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Original poster

Terrified to have tonsils out as an adult - anyone out there been through it?

26 replies

generalhealth · 06/12/2023 22:19

My friend said it was worse than childbirth.

I've given birth before. It can't be as bad... can it?

I'm so scared!!!

Please tell me your experience if you've had it done?

Getting them out due to enlarged tonsils & stones for ref.

OP posts:
Sunbird24 · 06/12/2023 22:30

I’ve never given birth sadly, but I did have my tonsils out at 34. Things I have had that were worse: ruptured ovarian cyst, pleurisy, burst eardrums.

It wasn’t fun, my throat got infected and I ended up back in hospital for a couple more nights a week after the op, but it was definitely worth it not to have tonsillitis several times a year! Short term pain, long term gain…

Original poster
generalhealth · 06/12/2023 22:34

I hope so. Thanks for commenting!

OP posts:
GoldDuster · 06/12/2023 22:36

I have, was not worse than any childbirth I have experienced but I guess it's all relative. Get it over and done with, you'll be glad you did.

Lizzieregina · 06/12/2023 22:37

My son did it. He didn’t say it was all that bad, but unfortunately he did have a complication and ended up back in for cauterization a week later.

He says he’s a member of the “4%”. If there’s only a 4% chance that something will go wrong, he’s in that group every time!

You might be luckier!

thedamnseason · 06/12/2023 22:37

I was in my 20s and it was quite rough afterwards but worth it. I also got an infection and was off work for 2 weeks after.

The long term benefits are fantastic though as I was getting very unwell regularly.

Sholkedabemus · 06/12/2023 22:39

I was 21. It wasn’t exactly pleasant afterwards but you soon get over it. I’ve had much worse, childbirth, gall bladder out, hysterectomy, all much worse.

TitsInAbsentia · 06/12/2023 22:42

Had mine out in my twenties, have had worse period pains. Worse thing was the terrible breath while it healed!

Fridaysgirl17 · 06/12/2023 22:43

I had mine out at 18 & it was painful,yes & I got an ear infection on top of it & the medication I was given made me nauseous so I had to take anti nausea medicine on top of it. I slept a good bit for the first few days but once I was on the recovery track I bounced back & it was well worth it as the constant illness & pain I had from infections etc was much worse than the tonsillectomy & recovery, oh & I've given birth twice by induction & i wouldn't compare the two

GG1975 · 06/12/2023 22:44

I was in my 30s and had given birth 3 times by then.
It was painful when recovering but nowhere near the pain of child birth. I also have a pretty low pain threshold.
I was nervous in the lead up but it was very much worth having done.

Original poster
generalhealth · 06/12/2023 22:46

Thank you all so much for the replies. I feel a bit better now

OP posts:
Soonenough · 06/12/2023 22:47

My son had his out at 21. Pretty painful at first he said but you are encouraged to eat normally, even scratchy food. Apparently there is an infamous Day 5 which is more painful. Be sure to have pain meds and take them regularly , don't let time laspe between doses. The benefits were worth it he said.

BumpheadParrotfish · 06/12/2023 22:50

I had mine out when I was about 35. I needed antibiotics for an infection at about day 5, and it was agonising. However, I stay focused that it would pass within a few days and it was definitely worth it but not to be falling ill almost every other week.

samestyle · 06/12/2023 22:51

Had mine removed 3 years ago aged 40, I had no problems at all, surgery was straightforward, given painkillers, I was eating toast the same day. Definitely no where near pain of childbirth. I was signed off work for two weeks but tbh I felt completely fine by a week.

theresnoonequitelikegrandma · 06/12/2023 23:00

I had mine out at 29 (which was 30+ years ago!😳) and apart from crying when trying to eat toast straight afterwards so a lovely nurse had to bring me ice cream it was all fine!

