Tonsilectomy -- at 30?!?!?!

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MissingMyOldSelf
MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
in Chit-Chat
After almost 25 years of dealing with strep throat at least 2-3 times a year, I'm FINALLY going to see an ENT in February to get my tonsils out. For the past 3 years since seeing my family doctor, he's always noted in my chart that my tonsils are enlarged. For me, it's normal to have my tonsils almost touching. I don't snore, but I always have drainage.

Now, I know that as you age, the harder it is to bounce back from "simple surgeries," but does anyone have any tips, tricks, and things I can/can't do after surgery?

I was told to expect 2-3 days off work, and a very sore throat for about 2 weeks. And I also heard that the ice cream/popsicle diet isn't all it's cracked up to be since it will hurt like a mother to swallow.

LOL.... I hope my MFP family members will keep me entertained when I'll be laid up! I'll get my surgery date on Feb 8th....

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  • ccb1030
    ccb1030 Posts: 84 Member
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    Good luck! I had my tonsillectomy when I was 17 and it was the most miserable dang surgery I've ever been through (I've also had 2 c-sections and a back surgery). My parents were considerate enough *rolling eyes* to schedule my surgery during spring break of my senior year of highschool. I was miserable my whole spring break! Once upon a time I used to love coffee flavored ice cream, and to this day I can't eat it anymore because that was one of the few things I ate while recovering from my tonsillectomy. Then I had bleeding issues on 2 separate occassions when each of the scars on the tonsil beds broke off during the healing process. Not fun. However, you'll be happy to know I haven't had strep throat since I was a teenager :)
  • _snw_
    _snw_ Posts: 1,305 Member
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    I had them out as an adult.

    Soft non-solid diet for maybe two days until you can branch out with more solid foods. NO dairy (coats your throat)

    It was just a sore throat that got progressively better by the day. It hurt MUCH LESS than strep throat.
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
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    Is it bad that I fully admit that I wasn't scared for my lap band surgery, but I'm actually pretty scared for this surgery? I guess I'm afraid about possible post-surgery bleeding, and I don't know what I'd do if I'm alone and it happens.
  • katya73
    katya73 Posts: 464
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    I guess everyone recovers differently ... But for me .. A tonsillectomy was one of the worst ... I was 35 .. I have had multiple major operations so I guess I went in thinking .. That this was nothing .. I was hospitalized for 4 days... On Endone ( morphine oral ) for almost 2 weeks .. All I can say is it's better to prepare for the worst and come out better than anticipated ... It's a very negative way of thinking but I wished I was better prepared ! Having said this .. It is totally worth having done ..ohh ... Lol bonus was I lost 5 kgs ... Couldn't eat anything but ice-cream and jelly ...so stock up :) I wish you all the best .
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
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    Oh, I'm the negative Nancy. That way, I'm not surprised when everything goes bad :) Yeah, it's a bad way to think about things, but I'm never really disappointed that way. I had a friend who had hers done at age 40, and her doctor tried to give her Vicodin in pill form. She swore up and down that she couldn't swallow a pill after surgery, and needed the liquid form instead. LOL .... well, the first dose made her pound her fist on the side table at home so hard she sprained her wrist. She couldn't scream, so she just used her hand as a hammer. Her doctor tried to warn her that the liquid wouldn't feel good on her throat, but she didn't listen :) She said it felt like swallowing nails that were set on fire first.

    I guess the only plus side to this (other than the ice cream! LOL!), is that my job isn't demanding. I just do data entry, so I'm not up and moving around much. My only question is: did your doctors tell you to not talk, try to talk, ? I'm doing a little research online, and one website even recommended putting a humidifier in the bedroom so I won't be breathing in dry air, causing a dry throat. (Which, I never really thought about that.... but it's a great idea now, and I'm going to get one before surgery. Plus, my house is SOOOOO dry in wintertime.)
  • tegla
    tegla Posts: 132
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    I was 39 when I had my tonsilectomy, adnoids, and T tubes for my ears done. I was long over due. It was an awful time for me, but I'm very sure it was just because my husband says "omg he IS 150!" outloud when he saw my doctor for the first time at the hospital. And it was a Friday the 13th. but my tongue was swollen and I couldn't get my finger between my teeth for 3 weeks. Ok yes the doctor was very old, hopefully I was his last patient, but I figured hell, at his age he could take em out in his sleep.... *shrug*

