How to Survive Recovery After Tonsil Removal
Miscellaneous / / April 22, 2022
How will the operation go, what will help to cope with the pain and when will the long-awaited relief come.
Lizaveta Dubovik
In early March, my tonsils were removed. Before the operation, I read a lot about recovery, and in good sources: I work as a medical editor and I know what to trust.
But in fact, everything turned out to be much more painful and unpleasant than described: for a week I could not drink water and sleep, I hardly ate anything, and in the morning I groaned from pain. Therefore, when it became easier for me, I decided to collect tips for those who will have their tonsils removed and want to prepare better than me for recovery in one material.
Important: I tried to take information from trusted sources about the average course of the process and recommendations for recovery, but added her own thoughts. My experience may not match yours. Be sure to discuss recovery expectations with your doctor.
What you need to know before removing the tonsils
If you are going to remove the tonsils, it is hardly worth explaining where they are: these are the very lumps of lymphoid tissue that swell and hurt with a cold. In people with chronic tonsillitis, they are usually especially large, become acutely inflamed during illness, covered with plaque, fester.
If the tonsils interfere with living and sleeping normally, inflammation cannot be cured with antibiotics, abscesses and bleeding occur, the doctor may recommendTonsillectomy / Mayo Clinic remove them.
Children undergo surgery much easier than adults and recover faster. That is why, if you have lived to 21 with your tonsils, then you will have to fight for them. There are certain criteriaTonsillectomy / Mayo Clinic to remove them:
- At least 7 episodes of acute inflammation in the previous year.
- At least 5 episodes per year for the last 2 years.
- At least 3 episodes per year for the last 3 years.
If at this stage you understand that perhaps the operation is still not needed - sore throats not as frequent and the condition is not as bad - see another lore for a second opinion. And think again, are you sure you are ready for removal. Because it will hurt a lot.
How is the operation
Believe me, the operation is the simplest thing that awaits you. I had my tonsils removed in a private clinic with a trusted doctor, because I realized that I had to provide myself with at least some minimal comfort. And I also had to do everything quickly, because my health had already turned into very bad: after the coronavirus, the tonsils became so huge that I could not breathe normally.
In private clinics, the patient is not kept for a long time: the operation was done at 18:00, and in the morning at 10 they were already sent home, fed with a baked pear. In public hospitals the same patient watchingWITH. WITH. Gaidukov. Tonsillectomy - removal of palatine tonsils / St. Petersburg Research Institute of Ear, Throat, Nose and Speech of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation five days. To be honest, I didn’t quite understand why, because, according to my feelings, you are discharged in the midst of horror.
The operation is performed under the general anesthesia. It hurt a little when I woke up after it, but the nurse deftly poured an anesthetic down my throat, and I felt good. Then they injected me with some very strong and pleasant injection, so after half an hour I was already recording a video in Telegram about my own heroism and even scribbling in work chats. I felt very good: in the morning I calmly swallowed food, and immediately after the operation I drank water.
True, then the doctor said that it would be like this for a couple of days until I recovered from anesthesia and drugs. And on the third day, the main tin will begin. And so it happened.
What to eat if eating is very painful
On the third day after the operation, I really felt unbearable pain. It all started at night: I woke up feeling like my ears were burning from the inside, and my saliva was acid. In a sitting position it became easier. But it didn’t work out to lie down at all.
A couple of days later, I bought myself a pillow for patients with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease - when acid from the stomach rushes up the esophagus) to lie at an angle. It also helped with bouts of acid rush into the mouth wounds that the pain pills provoked.
I drank a lot of painkillers and with its help I somehow held on. It was possible to eat only after the pill. The pain did not go away completely, but at least a couple of spoons of food fit. By the third day, the whole throat was covered with a nasty white coating and swollen so that it was not clear how to push food into it.
I had to look for the right products. My discharge letter stated that I could not eat hot, spicy, sour and irritating food for two weeks, and alcohol for three. Then the doctor suggested that I independently look for what would come to me. He did not recommend children's fruit purees because they contain lemon juice, and suggested that they try eating ice cream at first.
In foreign recommendationsJ. Carew, K. Hayes. What Can I Eat After a Tonsillectomy? /VerywellHealth On nutrition after surgery, the following products appear:
- any soft food;
- applesauce;
- ice cream and popsicles;
- warm drinks;
- warm soup;
- paste;
- sprite soda.
