---- Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Surgery itself? That's cake. The recovery? I'm not gonna pie to you, long and extremely painful. Do I think it was worth it? Absolutely! Oh, and the upshot is, you will lose a lot if weight. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Dh had his out at 27 and the surgery was easy. The recovery was hard. My dds had very little pain and felt rather normal in about a week. Dh had quite a bit of pain and it took him about two weeks to feel normal. He's been so much healthier so it was worth it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Dh had his out at 27 and the surgery was easy. The recovery was hard. My dds had very little pain and felt rather normal in about a week. Dh had quite a bit of pain and it took him about two weeks to feel normal. He's been so much healthier so it was worth it. Good luck! :iagree: Me too. I had them out at 19yo. Surgery was a slam-dunk. Recovery was 3 weeks of pain. However, it was totally worth it - I was constantly sick before getting them removed. It was YEARS after having them out before I even had another sore throat or sinus infection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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posybuddy Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I agree, surgery was not a big deal, but it was a rough couple of weeks of recovery. Be prepared for ear pain as well as throat pain - at least that's how my recovery went. I went through a lot of pain meds crushed up in sherbet, and am not a big fan of sherbet to this day, 20 years later. ;) But really - it's only a couple of weeks (and it wasn't brutal that entire time, it got steadily better), and it will be SO much better afterward, not bouncing from infection to infection. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beaners Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Hmmm. My doctor told me a couple years ago that I need to get this done, and I've been too busy being pregnant to get it done. Reading these descriptions makes me think I need another reason to continue delaying the surgery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DusksAngel Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I just had mine out last December. My tonsils were so large they touched even when I wasn't sick so I was super excited to get them taken out. My doctor told me my throat probably won't swell as large as my tonsils (which luckily, it didn't :D). I stayed in bed for the first couple of days, took it super easy for the first week. I didn't lift any of my kids. I took the meds as prescribed. Liquid diet for about 2-3 weeks. Mostly cold food at first (you won't disturb the blood clots that way). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susann Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I had mine out at 32 only because I'd put off having kiddo as long as I could because I knew I needed surgery first. As said, the surgery was a piece of cake. However, as also said, the recovery was the worse pain I've ever had-coming from a woman who gave birth to a 9#3oz baby with no drugs! (Not by choice, either:glare:) Once I recovered thought I felt better than I had in years and my nasty sore throat issues went away. I wish I hadn't put it off for so long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Not quite the warm, fuzzy responses I was hoping for. :tongue_smilie: Is it just a really bad sore throat? Is a liquid diet needed? How long before you can eat "normal" stuff? Can you talk without significant pain? Will I need to cancel school? It's been awhile for me (I was 19 too) and mostly I remember my first experience with codeine during recovery :) I don't remember the exact time frame for recovery (I'd say the majority was over within a week) but I remember some of my first experiences with food. Jello of course slides down really easily. Ramen, after it cooled quite a bit, was okay later in the week (still took about an hour to eat a bowl). Mashed potatoes felt like shards of glass going down my throat, so I don't recommend that. I would recommend planning to cancel school for a week. It's one week of recovery versus countless weeks lost due to illness. I think it is worth the pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I hate to pile on discouragement, but my SIL did this and she was in very significant pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leav97 Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I'm very glad I had mine out but, I won't sugar coat the recovery. It hurt a lot for the 1st week during recovery. Then hurt a lot the 3rd week when the scabs start coming off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in PA Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 After years of battling strep throat and sinus infections, I had mine removed in my mid-30's. The surgery was quick and coming out of the anesthesia was a breeze. But..... for several days I had the most severe pain that ran up into my ears. It was awful!!! They had sent me home with codeine and it did NOTHING for the pain. My dh called and they asked him if I though I could swallow a pill. I would do anything to get rid of that pain and said yes. The first oxycoten pill going down was hard but after that it was simple to swallow. Definately ask for a stronger pain killer than codeine. I would agree with the pp that recommended taking a week off school. You will need it to recover. I don't regret it one bit. I have never had another strep infection or sore throat. And my sinus infections virtually disappeared. My family doc told me the tonsils are the "garbage dump" of the human body. Never thought of them like that before! So glad mine are gone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Surgery itself? That's cake. The recovery? I'm not gonna lie to you, long and extremely painful. Oh, and the upshot is, you will lose a lot if weight. ;) :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnG in Arizona Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 I had mine out around the age of 25. I'm sorry to discourage you, but I agree that it was incredibly