Tonsilectomy at 40?

Routerninja

So, I have had chronic issues with my tonsils for years, but doctors were hesitant to perform the surgery due to my weight being well over 600 pounds at that point. I want to revisit this issue since now with having sleep apnea, I think it could be a benefit as well as my weight loss. I am down 132 pounds off my highest weight, but still around 470, looking to see if I can try the surgery now, but I've also heard it is a lot harder on an adult to have this done rather than getting it done as a child. (When they SHOULD have done it.) Anyone have an experience to share here to help convince me to do this?

AZ_Gato

I've not done it, but a good friend likened his tonsillectomy to that of being circumcised at current age. I've known a couple of people that have done it in last couple of years and they were in a lot of pain for about a week.

Routerninja

Well, figure it can't be any worse than the anesthesia wearing off in the middle of my vasectomy.

sharon4219

I had my tonsils out at age 30 and the pain was awful! Was in pain for about a month. Had to have lukewarm water with everything I ate because anything hot or cold hurt too much. Although I lost some weight at that time. :happy:

usmcmp

I was 17 when I had it done and it was rough for a few weeks, but I rarely get sick now. My son had his out at age 4 due to sleep apnea and it has made a huge difference! He sleeps soundly and functions better during the day. I had a friend get hers out at 32 and she agreed it was rough for a few weeks. Stay hydrated no matter how much it sucks to drink water.

redcat72

Hey man, I'm 45 and I had the same trepedation about this. My tonsils were always huge, and I knew that I snored big time. So I finally had a "uvulopalatopharyngoplasty," aka "U-triple P" on September 17th of this year. This is removal of the tonsils, the adenoids (glands in the back of your throat), and about half of the Uvula.

I had no pain at all on the day of surgery, and took the prescribed Norco every 6 hours for about 10 days. Had almost no appetite during that time, so I lost 10 lbs. I was able to eat soft foods the day after surgery, and regular food after only about 6 days or so.

Tell you what, I had no complications, experianced no pain (only some soreness), and now I don't snore. Been sleeping good. I havn't had a new sleep study yet, but I feel great.

I highly recommend this procedure, despite your age.

Good luck brother!

gobonas99

I had chronic tonsil issues my entire childhood (as in sick with tonsilitis at least twice a year, usually 3 times, from pretty much birth until college), plus a pretty much constant sinus infection from November to March every year. I SHOULD have had my tonsils and adenoids out when I was like 6, but my pediatrician refused saying "we're trying to get away from taking them out". Moron. :grumble:

My junior year of college, I got tonsilitis so bad that was on a triple dose of antibiotic and had to spend three days in the nurse's office while we waited for the drugs to kick in, so that they could monitor me while I slept to make sure I didn't stop breathing because my tonsils were THAT swollen. When I was home for Christmas break, I went to an ENT who was shocked that I hadn't had them out earlier, and immediately scheduled my surgery (tonsil and adenoid-ectomies) for a week after I got home from school in May.

Now....when you're 6 and you get your tonsils out, you're out of it for like two days, get to eat lots of ice cream, and are pretty much back to your normal self in 3-4 days. But, when you're an adult (I was 21) and you get your tonsils out, you're out of commission for like two WEEKS (as in it's a good thing I didn't start my summer job until June, because I would NOT have been able function properly for two weeks), and you don't feel like yourself until about a month after. Oh....and F the ice cream. I barely ate for the first week (I subsisted on baby food, literally), and graduated to plain mashed potatoes and pastina in week two. I lost about 15 pounds in those two weeks. :frown:

But was it worth it? Heck yes! :bigsmile: I haven't had tonsilitis or a sinus infection in the almost 16 years since I had them out. Heck...I can count on one hand the number of days I've been sick (if I exclude my bout with the flu...which was one year over Christmas, and technically only used 2 sicks days for...the rest was holidays and "shutdown").

Side note...my ENT told me that my "healthy" tonsils that he removed were by far the largest he had ever seen in his 30 year career. He would have liked to have seen them while I was sick. :huh: He asked me if I wanted them (uh...nooo)...and if I didn't, if I would mind if he kept them (umm...whatever floats your boat).

Side side note - I can't tell what infected tonsils look like on the average person. My hubby was sick a couple weeks ago and asked me if his tonsils looked swollen...I was like "no, not at all"....he was confused because they felt swollen, so he had me take a picture. When he looked at it, he was like "those are definitely swollen! you can see them". I said "really? I could see WAY more of my tonsils that that every day of my life until I had them out." I didn't know that you're not supposed to be able to see healthy tonsils. :laugh:

ETA - oh! before I had my tonsils out, I snored like mad. Literally loud enough to wake other people in different rooms up. now, I don't normally snore unless I'm sick.

Wifey7891

I was very young when I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out, but I still remember how painful it was after the surgery. But tonsilitis was no picnic either, so Im glad I had mine taken out when I did. Prior to that I had tonsilitis all the time, and sleep apnea too which really scared my parents, but that all cleared up after they were removed. The adenoids are a little more dangerous to have taken out because of their location behind the nose and palate. Every surgery comes with risks, and your ENT specialist will be able to give you the full rundown. But a tonsilectomy is a fairly minor procedure even for adults and it would probably help with alot of the problems if you have them removed.

BokBagok

My brother (who wasn't overweight) had his taken out in his late 20's. He was in major pain for 2 to 3 weeks or so, and had to return to the emergency room twice - it wouldn't stop bleeding. Once, it even started bleeding while he was asleep, and he started choking on the blood going down his throat. Luckily, his girlfriend at the time was there to wake him up, and we took him to the emergency room.

AprilMae1975

I developed a cyst on my right tonsil from chronic strep throat and had to have the surgery two years ago at the age of 36. I am sorry to say that it was the worst thing I have ever been through. I can even say that it was worst than childbirth!! You don't realize how much you swallow until you feel excruciating pain every time you do it. My doctor recommended two weeks off work-I took a month off. All the crap about ice cream and popscles is BS.....I couldn't eat ANYTHING!!!! I cried for days from the pain.

I really don't mean to scare you but you do need to prepare yourself. My best advice would be to buy those refillable ice packs and get a few bags of crushed ice. This was a lifesaver once I discovered it. You need one for the back of your neck and one for the front. After surgery you will probably feel fine BUT make sure to take the meds around the clock and DON'T miss a dose because the pain will kick in!! Drink lots and lots and lots of water!!! The only thing I was finally able to eat after 3-4 days was Cream of Wheat, make sure to get some. Have everything that needs to be done before surgery because you aren't going to feel like doing anything for awhile. Ask for help from family and friends.

I hope I didn't sound horrible telling you all this. I really wish I could have talked to someone who had been through it before I had my surgery, it would have helped so much. Good Luck

2stepscloser

I had mine out at 18 and the recovery is more difficult the older you get. I had a blood vessel in my throat rupture while I was napping. I couldn't get it to stop bleeding until the doctor met me after hours to perform an emergency procedure.