Surgery can be a very scary experience; the process, recovery time and level of discomfort differ from one procedure to another. Often, knowing what to expect before the procedure can help to lessen the anxiety associated with it. Therefore, in order to help your tonsillectomy recovery to be as stress free as possible, I have submitted a journal depicting my 14 day post-op experience.
Day of Surgery:
My surgery was scheduled for 2:30pm. Being that it was so late in the day, it made me even more anxious because all I was able to think about was the anesthesia – I was terrified of being knocked out! I thought that I would either wake up during the surgery or not wake up after – I guess I watched one too many movies! Since I was scheduled for 2:30pm, I had to be there at 12:30pm (they normally ask you to be at the hospital two hours before your procedure). With my stomach growling due to the lack of food (you are usually asked not to eat or drink after midnight the day of your surgery), I waited in the day surgery waiting area for about 5 minutes (waiting times vary) before being called in to register. When you register, they ask you questions, put a hospital bracelet on your arm and escort you to the changing booths. They give you paper booties for your feet, a material gown, an overcoat and blankets. I was also asked to make sure that all of my jewelry, makeup and nail polish were removed. I brought slippers and a bathrobe from home – it helped me relax and kept me warm (the warmer you stay, the better – your body temperature drops during surgery). After changing I was sent back into the waiting room. After another 15 minutes, I was called back in to get weighed and to speak to a nurse who asked me tons of questions. Again, I was sent back to the waiting room and was told that the next time I was called in would be for surgery. It was now 1:00pm and I figured since I was called in so fast for the first two times, my surgery was definitely going to be before 2:30pm. I guess I was wrong, after sitting in the waiting room for two hours, I finally got called in. Yes, you did the math correctly – it was 3:00pm. I said bye to my parents and was escorted to the back, where I waited another 30 minutes before seeing the nurse who asked me a few medical questions. The anesthesiologist came shortly after and discussed his role in my surgery. I stressed my concerns to him and he confirmed that I had nothing to worry about and that he would look after me. I told him that I get nauseated fairly easy and he told me that he would put some anti-nausea medication in my IV. The surgeon came to visit me to make sure that I was ready and then told me he’d see me in a few minutes. The nurse then guided me into the operating room, which kind of freaked me out, because it looked exactly like in movies. I could tell that it was very sterile; there was a lot of machinery and everything was stainless steel and very clean looking. After sitting on the bed, the anesthesiologist greeted me and told me that I would feel a slight pinch on the top of my hand (this is where he stuck the IV). He talked to me for a little and then I felt a warm sensation on my upper chest, I questioned him about it and he told me that it was completely normal and just to relax. He told me that my eyes would start to feel heavy, and sure enough, not even 5 seconds later they did. It was around 3:30pm at this time. My eyes began to close a little and then I woke up an hour later in recovery. I must say, that was the absolute best sleep I have ever had – one thing that I am so grateful for now, after this recovery process. I woke up to the nurse calling my name, but it was hard to hold my eyes open. The first thing I did was cough 3 times, pretty roughly and then I remembered how I was told not to cough or clear my throat after surgery. So I started panicking, thinking that I just caused harm to my freshly cauterized wounds. Good news – I didn’t! The nurse put an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth and told me to take big breaths. I wasn’t in pain right away – thanks to the morphine! However, my throat did feel as if it had a big ball in it when I first swallowed. After 10 minutes, she took the oxygen mask off and asked me how I was feeling. I motioned to her that I wanted the bed to be raised a bit so I could be in more for a sitting position. She looked at me and told me to speak instead of showing hand signals – which I thought was a little insensitive considering I just had my tonsils removed. Maybe I could have spoken, but with good reason I was scared to, and continued to use hand gestures. At this point it was 4:45pm and I was sitting in the first recovery room, anxiously waiting to be bought into the second recovery room where my parents could visit. At 5:00pm I felt some pain and the nurse gave me more morphine – can I just say, morphine is God sent! It turns out that they didn’t have room for me for another hour, so I finally made it into recovery room two at 5:45pm. When I got there, the nurse checked my temperature and asked me to open my mouth so she could look at the wounds. She then gave me water and 2 small freezies to help start me on fluids. At 6:00pm my parents were allowed to visit me. I was given prescriptions and my mom left to get them filled because my pharmacy was closing in an hour. After the nurse saw me drink and eat the freezies, I was given some post-op recovery forms