    Good luck to you, you'll be fine : )
  • paisley2288
    paisley2288 Posts: 913 Member
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    I just had one. I am almost 24. It is definitely NOT fun and I needed way more than 2-3 days to recover but I also had my adnoids out and had stitches. Maybe it won't be too bad!
  • mymelody_78
    mymelody_78 Posts: 657 Member
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    It was almost like I was reading my own story! LOL I would get a sore throat every 3-5 weeks and my doctor said that I had abnormally large tonsils and that they were almost touching. I had mine a few years ago and it was hard to swallow definitely. I would listen to them about the food because right when I was supposed to go back to work, I had something a bit too solid and it scraped a scab in my throat that caused me to cough up blood. It wasn't too bad but it was annoying. I wasn't able to take any pills because they were gigantic and it was hard to even swallow spit at first. I drank a lot of apple juice watered down. You will be fine and I definitely don't get sick nearly as often.
  • Lyndi4
    Lyndi4 Posts: 442 Member
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    My hubby had it done a few years back, and it was really hard on him. He was in a lot of pain, and the pain meds that they gave him seemed to make him feel very awake instead of putting him to sleep like some of our friends who had th surgery said it did for them. Also, his doctor didn't give him an anti-nausea medicine to counteract the nausea that the pain pills can give you (especially if you aren't able to really eat enough to take them on a full stomach). He ended up vomitting from all of the nausea, so that was really painful! I would recommend asking your Dr. about the anti-nausea meds & see what they say.

    Also he wasn't able to eat any DAIRY, so no ice cream. :frown: It coats the throat, so ice cream is a no no. My sister-in-laws both had the surgery and they were told the same thing as well. Sorbets that are non-dairy are okay, and popsicles can help. My hubs liked the Italian Ices. I don't know if all of them are non-dairy, but I found one that was.

    I wish I had more advice, other than avoiding dairy and asking for anti-nausea meds, but I don't. He was pretty miserable for a few weeks. :ohwell: Poor thing! I hope you are able to sleep better than he could. Good luck! It was definitely worth it for him, and everyone else that I have talked to who has had the surgery has said it was worth it too, so hang in there! :flowerforyou:
  • MissingMyOldSelf
    MissingMyOldSelf Posts: 689 Member
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    Thanks so much everyone, for sharing your stories and support! My strep throat has come quicker now that I'm older. I'll be at work, at 4pm, totally fine, and by 6pm, my tonsils will be so swollen that it's hard to breathe, almost impossible to swallow water, and I'm rushing to the ER to get medical help because I'm afraid I won't be able to breathe. When I was younger, I could hold off the strep throat better, but as I get older, it's a lot harder.

    Honestly, I won't know what to do with myself the first time I will be able to swallow, and breathe like a normal person!! I honestly might cry!
  • Chellethulu
    Chellethulu Posts: 37
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    I had my mine out two years ago. (18) It really wasn't that bad, I didn't hurt much. The two things I could NOT stand was One: The medicine made me feel worse than the surgery. And two, the taste. Oh god...I didn't eat for a couple of days because everything I ate tasted like crap. I wasn't told about anything about dairy. And that was the only way I could get it to go away for a bit, drinking milk. Well, three, the pain that comes with my sore throats now is worse than they were before. BUT, I hardly get them now, which is good.
  • ccb1030
    ccb1030 Posts: 84 Member
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    Is it bad that I fully admit that I wasn't scared for my lap band surgery, but I'm actually pretty scared for this surgery? I guess I'm afraid about possible post-surgery bleeding, and I don't know what I'd do if I'm alone and it happens.

    I mentioned before I had bleeding issues on 2 separate ocassions after the nasty scabs broke off (probably from talking too much). It was profuse bleeding: like it was pouring out faster than I could spit it out, hence I ended up swallowing blood, and that made me want to puke my guts out. I was fortunate that my ENT was a family friend and lived right across the street from us. He told me to gargle ice ice cold water for several minutes as it would cause the blood vessels to constrict long enough that my body could then form new clots over the tonsil beds on its own. He said after 30 minutes of gargling ice cold water didn't help, I was to go to the ER and he'd meet me there because he'd probably need to re-cauterize the surgical sites. Luckily the ice water worked, so when the 2nd tonsil bed broke off I knew exactly what to do.
  • heatherk72
    heatherk72 Posts: 34 Member
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    I had mine out when I was 34. You'll need at least 10-14 days before you feel completely healed. Use cold packs type is what I to wrap over your throat to help with the pain (it feels like a stabbing pain). Cold liquids and soft foods are a must. Above all, sleep is very important to the healing process ( you won't feel like doing a whole lot- motion made me nauseous). If your pain pills keep your mind awake (percocet did not help me sleep), then ask your dr. to prescribe something better for you. It's tough, but my days of having horrible sore throats every other month are over, and I feel so much better. Best of luck to you for a speedy recovery!
  • monettejb
    monettejb Posts: 19 Member
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    I had mine when I was four and I still havent forgoten it. I remember coughing a whole lot like my throat was dry and I was trying to get something up. BIG HINT!! Stock up on your favorite popsicles. I dont mean fudge or anything like that, get like the hard juice pops. For me at four years old bananna was my favorite. That is all I ate for days!!!! I still remember that even at four years old. I remember waking up and everything. They had that little kidney shaped silver pan in the bed for me to spit in from coughing when I woke up. Mom and dad were right there by my side! Good luck.

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