have been on quite a roller coaster. Today is my day 7 (I had surgery on Wednesday July 21st), and I am anxious to feel normal again.
Day two and three were almost a breeze, i ate popsicles, drank apple juice and a glass of water an hour. My mom came in and checked on me every 15 minutes and as much as her nagging drove me crazy, she made me drink a big swig of water every time and I know that helped. Turned out I was allergic to percocet, so had to make the switch to vicodin on day 3. It made me feel less loopy but definitely didn’t help nearly as much with the pain. (tip: I had trouble swallowing the pill so we mashed it up into a powder and i would drink it in a swig of apple juice)
Day four was a different story… Uber meds + empty stomach made me sick and i threw up (quite possibly the most painful experience in my life) which of course caused bleeding. Drinking/ gargling lots of ice water helped, and I figured after that I was in the clear… Not so much…
Day five had lots of mucus stuff tickling my throat, and while the doctors tell you not to spit too much, I have found carrying a large dishtowel around to spit the mucus (it’s nasty yellow color and taste make me think my stomach is thanking me for this) has helped immensely with my nausea and keeps me from coughing and choking on the nasty stuff. Every time i spit, I follow up with a big gulp of ice water.
I agree with everyone on here about sleep being the enemy. Pretty much every time i have gone to bed is when i have had issues, and last night (Day six) was certainly no exception. I should note that when I am in bed it’s propped up on like 6 pillows (two of them flanking me on either side so I’m not inclined to roll over and sleep on my side. But last night, just after i had fallen asleep (still clutching the spit rag in hand) I got a tickle in my throat and couldn’t stop coughing. Next thing i knew, the spit rag was covered in blood and i was throwing up something horrible. I’ll spare you the really gruesome details, but after a lot of ice water i managed to get the bleeding to stop. I stayed up the rest of the night, afraid to fall asleep.
I’m starting to understand why people who don’t sleep for a stretch of time go crazy, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t gotten any REM in the last few days… Someone please tell me it gets better and that I’m out of the woods! I keep telling myself that it’s all worth it, but I’m really feeling pretty wimpy at this point…
Any advice is appreciated!
Elle
Not my experience says:
July 18, 2010 at 4:24 am
I am 3 days post op and can’t beleive the comments on here. I have almost no pain whatsoever. My surgeon advised me to eat rough salty foods immediatly after and it has worked like a dream. He told me it would heal twice as fast and it’s true. It was searing hot pain at first but the demoral helped for sure lol! All you people eating jello are just prolonging the horror. Bust out those taco chips and man up people you won’t regret it .
Chris says:
July 16, 2010 at 10:31 am
My daugher (amost 22) had her surgery 8 days ago and she is still in terrible pain. She has gone through 2 refils of pain meds and the dr. won’t give her anymore. She was drinking and eating some soup, but now says that it hurts too much. I give her ice and tylenol, but it isn’t helping very much. We keep thinking she should feel better any day…but not yet. Any advice?? Thanks.
Melissa says:
July 15, 2010 at 9:49 am
Hey I’m on my third day of recovery (if you count opp. day) and my pain has been very bad. A lot of people complain of day five and six being the worst so I’ve saved up my Codeine Tylenol for those days when my stitches tighten. I have stitches on the left side and they are very unpleasant. (Left tonsil fell apart when they took it out, talk of abscess on it). I find my throat itchy today and my tongue swollen and sore. Drinking a lot of fluids helps so do it even if it hurts. Ice cream, I decided, was BAD because the dairy causes so much mucous it would choke me at night. I still have problems sleeping as I snore loudly at the moment (I didn’t before, but it’ll stop through recovery right?) and must breathe through my mouth, drying out my throat, but I can’t seem to stop that. I’m yet to eat anything solid, even my chicken noodle soup was blended. My mouth doesn’t open very wide right now and talking is very difficult. My tongue is very swollen (feels it) and I feel the 2 places that it was pinched. I also have a blister-bubble type thing on my lip from where the clamp caught me D; haha it’ll get better soon though, right? Any who, no horror stories to announce just how I feel. Honestly, though, the pain momentarily is bad…
Johanna says:
July 12, 2010 at 1:57 pm
I had a total hip replacement and a tonsillectomy w/ a modified UP3 (my uvula is still there) 4 months later due to 6 bouts of strep–orthopod was concerned the recurring strep would make me reject my implant. My tonsillectomy recovery has been more difficult than the total hip replacement recovery. I lost 30 pounds the two weeks following my tonsillectomy due to the fact that I couldn’t keep anything in–the healthy flora in my gut was wiped out w/ all the antibiotics from the previous months–and kept it off, and I bled three weeks out. But the most concerning, worrisome side-effect from surgery is that I have chronic salivation (like the kind you get just bf you throw up) and have a lemony/vinegar/sour taste in my mouth at all times. It’s three months post surgery now, saw my ENT last week and he told me there’s nothing wrong–it’s simply the healing process and that I should come back for a check up in 6 months. He also added that if it’s still like this in a year, it will always be like this. I’m so worried. I’ve checked other forums for situations similar to mine but I haven’t found anyone more than 2 months out w/ these symptoms. Do we think something’s wrong? Should I change ENTs to get a second opinion? Please tell me this will go away.