RecommendTonsillectomy: Surgery to remove your tonsils / NHS also have toast and corn flakes. It will be hard, but it seems like it should help clean off dead cells. I came to this diet intuitively and really ate flakes just in batches - they are sweet and form into lumps that are easy to swallow.
Pureed foods, in my experience, go badly: they are light, just stick to the mountain and are not swallowed. You have to drink them down, and these are separate efforts for the throat - we will return to them later. As a result, you need to look for something moderately liquid, sweet (because it does not irritate), but heavy, so that it is swallowed by itself. Here are the foods I ate:
- melted ice cream, better than ordinary ice cream - hearty, cool, fast;
- steamed and almost cooled noodles with butter and broth;
- microdumplings and dumplings with butter;
- sweet blueberry;
- corn flakes heavily soaked in milk.
I also sucked on lollipops and tried to chew gum to loosen my compressed jaw pain. All for the sake of calories. Believe me, these days you will become a prominent hunter for them: your body will be ready for any format of complementary foods.
But smoothies, curds and mashed soups didn’t work for me at all. They are too caustic and liquid, so they strove to get into the wrong throat, I constantly choked. Literally from every spoon.
Water was a separate issue. For the first time in my life, I felt what it was like to drown when I tried to drink a couple of days after the operation. The water just flowed down the wrong throat. It was very painful to cough it up in such a state.
As a result, any sip of water was dangerous, and in 30% of cases I actually choked on it. I learned to drink only on the 8-9th day. Now I can’t stop doing it: drinking is wonderful. The tube helped me a little.
Another sore throat smells bad - be prepared for the fact that all food will be saturated with this aftertaste. For example, I can’t imagine now how I eat ice cream: it’s all for me with the taste of healing flesh.
This smell, as my young man noted, extends to the premises. So yes, you will smell bad. Better to ventilate more often.
What are the rules to follow at home?
The biggest danger after surgery is bleeding. Therefore, almost all doctor's prescriptions are aimed at preventing their occurrence. Here's what to do:
- take special pills;
- refuse to take a bath and do not stand for a long time under a hot shower;
- reduce physical activity to a minimum;
- refuse to go to the bath and do not overheat at all;
- lie down and rest more.
These are very important requirements. It is better to provide yourself with at least 10 days of rest, taking a vacation or sick leave, and prepare for the fact that you won’t be able to move much.
I have already said that it will be uncomfortable to sleep - be sure to consider the option with a raised headboard or a few pillows. This will make it easier to breathe. I bought a pillow for GERD - it worked too.
In addition, you have to drink antibiotics, and this is a separate challenge for the body. Tune in to the fact that the first week against the backdrop of recovery and a mountain of pills, your body will sausage: fever, nausea and diarrhea, pain, weakness. All this is normal.
If you start bleeding or your general condition is too severe - it will be difficult to breathe, the temperature will become very high - you should immediately consult a doctor.
What is the result
It was a terrible two weeks: it was so painful and so difficult for me, perhaps, it had never happened before. Even severe sore throats did not cause such prolonged suffering, and the lack of sleep and the opportunity to eat and drink was debilitating. I am finishing this material three weeks after the removal - now I still have a little pain, swelling in my throat and it turns out that I can’t eat all the food.
But there is much to be learned from this experience. I learned to appreciate the opportunity to eat and drink, I understood how dream associated with recovery and healing, and now I try to protect it even more. The pain also helped with anxiety. When you focus on solving physically necessary tasks, the rest pales against this background.
I took a meditation course headspace about pain and with their help, I learned not to concentrate on the damage that it brings, but to learn to coexist with it, to observe and direct attention. When you don't run away from the pain, the truth becomes easier.
Words of support from relatives also helped to cope: everyone reminded me that I was going through such a serious challenge in order to get sick less, called me a hero and listened to my whining. Thanks a lot to all these people for their support.
Please talk to your loved ones before surgery and enlist their support during this difficult time. This is the best thing we can do for each other. Try not to be alone and remember: all this is really temporary and is done so that later you do not get sick and feel better.
Read also🧐
- Who needs to have tonsils removed and why?
- What are SARS and why are they dangerous?
- How to recognize chronic tonsillitis and how dangerous it is
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