AIBU to back out of surgery tomorrow just because I am scared?!

[hellospoon]

So i am having a tonsillectomy (sp?) tomorrow as i get tonsillitas (sp?) once a month and its getting stupid...

Not sure why i am scared (probably because i googled it ) I have had lots of surgery before but its all been emergency.. For some reason i have in my head i am going to die on the table and never see DD again!

Any words of wisdom? A kick up the arse? a google ban

[mumoflittlemouse]

OOh, you poor, poor girlies. My heart goes out to you. I had my tonsils out age 30 and it was a disaster. I was suicidal with the pain once I got home and the hospital pain killers had worn off, which was way worse than child birth IMHO (and I had a home birth with an OP presentation thank you very much, so I am familiar with pain!). I think I would have actually chucked myself out of the window if it hadn't been for the fact that I had just met my now husband and was falling in love. It literally kept me going.

Then 10 days post op, when I thought I was on the home stretch, I had a dramatic middle of the night post-op haemorrage and was blue lighted back to theatre for emergency surgery. Strangely, my throat felt completely different as soon as I woke up from the second operation and I feel that my original op was never quite right in some way. The pain was extraordinary

The worst thing is that I still suffer with frequent sore throats, some severe and though I cannot physically get tonsilitis anymore, I now end up with sinusitis and yukky catarrah problems whenever a bug comes around my way (which is a lot with a toddler in nursery). Ok, it's definately not as bad as tonsilitis and I haven't forgotten the nightmare of pus in your throat and the whole body ache and awfulness of it all, but in hindsight it's hard to say if I'd make the same decision again.

Tonsilectomies on adults are a WHOLE different ball game to the same operation in children thats for sure. Kiddies do bounce back with apparent relative ease, whereas in adults tonsils seem SO deeply rooted and especially after numerous infections have such convoluted blood supply it's just all a bit trickier and much more painful.

I'm not meaning to scare anyone (honestly!) and I'm not suggesting that my experience is representative, but it was real and valid. It's a hard choice to make for anyone considering this as an adult.

All the best all you post op ladies, I really do feel for you.

MOLM xx

[mumoflittlemouse]

-One thing to add is that I was sent home with woefully inadequate pain relief from the hospital - you want 30/500 effervescent co-codamol as a minimum. Anything less is madness. (They gave me 8/500 originally, tablets, arrgh!!)

[hellospoon]

Hi mumof here's me sat thinking I will be ok in a week then u come along and piss on my bon fire

I am on day 5. And I agree with you this is more painful than any childbirth or operation I have ever been through. I can cope with the throat pain after many years of infections but its the ear pain that is killing me the most.

I'm on co-codamol and also taking ibuprofen to help with the swelling. Iv also got a throat spray thing.

I really hope its a bit better tomorrow. This. Is. Hell.

[giraffesCantZumba]

they were giving me bloody paracetamol in hosp - hahahaahah i tak that on a goo day for mild pain at work. tramaol hit the spot.

got one dose of cocod 30/500 then thats it until tomo - dont think that will last the nigth!

crying in to my crisps just now.

[Blatherskite]

Well non of you are selling the op to me that's for sure!

I'm still hoping this scratchy throat fucks off and doesn't turn into tonsillitis dose 4 for this year.

I had also heard that you can still get "tonsillitis" after having your tonsils out, you just get the infection in the surrounding tissues. I wasn't going to say anything but as MOLM has already pee'd on the bonfire, I might as well now :)

[mumoflittlemouse]

Oh gosh, I'm so sorry spoon, I read my post back and thought it read like a bit of a horror story!

Yes, do be cautious as apparently day 10 can possibly be a danger time for post-op bleeds. Goodness knows why but something to do with the blood vessels healing I think.

I should add that I did have a minor clotting abnormality detected from routine blood tests taken during pregnancy (2 years after I'd had the tonsilectomy and haemorrage but hey, better late than never right?!), so that might have had more to do with my experience than anything else. I'll never know.

Ear pain is utter hell and my goodness, you have ALL my sympathy. I'm desperately trying to remember what helped me, but all I can remember is that I timed the pain relief to the minute and set an alarm if the dose should fall during the night. I will never forget falling asleep after I got home thinking, "this is not SO bad..." and then waking up in the most terrible state and crawling to the next room where my mum was staying with me to bash on her door from the floor as I couldnt make a sound. Yes, it was utter hell.

If there is any way you can get your GP to give you anything stronger, even for a very limited period, then beg for it if you have to. I did, in writing as I couldn't speak for ages!

As for you looking after your DC while going through this...well, I cannot imagine the thought of that.

Respect.

Good luck for the night x

[mumoflittlemouse]

If anyone needs a bonfire putting out BTW, I need a pee.......




sorry

[giraffesCantZumba]

i felt ok earlier but worse again now. tear keep pricking my eyes but trying to to cry cos 1 will hurt/tense up throat and 2 its not like i am dying, people have worse i feel like an idiot

[mumoflittlemouse]

It's all relative giraffe. You are in severe pain. Many things that don't kill you are extremely painful (as you are all too aware). Yes, I wanted to cry from the pain of it, but it does make it worse so do all you can not to ok.

Poor you. Now, stiff upper lip or I shall have to (virtually) slap you.

It's for your own good you know

[hellospoon]

Well my ear ache is better today (ish) although I have a pounding headache but I think I slept funny. I think there's a huge scab at the back of my throat which is really hurting! X

[giraffesCantZumba]

I managed to sleep until 4am, woke up and went back to sleep soon. Then woke at 7 (funny as thats hosp wake up time) and had med and breakfast (1/2 packet crisps)

Sore throat and ear. Some dried blood from nose.

Glad ear better spoon. Hope sore head goes soon.

Oh am dreading the scab stage!

[giraffesCantZumba]

every time i chew my ears pop!

[giraffesCantZumba]

back in hosp bored!

[giraffesCantZumba]

how you doin spoon?

[hellospoon]

not to bad. managed to eat today which has made me feel much better. only thing is i read online when you eat the next day is agony :-(

[giraffesCantZumba]

i am getting home today!

[giraffesCantZumba]

oh they changed their mind am staying!!!