To feel hard done by that I'm about to have my SECOND tonsillectomy?!

[letstryagainnow]

Had my tonsils out 6 years ago. All seemed so much better for a while. Then I started to get really awful throat infections. The last one was really bad and I ended up in hospital. Follow up consultant appointment concluded that they had left some tonsil tissue behind last time and that this is the issue.
So now I have to have it done again. I'm really nervous. Last time was not pleasant and I ended up back in hospital at the end of the first week post op. We've scraped together money to pay to have it done privately this time as I can't keep having these awful infections so I'm really hoping I don't have to go back in this time-how would that even work?!
Any advice for a 43 year old about to have her tonsils out-again?!
Name changed as this is very outing!

No advice but plenty of sympathy. I suffered with recurring tonsillitis until they took mine out aged 18 and it was awful until then. I missed months of school and even the beginning of my GCSEs.

Hopefully this will be a better experience for you and once you're healed, that will be the end of it.

I'm sorry! I had mine out at 26 and it was horrible admittedly but so worth it as I haven't had an antibiotic in 3 years (used to be about 5 a year).

Best advice I got from a nurse was to keep eating normal foods for as long as possible after the op. There was about 2 days where I couldn't and resorted to living off ice cream but I do think it helped the healing process.

A spray bottle to wet my throat also came in handy, as did ice packs as I got jaw/ear pain.

Hopefully since you've less tissue this time it'll be an easier recovery. Hope it goes smoothly.

Thank you!
I really did hope that the last op would have sorted it. Like you my throat has been my nemesis for years and years. I think I'm a little more nervous as I figure that the bits they didn't manage to get last time must be more difficult to get. Really hope that recovery is more straightforward this time!
Any tips on things that will help with that would be much appreciated.

A spray bottle sounds like an excellent idea-thank you!

You poor thing. My dad had to have his tonsils removed twice, once as a small child and again in this 40s. I had mine done when I was 10. I went to the gp in my 20s with what I thought was a strep throat only to be told mine had grown back and I had tonsillitis

Mine grew back too.

Thank you! I've got to be honest-I was gobsmacked when they said. I'd never heard of them growing back or of anyone having this op twice before hearing that from the consultant. I just remember last time phoning the out of hours crying that I was in worse pain than childbirth. That scares me 🙈

I had mine out twice but both times in childhood. Second time was worse (I think that was just because I was older tho). But that was that then. Before op 1 I was missing a week of school each month. Then had 5 years without missing a day! Hope it’s ok for you.

for you OP; it sounds horrific. I hope your second op is a success.

My BF’s tonsils grew back a second time! Rare but it does happen, apparently.

Thanks for the well wishes!
It seems it's far more common than I had realised.
Any tips from those having adult tonsil removal?

Me too op had them taken out twice no more tonsillitis but I now keep getting quincy throat (definitely not my tonsillis grown back again apparently)

Keep on top of your pain relief!

Take it at regular intervals in line with your prescription and before the last dose fully wears off- don’t wait until you’re in agony to take the next dose.

Sleep sleep sleep. The painkillers wiped me out for at least a week- I was sleeping for 18 hours a day easily.

Poor you. I had my tonsils out privately. Are you having diathermy and laser?

I think I have more tonsil tissue now than post op but overall it has really improved my life. I was getting regular infections and they were so swollen they were affecting my breathing And mad me cough a lot.

Recovery was unpleasant. The general knocked me out for 2 days. I planned to go back to work after 2 days but took the 3rd day off and then worked from home the 4th.

My top tips would be

• keep up the pain relief
• avoid acidic food and drinks until completely healed - orange juice or a tomato based sauce would really sting.

Oh no @Cabinfever10 you'd have thought after having it done twice that would be it!
I don't actually know which removal method they're using.
Oh yes-I remember the even worse pain of anything orange and tomato based.
I'll definitely keep on top of the painkillers. Which ones did you find most effective? I think I remember last time that I was given codeine but that came with its own ahem... issues.
I also seem to remember being really sick for the 24 hours after surgery which I don't think helped with initial recovery.

The advice I've been given is for two weeks recovery off work and away from large crowds following the op. This was the same last time too.

Little bump for any tips to reduce/cope with post op pain please.
Thank you.

Also on my second set of tonsils! Very annoying.

They definitely don't talk about the regrowing when you have them out first 🙈

I had mine out 18 years ago, the left one has grown back...people never believe me when I tell them.

You just need to keep on your painkiller schedule. I found first thing in a morning was the worst time for pain, so made sure I had a drink & meds at the side of my bed so I could take them straight away.

Soluble tablets were better too, kicked in quicker. I can't remember the name, but the tablet was pink...voltarol maybe.

Found warm drinks were more soothing than cold.

I'm sure they told me eat rougher food (toast etc) was beneficial too as helped remove the dead cells.

On painkillers I took co-codamol (codeine and paracetamol) and ibuprofen. I wrote down a schedule of what to take when so I didn’t have to work it out.

After a few days I decided I could stop the codeine and whoah I felt it so restarted.

I had mine done privately on a Friday and surgeon said could go back to work Monday - I think he says this to encourage busy professionals who don’t want to take time off. This was pre pandemic but even so I think 2 weeks is very much overkill.

I definitely need to look into soluble tablets.

I project my voice all day so I think that would be very ambitious. Last time I was back in hospital by the end of the first week. I think the two weeks is sensible based on my previous experience. Though everyone is different.

Nervous now. Feel more nervous this time as I feel like I know what's coming 😥

Are you having them lasered, OP? That’s what happened with mine and I highly recommend it.

I'm not sure. Hopefully they will go through it when I get there today.

Did anyone have tramadol for the pain?