Adults who have had tonsillectomies?

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  • ashleymichaud
    ashleymichaud Posts: 119
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    I had mine out when I was 20. It was one of the best things I have ever done. It was a little rude that little kids who had the same surgery were up running around eating and talking and I couldn't do either. So it was unpleasant but so were my tonsills. You can do this.

    That must have been so annoying! I work at the hospital I'm going to and I know that won't be allowed (thank goodness!) Thanks for the encouragement!
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
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    I'm kind of stunned by how bad so many people's experiences were. Maybe my experience was atypical, but the hospital bed hurt my back more than the surgery hurt my throat.
  • ashleymichaud
    ashleymichaud Posts: 119
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    I'm kind of stunned by how bad so many people's experiences were. Maybe my experience was atypical, but the hospital bed hurt my back more than the surgery hurt my throat.

    Similarly, my hospital bed after my daughter was born hurt my back more than my labor did, lol!
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
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    I wasn't an adult yet when I had my tonsils out (only 17) but I had bad tonsils. They were so swollen I had trouble swallowing liquid and I had tonsil stones.

    The worst part of my surgery was them trying to put an IV in me pre-op, I ended up being stuck somewhere around a dozen times. I was in recovery for only an hour and got to go home afterward. For about 3 weeks I couldn't open my mouth more than 2 or 3 inches to put food or drink in me and I was on bedrest for a while. I didn't have that much pain considering, but I also remember the painkillers I was given worked wonders on me even though I didn't take them often.

    I honestly thought my pain would be worse since I had a friend who at 15 had hers out and she had to be medicated 'round the clock otherwise she was in agony, but I don't remember a whole lot of pain. I just had trouble opening my mouth for a while because my jaw hurt from it being cranked open during surgery. I could even talk normally.
  • spiritmachine
    spiritmachine Posts: 56
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    I'm an ENT. I agree with what many others have said. Post-op pain will vary trememdously from person to person. Pain is subjective. Some people will stay in bed for days while others will be back at work after 2. As long as you don't have OSA you should go home the same day with some vicodin or percocet. Agree with others that you should take pain meds every 4 hours in the beginning so you don't get behind on your pain. The other important advice that others shared is to hydrate as much as possible. That will prevent dehyration but also lessen the scabbing/slough. Can be painful for 10 days or so and it does depend on the technique. Less pain with something like a microdebrider if you are getting a partial tonsillectomy. Don't think there is a huge difference in pain in coblator versus electrocautery. You'll be fine. A few days of pain is worth it to feel better in the long run.
  • ashleymichaud
    ashleymichaud Posts: 119
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    I wasn't an adult yet when I had my tonsils out (only 17) but I had bad tonsils. They were so swollen I had trouble swallowing liquid and I had tonsil stones.

    This sounds like what I have. Its so uncomfortable! Kind of worried about the jaw thing because I have TMJ and have trouble with it anyway. I guess we'll see.
  • suzibanshee
    suzibanshee Posts: 62 Member
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    I had mine out at 35 years old - best decision of my life! Yes, you will be uncomfortable for a week or so. Make SURE you stay hydrated - drink ice water _____constantly______. Don't let your throat get dry or the scab will hurt more. When you wake up at night - DRINK. Eat mashed potatoes, refried beans, oatmeal, sherbert, or other soft foods - no citrus. The day after surgery I was able to eat pancakes. The pain and discomfort changes from day to day. Take your pain pills and watch a lot of TV, surf the net, and read a book. After about a week, you'll be so happy you did this.
  • ashleymichaud
    ashleymichaud Posts: 119
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    Thank you for your response spiritmachine. I was wondering as an ENT what is your position on having dairy after a tonsillectomy?
  • suzibanshee
    suzibanshee Posts: 62 Member
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    Oh, and your breath will STINK LIKE A RAT DIED IN YOUR MOUTH for a few days. Don't worry about it. It goes away.
  • ashleymichaud
    ashleymichaud Posts: 119
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    I had mine out at 35 years old - best decision of my life! Yes, you will be uncomfortable for a week or so. Make SURE you stay hydrated - drink ice water _____constantly______. Don't let your throat get dry or the scab will hurt more. When you wake up at night - DRINK. Eat mashed potatoes, refried beans, oatmeal, sherbert, or other soft foods - no citrus. The day after surgery I was able to eat pancakes. The pain and discomfort changes from day to day. Take your pain pills and watch a lot of TV, surf the net, and read a book. After about a week, you'll be so happy you did this.

    I think I will be attached to my kindle for a few days, lol. I have quite a few book I haven't had time to read. Thanks for the encouragement :)

    ETA: the breath thing is a new one! Haven't heard that one yet. Oh well. My hubby will have to deal, haha!
  • picimadar
    picimadar Posts: 68 Member
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    My fiance (21 at the time) had his tonsils removed last year. He had mono before we started dating (this was a while ago lol) and his tonsils remained HUGELY inflamed for ages after. His doc said it was the worst he'd ever seen.

    Anyway, he had the surgery and it seemed to go fine, however he had major clotting trouble and ended up swallowing blood overnight during his stay, so he had vomiting and had to have wounds restitched... it was really hard on him.

    So, the surgery went well, but directly after he was a mess for about 6 hours until they could redo the stitches. He was fully recovered in no time at all.
  • ashleymichaud
    ashleymichaud Posts: 119
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    Ouch! Glad he got better quickly.
  • saragato
    saragato Posts: 1,154
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    I wasn't an adult yet when I had my tonsils out (only 17) but I had bad tonsils. They were so swollen I had trouble swallowing liquid and I had tonsil stones.

