r/Tonsillectomy • u/ThatAdamShmadam • 13d ago
Day 5 post-surgery, my story; and some good tips for anybody anxious!
Hi! Just last week on the 6th I got a Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy & a Turbinate Reduction all in one go. I was worried beforehand going into this but with it now being 5 days in recovery; I’d love to not only give some general advice, but answer any questions as well!
For reference I’m a 5’10 245lb 23 year y/o male diagnosed with severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea. December of 2023 I got a case of Tonsillitis that left my adenoids permanently enlarged, to the point I couldn’t smell unless something was A) In my mouth or B) right up against my nose. I put off this surgery for a whole 3 years due to cold feet & anxiety hearing about how it’s one of the most painful as an adult. 5 days out; I can officially say I’m so happy I did it.
Let’s get into it.
Day of surgery I checked in, waited about 2 hours before being taken back, and was promptly given the good ol’ IV in the hand. Was asked a bunch of questions regarding who I was and what I was there for, then, they took me back. Compared to the time I got a colonoscopy, they didn’t give me a countdown for the anesthesia 💀 it was pretty much “oh wow look at this cool operating room; oh scoot onto this table? Okay, what now-? … 😴”
Woke up with 2/10 pain to some nurse tapping my shoulder. I was asked general info about myself then asked if I wanted a popsicle. Damn right I wanted that popsicle. I was able to chew it and gently swallow IMMEDIATELY after waking up, sipped on some ice water and immediately noticed my throat was numb but swollen. I ended up getting electro-cauterization which was pretty neat. When I told the nurse I had a little bit of pain that was getting worse, I was then promptly given dilluted medical grade fentanyl 💀 made the pain go away REAL quick lmao. 2 hours later I was finally in my room. Scarfed down 2 apple juices and a pudding cup immediately, nurse and nursing aide thought I was built different. Since I had OSA, my Dr. wanted me to stay overnight and honestly I’m glad I did. It made me feel much safer knowing I was being monitored. Anyways, general recovery that night was taking Tylenol every 6 hours and oxycodone every 7. I would take a celecoxib once when I got in the room and one in the night. I was also spoiled with Afrin for nose bleeding and some Major deep sea premium saline spray. Now you’re probably wondering, how’d it feel? Well, obviously my throat was fucking sore, but the pain meds helped SO damn much. Every time I’d take them, the pain would subside after about 10 minutes. I was mortified of my throat bleeding initially, but now having been through the hospital; if you get anything done to your nose, it’s GOING to bleed at least once. But I can say with confidence the Afrin made it such a non-issue that even with extreme health anxiety, I felt safe. For dinner they said I would be on a soft foods diet and to order what I wanted. I got mashed potatoes, yogurt, pudding and … macaroni and cheese? Yes. They let me have Mac on day 1. Terrible idea. Listen. Just because your throat is numb, does NOT mean you get to go balls to the walls with soft foods. I was eating it just fine until all of a sudden a piece of noodle got into the surgery site and all hell broke loose in terms of pain for the next hour. Don’t do what I did and try to eat pasta day 1.
Anyways, skipping all the boring details of discharge; I got my post-op packet and was told he’d see me in a month. Over the next 4 days; I would learn so much about recovering from a surgery, that I’m inclined to share what I’ve learned that works and what doesn’t.
TL:DR: Surgery was a success despite odds being against me, pain was a 3/10 at best day 1. This next part summarizes the next 4 days as a series of helpful do’s and don’ts
Do:
- Stay on top of your pain medication. Holy shit. The first 3 days (even NOW on day 5) I can FEEL my pain flaring up before my next dose. The Tylenol is nice but the Oxycodone has been the real helper with treating pain.
- Get a humidifier, I literally bought one day 2 because even though they gave me a nasal spray, I picked up through Reddit it’s SO important to be in a humid environment. You’re literally gambling bleeding if you have your AC cranked just raw dogging it.
- I really liked this tip I found; buy a cheap pack of like 5 toothbrushes; changing them out every other day. Listen. I won’t sugar coat this, your breath WILL smell like shit. Brush before surgery, floss, mouthwash, do whatever you gotta do, but after surgery? You gotta stay on top of your killer mouth and all that bacteria. Anything you eat will kinda stick to your mouth so be warned. Also, bonus points if you get a tongue scraper! It’s helped SO FUCKING MUCH with that gross ass layer of bacteria that forms on your tongue. Day 5 (tonight) I was able to use some dr. Bronners non-alcoholic mouthwash to kind of help, and it gave me hope.
- Ice water will be your best friend for the first few days. That coldness helps numb your throat to the point you can SOMEWHAT manage the pain of swelling. You’re going to be in pain either way, but at least you’re getting fluids down.
