For those who do not know, I got my tonsils removed about 2 weeks ago. Let me start by saying that it was one of the worse experiences of my life. It hurt to move, swallow, eat, drink, move, talk or even breathe half the time. Going into surgery the doctors or nurses do not warn you enough you enough for after surgery problems. They do not warn you that recovery will take long than a week and most of it you are miserable. Luckily, my mother came all the way from Vegas to help me during recovery. Now that I’m not in pain, I’ve decided to write a list of 7 things that anyone who is thinking about getting their tonsils out should know.
1. You will NEED someone to take care of you after surgery.
If my mom had not been here, I honestly don’t know if I would have made it. While I do have friends and family here in Shreveport, many of them have jobs or other responsibilities that had to be taken care of. I love my mom dearly; I could not thank her enough for being my nurse, my talking board and everything else that I needed her to be during that week. Love you mom. You will need a family member or friend to be there for you for support.
2. Drink. Even if it hurts.
My mom forced water, tea and Gatorade down me the whole week. And while it hurt like no ones business but in the end it really did help. After about day 4, the scabs start to “fall” off and this hurts more than the first few days. It will hurt even more if your throat is not moist. While you may think that your throat is fine, it honestly isn’t. Why you think you are drinking enough that will need to be doubled. Icees were a lifesaver for me during this time. For days this is all I wanted, to eat or drink.
3. Set a med schedule.
This is very important. For me I had a set schedule of every 3 hours, alternating meds. During the first few days my allergies got bad and I developed a cough (Which hurts way more than it should) and had to be put on cough meds. With cough meds now added, I was up to 3 different meds. Most people write it down, but I found it easier to set an alarm and name each alarm for which medication I should be taking. Even if you are sleeping, set alarms or anything it takes to wake up and take the meds. You might be tired but you wont regret no longer being in pain.
4. Make sure to rest.
This one was a little harder for me to do. The first few days home, I didn’t sleep more than 30 minutes at a time. My medication did not make me sleepy but just dazed. I ended up having to take melatonin to be able to sleep for the 3 hours between meds. But I did take it easy, I rested and tried not to stress myself out more than absolutely necessary. So find that show on Netflix you’ve been wanting to watch, or the series in movies and just relax while you recover. The biggest piece of advice that the doctor gave me.
5. Make sure you eat something everyday.
This was probably the hardest thing for me. Food hurt so bad to eat. I went for a few days having a Jell-o or pudding and that was it for the day. For 10 days you are to be on a “soft” food diet, which includes Jell-o, Pudding, soups, mashed potatoes, applesauce, Popsicles, or Ice cream. Be warned that dairy products such as pudding and Ice cream are a little harder to swallow the first few days than the other foods. But eating is important; it will help get your energy back faster. Even if you are in pain, eating will be better for your recovery in the long run.
6. Plan on sleeping upright.
For the 10 days it took me to recover I slept propped up. The first few days I slept in a recliner, but after that I slept in bed propped up on many pillows. I actually had to have my mom go buy more pillows because I felt like I didn’t have enough. Moving the recline from the living room to the bedroom or having a bed with many pillows is highly suggested. So find that favorite blanket, or childhood stuffed animal to help make your space more comfortable and find that comfortable spot you choose and make it your own; you’ll be in it for many days.
7. Ice, Ice, Ice
Followed by heat, heat, heat. This probably helped me the most. I went from ice to a heating pad. And back. The first few days’ ice felt better, but when the scabs started falling off, heat felt better. Till closer to the end of my 10 days, where ice felt better again. Just follow your bodies lead, it will tell you if heat or ice feels better. Ask the hospital or surgery center before you leave for an ice bag, they are lifesaver. And if you are like me and don’t own a heating pad, rice in a knee sock, heated up for 45 seconds will do the trick. Ice and heat will also help with the swelling, ice for the first days will be your best option for swelling.
If you are like me, one of the main reasons for thinking about having a tonsillectomy is repeated strep infections, which is a good reason to have them out. I had strep 6 times between fall and spring semesters, growing up I had it every 2/3 months. But be warned, the older you get the harder the recovery will be. Before deciding on surgery, make sure to weigh your pros and cons. If you've decided surgery is your best option, good luck!!
