Hi everyone!! I have decided to make this blog-page thing following my tonsillectomy that I had on 8th March 2016. I’ve made this because I really underestimated this op, looked online and noticed everyone had such different (some scary) experiences and I hope this helps some people who are in the gruelling process of it .. IT DOES GET BETTER I PROMISE!! I’ve decided to write about my recovery in a day-to-day process, it seems quite a bit different from others that I’ve read online so feel free to contact me if you have any questions/comments.. I hope this page helps you out 🙂
BACKGROUND: I’ve had breathing problems for as long as I can remember.. I got a septoplasty in 2015 which didn’t help! I went back to my ENT when they decided to repeat the surgery and give me an exterior turbinate repair too.. I explained that I have quite a problem with tonsil stones (if you don’t know what these are – don’t google/youtube them YUCK!!) so they decided they’d take them out while fixing my nose. I thought the tonsillectomy would be a minor procedure, but the recovery is waaay worse than the nose op – so for this blog I’ll only speak about the tonsils!
DAY 1: Tuesday 8th march: I arrived in the ENT ward at 0800, and was taken to theatre at 0900.. so I was really lucky! I hadn’t really given the tonsillectomy much thought… I’d just seen it as a sort of ‘little add-on’ to getting my nose repaired. I came back to recovery and back into the ward by 10:30 .. the surgery was a success and I noticed straight away that I was able to breathe so much better! My throat wasn’t sore at all and I was on a drip. I’d read online that it was 1-2 weeks of soft diet so my mum had stocked up on jelly, ice cream, ice-poles and crushed ice… and I was so so wrong. At tea time I was given the choice of chicken pie or sweet and sour chicken… literally HOURS after my op. I was told that to aid recovery you should eat hard, solid foods as quickly and as often as possible. I tried but just could not manage anything to eat. I was given paracetamol, ibuprofen and codeine for pain relief. I had quite a settled night, my throat wasn’t sore but I was told to drink as much water as possible – water tasted disgusting! ( and still does 15 days post-op). I had quite a settled night and I was surprised 🙂
DAY 2: Wednesday 9th March: I managed to sleep the whole night in the ward, despite sharing a bay with other patients and buzzers going off! When I woke up my throat was dry , but drinking water made me feel nauseous. On my Drs review he explained that the surgery went well and that I could go home on the condition that I manage a slice of toast… TOAST?! aaah my throat was in bits! I was in moderate pain which increased when I tried to chew and swallowing was really difficult. I then had a shower and waited for my mum to come and pick me up to take me home. I was sick before I left the ward but myself and the other nurses put that down to the anaesthetic. When I left I wasn’t in any pain, but struggled to swallow or speak. When I got home my pain increased but it quickly settled with my pain relief. I tried crisps (poorly) and ice poles. I tried more water and juice but I couldn’t keep it down. Later I tried bread and butter.. and was sick 6 times over the evening. I felt suddenly fevered and my mum called the ENT ward. They said that this wasn’t normal and that I was to go back to A&E … which we did. When I saw the Doctor I was still sick, was fainting and had a temp of 38.9 and then 39.1 (NOT NORMAL). I was taken back into the ward and put on an anti-biotic drip and fluids. My pain at this point was still no more than a 1-2/10 and other than being sick I was feeling relatively well.
DAY 3: Thursday 10th March: After the doctors review in the morning, I was kept in for observation – I reeaallly wanted to go home! Later I tried mince and mashed potatoes for my lunch and I felt like I was swallowing glass. My throat hurt for the next week following day 3 😦 I got home in the afternoon and was advised to eat solid foods such as pizza, chips and Mcdonalds – this would usually be music to my ears but it was pure hell.. thats when I knew I was unwell! I went home and slept, cried, took my meds, tried to drink water and slept again! I found that lying in a hot bath really helped ease the pain in my throat.. I have no idea how this worked but it did! I had 3 baths every day and have probably never been so clean in my life haha! The nausea completely settled.. and I was on a 7 day course of anti-biotics.
PAIN SCORE 2-3/10.
