AIBU to ask when tonsillectomy pain will improve??

33 replies

lollydu · 15/01/2024 20:33

Sorry I'm shamelessly posting in here as I'm kind of desperate!!

My 4 year old DD had her tonsils and adenoids out on 6th Jan. we are now day 9 and I can see no end in sight for the awful nights we've been having and how much pain she is in. We have been doing round the clock ibuprofen and calpol every 3 hours since the moment she came round from surgery and most nights she ends up needing a dose of morphine to get her to settle. And then it's every 2-3 hours up in absolute floods of tears and inconsolable. It definitely did get worse around day 5 or 6 when the scabs started sloughing off and now looks very patchy where the white is coming away but she is still in so much pain, one side in particular where she is having bad ear ache as well. Everything I've read seems to suggest an improvement around day 10 but we are firmly in the trenches at the moment and I just can't imagine it happening!

Please can I ask anyone with experience, how long did it take for the pain to abate a little so she can sleep peacefully at least.

OP posts:

Pleasegodgotosleep · 15/01/2024 22:27

My LG had same in October. Turns out she had thrush infection in her wounds and needed antibiotics to clear. Good luck.

Tomnooktoldmeto · 15/01/2024 22:22

In my experience it depends on the method the surgeon uses, some use ties and some use diathermy, I used to work in theatre and saw hundreds done, then had my own removed in my mid 20’s by guillotine and diathermy. I was in so much pain for the first 10 days I barely ate or drank but after that it got better quite rapidly

if you’re still worried try contacting the ward for reassurance, hopefully it’s all just about to improve

NeverDropYourMooncup · 15/01/2024 21:19

Poor little thing. I had my tonsils out on 20th December several years ago and didn't really start feeling anything near recovery until after 6th January, so a good three weeks. Was right as rain shortly afterwards/by week 4, though.

JanefromLondon1 · 15/01/2024 21:16

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user1496146479 · 15/01/2024 20:57

Two of my kids have had tonsillectomy, neither anything like that. Both were okay by day 3/4.
Eldest DS ate his lunch in hospital on the afternoon after getting them out that morning

Original poster

lollydu · 15/01/2024 20:54

It's been 9 days now so we are definitely past a week - I can't imagine her being back to school today she's absolutely not fit for it. Consultant said 2 weeks off so she's back to school next Monday but she's just still in so much pain and not sleeping well at all I can't even imagine it being much improved by then either! She was doing so well the first 3 or 4 days then day 5 it all just got a lot worse! She's had a course of antibiotics and no temperature so I don't think she's got an infection.

OP posts:

PastorCarrBonarra · 15/01/2024 20:44

About a week - I remember having a week off school and still having some minor soreness and tiredness on my first day back. But I was older so perhaps could cope better. My ENT consultant surgeon advised me to eat crisps to help with recovery! This was 38 years ago.

OhwhyOY · 15/01/2024 20:36

That sounds pretty abnormal to me, I had only middling pain for a few days when I had mine out. I also didn't have any morphine. But that was 30 years ago and just me so hopefully someone with medical knowledge can advise. Hope your poor DD feels better soon.

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