Comment from: Kitten82, 25-34 Female (Patient)Published: March 23
As a 26-year-old female, my tonsillectomy was the worst pain I have ever experienced. When my doctor told me it was going to be worse than strep throat I thought, “How could it be worse?” Well it is. I am on day five, and I can't swallow, I can't eat, my ear hurts, and I can't keep myself hydrated. So I have a smell from my pores coming through my skin from the medicine. It's a lot to go through as an adult.
Comment from: Gem_2580, 19-24 Female (Patient)Published: May 11
I am a 21 year old female and had my tonsils removed a couple of months ago. The reason I am writing this now is because throughout my experience I found the information on forums such as these extremely useful, and it was nice to know other people were experiencing the same thing as me. One thing I would like to say is that having my tonsils out was the best decision I have ever made. My doctor strongly advised me against it but I went ahead with it anyway, and am so glad I did. It was not as painful as I thought it would be and certainly not as bad as my worst bout of tonsillitis. If anything it looked worst than it actually was. The best advice I can give anyone who has just had the operation is to eat! The more you eat, the quicker you will get better. I was up and about again within a week due to my non-stop eating! It may hurt at first but it is totally worth it. Toast is the best thing to eat as it is rough and hard to swallow and takes any bacteria down with it. 2 months after my operation and I am a healthy happy student again!
Comment from: 19-24 Female (Patient)Published: May 01
I am on day five of my tonsillectomy and must say it wasn't as bad as I had hyped myself up for! The thing that I struggled with was the morphine after the surgery. I have been keeping up with my pain medication every four hours no matter what even if the pain has subsided. I also found that sucking on ice cubes was very helpful and am still doing so. I am unable to have any dairy products because they are making me very phlegmy, but popsicles and other soft foods such as scrambled eggs and baked potatoes have kept me from starving! So my suggestion for those who are getting ready for the surgery is take the pain medication no matter what, suck on ice cubes right out of the surgery to help you stay hydrated, have an ice pack handy for around your neck and try and eat something just to have in your stomach and get a lot of rest.
Comment from: tonsil, 35-44 Female (Patient)Published: April 13
This is my fourth day out of surgery. I had a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy. I am 36 and have to say, the pain is worse than I thought. However, the biggest thing is that my nose is stuffed up, and I cannot breathe well enough to sleep. I am gargling and using a nose rinse. I'm seriously tired of pudding and all the soft food. I tried more substantial stuff like oatmeal, but it tore up my throat. Prednisone tastes awful.
Comment from: Byebyetonsils, 19-24 Female (Patient)Published: April 07
I'm 22-years-old, and I had my tonsillectomy last Thursday, so five days ago. I read all the horror stories online and kind of freaked myself out. So, I am here to write an uplifting, positive story. It really is not as bad as people have described it to be. As long as you stick to your dosage schedule, you'll be fine. Drink tons of water and don't sleep for long periods of time. I set my alarm for every two hours; that's when I took my meds and stocked up on my fluid intake. Needless to say it was hard to wake up in the middle of the night, but given a choice, I'd rather be tired than in pain. I also kept ice packs around my neck for the first two days. The ice helps with the swelling and pain. Honestly, to me it felt like a really bad sore throat. You want to keep your throat moist because when it gets dry, it does hurt and it helps to be hydrated when it comes to scabbing, and you'll heal faster. So, I hope this was helpful to anyone who is getting their tonsils out soon. Good luck!
Comment from: Marcia, 0-2 Male (Caregiver)Published: April 06
My 2 1/2 year old son is one week and one day post surgery (tonsils and adenoids). He's still struggling so much. He developed a horrible hacking non-stop cough a couple days after and nothing helped for 3 days (that finally subsided). He's still running a mild fever. His pediatrician says he has an ear infection. He was 29 lbs when he went in for surgery on Friday, by Tuesday he was down to 26! I felt reassured by reading a website. Apparently this is all normal. His surgeon said he'd recover in "no time" but now we're realizing 2 weeks is more likely.
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Most sore throats are caused by viruses or mechanical causes (such as mouth breathing) and can be treated successfully at home. However, a person should be seen by a health care professional if they have a sore throat that has a rapid onset, and is associated with a fever or tenderness of the front of the neck; a sore throat that causes the person to have difficulty swallowing (not just pain swallowing) or breathing; or if a sore throat lasts for more than a week.
Strep throat is a sore throat caused by a bacterium called streptococcus (strep) that can be treated through antibiotics. Common symptoms of strep throat include pinkeye, runny nose, skin rash, cough, hoarseness, diarrhea and more. Complications of untreated strep throat include middle ear infections, meningitis, pneumonia, rheumatic fever, and more.
Dehydration is the excessive loss of body water. There are a number of causes of dehydration including heat exposure, prolonged vigorous exercise, and some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The best way to treat dehydration is to prevent it from occurring.
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Sleep apnea is defined as a reduction or cessation of breathing during sleep. The three types of sleep apnea are central apnea, obstructive apnea (OSA), and a mixture of central and obstructive apnea. Central sleep apnea is caused by a failure of the brain to activate the muscles of breathing during sleep. OSA is caused by the collapse of the airway during sleep. OSA is diagnosed and evaluated through patient history, physical examination and polysomnography. There are many complications related to obstructive sleep apnea. Treatments are surgical and non-surgical.
It is thought that the tonsils and adenoids assist the body in fighting incoming bacteria and viruses by helping the body form antibodies. This is thought to be important only during the first year of life. Acute tonsillitis, strep throat, mononucleosis (mono), chronic tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess, and hypertrophic tonsils and adenoids are all common problems involving the tonsils and adenoids. Treatment of tonsillitis and adenoids include antibiotics and other medications depending on the cause. In some cases, a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy (the removal of the tonsils or adenoids) may be necessary.
Nausea and vomiting are symptoms that may be caused by many conditions. Antiemetics are drugs that treat nausea and vomiting. Though some antiemetics for motion sickness and mild nausea are available over the counter (OTC), most require a medical evaluation and prescription.
Bad breath can result from poor oral hygien habits and may be a sign of other health problems. Bad breath, also called halitosis, can be made worse by the types of food you eat and other unhealthy lifestyle habits.
A blood transfusion is the transfer of blood or blood products from one person (donor) into another person's bloodstream (recipient). This is usually done as a life saving maneuver to replace blood cells or blood products lost through severe bleeding, during surgery when blood loss occurs or to increase the blood count in an anemic patient. The following material is provided to all patients and/or their family members regarding blood transfusions and the use of blood products. Although in most situations the likelihood of a blood transfusion associated with surgery is uncommon, at times patients may require blood products. You are encouraged to discuss your particular
need for transfusion as well as the risks of transfusion with your doctor.
Your options may be limited by time and health factors, so it is important to begin carrying out your decision as soon as possible. For example, if friends or family members are donating blood ...
If you think you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately.
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As a 26-year-old female, my tonsillectomy was the worst pain I have ever experienced. When my doctor told me it was going to be worse than strep throat I thought, “How could it be worse?” Well it is. I am on day five, and I can't swallow, I can't eat, my ear hurts, and I can't keep myself hydrated. So I have a smell from my pores coming through my skin from the medicine. It's a lot to go through as an adult.
Related Reading: tonsillectomy | strep throat