The Girls' Mom Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Has anyone here had their tonsils removed after 40? I'm starting to have trouble with mine (going to the doctor today in fact for an infection) and the right tonsil seems to be disintegrating? (There are a LOT of pockets forming). I get huge tonsil stones like crazy too. My mom had hers out in her 30s and I remember it taking her forever to recover. MIL had hers out in her 60s and it was an awful ordeal for her. I really wish I'd had mine out as a kid. My oldest had hers out at 5 and never batted an eye. So how awful is it at my age? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 My DH had his out when he was 40-- took about 3 weeks to recover and he was miserable most of the time... I had mine out when I was 12 and I remember 3 days of extreme pain but I was better in about a week. ((hugs)) On the bright side DH says he has been MUCH healthier since he had them out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I was 20. It was rough but I was functioning normally within a week. It sounds like no matter how rough the recovery is for you, you will be far better off than you are now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 My daughter had hers out at 19. She was so happy that she had it done and the ENT said that seeing them out, it was a very good decision for her to have them out. It took her about a week for recovery and a few weeks to feel completely normal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratford Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 My DH had his out when he was about 35. His experience was surprisingly easy - we were prepared for a difficult recovery, but he was back to work in a week. Having them out has made a very noticeable difference in his health. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Hard to know ahead of time. How healthy are you otherwise? You may need a very long healing time and should definitely prepare for that in every way that you can but you may end up not needing all that healing time. Hopefully you won't. You will probably be healthier overall with them gone, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted March 8, 2017 Author Share Posted March 8, 2017 Thanks. The doc just looked at it, said it was infected, and gave me antibiotics. I guess I need to start thinking about it. I'm currently in the middle of a job search (had an interview yesterday, in fact, while sick) and in college full time, so it'll probably have to be put off for a year or so until I can get time off. Ugh. I don't wanna. However, I don't see this really going away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiberia Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I had mine out at 45. The good news: It took care of my chronic sickness. I had been getting sick every three or four weeks for several years. Doc said tonsils were disgusting and full of infection and should have come out years before. The bad news: bad pain and long recovery time. Make sure you stay hydrated for recovery and take your pain meds on a schedule. The trouble with staying hydrated is that it is excruciating to swallow, but you need the water. I couldn't speak for a week, but started feeling better at two weeks. It will be so worth it in the long run, but the recovery is nasty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 My dad had his tonsils out and a rotator cuff surgery the same year (in his early 60s), and he says the tonsil surgery was the more painful recovery. That said, it was just a few weeks and his sinus/throat issues that he had for years improved so much afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasaMama Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 DH had his out at 43. The first week was really awfull for everyone partially because he does not do well with pain medicine. I thought he was extremely grumpy due to the pain, but we realized that was his reaction to the pain medicine after I talked to a nurse. After we stopped pain medicine, it was still awfull but he was more miserable than grumpy so the rest of us could sympathize more easily and that made it easier for him as well. DH is happy that he had it done because he is so much healthier (less colds and stuff) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I think adult tonsillectomy is one of those surgeries where you have to really make sure you take enough pain medication and also take zofran to combat the nausea from the opiates. And popsicles, lots of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 (edited) I had mine out at 19 and recovery was about a week. Ds14 had his out at 2 using coblation technique, and he ate a grilled cheese and French fries in the hospital for dinner the same night (they had him stay overnight because he was so young) and needed no pain meds. A friend's child around the same age had them out at the same time using the standard method and couldn't eat for a few days. I know there are a lot of variables at play, but if I could find a doctor to remove them using coblation, I would. http://mytonsils.com/coblation-facts.aspx Edited March 8, 2017 by JudoMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billswife Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 I had mine out at 28 years old. They were so full of pockets that food would get stuck in them and drive me crazy. Recovery was hard and took me a good 2 weeks. That being said I wish I had done it sooner. It feels so much better without them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Oh gosh.... how bad is the pain? I suspect I'm in a similar boat to the OP, and I do not tolerate opioids well. Can it be managed on ibuprofen? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 my friend did. she kept getting sick - though the tonsils didn't look very infected. her dr told her it was up to her - it turned out beneath the surface they were *very* infected. her health immediately improved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Oh gosh.... how bad is the pain? I suspect I'm in a similar boat to the OP, and I do not tolerate opioid well. Can it be managed on ibuprofen? What specifically are the issues with opioid? Some problems can be managed, but some cannot. Are you able to take a synthetic opioid like Tramadol? You might check into the coblation method that judomom recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 What specifically are the issues with opioid? Some problems can be managed, but some cannot. Are you able to take a synthetic opioid like Tramadol? You might check into the coblation method that judomom recommended. A few years ago I went into the ER with a very messed up gallbladder, I was in horrible pain. I was not able to have surgery until Monday, so I had to just wait it out on painkillers. I forget exactly which ones, but one was pink and speckled... and one of the oxy-somethings. They really didn't take away the pain, but they made me sort of sleepy, but I didn't sleep I just had macabre hallucinations whenever I closed my eyes, it was fine when my eyes were open. It was scary, and the ibuprofen actually took away more of the pain than the other stuff. If I have it done there are over a dozen coblation doctors at major hospitals in my city. And I will see if the weird pain mess are in my records so I can avoid them if possible I'm also worried about addiction, but I felt so crummy... prednisone, on the other hand, takes away my back pain and makes me feel like I can take on the world. And eat it, too :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 I had mine out at 33. The first week was pretty tough, but after that, not so bad, except for having to give up tortilla chips for a long time. The worst time is around day 4 or 5, so prepare for that. I went back to work after a week, maybe 6 days, but that was a mistake. I didn't understand how tired surgery makes you for quite a while afterwards. Don't underestimate how long it will take you to feel fully energized again. As far as the pain goes, though, that should be tolerable after a week or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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