    This sounds like what I have. Its so uncomfortable! Kind of worried about the jaw thing because I have TMJ and have trouble with it anyway. I guess we'll see.

    I have it myself and I also have a joint disorder that makes it more aggravating. It wasn't super painful like you'd cry if you opened your mouth too wide, it felt more like your jaw was bruised. Uncomfortable, but it didn't last long and once it started to heal it healed quickly. The only real damage it did was it made me eat slower because I couldn't put much on a fork and had to be careful about when I ate with a spoon.
  • missjewl
    missjewl Posts: 214 Member
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    I had mine out a couple years ago. I remember not being allowed to do any strenuous activity and no heavy lifting. As for food, I was given mostly popsicles the first day and lots of liquids, but I was told to start eating solids as soon as possible. Eating solid foods helps the throat heal faster.

    To be honest the first couple days were really a blur... day 4 was beyond hell! OMG the pain was unbearable... I would never wish it on anybody! It felt like my throat had caught on fire, my ears were burning and all i could do was cry cause it was so bad.

    On a brighter note... My advice to you... take your pain killers about a half hour before you plan on eating. . I did however go through ALOT of pain killers... had my prescription refilled twice. Make sure you are on top of that just in case.

    When I had mine done, there had been 3 other people that were done that day as well. When I went back for my follow up appointment, the surgeon said I was 2 weeks ahead in the healing process than everyone else. I was given permission to start doing things again but with concern and moderation.

    Good luck...
  • ARDuBaie
    ARDuBaie Posts: 379 Member
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    I had my tonsils out when I was 48. I should win a prize for that! It wasn't too bad, really. I was given liquid Lortab and overdosed on it because I was uncomfortable with the swelling and didn't measure it out. LOL There wasn't really that much pain. The worst part was when the cauterized tissue started to slough off. It felt like food caught in the back of the throat and was very unpleasant.

    As for food, stock up on sherbert (not ice cream), popsicles, those fruit pops, kool aid, and other easy to eat foods. If they are cold, even better. As the area heals, add cooked carrots, mashed potatoes (creamy, not chunky), and other nice, soft foods. When you start eating solids, try to stick with chicken and fish. Add beef later, when it is completely healed.

    Good luck!!
  • Athena98501
    Athena98501 Posts: 716 Member
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    I had mine out a couple years ago. I remember not being allowed to do any strenuous activity and no heavy lifting. As for food, I was given mostly popsicles the first day and lots of liquids, but I was told to start eating solids as soon as possible. Eating solid foods helps the throat heal faster.

    Maybe this had something to do with my easier recovery? I was eating solid food again by the next day. Swallowing wasn't exactly fun, but no worse than a bad sore throat.
  • castaliavt
    castaliavt Posts: 84 Member
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    Bring a water bottle with you. I had to take almost constant sips of water afterwards. I have no idea why, but if I wasn't sipping water, my throat hurt ten times worse and felt like it was swelling up.

    I ate a lot of cream of wheat during the first week. It was smooth and filled me up enough and was nice and warm going down. Broth and popsicles too. I wouldn't worry about working out for the first week - I definitely wasn't up for that.

    I went home about an hour or so after my surgery. I think I was 21 - recuperated at my parent's house for a week. I slept a lot that first day, but by the first evening I was up for going out and went to a friend's house for a few hours.

    Good luck!!
  • txlissa62
    txlissa62 Posts: 128
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    I had mine out when I was 33. Tonsils, adenoids and uvula removed due to sleep apnea. Mine was considered outpatient surgery, but I did stay overnight. (I guess a stay less than 24 hours was considered outpatient.)

    It's weird for me to hear about everyone having such extreme pain, because I don't remember having much pain. In fact, I think I stopped taking the pain meds after a day or two, because I don't like to be on medication if I don't have to.

    One thing that I think helped me a lot was that I had a constant supply of ice chips. My throat did get dry a lot, and the ice chips helped tremendously.

    Besides being able to get a full night's sleep since the surgery, the other big benefit was that I quit smoking. :)
  • firecraker05
    firecraker05 Posts: 41 Member
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    I had mine taken out in sept. 2011, and I'm 25. I know people told me that as an adult it is a lot more difficult than what kids go through. To be honest it wasn't as bad as people made it sound. The worst part for me was staying home and not being able to do much in general. Use ice as often as possible and be sure to take your medication on time, both things help immensely.

    As far as food goes, popsicles were my best friend the first few days, especially since you aren't supposed to have anything hot. After that I stuck with soup and pasta more. Good luck!
  • borpy
    borpy Posts: 38
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    I had mine out just over a year ago at 28 and I have to say that you should hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I took over a month to recover and had a few trips to the emergency room.
    I recommend stocking up on high protein Ensure, the best thing ever, drink it cold over some ice. Sleep whenever you can, preferably next to a humidifier, don't worry about keeping your regular sleep schedule. Eating dairy is great because the extra mucus helps to keep your throat coated and moist. Be very careful not to eat anything to hard like crackers or toast, the urge to get those scabs off is strong but hard food is very likely to cause bleeding. and stay on top of the pain, if you have to wake up in the middle of the night to take your pain meds DO IT. Nothing is worse than falling behind the pain.
    The upside is how great you will feel when you are healed and don't have to be on antibiotics all the time.:smile:

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