Tonsillitis and Tonsil surgery as a adult.

[dja4260]

Well I have tonsillitis and have scheduled to have them removed next month. Doctor was very straight forward and told me recovery as a adult is rough. He had his removed at age 32. Expect to be out for 10 days, lose 10 pounds, etc. He said its worth it, and my quality of life will improve.


Anyone go through this and have any advice they would like to share.





I then went to my grandpas house, WW2 vet, great man. He told me when we was in the war, he told the Navy doc that he has had a sore throat for 2 weeks. Doc sat him in a barber chair, put a towel around his neck and cut them out on the spot. Doc then sent him back to his duty.

I'm not going to complain.

 

[Sayjac]

Had mine removed at ~35 because of frequent sore thoats. IIRC it took about 10 days to recover.

If anethesia causes you nausea/vomiting make sure to let the anethetist/anesthesiologist know prior to surgery. They can put something in with the anethesia to lessen or prevent it entirely, I had none. Having had previous post surgery vomiting, glad I told them as I don't want to imagine what it would have been like post surgery.

Basically apple sauce with crushed pain meds in it for about 5-7 days for me.

Glad I finally had it done though.

 

[stockrex]

Fun starts on day 8-12 when scabs heal and fall off, may result in massive bleeding.
Keep a glass of ice water near bed, drink slowly to stop bleeding. Go to ed if u feel weak.

 

[Cutehumor]

I had mine done when I was around 4yrs old. My dad never told me, he just left me in the hospital room when I fell asleep in the bed. I had no clue what was going on. I woke up in the surgery suite in the morning and the doc gassing me and knocking me out for surgery. I woke up with an IV in my left hand and I could barely talk. I drank some liquids and was discharged home later that day. very uneventful for me.

 

[The_Eric]

Had them out age 27. It sucked... It'll take the wind out of your sails for a while. A couple of tips - Don't push it once you start to feel better. Abide by the weight restrictions. There have been people have experienced bleeding because they started back at it too soon. Also, find some Ensure or another liquid dietary supplement for elderly people and drink it. It'll give you some extra nutrition if you can't tolerate solid food.

 

[dwcopple]

Originally Posted By: The_Eric
Also, find some Ensure or another liquid dietary supplement for elderly people and drink it. It'll give you some extra nutrition if you can't tolerate solid food.
Yes, it will be VERY important to get some form of protein. Raw eggs? LOL, I'd go for whey mix or Boost/Ensure myself.

 

[tdpark]

I had them taken out when i was in my low 30's, and even though it was a pain- quality of life is so much better. My tonsils were so swollen i was gagging on them. If you doc uses the new lasers, i hear recovery is a little quicker, and they are right that the pain is when the scabs come off. Eat a lot of yogurt and ice cream and take it easy.

Good luck!

 

[dja4260]

I found a website where people document their daily experiences with the healing.

Mothers have repeatedly said they would rather give birth a few times then go through this.....

Not what I wanted to hear.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: dja4260
I found a website where people document their daily experiences with the healing.

Mothers have repeatedly said they would rather give birth a few times then go through this.....

Not what I wanted to hear.

Have you had recurring swollen tonsil problems? I have had a few now and went to see the throat specialist. He also said that I probably would be cursing him for a couple weeks and would take them out, but I might want to just put up with the odd reccurance of swelling... So far since I saw him I'm fine. I've been trying to eat more raw garlic which may be helping.

 

[JTK]

A co-worker of mine a few years ago had them removed @ ~35yrs old. He was off for a week. He was sore for awhile, but was glad to have it done after some time.

It was basically an out-patient procedure for my 5yr old. The ENT doctor did it at a surgery center. We were there for a few hours and went home after he came out of the anesthetic reasonably enough. I know his throat looked SCARY to me after the procedure when he opened his mouth enough for me to take a peek. Looked like Roto-Rooter had at it.

FWIW, cost me about $1500 out of pocket after my lovely medical coverage paid their share.

Joel

 

[mechtech2]

I balk at removing a part that is designed for a function [in this case, filtering and immune system ].
I would look at why they are having chronic problems.

For instance, I would not cut off an infected foot or hand.

 

[Mixologist]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
I had mine done when I was around 4yrs old. My dad never told me, he just left me in the hospital room when I fell asleep in the bed. I had no clue what was going on. I woke up in the surgery suite in the morning and the doc gassing me and knocking me out for surgery. I woke up with an IV in my left hand and I could barely talk.


Maybe some day you can re-pay him by dropping him off an a nursing home and driving away never to be seen again. You dad sounds like a ....

 

[Sayjac]

Quote:
I balk at removing a part that is designed for a function [in this case, filtering and immune system ].
I would look at why they are having chronic problems.

For instance, I would not cut off an infected foot or hand.

I went with the immunity train of thought for ~35 years. But, after worsening multiple yearly infections and antibiotic courses, and no decrease in occurance, it was time to make the move. Many times tonsils are the site of infection.

And unlike losing a hand or foot, fact is most folks live a normal life after a tonsillectomy. To stay with that anology though, if one had gangrene in an extremity, losing it would beat the alternative.

I never had any scabs, or none that I noticed two week after surgery, as reported above. Again, after the recovery period, never regretted having the surgery.