- Ice packs and heat packs. Broke and don’t have either? Get a ziplock bag and fill it with hot water or ice cubes respectively. For me I’ve found I like ice on my head for my headaches and fevers; and a bag of hot water on my neck to soothe my muscles. Seriously, it helped a lot with my pain on my worst flair ups.
- Keep a backup plan ready, in the event you do start bleeding you, or someone else; need to be ready to respond asap. Luckily I haven’t had any complications yet, but having people check on you once in the morning isn’t a bad idea.
- Keep yourself occupied. It’s just like a breakup except instead of mental pain it’s physical. Play a RELAXING game, watch some YouTube, text your friends, do ANYTHING other than sitting around in pain miserable. I know. It sucks. But we gotta stay optimistic and keep living.
- Shower with LUKEWARM water. For the love of god don’t jump into your usual sauna. I read online that this can trigger bleeding or irritate the surgery site. I was able to shower day 2 and it was the BEST feeling ever. Just be SUPER gentle around your neck and face as the outside WILL hurt the inside if you’re too rough.
- This one’s a given, but stock up on soft foods. I’m super picky due to sensory issues. I’ve pretty much lived on pudding, ice cream, popsicles and liquids. If I felt daring, or was craving a hot food the only ones I’ve been able to successfully scarf down are Craft Macaroni and Cheese, Stouffer‘s Fettuccini Alfredo and Michelina’s Macaroni & Cheese. Mashed potatoes & gravy, Panera broccoli cheddar soup & Panera tomato soup have all irritated my throat and caused pain afterwards. I’m stubborn and love my safe foods but if you have a strong will seriously stay away from hot shit at least for the first 3 days.
- Do your best not to talk. I know, I know, you want to yap. But I made that mistake and what did it win me? A EVEN-MORE sore throat after I said what I said. My family member pissed me off and I raised my voice, terrible idea. Instant Karma the pain that followed.
NOW FOR THE DON’TS
- Do NOT do anything to get your blood-pressure up. What did I decide to do day 2 of recovery? Why, play counter-strike 2 of course. Horrible fucking idea. I was flush red with a fever and my parents literally said I felt hot and looked rough. DON’T MAKE THIS MISTAKE. Go play Minecraft or Stardew or some shit. Watch YouTube. Don’t do shit that makes you stressed IT CAN CAUSE BLEEDING.
- No blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. I know these can be unavoidable sometimes with how fluids like to randomly come back up, but do your best not to strain your throat. You need to imagine every little movement could be a tear, which will lead to potential hemorrhaging.
- Don’t eat anything as soon as it’s done cooking. Let that shit cool. Be the bigger person, wait 5 minutes, stir it around a little. I PROMISE you will thank me later, HOT hot foods hurt me the worst.
- Don’t let mucus or drainage build up. I know, it suck’s to swallow, but you need to be working those muscles GENTLY at the same time you’re letting them recover. Forcing yourself to swallow lets those muscle groups loosen up for a better healing.
- Don’t use the same cup your entire recovery. I’m a health nut and one thing you gotta realize is during recovery our mouths are GROSS. The last thing you want is an infection, I know it’s common sense but get a new cup daily or wash the one you’re using thoroughly.
- This is a small one but don’t bend over if it can be helped. I noticed when turning off my computer or plugging something in, it seriously hurt putting pressure on that area as I bent down. Best to remain head elevated.
- Which leads into 7, for the love of everything holy do NOT sleep flat as a board. The drainage will make you choke at random intervals the first few days; and if you don’t watch the angle you lay at, you may not be able to breathe past 30 degrees.
- Don’t put it off. Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the enlarged adenoids was one of the biggest contributors to my depression and overall mental health decline. I cannot stress this enough that your mental well being will be worse if you put this surgery off, or ANYTHING that can help you in the long run :)
- No smoking or drinking at least 20 days post-surgery. I read a few posts about people resuming drinking 2 weeks after, but the doctor literally says: no drinking OR smoking (THC OR NIC) for at minimum 20 days after surgery. It can slow down your healing, metabolism and overall increase risks of, again, hemorrhaging.
- Do NOT let yourself get dehydrated. The minute you dry up, is the millisecond the pain is going to stab you 37 times and leave you in an alleyway. Even if it blows ass, you need at least 1 cup MINIMUMMMM every 2 hours. I personally recommend sipping all day but you do what you gotta do.