MARIN says:
July 10, 2010 at 12:31 am
By the way, the most important thing is to drink a ton of water! If you feel like you’re drinking a ridiculous amount of water, you know you’re doing something right.
MARIN says:
July 10, 2010 at 12:29 am
After three days, I could eat pretty much anything soft, and felt good enough to get up and walk around my neighborhood. I stopped taking my oxycodone after the fourth day, and now, two weeks out, I’m almost back to normal. I’ve resumed all my normal activities, and I’m even going on a backpacking trip next week! The only thing I really notice now is that it hurts to yawn sometimes. I did experience some head aches throughout my recovery as well, but nothing that couldn’t be solved by some water and a nap. Good luck, just think positively and it really won’t be so bad!
Jodi VETERAN says:
July 5, 2010 at 9:35 pm
I was on percocet and I got headaches a few days in I think I had one for two days on and off the dr said I could take tylenol instead I chose to lay down and sleep a little more as the pain was unbearable at that point and I was unwilling to stop the percs for tylenol. Hang in there the other side is great I had mine out 2009 October 28th I did not even get a simple cold this past winter is was great its the healthiest winter I have ever had!!
Casey says:
July 1, 2010 at 12:16 pm
@Gem – I think i’ve read that several people have had headaches during their recovery so I think it’s normal.
Gem says:
July 1, 2010 at 11:22 am
Hi everyone,
Just a quick question, I am 2 days post tonsillectomy and everything seems to be going rather well so far… keeping hydrated, managing to eat food, not too much nausea and taking pain meds when necessary. However I have been getting headaches still despite the paracetamol. Is this normal? Everyone seems to mention sore throats and necks but do other people get headaches as well?
Dee says:
July 1, 2010 at 4:07 am
I’m almost 25 years old. I’m a few hours away from being a exactly one week post-op. Had them out because after 10 or so ’bouts of strep last year on top of numerous colds and flus, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and have been plagued by tonsil stones. Hopefully, since it all started with my tonsils, it will end with getting them removed. (They were absolutely disgusting by the way. My surgeon was extremely surprised how gross they were because we weren’t expecting them to look like that.)
I went through the giant bottle of Loratab they gave me in 4 days. It wore off every 3 hours, and every 3 hours I was on a mission for more. Like clockwork, no joke. I’m on my first refill, and almost halfway through with that one.
Has anyone had any experience with a sleep apnea type thing happening after surgery? It’s been happening since I came home from the hospital, and it’s never happened to me before. When I sleep, breathing through my nose, after a bit my tongue kinda blocks my airway and it sounds like I’m snoring with my mouth closed, and then I wake up gasping for air. It seems kind of weird to me.
Jessica says:
June 17, 2010 at 1:39 am
Hi there!
After years of struggling with tonsillitis, strep throat, and those annoying little tonsil stones I finally got mine out today. I’m twenty-one and was nervous because I’ve been told it’s so much worse for adults. I was at the hospital by 6:30 am, in the OR around 8am, and home by 10:30. I had a wonderful doctor and group of nurses who walked me through everything.
While I was recovering, the doctor spoke with my mom and said that my tonsils were practically disintegrating and that he had to actually dig them out of my throat muscles. They way he described it sounded similar to rotten wood that just crumbles apart. I’m not sure of the precise name of the device he used, but it was a cutting device that then cauterized as it went so I didn’t need stitches.