about what to expect. At 7:00pm I was able to change into my clothes and by 7:15pm I was allowed to leave only if I promised to use a wheelchair until I got into my car. I was home by 7:30pm and still feeling pretty good. I had a freezie when I got home and lots of water. I watched some television and took the amoxicillin that I was prescribed to prevent infection. I decided to try to swallow the capsules because they looked small enough…BIG MISTAKE! After the first one, it felt like it was stuck in my throat, but I tried to take the second one…even bigger mistake. So I start getting anxious because I feel like the pills are stuck in my throat and not going down - even with loads of water. It turns out they did go down, but because my throat was swollen, they felt like they were just sitting there. I was prescribed liquid codeine and told to buy liquid Tylenol. However, the only liquid Tylenol my mom could find was for children, so instead, she decided to buy Tylenol caplets that melt in your mouth – which turned out to be for children as well. The first night I only took Tylenol because I wasn’t in that much pain at first. Needless to say, I was in pain during the night and slept maybe 1-2 hours in total.
Post-Op: Day One
So, I woke up today in some intense pain, as the children’s Tylenol wasn’t even lasting half of the time as it was supposed to. My throat and uvula felt extremely swollen, which is completely normal for the first few days after surgery. I was really adamant about not taking the codeine because I have a very sensitive stomach and I know that codeine is very strong – especially on an empty stomach. I decided to try to swallow the amoxicillin again – I guess I didn’t learn my lesson the first time! After 30 minutes and finally getting both capsules down, I decided enough is enough and next time I was definitely going to open the capsules and mix them with jell-o. Sure enough, I decided to be smart one more time and say that it’s all in my head and they won’t get stuck again. Um, why am I so stubborn at times? However, the third time they got stuck was the charm. I started getting upset and promised myself that I will not swallow them again. I stuck to my word this time! Needless to say, amoxicillin and jell-o don’t taste so swell together. In fact, I gagged just about every time I had to take them; lucky for me, it was 2 capsules 3 times daily for 1 week – what bliss! The morning and afternoon wasn’t terrible, as I was able to get by on the children’s Tylenol. I ate popsicles and freezies throughout the day, and was wondering why I had so much phlegm. I put my thinking cap on and realized that it must be the sugar in them that is causing the excess of phlegm – it wasn’t pleasant. Nevertheless, I continued to eat them because they soothed my throat. I realized a weird symptom today, uncontrollable burping!?! I was a little taken back by this, but after talking to a few people, I was told it was just my digestive track returning to normal. The evening on the other hand, got a lot worse! I decided to sacrifice my stubbornness, and take the codeine (yes people, on an EMPTY stomach)! That night my stomach hurt a bit because of the codeine, but I figured it would settle. I prayed it would settle! I didn’t even want to think about vomiting after a tonsillectomy – ouch!
Post-Op: Day Two
I guess what I wanted didn’t matter, because at 1:30am I rushed to the bathroom and began to vomit. After the first time, I absolutely panicked, because I saw red and figured I was bleeding – just my luck! It turned out to be the children’s Tylenol melt away caplets – which were bubblegum flavored and therefore pinkish red in color! Whew! After getting back in bed, I felt a little better and decided to keep drinking water. An hour later I rushed back to the bathroom, and christened the majestic bowl a second time. After getting sick the second time, my throat felt very raw, but no more painful than before. The only good part of getting sick is that it removed all of the phlegm that was built up in my throat. I went back to bed, grabbed my laptop and came right to www.mybigfattonsillectomy.com , where I posted my guts out! Sleep? What’s sleep? I stayed up all night trying to find something other than an infomercial on television – if you’ve ever watched television at 5:00am; you know how difficult that is! In the morning I began chewing gum to get my muscles working again; my teeth and jaw have been so sensitive. Eating wise, I was able to work in applesauce today, which is a big step up from frozen treats and jell-o. This reminds me, mark my words, after the recovery, I will never be able to eat jell-o again – the taste of it mixed with amoxicillin is haunting me in my dreams! Pain wise, today is definitely the worst by far. The throat is very sore, but the worst is the ear pain; it’s so intense! Today I also had to call my doctor and let him know that the codeine wasn’t working with my empty stomach. He sent my mom out to buy gravol (an anti-nausea medication) to take before the codeine. Turns out, it didn’t help. I found myself dry heaving over that same majestic bowl (I apologize; I know that is not the most pleasant picture). I didn’t actually vomit, but that feeling was definitely worse. As stubborn as I am, I decided to play doctor and call it quits on both the gravol and the codeine. As a result – I’d have to make it through on children’s Tylenol? What was I thinking?