DAY 4: Friday 11th March: slept well (I did throughout the recovery!) didn’t get up during the night for any meds so in my morning my throat was on FIRE! mornings were always the worst (invest in a humidifier – I didn’t but it seems everyone swears by them!) and the first few gulps of water/juice were so so painful.. once pain medication settles in the pain does decrease during the day. I tried to get back to normality as quickly as possible and had rice krispies for breakfast. I felt like they got stuck in the holes where my tonsils used to be.. although I was probably just over thinking. Everything I ate had to get flushed down with a load of liquid! my swallowing still isn’t that much better (day 15!) but my ENT nurses couldn’t stress enough how important it was to eat solids. I continued with my 3 baths a day and they helped so much! my pain was increasing day-by-day but that was to be expected. I was sleepy 24/7 and didn’t even have the energy to watch TV! I’d expected to use the 2 weeks off work to study and get to know my job a bit better (I’m a newly qualified nurse) but I definitely did not (and couldn’t!) do anything like that over the 2 week recovery period 😦 I tried my best to eat but all I was managing was ice poles.. water tasted disgusting and I felt really teary all the time. I massively regretted getting this procedure done (thats when I promised myself I’d make this blog)… I promise you guys, it WILL get better!! At night my mum ordered my favourite take-out chicken tikka masala pizza and chips.. I couldn’t manage any of it although I tried. I was quite teary at night and I struggled to talk.
PAIN SCORE 4-5/10.
DAY 5: Saturday 12th March: woke up in the morning in AGONY. my throat was on fire, it was super dry from sleeping the whole night and the first few gulps of water/milk to take down my tablets were killer. I was aware the pain got worse before it got better but ohya!! My pain seemed to have moved to my jaw and my ears 😦 the pain killers eased it, but I promised myself off codeine as it made me feel drowsy and sick! (I never ever take tablets -even paracetamol/ibuprofen so using them for my post-op recovery seemed to be enough) later on I felt a bit better.. my pain had eased and me and my mum went out for dinner.. I had macaroni and sweet potato fries and managed the LOT! it was a miracle – swallowing didn’t seem to hurt. I then went to visit some family to put their minds at ease 🙂 being out for 2 hours really exhausted me.. I wasn’t in too much pain but I had little energy after my op.
PAIN SCORE (MORNING) 5-6/10. (EVENING) 4/10.
DAY 6: Sunday 13th March: stayed in most of day 6. Pain was the same as day 5.. but was feeling a bit weak, I didn’t have much of an appetite and felt a bit low.. healing was taking ages and I hated not being able to eat properly (I love food… with a passion). Some of the scabbing seemed to have been coming off my tonsils which was promising.. the only time I felt sick was when I was brushing my teeth and I managed to keep on top of the pain with paracetamol and ibuprofen. My mum (lifesaver) took me to McDonalds…and I couldn’t eat it – this probably was the trigger for the teary episode I had later on. McDonalds is like… my life. I had noticed that I’d never felt hungry following the surgery – I was aware that I was meant to eat but I never felt the urge to eat anything.. still to this day (15) I’ve not felt hungry for anything to eat.
PAIN SCORE (MORNING) 5/10. (EVENING) 4/10.
DAY 7: Monday 14th March: woke up in the worst pain I have ever experienced. Went downstairs to try and drink plenty water and shift it… water just burned. My mum made some scrambled eggs and soft toast which I couldn’t even manage a mouthful … queue hysterics (which hurt even more). I was in so much pain from crying that I was crying even more hahaha. It was absolutely horrific but I didn’t want to take codeine. When I brushed my teeth I noticed blood in the sink and I panicked… but it soon went away. I managed to sleep for most of the day. I was totally exhausted and surprisingly managed to sleep through pain! I got sent the loveliest flowers from the girls in the ward I work in 🙂 and that really cheered me up. My mum was my absolute LIFE SAVER during my recovery so make sure you have someone with you to get you ice, tablets and someone to keep you company. Day 7 for me was the absolute worst. I felt disheartened because it seemed at that point that there was no light at the end of the tunnel… trust me, there is!! I didn’t have the energy to climb the stairs to my own room, so I used the living room to sleep for the start of my recovery. I watched copious amounts of the Office US and it is amazing!! really took my mind off my sore throat.. pain seemed to really settle in the evening!
PAIN SCORE (MORNING) 8-9/10. (EVENING) 4-5/10.
DAY 8: Tuesday 15th March: felt much and such the same today… I was disheartened because it seemed never ending. I said on this day that I wish I’d never had it done.. although things seemed to improve a lot after day 8 (promising!!!) still on the 3x a day baths which I absolutely swore by during my recovery! I went out for a while with my mum and gran which was nice. Putting on make up and actually leaving the house was a good feeling! I wore a neck scarf around my mouth when I was out shopping and I felt like I was protecting my throat a little. Coughing hurt … a lot! later on I felt a lot better 🙂 I finally seen a light at the end of the tunnel! I noticed that the white in my throat seemed to go down a bit.. although I still struggled to swallow and water still tasted gross. I confess I didn’t drink half the amount of water I should have during my recovery… only really when I took my painkillers (bad nurse). I had chippy for tea and I managed just a tiny amount!!… stodgy food is not good to swallow at all and I still feel like my throat doesn’t have the energy to push this down yet!