After weeks of people warning me about how much pain I was going to be in, I was pretty nervous. But as of right now my pain is minimal. Actually, the swelling is the most troublesome part. But maybe the pain is in the days to come.
Looking in the mirror is rather disgusting, the big white scabby stuff is nothing nice to look at and I’m already concerned about when those scabs start peeling off. I really don’t want to swallow that stuff…ick! I’ve been drinking LOTS of water and have been very nervous about the idea of bleeding, so I’ve been sucking on ice chips all day. I slept on and off today with no problem. So day one is down, hopefully tomorrow goes even better.
Oh, and to the person with the question about Tramadol. It’s a pretty powerful pain medication that in some cases can cause hallucinations or “loopiness” A lot of times it’s something people will take at night so they don’t have to deal with side effects. It also can make people really tired.
Kimber says:
June 16, 2010 at 8:57 pm
I go in tomorrow morning at 7:30 am to have my tonsils out, my uvula snipped and my deviated septum fixed. You people scare me but thanks for the what not to do’s as much as the do’s. Scared to death but I have obstructive sleep apnea and I am tired of being tired. Wish me luck. Check in when I am able.
Lisa says:
June 9, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I am at 14 days recovery and still have pain. I have a tip for those recovering that cant sleep. Since its impossible to sleep laying down for more than a short time since I couldn’t breath through my nose, and breathing through my mouth while asleep caused much pain since my throat would become so dry I found it easy to go to sleep on the couch sitting up as much as possible! i used 3 pillows around me to make myself comfortable and had my feet up and slept great! I slept that way for 9 days in fact and that was much better than waking up with horrible dry throat pain!
Shelley says:
May 31, 2010 at 10:07 pm
I am about i would say hmm…2 to 2 and a half weeks post op. anyway haha it was on the 13th. and actually besides not being used to working again quite yet i feel fine. I sleep fine again. just a tid bit sor at times but its barely noticable after all that bs haha. but happy its done and over with. hope eveyone heals well.
pamela b says:
May 25, 2010 at 10:30 pm
Hi to all the tonsil-less people out there…as well as the soon-to-be…
It’s been 2months post-op for me. I still wake up with tightness in throat muscle area, but that does not compare to the immense pain I suffered through for the 1st 3 weeks. Six days post-op I experienced a bleed that would not stop. After trying the ice-water gargle method for 20 minutes, I escorted myself to the local ER to bleed some more. The ER physician “suctioned out” a clot(very painful without drugs) and informed me I could be discharged an hour later. Wrong. Before that hour was up, I started to bleed again. I could feel the blood hitting back of throat in tandum with my pulse…and attempting not to swallow the blood was even worse. The on-call ENT was called in and he came in like a knight-in-shining armor…minus the horse and swords.
He removed 4 HUGE clots..these things were inches long..not what I was expecting to see. He gave me great meds, after-care instructions, and a job. Yes, that’s right..I’m now on my 3rd week working for an amazing ENT. I council the current tonsillectomy patients and share ideas for relief. I’ll start directing them to this site..as it is a great way to spend the down-time during recovery! Stay hydrated everyone!! One of the most important orders ever!
Lisa O. says:
May 25, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Hi! I had mine out in Sept 09…it is great! So glad I had it done!! I do NOT miss squeezing those things like giant pimples! Took about 2 wks for me to feel back to normal. I think the best thing ever that I did was having it done on a friday morning…went home for a few hours. As soon as my kids (4 of ‘em) came home from school, I called my sister to come get me and bring me to her house! LOL! (hubby was home with kids) I was able to stay the weekend there where it was silent and peaceful…took the good pain meds round the clock there and by sunday when I went home (she drove!) I was able to get by during the day monday on just plain tylenol (took the good stuff at the end of the day though!!). Discontinued the good pain meds by day 11 though. Continued on the tylenol until 2wks passed. The only thing I have noticed a change in since healing is I now get ‘brain freeze’ when eating slushes or other cold stuff! Never had experienced that before! I guess those giant tonsils were good for something! LOL!
Lisa
moonablaze says:
May 24, 2010 at 7:27 pm
I’m 6 months out. 3 weeks of hell, but it DID get better, and for the last 6 months I’ve been healthier than I have been in my whole life. I’m 25 and this was a FANTASTIC decision. (I did get a good laugh when my insurance co sent me a form to ask if this was a work-related injury or illness… it’s a tonsillectomy, not carpal tunnel treatment!)
