Adult Tonsillectomy. Please share experiences.

[WrongendoftheSTIX]

I've got to have my tonsils removed as there is a growth on one of them that needs to be removed and tested. I'm terrified of the recovery period. People keep telling me it is much worse for adults .

Obviously, I've got to have the surgery so anyone have any advice or any experiences to share?

I had my tonsils out 3 years ago when I was 24. The actual operation was fine and I was out of hospital the next day, and the pain was no worse than a bad bout of tonsilitis. Unfortunately after a week at home I had a haemmorhage and got taken back into hospital, but after another few days in hospital I went home and improved quickly after that.

My tonsils were quite large and so I could feel a big difference in my breathing; the doctor originally wanted to send one of them off for testing but when the surgeon removed it he said it appeared to be normal tissue so it wasn't biopsied after all.

Overall I am glad I did it, and I hope that it goes well for you

I won't lie..it hurt like hell. I was mainlining painkillers for the first 10 days afterwards.
BUT after that it was fab..and compared with the constant severe tonsilitis I'd had for years (I was 35) it was bliss. Never had a sore throat since!!!

It's true, it is a very painful recovery but better to know this in advance.
Pain often worsens over the first week and is worse at night. Most of the pain I had was on swallowing but I also had pain at the back of my tongue (so was sore to move it) and some ear pain (which is normal after this op).

So here are my tips.

Keep on top of the pain by always taking painkillers regularly. If you find the pain killers inadequate get onto your doctor to get something stronger.

Drink lots of water. Ice chips/ice pops are great.

Eat! Avoid anything acidic/hot/spicy also best to avoid dairy as it coats your throat.

Ice packs on your neck are nice.

Sleep as upright as possible.

Rest and ask people to help you.

Did I say eat and drink?......well you must. It will hurt to swallow but you just have to do it and it will help you get well.

And remember it will get better.

Sending you lots of good wishes for a speedy recovery and hope the growth is nothing worrying.

Thank you for replying. Good to know about avoiding dairy. I'd never have considered that!

My Dr told me days 5 & 10 would be the worst and he was right. Like paintballer says keep on top of your pain relief, take it regularly and use more than one type. I was sent home from hospital with ibruprofen, paracetamol abd Diclofenic.

Good luck

Thank you. I am expecting it to be painful but I'm worried about how I'm going to manage my 1 year old DD afterwards. Would you have felt ok enough to deal with frequent night wakings and a toddler in the day after your op?

I guess I'm worried because I've never had to look after her when I'll before. My support network isn't great.

Ill not I'll! Stupid autocorrect.

You will definitely need someone else to help care for your DD.

For the first 24 hours after anaesthetic you are not supposed to care for children anyway and you will not feel up to it for days.

Painwise this is a tough operation to go through. I found it difficult to sleep so was constantly tired and had an overwhelming need to nap frequently. It was difficult to eat very much so had little energy. The painkillers (depending on type) can make you drowsy too.

To be perfectly honest you need someone there to help you as you need some TLC.

Post op advice from the hospital included;

Rest indoors for the first week.
Avoid public places and mixing with people with coughs/colds for 2 weeks. To prevent post op infection which can result in bleeding.
Take things very gently for 2 weeks, no strenuous activity or exercise.
No alcohol.

Don't underestimate how you might feel afterwards and arrange some help. Better to have things in place.
Also get shopping and cleaning done before the op.

Remember you are having an op and look after yourself.