Took me a little longer to recover than my 12 year old niece who was back at school within two days as I got an infection but it was definitely worth it after years of horrible tonsillitis!

rumnraisinrocks · 06/12/2023 23:02

I had mine out at 22 and it was pretty bloody rough for the first week. I remember waiting until I could take the next pain killers as they didn't last long enough.

Was definitely worth it though as I was getting ill so often.

Good luck

isittimetoflounceyet · 06/12/2023 23:05

I had my tonsils out as an adult and yes it hurt, and it was pretty uncomfortable for quite a few days. Nothing remotely like giving birth though and at least you can sit down in comfort! 😂

They clearly think your tonsils would be better out than in, and they don't suggest it unless it would be beneficial for you long term.

WithIcePlease · 06/12/2023 23:10

Removed when I was about 32. Difficult eating for a week but other than that, it was ok. MUCH better than recurrent tonsiitis - I ended up having intramuscular antibiotics in Spain one year and I missed so much time from work.

kenadams86 · 06/12/2023 23:13

It is bad OP I won't lie.

It's around 4-5 days after I found the worse. Get some diflam mouth wash and Co-codamol or codiene prescribed before leaving hospital.

The diflam gargled first thing really helped with numbing my throat enough to take the pain killers and start the day.

Also I found warm cups of tea far more soothing than ice cream or ice lollies.

I don't regret having it done. It was worth the short term pain. I was getting tonsillitis all the time after glandular fever and I've never had a sore throat since so was definitely worth it.

Crucible · 06/12/2023 23:17

Had it done at 16. It was very very painful after but you were advised then to eat lots of crisps, it was meant to cause scarring that healed the throat. I had HUGE tonsil stones after they were out, about the circumference of a two pence piece on each side. Absolutely awful smell I'll never forget. I think.theyd been behind my tonsils for about 10 years.

Belshels · 06/12/2023 23:23

I was 39 and it was a bit rough afterwards, pain killers helped. Felt rotten for about 4/5 days and then fully better after about 10

ServeMeTheSky · 06/12/2023 23:23

I had mine out at 30. It was very painful after but, as my GP helpfully told me, there's a big open wound in your throat - that's what you'd expect! Nowhere near as painful as child birth though.

Definitely worth it - I've gone from a sore throat every day and recurrent tonsillitis every few weeks to barely being ill in the 18 years since I had it done.

userxx · 06/12/2023 23:26

TitsInAbsentia · 06/12/2023 22:42

Had mine out in my twenties, have had worse period pains. Worse thing was the terrible breath while it healed!

I forgot about that, truly rank.

OrderOfTheKookaburra · 06/12/2023 23:27

I had them out in my 20s. It was pretty horrid. I sucked ice cubes to numb it.

Make sure you take whatever pain relief is offered, and as much as pains me to say it, so eat the toast they offer you. It helps clear the wound site.

Pain wise, it's fine and you know it's going to get better. With childbirth the pain just kept going for me, knowing that worse was to come. With this the operation is behind you and you know it's just recovery now. So a different mind set.

MaloneMeadow · 06/12/2023 23:49

DD had hers out at 19 - she almost cancelled due to reading all the horror stories online of having it done when older! In the end she went ahead and no, it wasn’t the most pleasant week of her life but it was bearable. By day 10 she was completely back to normal.

Make sure they don’t just fob you off with paracetamol and ibuprofen, it’s not enough whatsoever. We went private and thankfully had a really proactive consultant when it came to pain - she had strong (30/500mg) Co-codamol and diclofenac which together worked really well for her. Eating and drinking as normally as possible is so important for recovery and infection prevention purposes so good painkillers are a must!

Pablova · 06/12/2023 23:59

DD was 20 when she had them out, first few days were ok then she had 3/4 really rough
days. It’s important to keep the pain meds up.
I set my alarm clock for
every 4 hours during the night and woke her up to take pain medication. By day 10 she was fine.
This is DDs first winter of not having recurring tonsillitis and it has made a huge difference to her wellbeing as she used to really dread winter and feeling sick and sore for months on end.
good luck with the op.