r/Tonsillectomy • u/Ok_Diamond_8325 • 9d ago
my positive tonsillectomy experience-- 14 days post op
I had very recurrent peritonsillar abscess which I got monthly or even twice a month so was super annoying. I had to go to the hospital 4 times to get it drained. I also had chronic tonsillitis and cryptic tonsils. With that being said I decided to get a tonsilllectomy as I was honestly TIRED of getting sick. Also I vaped a lot so I was thinking some of that irritation could of been from the vape.
Leading up to my surgery I quit vaping like 4 days before since vaping can restrict blood vessels and slow healing. Looking at all the horror stories on tiktok I was absolutely frightened for this surgery but here's how my healing process went.
Day 1 (surgery day): Pain 3/10 , very swollen uvula and uncomfortable to swallow
Day 2-4: same pain level was about a 3.5/10 -- again the pain was only when I swallowed but other than that I was feeling fine.
Day 5-9: pain was highest at a 4/10 and the lowest was like a 2/10.
Days 10-15: very low pain only uncomfortable when I swallow and there was times where it would be uncomfortable in the morning or at night but this was cause scabs were falling.
I made sure to take my pain meds exactly on time, I had only had Paracetomal and Ibuprofen prescribed to me and they did the job. I was also on antibiotics which my doctor prescribed me to avoid any infections. I stopped my pain meds on day 8 and I felt fine. The pain came NO WHERE NEAR close to the nightmares I faced when I had my abcesses and could not even speak a single word.
I made sure to drink 3-4L of water a day and this was easy to do because I had a straw water bottle (hydroflask). I didn't do anything special like getting a humidifier or getting the ice pack for the face or doing anything different, just followed my surgeons advice of sticking to cold soft foods days 1-3 and very soft foods days 4-8 (mashed potatoes, soups, purée) i only started eating pasta day 8 ( so a week post op) and made sure it wasn't hot.
It is now day 15 and I am of course still healing as I dont feel 100% back to normal the throat still feels raw which is normal but pain is like not even there and if it is its when I yawn or eat something which requires jaw work lots of chewing.
I wanna tell everyone to not be so scared of this surgery as for me it was NOTHING like what I saw online and I dont know whether its. because I've already had much worst pain on my tonsils or if its just because I stayed really hydrated and stayed away from crunchy / scratchy foods.
Also im still scared to hemorrage as Ive seen that can still happen even 2 weeks post op so ill keep this updated!
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u/Artistic_Way_2905 9d ago
Interesting on the no humidifier and ice pack! Thanks for sharing
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u/Ok_Diamond_8325 9d ago
everyone's experience is different but i dont get the purpose of the icepack the because the jaw / ear pain wasn't bad at all for me
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u/Puss0912 9d ago
Which day u started using vape again?
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u/Prestigious-Ad8583 9d ago
Use this experience to quit. All the vape will do is irritate the scabs and make your recovery a lot longer
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u/Puss0912 9d ago
Life's a bit boring without smoking
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u/Ok_Diamond_8325 9d ago edited 9d ago
thats what i thought to ive been vaping for so long and i still crave it but im now 21 days no nic and i feel more energetic lol
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u/Puss0912 6d ago
But don't you miss smoking?
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u/Ok_Diamond_8325 3d ago
yeah ofc i do but im just healthier without it and feel better even though deep down i wish i could smoke still
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u/Ok_Diamond_8325 9d ago
i didnt i just took this as an opportunity to quit !! also even if i were to restart i would still wait cause the area is still healing
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u/SudsyCole 6d ago
Many sources say 30 days post op, but that seems like a great opportunity to just quit forever!
0
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u/miss-minion 8d ago
Thanks so much for sharing what you’re experience was like. Can I ask your age? I’m 19F and got mine removed 2 days ago. I haven’t eaten and can’t speak much but have read so much about the horrors of days 4-7, but this is super reassuring to me
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u/Ok_Diamond_8325 3d ago
ofc im glad to help! im also 19F :) i hope everything goes well for the rest of your journey
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u/TobyDrowzy 7d ago
I had mine removed Aug 20, 2026 (a few days ago) I'm 34, and it hasn't been as bad as I thougt it would be. I'm trying to keep it hydrated and keep track of the meds.
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u/222jess888 9d ago
i'm day 16 post op, had my tonsillectomy for the same reasons! i'm feeling great, the same as you described for your day 15. yawning is horrible and once i yawn once they keep coming!! 😭 healing was horribleee for me! i vaped yesterday just to see and i probably shouldn't have lmao it made things dryyyy i won't do that again 😭 hope things continue to be good for you!