Post-Op: Day Three
Well, last night was the best night so far – which is nothing to brag about. The ear pain last night was even worse; so far, that is the nastiest part of this recovery. I did however wake up coughing due to a tickle in my throat. As most of you know, coughing and clearing your throat is a no-no…but to me, it was a yes-yes. There was absolutely nothing I could do, but cough! I was drinking water, but it wouldn’t stop. Thankfully, that didn’t trigger any bleeding! The morning was alright minus the _ _ _ _ _ _ _. That’s right; you got it, the EAR PAIN! And I ended up thinking that I made the wrong decision about just sticking to children’s Tylenol. I decided to nix the child Tylenol idea, as it was doing almost nothing for me and moved to taking extra strength Tylenol – obviously I had to crush it up and mix with it with ice cream. I got my mom to call the doctors office to see if there was anything else I could be prescribed. The doctor faxed a prescription for Percocet’s to my pharmacy and I was extremely happy. At this point I could talk a little bit, but very low and even then it hurt, so I had a pad of paper and a pen with me at all times (I guess I’m lucky I got 100% on all of the spelling bees in elementary school)! My mom came home with the Percocet’s and I could have kissed her! It said I could take 1 to 2 pills every 4 hours, but decided to start with one because I heard that they were super strong. I couldn’t swallow it so I crushed it up into applesauce and consumed it that way. Not even 10 minutes later I started getting a stomach ache and got incredibly dizzy. So dizzy that I couldn’t see straight and my eyes felt like they were crossing. My mom called the doctor’s office up and explained the symptoms. He confirmed that it was normal. NORMAL? Is that what you call normal? I felt like I was seeing double (I have glasses, so would that be considered quadruple?) Nevertheless, if I knew of the severity of the symptoms I would have battled with the codeine! I decided to lie down for about 2 hours and woke up with pain still in my stomach; I guess the only good news is the dizziness was gone. Once the Percocet wore off, I dumped the rest of the prescription in the toilet (or the majestic bowl – however you want to refer to it). I ate some chicken broth today, with a cracker that I broke up into a million pieces and softened it in the soup. I got most of it down, so it was pretty good. The ear pain was getting a little hard to manage so I decided to use ear plugs and a heating pad. Both of them together helped to muffle and alleviate the pain. As of right now, I need 2 Tylenol every 4 hours, but it does work better than the children’s Tylenol!
Post-Op: Day Four
So, the pain is a little better today. I took Tylenol at 2:00am and didn’t need it again until 12:00pm – I’d consider that progress! The coughing is still present. I’m trying to avoid it, but it’s harder than you think. There isn’t much to say about today. I’m talking a little more, but don’t want to strain my voice even more, so I’m still writing a lot down. I had soup again today and canned peaches are awesome – even though I had to puree them. All in all, the throat is feeling okay; the ears – still painful.