Greg says:
May 24, 2010 at 1:40 pm
Mike,
Glad you’re feeling better. What was scary about Tramadol? Just curious- I haven’t heard of it.
Cassie,
I’ve certainly heard of folks still being uncomfortable 2 1/2 weeks out- especially when yawning. If you read through some of the old forum posts, you’ll see others complain of the same thing. I think the same things that help early on, can help later too. it’ll get better- much better.
Greg
Cassie says:
May 24, 2010 at 12:36 pm
I have a question for y’all…..I am 2 weeks, 4 days post-op. My pain has lessened, but I would only say to the point where I now feel I have strep….is this normal? Still hurts to yawn, slightly to sneeze, but without some sort of analgesic, (current preference- ibuprofen), I am miserable! I have no idea what form of surgery the surgeon used, it sounds like this makes a difference in recovery? But should I still feel this crappy? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks much!
mike says:
May 24, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Well folks, I am 3 months post op – feeling great. Some days feel a little swollen like they are still there, but much better than if they were!
The pain for me was phenominal, worse than anything I have, or anything I hope to experience again!
Good luck though, worth it in the end – P.S Get plenty of strong meds, and don’t be afraid to call ER if it all becomes too much (and watch out for Tramadol! Scary stuff)
Brendan says:
May 23, 2010 at 5:36 pm
Hi,
I’m now on day 5 of recovery and have to say I’m very surprised with how things have gone so far. Having read horror stories prior to surgery I was expecting the worst, but since day 1 I have been eating and drinking as normal, and apart from some mild discomfort I am fine!
Brendan
Pauline says:
May 1, 2010 at 2:02 pm
Forgot to mention I found a webside recently that is great if you like general knowledge type quizzes and I think it’s going to be fabulous for me when I am well enough to be up and doing something. It’s
http://www.funtrivia.com
If it’s your kind of thing, enjoy
Pauline says:
May 1, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Hi all,
I’m 60 years old and having my tonsils out , have tonsillith and chronic sore throat for what seems like forever. I’m not sure whether I should go for this op or not but I can’t bear the thought of having a sore throat or tonsilliths for the next 30 years. May be all related but for last couple of months, earache, pain down side of face, headache on same side and a bit of what seems to be double vision that comes and goes, not been around for a while though. Any thoughts, advice?
Pauline
mark null woodard says:
April 24, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I’m 39 yrs old and in Day #5 of recovery from micro dissection (non-laser) which I didn’t see as an option above….Today is the first day I’ve felt I’ve turned some sort’ve corner and can actually feel positive about the recovery. Last night was my worst night, and now I feel as if I’ve turned a corner in the recovery process….(he says knocking on wood).
Katherine Murray- Week 7 says:
April 24, 2010 at 12:14 pm
First off I would like to say that As of Yesterday I have reached WEEK 7 Of Recovery! And I am feeling GREAT! I have to say that I was so scared when I was having it done that I was gonna be in horrible pain but I will say that it was fairly smooth sailing and The surgeon told my family that the tonsils were alot worse than she had expected and she had to cut much deeper so she expected it would take longer to heal but within 5 days I was bouncing back for the most part other than being tired. I went back to work 9 days after surgery and its been smoothing sailin. I am thankful for a wonderful surgeon and for my two family members that lovingly took care of me. If anyone has anyone questions feel free to email me @ FirenaOrdren@aol.com
Just state in the title its a tonsil question.
Love to All,
Katherine Murray
Jennifer Surgery 3/25 says:
April 10, 2010 at 2:07 pm
I am 2 weeks and 2 days post op and I am getting closer to being back to normal. I am really surprised to read all of the posts of people who have had a really difficult recovery. All I can guess is that the fact that mine was done by coblation saved me a lot of pain and suffering. I highly recommend it for anyone else who is going to get their tonsils out. It is not painless, but it is not much worse than a bad case of strep throat for a few days.
Paige says:
April 7, 2010 at 5:17 pm
To all who think the pain will NEVER go away, I PROMISE IT GETS BETTER!! Six weeks out and I finally feel normal (except for a slight acquired lisp- what’s that all about?!!). God Bless each of you and don’t get too depressed during recovery- this too shall pass!! Paige