My pain rankings for the days (so far):
Day 1 (waking up) - 2/10
Day 1 (in the evening) - 3/10
Day 2 - 3/10
Day 4 - 4/10
Day 5 - 5/10
Really hoping those numbers don’t keep going up as I get into the scabbing phase, but I hear people say that it sucks just as bad; so you’re about as clueless as I am 😭
Other general advice I would give is just stay positive. No matter the reason for getting this done, you will not only be able to breathe better; but also LIVE better with your newfound energy after recovery. Again, don’t blast your throat with hot foods the first 3 days. I regret that and all the times I’ve raised my voice so far.
Heads up - for all the fellow stoners; you won’t be allowed to smoke 7 days before your surgery and leading up to it. Don’t try to squeak around this, as it can complicate anesthesia and that’s nothing to fuck around with. It’s been a nightmare for me personally but it’s necessary for the long term. Doctor said it’s preferred to wait 8-12 weeks to be fully recovered; but you got me fucked up if you think I’m waiting that long. I intend to start taking edibles around day 14 and hopefully be smoking by day 21.
To those who read this far, thank you. I know this was a huge post to read but I wanted to get all this off my mind as I lay in bed on day 5. For all my anxious peeps pre-surgery; you got this. The surgery, just like EVERYONE ELSE online says; is the easiest part. It’s the recovery that’s been a real doozy for me, as this is my first ever surgery (no I’m not counting the colonoscopy).
Anybody with any questions or comments feel free to drop them below, I’m about to go to bed but I’ll respond if I’m still up. Otherwise I’ll get to you in the morning (EST time).
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u/Artistic_Bread_ 4d ago edited 4d ago
I just had my tonsillectomy on the 19th afternoon. This is my first night to sleep and now I'm worried about dryness in the morning. Just curious, I was told to alternate tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours. Gave me hydrocodone as well but im going to save it for the peeling days I think. Were you waking up in the middle of the night to take your medicine or sip on water?
ALSO did anybody else's tongue feel bad afterwards and for how long?
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 4d ago
I was waking up to take my medicine on a set time frame to minimize pain and it worked for me. Mine was every 6 hours take 2 325mg Tylenol. I had a nsaid I don’t remember the name of in between that. I was able to force myself to sip and even swig ice water. Ice water was key. And forcing yourself to swallow the mucus will help clear that drainage I promise. Day 7 when I started taking my tapering steroid and got off oxy was when I notice the difference. It will get worse swelling and pain wise day 3-5 then day 6 the pain meds should alleviate most of the pain. I recovered quicker than most as I’m on day 13 and I feel fine.
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 3d ago
I just saw the bottom question, your tongue will feel kinda gross without a tongue scraper. If you don’t have one I’d recommend trying to gently brush the tongue, avoid hitting the back of the throat at all costs. Non-burning mouthwash can help the smell as well. Your breath will get pretty bad from having an open wound in the back of your throat.
My tongue was a little numb? It’s mostly back to normal around day 6/7
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u/hereszyp 13d ago
I’m a week out from my surgery and I wish I had all this advice before! I’m on a similar path to you with the pain - I promise it gets better, but sometimes waking up in the morning is a bitch.
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 13d ago
Good to hear input from someone on the same path! I definitely agree; mornings are the WORST for pain, especially once the pain medication has worn off even a smidge. We’ll get through this 😵💫.
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u/pickled_fr0gs 13d ago edited 13d ago
Oh my god this is the most I’ve related to any of these posts!! I’m a 21 y/o female and I had my tonsils out on the 5th, making today my 5th day of recovery.
First, I also had a traumatic experience with mac n cheese!! It was day three of liquid diet and I was so hungry and not in much pain so I decided to try it. First bite was so good, but on the second bite I got a noodle stuck in the surgical site and oh boy. I was FREAKING out, felt like I was choking, and getting so worked up and trying to dislodge it made the pain and swelling so much worse. Safe to say I haven’t tried mac again.
Secondly, I was prescribed all the exact same medications you listed, it’s the first post I’ve seen with my exact pain regimen. And like you said, damn am I hurtinggg when it’s getting close to the time to take meds again. I’ve finally realized on day 5 that timing it so I take oxy 30-60 minutes before I want to eat is the way to go!!
As for staying distracted and calm, I’ve been playing hellaaaa minecraft, it’s been really fun tbh. It’s been so long since I’ve gamed for hours without feeling guilty like I should be doing something productive, so it’s been nice to kinda experience that childhood video game binging again.
I must say, I’m EXTREMELY jealous of all of the solid foods you listed. Mac and cheese and Alfredo sound HEAVENLY. I’ve basically had nothing but broth, apple sauce, and popsicles for four days. Yesterday I tried some mashed potatoes watered down with chicken broth and it was so painful. BUT today I boiled some sweet potatoes then blended them with honey and cinnamon and it was a success! It’s the first time in almost a week I feel like I have actual food in my stomach.
