tonsils

jaylee3

double_mummy wrote: »

first of all i am not looking for medical advice here

i am due to have surgery to remove my tonsils in may - i cant find anyone who has had this surgery as an adult so i was looking for some tips on what to expect and how to make recovery as easy and as fast as possible

Here are some stories from people.

http://www.medicinenet.com/tonsillectomy/patient-comments-310.htm

It's like childbirth. OK for some, and a nightmare for others.

Some people say a tonsillectomy is one of the most unpleasant and painful experiences they have ever had, and that they were ill for many weeks. Others say it was nowhere near as bad as they expected.

I know 2 people who had a tonsillectomy: one was so ill, they had to be readmitted to hospital twice for 2-3 days at a time, and they were off work for 6 weeks, and the other was back at work the following week.

Good luck. I hope it goes well, and that you recover within a few days.

Dizzy_Ditzy

I had my tonsils out when I was 19, after three years of getting tonsillitis almost monthly. They warned me that it was going to be bad after because apparently adults have a longer healing time than children.

It wasnt any worse than having tonsillitis.


They tried to make me eat toast before I left, but they made the mistake of leaving me in the room alone with it so I took a bite and chucked the bite in the bin, so they came back and thought I had been eating it

Trixsie1989

I had mine out last June and I am 24.i am not good with hospitals etc but found it all to be ok. I had to stay in overnight afterwards as I got took down late and was just uncomfortable for the first few days. The day after I managed a Maccy d's I was that hungry. My tongue swelled up quite a lot so be prepared for that and make sure you take some lip balm with you, my lips were cut and bruised in a few places. About a week after I was in serious pain and had to up my meds for the day but after that I was fine I'd go to the chemist and get some liquid paracetamol and ibuprofen before you go in. The hospital prescribed me solpadol which made me feel like a zombie, kept falling asleep and had to get a lower one over the counter to get my sanity back lol I hope it all goes well for you I couldn't eat or drink properly for 6 months before I had them out and have felt so much better since. Ooh be prepared to,have a constant cold for about 6 weeks afterwards too, I haven't had one since tho xxx

double_mummy

thanks everyone getting a little more excited about the benefits afterwards rather than worrying about the actual thing now

happyshopper

Hello, I know this is an old thread but I was wondering how it went for you - are you fully recovered? I had mine out on Thursday so this is Day 4. It's been very very painful, but having read lots of blogs and experiences, I was prepared for that and trying to keep on top of the meds. Drinking lots of water, trying to eat normally but blimey it hurts to eat!

All the best,

hs

freebiequennie

Happyshopper I had mine out at 21 n had just qualified as a paed nurse so knew what it would be like n yep it's painful after eating is v important even if crap cake is soft . I puked loads as well first wk is worst n after 2wks was fine. Have u got a throat spray like diffolam that can help

double_mummy

yeah im doing fine now everything up to day 12 was painful as he!! i found toast in very small bits was good to eat but just suddenly on the 13th day i felt fine. take the meds every 4 hours even if it means waking up in the night to have them. dont try and do too much to early you are going to feel rotten for days yet

im still getting used to the extra space in my mouth and i have found chewing gum to be my life saver

Soleil_lune

I am a bit surprised that nobody has mentioned yet that the tonsils are part of your immune system.

They are gland like tissue in the back of the throat that is involved in fighting off infections in that area. So you can end up getting a more regular sort throats and infections back there, if you have your tonsils removed.

For some though, including a relative of mine, it was a small price to pay, as he had tonsillitis about 3 times a year, sometimes for 3 weeks at a time. And it makes you very poorly.

He said that the tonsillectomy was no worse that his various bouts of tonsillitis.

I wonder why they make you eat 'toast?' :huh:

Anyway to the OP: I am glad it went well.

Soleil_lune

Have to ask double mummy, how is there extra space in your mouth? :huh:

Ms_Chocaholic

Soleil_lune wrote: »

I am a bit surprised that nobody has mentioned yet that the tonsils are part of your immune system.

They are gland like tissue in the back of the throat that is involved in fighting off infections in that area. So you can end up getting a more regular sort throats and infections back there, if you have your tonsils removed.

For some though, including a relative of mine, it was a small price to pay, as he had tonsillitis about 3 times a year, sometimes for 3 weeks at a time. And it makes you very poorly.

He said that the tonsillectomy was no worse that his various bouts of tonsillitis.

I wonder why they make you eat 'toast?' :huh:

Anyway to the OP: I am glad it went well.

Thanks for the update double mummy; glad the op went well.

I don't know whether I've been lucky but I've hardly ever suffered with sore throats/infections since having my tonsils removed (cough cough) over 20 years ago.

The only thing I have suffered from and it has only happened once in that time is I lost my voice. A friend who also had her tonsils out some years ago said this was due to having no tonsils but only having that once in 20 or so years is quite good and my partner had a quiet life for a week