painful. I woke up from anesthesia with my throat literally feeling like it was coated in strong acid. I thought something was wrong - that I was having some sort of serious complication - but nope, that's just what it's like to have your tonsils out as an adult. I spent the next solid week just sucking ice chips. I must have eaten something, too, though I don't remember what. I just remember having to suck an endless supply of ice chips, as that was the main thing that kept the pain in check. I wish you the best. The one specific piece of advice I could give you is to really have some good child care support lined up for a solid week after surgery. I personally was not able to do much but lie in bed and suck the ice chips for about 7 days. (And I'm usually up and about, working, 24-36 hours after delivering a child.) Best of luck to you. I think you might be better off just knowing how tough/painful it will be. I had NO idea - just memories of 10 year old children who had had the procedure and thought it was no big deal. At least you'll be mentally prepared, you know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs_JWM Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 My husband agrees with all the previous posters - awful, but TOTALLY worth it. You'll survive and you'll feel better for having it one. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel marie Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 i am a nurse that used to recover patients who had tonsillectomies. would be interested to know your specific fears about anesthesia. please know that a anesthesiologist or a nurse anesthetist will speak with you prior to surgery. this person will go over all your medical history, and will answer any questions for you. this is aside from the ent doc doing the same. please know that you will get medication in the hospital that have effects of making you relax --before having the surgery. believe me when i say it does the job. you won't care what they are doing, and all anxieties will go gone. bad news is that having tonsillectomies as an adult vs. having it done as a child is a bit more of a surgery...and it does hurt. you will have a bad sore throat (really bad at first), and it will slowly lessen as time goes on. plan on 2 wks to recoop. remember that you will be given pain medication so take it when it's time. don't wait till the pain gets to bad, or the pain medication won't work as well. make yourself drink cold drinks without straws (sucking can cause bleeding). drinking helps things too. the good people at the hospital will give you all these instructions plus more as will your ent doc prior to surgery. when it's all over with, you'll be glad you did it. you won't have to worry about being sick from it ever again!! good luck. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Down_the_Rabbit_Hole Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Had mine out at 18 and yes the pain during recovery was severe. Use ice bags on your neck and move your neck as little as possible...this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jec3113 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Horrific pain, lost 20 lbs. BUT, havent had a sore throat since. Had tonsils and adnoids out in late 20's. In the end it needed to be done and I am the better for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrystal Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Technology has gotten a lot more advanced in the last few years. I had mine out last year (at 38). The first two days were rough, but bearable. I didn't lose weight. Within 2 days I could eat everything but rough crunchy stuff. By 2 weeks I was back to normal. Anesthesia has also improved. You are down for the surgery, but once you wake up now you stay awake. None of the grooginess throughout the day like in the past. I am really glad that I broke down and did it. In the past I had several bouts of tonsilitis a year and when I was 12 I had a second chicken pox infection that left huge scars on my tonsils that were the perfect place for bacteria to hide. No amount of gargling changed it. When they came out my ENT said that were one of the worst he had seen. GROSS! :ack2: Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharon37127 Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 My 2 cents- My husband had them out at 30yo. The surgery was fine. Recovery as you know was awful. One thing that sticks out i my mind that he said helped him- keep your throat moist at ALL times. Constantly sipping on water. Constantly. He said that made it bearable. Also, the doc originally rxed him pills to swallow, but he specifically had to ask for liquid pain meds. Don't know why they do that. Also, about the anesthesia- I had to have my appendix out (emergency) a few months ago. I was most terrified about the anesthesia. They do give you something to relax. When I was in the OR, they put that mask on me, my head fell over on my pillow, then I picked it up again- the surgery was over! I was afraid I would be aware of what was going on (I am a light sleeper). Nothing like that. It's like time speeds up. You close your eyes, then open them and it's done. It's funny to see your post today. I am currently recovering from getting my top 2 wisdom teeth out on Thursday. It was a piece of cake. Now, mine were hyper- erupted and crumbling. But I put it off for 10 years for fear of the pain. Recovery pain doesn't scare me (3 c sections)- that's what pain meds are for! But being aware of the procedure/ surgery during it- that terrifies me. And my dentist said he could get them out without putting my under (saving a few hundred $$, of course). He gave me valium (1 night before and 1 hour before procedure)- BIG HELP. Just the usual pricks from a needle for numbing, then puuullllll to one side, then puuuulllllll to the other, then it came out. Just do it. And if they are impacted, you will be put to sleep by an oral surgeon and wount remember a thing. Hope that helps. PM me if there are any questions (for either procedure) that I didn't answer. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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