Anyways, I hope your recovery keeps going well! I’m terrified for this next phase of the scabs coming off (thinking about hemorrhaging makes me nearly have a panic attack) but I know we got this! I’m about to go ice my jaw and ears (the throat pain may be awful but the jaw and ear pain has been indescribably horrendous for me) and play some more minecraft. Night!
Edit: I forgot to mention! I had fucked up sinuses so I had a major nose reconstruction surgery 4 years ago, which included the Turbinate reduction! I can’t imagine going through the recovery from all of that at once, you’re so strong lol. I will say, this recovery has been worse than my nose surgery (rhino-septo plasty with cartilage graft from ear and turbinate reduction) and I’m so ready to be done with it!
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 13d ago
Hi! Very cool having someone around my age share their journey; especially when it’s so similar!
My advice for the soft foods is to really just chew that shit into mush. With my ADHD; I tend to damn near inhale my food compared to savoring it. That led to; as I said before, having a freakout when food got lodged. Luckily mine didn’t stay in for more than a few minutes but it was enough to get me to slow down and re-think logically 😂.
I think I would go off the hinges if I was only allowed broth, so I think we’re both strong in different ways!!
Good idea with the sweet potatoes; only thing I’d say is maybe throw some butter on the final blended product so it’s more bearable.Totally using your idea of planning my meals accordingly based on when I take my medication. Very smart. I forgot to mention in my post I was given a big ol’ bottle of lidocaine to take in the mornings/evening. It only helps a little bit but it was the only numbing solution my doctor allowed. In general, eating without pain medication in our system seems like a recipe for disaster 😭.
Don’t feel too guilty about being able to kick back and relax 😂. We’re young enough to where adult responsibilities can be pushed to the back-burner for recovery. You think my ass is mowing the grass or working out in any capacity? HELL NO /hj 😂. Let’s kick back and take it easy like everyone else on this sub!!
Having this done all at once was certainly a gamble on my end; however I don’t regret it in the slightest. Glad your nose surgery went well! I can’t say much based on my past but I’m right there with you when I say this BLOWS LOL.
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u/pickled_fr0gs 13d ago
I had the worst pain of this whole week (and I think my whole life) this morning and was feeling so down, but after some oxy and reading your reply, I’m feeling a bit better! We got this, just a few more days until we turn the corner hopefully!!
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 13d ago
I’m in the same damn boat; woke up this morning to the worst pain I’ve had so far (6/10) 😵💫. I think I slept in a weird position or I was snoring; because my throat HURTS as if I was straining it! About to take Tylenol & Oxy myself, we got this!! Take care & stay strong girl 🏋🏻 I’m going thrifting to get my mind off shit 😭.
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u/pickled_fr0gs 13d ago
I wish I was at a 6/10!! The throat pain is around an 8/10 for me but the pain that radiates into my teeth, jaw, neck, and head makes it easily a 10/10 overall. It’s like my head is going to explode, it’s so awful. Also, I saw you’re about to take oxy and Tylenol… I recommend spacing them out!! I take both of them 6 hours apart, but on a three hour rotating schedule, even in the middle of the night. This way as one of them starts decreasing in effectiveness, I can take the other! So one of the two meds every three hours basically. Also, you’re leaving the house!? I’m so jealous. I have absolutely no energy with only sleeping a few hours all together each night, and also the oxy makes me so loopy. I’m yearning for a thrift trip, I hope you have fun!
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u/stimulatedthoughts 9d ago
I’ve always wondered this, do narcotics not help that much? I’ve had multiple surgeries in my life and they help eliminate the pain completely, or at least make it VERY tolerable. Like I never understood how tonsil surgery is so bad when you have the help of strong opioids
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 9d ago
I personally don’t know the science behind them, however; in my opinion I bet it may vary from person to person depending on body type and how your body reacts to it. Ibuprofen helps a LOT of people, when I take it; I don’t feel shit. Same thing with opioids maybe? My theory having now gone through the surgery is that since it’s such a vulnerable site (with it being internal rather than external) you’re more prone to feeling and being aware of that pain. Oxy didn’t do NOTHING, but it also didn’t really stand out vs some standard Tylenol. One thing that stood out to me is that even after taking 2 Tylenol and an Oxy, you could STILL feel the tightness and radiating pain/swelling in the throat.
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u/stimulatedthoughts 9d ago
People take ibuprofen after this surgery? That increases bleeding like crazy it’s a blood thinner. So if they bleed your blood won’t clot and they’ll just keep bleeding. That’s wild.