Post-Op: Day Five
At 5:30am, I started to panic because I coughed a lot and when I spit up some saliva in a tissue (which I have a habit of doing to see if there is any blood); I saw a slight hue of red. RED=BLOOD! So, of course I got nervous. After drinking some water, I tasted some blood but I didn’t see anymore and I was able to swallow with a bit more ease. It wasn’t the full scab that came off, but a piece of the scab on the right side. When I woke up, I drank water and felt a burst of pain in my ear and stinging in my throat for a couple minutes. When I brushed my teeth this morning, there was a little more blood when I spit into the sink, so I’m assuming I lost a little more of the scab. I’ve been sucking on ice chips the past few days and it really feels nice on my throat. I ate applesauce and soup today with a little ease. I’ve notice my ears get worse when I eat. I was craving pizza tonight and it was sitting on the counter (my family had it for dinner), so, I decided to be a champ and try it. I was able to eat all of the toppings off of a slice of pizza minus the spicy pepperoni. Let me tell you, it was a blessing! I tried gargling with cold water and even though I refuse to look at my throat, I can tell that it feel fresher and cleaner. Good news - I was able to swallow the amoxicillin today; it feels awesome because if I had to eat another cup of jell-o and medication, I’d die! Fifth day post-op and I actually stepped foot out of my house today. Since we have a huge snow storm, I had to make sure I was fully covered. Nevertheless, even though I only sat in the car, it felt good – it was progress! I was told that taking a warm shower before bed will help moisten my throat and potentially prevent coughing at night, so I tried it.
Post-Op: Day Six
During the night I noticed a weird sensation in my ears. It was a hollow feeling, kind of like I have water in my ears and they tend to pop really severely when I swallow. Other than the ears, the throat isn’t bad. I tried eating blueberry pancakes for breakfast and I was able to get a few pieces down, but then it was uncomfortable, so I stopped. The last thing I want to do is rush myself. I’ve made it this far, I don’t want to do anything that will negatively affect my progress. The swelling is finally gone – I think. My tongue and the scabs used to be white – or so I was told – but now my tongue is like a grayish color. If that is normal, I’m not sure, but I’m not that worried about it. I know I’m still recovering, but I noticed a weird feeling when I was swallowing today. The water just kind of flows down my throat now; before it used to touch my tonsils. I know I don’t have tonsils anymore and that’s why; I’m just curious if it is something I will have to adapt to once I’m fully healed. I guess I’ll have to wait and see. My ear pain is still there but it is definitely not as bad as it was from days 3-5.
Post-Op: Day Seven
So I woke up this morning with a dry throat. I wasn’t able to sleep more than 30 minutes at a time without coughing. Even while drinking water, my throat has been so dry, it’s like it just isn’t staying moist. I got so fed up, I asked my mom to go buy me a humidifier today. I know I’m a little late, I should have had it from the beginning, but I guess I thought I really didn’t need it. My post-op appointment is in 1 week and I really can’t wait. I definitely have a few questions to ask him! So, I finally got the nerve up to look into my throat, and even though it was a little hard to see, I do see a lot of gray areas. I thought I lost more scabs than I see in my throat, so I was wondering whether or not all of the gray areas are scabs, or if some of it is not scabs. I was told that it is all scabs, so I guess the scabs are going to take longer to fall off than I thought. So, I thought I was doing really well today and then all of a sudden my throat started squeezing really tightly when I swallowed. I slept for about an hour and woke up and it was gone. After talking to my dad who has dealt with panic attacks his whole life, he confirmed that he has had the same thing before and it is in fact mini panic attacks. Great, panic attacks – that’s all I need! I had one in the afternoon and then another one at night. The best way for me to deal with it is to sleep through it.
Post-Op: Day Eight
My throat felt a lot better last night, it was moister and clearer than it has been in a few days. THANK YOU HUMIDIFIER!! The Tylenol I’m slowly easing off of, and the pain is almost gone in my throat. My ears still hurt, but definitely not that bad. I didn’t eat much today because of the panic attacks again, but I kept drinking through them because I know I need to keep a moist throat. I actually went out today!! I went to the mall with my mom which felt very liberating after spending so much time confined to my house. The only semi-new symptom is stinging in my throat. Every time I drink water it stings a lot and I’m not sure why. It could be because it’s healing and still raw; but I’m not really concerned. My dad looked in my throat today and he said almost all of the scabs are gone. He did see a few small red bumps in my throat, but I’m not quite sure what they are (another question to ask my doctor about)! Otherwise I’m feeling okay today.
