I had mine removed a year or two ago. It was way worse than anything else I've done/had (full ACL reconstruction, impaled my foot, dislocated shoulder, wisdom teeth, etc.)
I too couldn't eat for a week or two afterwards. Setting my alarm to take pain killers was a necessity.
The worst part was a week after, when I woke up gushing blood from my wounds. Must have swallowed a lot of blood while I was asleep because I was throwing up blot clots the size and consistency of chicken breasts. Needed to get an emergency cauterization done. Oddly enough I was fine after the second procedure, so it seems like its hit or miss in terms of how bad it is.
Worst thing I've ever done...period. Probably made worse by everyone telling me about how little Johnny had his tonsils out when he was three and he was running around the hospital a few hours later. Well, when you're 23, it's more like you've consumed a plateful of broken glass in your sleep. And I was two days in the hospital because they wouldn't let me leave until I could stay hydrated without the IV. In other words, drink - the most painful of all activities.
I had mine removed earlier this year (late-February) at the age of 25.
Let me tell you, it's a very deceptive procedure and recovery process, because everyone tells you how awful it is, but they don't say that the awfulness takes a while to come on.
First, you are put under. You are not awake for it. This is good.
You wake up and you feel fine. You will wonder what all the fuss is about. They will give you a prescription for T3 and they will give you a bubble pack of Percoset... DO NOT LOSE THE PERCOSET... or as I did, take one recreationally, wonder what all the fuss was about, and throw them out in the trash, in a machismo "I don't need freakin' painkillers, I'm a bad ass" fashion... trust me, you will need them later.
The first four days or so are relatively easy. Drink fluids, eat soft things, you'll be fine. I was able to eat fried chicken, cereal, etc. It felt like I had a sore throat, that was all. This is where the deception lies. You think you're taking the pain/recovery far better than most, and start to believe that "everyone else must be a huge pansy".
The fifth day, I was curled up on my couch in the fetal position. You are now experiencing the actual healing of the procedure, and what everyone else was talking about. WATER will be a challenge to swallow, nevermind Jell-o. Drink as much as you can stand to keep your throat moist, and take your Percoset. You will need these for the next five days because you will be in pain. You may notice your throat will bleed from time to time. Don't be alarmed, just gargle with the coldest water you can bear and you should be able to stop the bleeding within a few minutes.
Day 11 is when you finally start to function normally again.
For the next month after that, you will feel a slight discomfort when doing things like yawning. Acidic foods like tomatoes will still sting a bit here and there.
I recommend an absolute minimum of two weeks off work from the day you have the procedure done. It was the worst thing I've ever done, but now that I don't have my tonsils swollen every other week, it's the best thing I've ever done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hesla
Tonsils are very important in the prevention of HIV and other STI's. Make sure you wrap it up after the procedure.
... who told you this? There's no medical evidence to support that tonsils have any affect on immunity against disease beyond a person's infant years.
Location: Close enough to make a beer run during a TV timeout
Exp:
Quote:
Originally Posted by burn_this_city
T3s are garbage, I suggest going to your GP and getting some real painkillers, percocets/oxycodon ect.
Yeah, pretty much the equlivelant to getting step throat 2-3 times per year.
Hang in there MJK. For pain, I suggest talking to your doctor or pharmacist about adding additional Tylenol to suppliment the T3s. It can take that extra edge off. And as I said before, if you can get liquid codene do it. And don't forget about the ice packs for the outside of your throat.
The one thing you can do for the liquid codene; my pharmacist was able to make the change for me just by calling my doctor. Not sure what the rules are in MB or NT (not sure exactly where you are.)
And trust me when I tell you; this pain right now is totally worth it! Long term gain, my friend. Long term gain.
Sit on your couch with ice bags on your throat, chew on ice chips or drink some nice cold filtered water. Take your pain killers, and then watch reruns of the electic company.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
This so freaking random it makes me think its true... ... seriously?
It's not. It was joke as someone posted the exact same statement about the foreskin in the circumcision thread. I thought people would get the joke by my statement of "wrap it up".
And then a kick in the nuts: The damn things grew back a couple years later. They are basically full size again.
Me too. The second time getting them out was a BITCH. They seemed to grow roots like trees do. And the doc wasn't wanting to do it a THIRD time, so he dug, and dug, and dug... Wasn't fun.
My experience is noted in that thread ken linked to. Since that thread, it's been another year, so I'm now on year 6 since my tonsillectomy. In those 6 years, I have taken 2 sick days off work. I used to take off 3 or 4 times per year with tonsillitis, so 2 sick days in 6 years is a big improvement.
I was given Tylenol 4s for the pain. Didn't use them all, so I kept them for emergencies when I had really, really, really bad headaches.
I was thinking of having one too because every spring just before winter I get a very bad case for like 2 weeks. This year I couldn't eat anything solid for a week. My doctor told me I don't get sick often enough for them to do the procedure. Once or twice a year is enough for me. Tonsil pain is horrible.