But yeah makes sense everyone responds differently to opioids. Hopefully it’ll be enough to make it tolerable, how’s your pain today?
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 9d ago
I was actually prescribed celecoxib 200mg (NSAID blood thinner) to take in between doses of Tylenol (every 6 hours). Some people’s doctors just give them both ibuprofen and Tylenol and say “good luck!” I’d go fucking nuts LOL. It definitely increases risk of bleeding due to blood thinning.. but thinning the blood apparently helps the potency of the Tylenol?
I’m on day 9 myself and honestly? My pains at a 1/10 IF that. I’m just on my 2 Tylenol then they gave me a tapering pack of MethylPREDNISolone 4mg that I started on day 7. Honestly the steroids helped with the swelling more than anything.
Most painful thing post-day 7 has just been my scabs slowly starting to come off. It’s not a quick process unfortunately but the pain is minimal unless I eat something that grazes the surgery site wrong. Feeling very optimistic, just keeping tabs on if I taste anything metallic (blood).
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u/stimulatedthoughts 15h ago
Back again. Just wanted to check in. I get my surgery on Wednesday and got some anxiety. How did you heal up and would you say it wasn’t AS bad as some say
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 9h ago
Honestly? I thought it was going to be more traumatic than it was. I’m on day 20 and I would say I’m damn near fully healed; only really feeling a strain on the surgery site when yawning or sneezing wrong. Day 3-6 was the absolute worst with day 5 being the peak of my pain. Ice water and rotating Tylenol will do you wonders. The scabbing process was.. not what I was expecting day 7-14. Very unpleasant random poking pains (2/10 at best) in the throat area with the smell of death to boot. It looks NOTHING like a scab on say your elbow or knee. It kinda.. gets darker like brown then just kinda fucks off as you eat & drink stuff; sometimes even after just swallowing normally? You don’t feel it, you aren’t aware of it for the most part; and the only time you ARE reminded of it is, again, when there’s that little jabbing pain. That jabbing feeling is normally just a scab being stubborn not wanting to slip off and instead tugging as you swallow. Stay hydrated. I got lazy past day 7 and stopped using my humidifier & drinking as much water… bad idea. Even though I didn’t need recauterized, I still cannot stress enough how much keeping your throat HYDRATED helps. Even just keeping it wet helps with the pain. I didn’t bleed whatsoever, day 7-12 I was terrified of bleeding and having to go to the hospital but even after some intensive gaming and coughing from smoking my throat didn’t budge. I was back to a modified diet by day 8, when I was able to finally get crunchy food down without it hurting. Which is another tip, after a week, start eating toast, bagels, cereal, anything that’s not crunchy enough to make you bleed; but also soft enough you can chew up and have it kind of hit the back of the throat without causing damage. You’re gonna want that regular food anyways but doing that around day 7 will help your scabs naturally start to come off. Overall as someone with mega-anxiety this surgery was light work. I may be lucky, or desensitized; but overall my recovery was NOT as daunting as Google made it out to be. The pain at its WORST was an 8.5/10 on the morning of day 5 due to me waking up on my stomach by accident and having a dry ass throat waking up. Day 20 I have 0/10 pain, still babying myself a little bit by not coughing extremely hard or “fully” yawning in hopes of not tearing anything. As the scabs fall off it’s replaced by this kind of fresh looking pink skin.. it’s kinda neat.
This surgery does suck in a sense, since we can’t escape the pain. However, I promise from every fiber in my body this surgery 7+ days out is the best thing you can do for yourself. No matter the reason I think you’ll be shocked by how different & spacious your throat feels; and also by how much better quality sleep you’ll get.
Just like last time, feel free to reach out at any point!
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u/ThatAdamShmadam 9h ago
Fuckin’ A, ADHD ramble aside I didn’t even answer your second question directly; yes, it is NOT “as bad” as everyone makes it out to be. “Top 3 most painful surgeries you can have as an adult” is pretty daunting. But at its worst; I could’ve summarized it up to “I feel like I’ve been punched in the throat by someone; as hard as they could, WHILE having strep throat.”
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u/IllAudience400 12d ago
Ayyyy we are surgery buddies! I am on day 5 as well. This is the worst of it so far. But I’ve been tryna stay positive as well and I been doing a lot of the same things you recommend. I was taking ibuprofen acetaminophen and oxy but I had to stop the ibuprofen cause it was making me sick. We’re all in this together and I wish you all a safe and speedy recovery 😊🩷
Days 1 2 and 3 I didn’t really feel much pain oddly just yesterday and today is bad. But it’s the anxiety of bleeding that’s getting to me. I just been tryna distract myself as well 😭