Post-Op: Day Nine
I woke up at 10:00am. Yes, I said it, 10:00am!!!! That’s the latest I’ve slept in over a week! I was really excited. I only took pain meds once today at 12:00am, and haven’t needed it again yet. I did wake up every hour to drink and make sure m throat stays moist, but it’s actually feeling nice. The humidifier is a huge plus! I ate some canned peaches today and I’m about to try some stew (hopefully the sauce isn’t too spicy). I went out for a little with my sister today, but I made sure I carried a bottle of water for my throat. After dinner I went out again. Which reminds me, I ate a little beef stew today; a very little. It may not have been the best idea though, the sauce was a little spicy and it burnt my throat! But, I must admit, it tasted awesome! I’m finally getting back into the mix of things and it feels great!
Post-Op: Day Ten
I actually got sleep again last night. All in all, I’m feeling pretty good today. It feels like most of my scabs are gone, so that’s a plus. I went out for the majority of the day. Like I said before, it feels awesome to get out after being secluded in my house for such a long time! I took Tylenol at 12:00am and I’m feeling pretty good. By pretty good, I mean I can swallow pretty well, but now what it feels like is a bad case of strep throat (yes, that is a good thing)! Still couldn’t eat much today. I guess I could physically eat soft food (pasta, soft bread, etc.) but since I’m not fully healed yet, I’m a little scared to do something that will push me back in recovery. So I stuck to peaches, yogurt drinks, water, etc…all of the usual stuff!
Post-Op: Day Eleven
Well, I did pretty good medication wise. I took my meds again at 12:00am; that means I waited 24hours between 2 doses of meds. It feels like I took a step back in my recovery process. My sleep was scattered and after waking up every hour to drink water, I was beyond exhausted when I woke up this morning. Even though I did drink a lot last night, my throat was still very dry. And swallowing today is a little harder than yesterday; it still feels like there is a ball in my throat. So, as you can imagine, I haven’t eaten much today either. I’m a little tired of not being able to eat as I sit on the couch, watching my family eat all of my favorite meals – what can I say, I’m a little hostile at this point! The pain isn’t bad enough that I need to take medication again, it’s just very uncomfortable. Well, I decided after 11 days, I was able to drive today and that felt good also (not having to rely on people feels awesome). When I was in the car, I decided to look into my throat (because the natural light made it easier for me too see) and I still see A LOT of white! I’m not sure why I have so many scabs left at day 11, but it sucks. Why can’t I be one of those lucky people that loose all of their scabs on day 8! I wish! Other than that, I’m not that miserable today.
Post-Op: Day Twelve
Sleep has been getting easier. My throat is still very dry if I don’t wake up a couple times at night to drink some water. Nevertheless, it is getting easier. I think most of my scabs are off already. I’m not quite sure when they came off, but I think for the most part, they’re gone. It’s still difficult for me to eat harder foods, but I’m slowly trying to add them back into my normal diet. Overall, I’m feeling alright. My throat is still tender, but that is to be expected.
Post-Op: Day Thirteen
Last nights sleep was the best I’ve had in almost 2 weeks. I woke up only once to have a drink of water, and I’m no longer sitting up in bed. I had a real breakfast today! Scrambled eggs and breakfast sausage has never tasted so good! Food is going down much easier. The discomfort in my throat feels like nothing more than a sore throat. I was out most of the day today. My only habit now is to carry a bottle of water on me whenever I go out. I had a real dinner tonight as well; I’m slowly starting to get back into the pattern of normal diet, exercise and sleep. I haven’t felt any new symptoms in the past few days; I’m assuming it only gets better from here.
Post-Op: Day Fourteen
So, 2 weeks post-op feels great. I had my follow-up appointment with my surgeon today and he just reminded me that it will take a few more weeks for me to feel perfect. My throat feels really tender and soft, but I can deal with it. The biopsy results for my enlarged tonsil haven’t come in yet, but the surgeon said that he isn’t overly concerned. I assumed all of my scabs were gone, but I spit up a few today, so I guess I still have some. Either way they don’t cause me much discomfort anymore. I’m eating normally again; just chewing my food extra well. I’ve been off all medication for 4 days or so and I feel great. I can honestly say: I AM OFFICIALLY HAPPY I HAD THIS DONE!
