Tonsillectomy as an adult - criteria and good idea or not?

[Ilikeviognier]

Anyone know much about the above?

seriously considering pushing for a tonsillectomy- but how bad would it be as an adult? How much time off work etc?

also I’m not sure about criteria - I’ve not been affected by tonsillitis- however I have had quinsy twice in the past two months requiring IV antibiotics and drainage and frankly I can’t go through it a third time as it was basically agony.

however from what I can see on the nhs website it talks about having to have tonsillitis x times to qualify - which I haven’t.

anyone had experience of this?

That’s good to know @ladygindiva thanks - weirdly I’ve never really had tonsillitis much but suddenly now have started getting quinsy In my early 40s. Am a bit flummoxed as to why tbh.

2 episodes of quinsy meets the criteria for tonsillectomy on the NHS. I'm surprised this wasn't discussed when you were in hospital! Use your private health insurance though - waits for routine ENT are horrendous pretty much everywhere.

Agree you need 2 weeks recovery, but you're not laid up in bed, you can still function to some degree whilst spaced out on drugs!

Had mine out at 18, recovery was horrendous (and I sat an A Level four days post op, didn’t have a clue what I was writing as I was high as a kite!) but no problems since! I was getting tonsillitis on a monthly basis and kept getting refused a tonsillectomy but switched GPs and begged for help, luckily the new GP was very sympathetic and referred me straight away!

I had mine out in my early 30s and I found recovery fine and not as painful as expected. had mine out on the NHS but in a private hospital. (think it was the NHS freeing up waiting lists at the time) this was 15 years ago. definitely glad I had them removed as no more tonsillitis pain.

@welshweasel unfortunately my second episode has just taken place in a foreign country (I was on holiday when it came back) where they had to deal with it (which was an experience tbh) so at present there is no nhs record of it. I spoke to my GP as soon as I got home though and am currently waiting to hear back from ENT.

I discussed a tonsillectomy (aged 40s) with a private ENT consultant. He advised me to be very certain that I wanted it as the recovery was very hard. I decided to go for a wait and see approach. I think you would probably need to assume you couldnt do anything for the kids or work at all for a week post surgery. Do you have a family member that could come and stay with you to help out with the dc and bring your bowls of icecream?

Yes it could be done. Am just weighing it up because frankly I’m now going to be terrified every time I get the slightest sore throat that it’s going to turn into quinsy which also renders me useless and hospitalised.

I never found it painful at all just a sore throat definitely not as bad as the severe tonsillitis pain I'd been suffering. only thing I had was low blood pressure for a few days. but other than that it was fine and I was eating normal foods again pretty much straight away. My baby was only a few months old at the time too and managed to care for her ok afterwards. i suppose everyone's experience and recovery is different.

Get them removed OP you won't regret it. I'm so relieved I no longer suffer the horrible pain I used to suffer I couldn't even swallow my own saliva as it was agony. the surgeon said I had the most badly scarred tonsils he'd ever seen due to the constant severe infections I was having.

My 3 yo had hers out yesterday. The recovery is a bit rough but she's doing pretty well. I've heard for adults it's a really nasty recovery but as you said, it's for long term benefit if you're suffering. She was at the point that she was getting tonsillitis monthly and the NHS had at least a 53 week wait just for a consultation so we went private.

A 53 weeks wait? That equates to another 6 episodes of quinsy at this rate so private it may have to be! Although I gather that getting quinsy bumps you up the list. Not sure though.

Yes I couldn't believe it when we got the letter. I know the NHS is overwhelmed so I wasn't expecting it to be quick but she's so little and dealing with really bad tonsillitis on a monthly basis has been horrendous.
We met with the private consultant 4 weeks ago and she had the surgery yesterday. Such a relief and he said her tonsils were badly scarred.
I hope the quinsy does bump you up the list. From the little I've read about it, it sounds really horrible and quite dangerous!

I had mine out (NHS cottage hospital) after nearly 10 years of recurrent tonsillitis.

The best thing I ever did.

There was localised pain for about 2 weeks then just went.

But, the pain was not anything like the horror of recurrent tonsillitis. Have it done.

I had mine out at 25. My gp suggested I kept a diary as I was having tonsillitis so often and had to meet the threshold, I had it 8 times in one year and also had glandular fever then they agreed to refer me. The recovery was awful. I had 3 weeks off work, the first 2 weeks were 99% of the time spent in bed as it was so rough! The pain was awful but it was the best thing I’ve ever done, and I would do it every time again if I had to!