PAIN SCORE 3-4/10.
DAY 9: Wednesday 16th March: felt A LOT better!! went to visit my family and was really happy to get out of the house.. still didn’t have a huge amount of energy but managed to go and visit my cousin for her birthday which was nice.. at this point I had lost 7lb and felt every bit of it.. seriously weak and tired. pain had reduced a huge amount and I felt like I wasn’t clock watching as to when I could get my next dose! I still wasn’t eating great but my cousin made me a hot chocolate and it was HEAVEN!! watched loads of TV and took it really easy when I got home. my intake was shocking but cheetos and quavers seemed to keep me ticking over… and scrambled eggs (heaven).
PAIN SCORE 2-3/10
DAY 10: Thursday 17th March: So much better! throat still killer dry in the morning but really starting to settle down during the day time. pain improved again slightly, but I was still taking regular medication. In the evening I went to Bella Italia with my mum and had my all time favourite pasta … and managed the lot. I was so happy I could’ve cried! I had my first fizzy juice since my op and it was soo good! I didn’t notice a horrible aftertaste that I used to ALWAYS have with the tonsil stones and I didn’t feel the need to chew my way through the 4 packets of gum I always kept in my bag… This was the first day that I was SERIOUSLY grateful for having my tonsils out! I sung all the way home (badly!! cause I still didn’t really have my voice back) but I was so relieved to be rid of those horrible stones in the back of my throat and no longer had to feel super self conscious! happy days 🙂 later on I even had Mcdonalds with my bff .. so a pretty good day!
PAIN SCORE 2/10
DAY 11 & 12: Friday 18th & Saturday 19th March: not a lot to report on these 2 days! … pain slowly decreasing even more.. managing to drive around and visit family which cheered me up. Eating is still a bit of a problem but its more the lack of appetite more than anything else! Swallowing still isn’t that great but its improving. On Saturday night I took friends to a night out and had a juice in a pub.. it felt good to get back to normality a bit although people seriously underestimate the recovery of a tonsillectomy (me included before I got it done!)
PAIN SCORE 2/10
DAY 13: Sunday 20th March: woke up really early to go to a car-boot sale with my auntie and step-gran. Took paracetamol at 0600 and that was me…. FOR THE WHOLE DAY!! Swallowing is still a bit of a problem.. but I managed a small slice of toast washed down with some warm tea. I didn’t feel hungry for the rest of the day. The white area where my tonsils used to be went down a bit, although I’ve never actually had any ‘scabs’ that other people have spoken about… mine have just seemed to get smaller each day and I’m wondering if thats because I’ve been eating hard food since day 1? anyway I felt GREAT! finally a light at the end of the tunnel 🙂 my speech hadn’t improved much and my voice still sounds quite nasally.. but otherwise I was feeling good.
PAIN SCORE 1-2/10
DAY 14 & 15: Monday 21st & Tuesday 22nd March: pain is almost gone 🙂 feeling so much better and so much more alive! energy is still pretty low and overall I’ve lost 10b in weight but that will go back on now I am managing to eat more. only sore when I yawn and very slightly when I speak too much!! (which I do a lot)
PAIN SCORE 1/10
DAY 16: Wednesday 23rd March: feel almost fully recovered now! my throat isn’t sore anymore but only slightly uncomfortable when I was yawn or swallow something really hard! I don’t have my energy back, but I’m managing to eat more and I’m sure that’ll come back in no time! I’ve noticed that I’m sleeping 10/11 hours at night but I think thats really just my body recharging my batteries (well thats my excuse 😉 ) and I go back to work on friday! I’m really looking forward to going back and just getting my life back to normality!!
PAIN SCORE 0-1/10.
SIDENOTE: If you are reading this and are currently recovering from your tonsillectomy… I promise it WILL get better! It is the most gruelling thing I have ever experienced but it gets much better just as quickly as it got sore 🙂
I don’t regret getting this done AT ALL! I am so so happy that I no longer have disgusting tonsil stones and although they’ve only been out a fortnight I already feel an improvement in my life and my confidence! It is well worth the pain (and I wasn’t saying that last week!) but once those 2 weeks are up I’m sure the benefits of no more strep/tonsillitis/stones will outweigh 2 weeks of agony.
I hope this post has helped in some way! if you want to ask any questions feel free to contact me 🙂
dawnstonsillectomy 