Adult Tonsillectomy

So I mentioned to you guys that I am having my tonsils out and many of you responded with helpful information about the pain and recovery time - thank you for that! It really helps. Now I am wondering what sorts of things I should and can eat? My doc said pasta and soft things will help my recovery rather than just liquids. I do have power drinks and I thought smoothies might be a good idea (nonfat yogurt, non-acidic fruit, etc.) Plus anesthesia gets things pretty backed up so I told my husband I might have him put some fiber supplements in it. Any advice you guys have would be great. My surgery is tomorrow morning. I am used to the other end getting messed with, but I'm a little nervous about them messing with my mouth! (I guess no orifice is truly sacred.) Please don't ban me for saying that - I need humor right now!

I had my tonsils out when I was 30. I was on liquid narcotic pain relievers for almost 2 weeks because it really hurt! But I am sooo glad I did it. Since I've had them out, I hardly ever get sick now. So I think the pain is worth it :) As for food, I ate pretty much anything that I could handle. But one time my husband made me some chicken and he forgot and ended up putting pepper on it. Ummm needless to say that was NOT a wise move on his part! So I think you can eat whatever your throat (and colon) will allow. If you get too backed up from the anesthesia (this happens to me too), you can try using Miralax to get you back on the right track. This is super gentle on your system unlike other laxatives.

Ok - I am getting them out tomorrow and was hoping to be back at work on Monday. I am assuming this is wishful thinking?

Thanks for the information guys. I can better plan now. I did buy some macaroni & cheese and lots of ice cream and jello (FINALLY an excuse to eat ice cream!)

I had mine taken out when I was 26...it was horrible! Worse than any other medical related procedure, the pain was just unbelievable! Not trying to freak you out, but be prepared! All I could manage to get down was pain pills in a spoonful of sherbet- I'd opt for sherbet over ice cream, as dairy is mucus producing. And you do not want a mucousy mouth, believe me! I lost about 10lbs, & was basically in a pain pill induced haze for about 10 days. I took 2 weeks off work, & recuperated at my parent's house. about 2 days after I was home, blood suddenly started gushing from my mouth- one of the incisions had opened up. I wound up back in the hospital in emergency surgery to recauterize the wound. Bad experience overall. BUT- I'm still glad I had them out- I had gotten strep throat 8-9 times in a year, & had basically been on anti-biotics for that whole year also. Hhhhmmmm..... you have to wonder if that antibitoic use had anything to do with me developing UC years later! I have not had strep since, & haven't really been sick either- not including UC related problems. Good luck! I don't think you'll be back at work on Monday, & I don't think you'll be doing much eating either.

Mine came out at 27, yes it was rough a few days but if you take it easy and are careful you should get through it quickly.  In my opinion it was worth the pain, I haven't had a sore throat since and I'm coming up on 10 years now.  Avoid things that are too hot, luke warm is best, too hot can burn the already tender incisions or losen up clotting and start bleeding, I wasn't told no cold foods but I honestly didn't want anything too cold either. . . remeber you'll be just as sensitive to cold as you will to hot. 

I was told no straws for the first 2 weeks as well. The sucking pulls on the throat and you could pull enough with sucking through a straw to start things bleeding. Also there's a better chance of burning yourself drinking something hot through a straw because it's far back in your mouth before you register it's hot.  (they gave me lots of things not to do because I could start bleeding as you can tell)

I found that warm not hot egg drop soup was nice, it had enough consistancy that I felt like i'd eaten something but was soft and smooth enough that my throat didn't mind it plus I didn't get that "milky mouth" that cream soups can leave you with.

I think Monday back to work may be a bit rough on you. Remember your body's going to be going through quite an ordeal, it needs time and rest to heal itself. . . give yourself that time so you don't run yourself down and get sicker.

Hi AngelTT. I had my tonsils out last September. I remember having to eat very soft food for the first week. I ate a lot of yogurt, pudding, soy ice cream and regular ice cream (even though I've read dairy can increase phlegm so it might not be the best thing), fruit smoothies (I like to add peanut butter for taste and protein), cream of wheat, mashed potatoes (not too hot), applesauce, popsicles....anything very, very soft. You might also want to avoid acidic fruits like orange juice...it can burn going down over an open sore. After a few days I added a few things that were a bit harder, like scrambled eggs, pasta, canned peaches and pears and oatmeal. I got so sick of eating this stuff (yes, even ice cream) after a few days of it.

Sucking on ice chips and drinking ice cold water helped reduce the pain for me. They let me drink out of a straw at the hospital (I stayed overnight after my surgery). I found it was easier to drink from a straw. The hospital gave me cold ice packs to put on my neck/chin area and those helped a ton with the pain too.

Also, if you're a smoker, don't smoke for at least 2-3 weeks afterwards.

I would strongly urge you to stay away from very hot food and drinks. I learned my lesson after taking a sip of coffee. And, yes, pepper and anything spicy will probably irritate your sore throat, so best to stay away from those as well!

I was told to take at least 10 days off of work after getting my tonsils out. I don't think you should go back to work so soon. See what your doctor says.

Good luck tomorrow! I got mine out because I had a peritonsillar abscess that wouldn't respond to antibiotics (not even IV antibiotics) and the pain from the tonsillectomy was much less than the pain from the abscess (which was excruciatingly unbearable).

Mine came out at 34 on a Wed and back to work on Mondday. Didn't do too well - the pain medication made me lightheaded and I couldn't remember if I'd taken it or not so took it again. Not good. Not good at all. I'd recommend giving it at least a full week before attempting the workplace. As far as food goes I really had success with warm mashed potatoes and thick, plain gravy.

I kinda thought the same thing! Interesting...

Tinkerbelly - That must have killed your throat (throwing up)! I got really sick (throwing up every half an hour almost on the dot) 10 days after my tonsillectomy and even then I was worried that vomiting so much would rip open my scabs. I don't know if it was just a typical stomach "flu" or if it was some kind of reaction to being on such strong antibiotics for the past 10 days. Either way, it was pretty horrible.

There is also a chance of vomiting after any type of surgery because of the anaesthesia. A lot of people get sick right when the wake up after surgeries I guess. I was lucky and didn't.

If you want to stay away from dairy, you can get soy "ice cream"...there is a delicious chocolate soy ice cream made by Soy Dream. I love it. Hope the surgery goes/went well, Angel.

I'm glad that things went well. Now you just rest up and you will be back on your feet in no time :) Yes, liquid Vicodin was a godsend for me too. But boy did it make me loopy!

glad to hear all went well! Rest and take care as best you can. Nibble little bits of the soft mushies and you should be ok with your sugar, I have the same issue, the little nibbles can help and the peanutbutter in the shake is a bigtime assist on the sugar . . don't know if that was your idea or hubby's but good job!

Hope to hear from you soon but not too soon you should be resting (o:

Well I haven't bled at all but I know my doc used a method to get them out that doesn't involve cutting. They did tell me some dark bleeding was normal but it never happened. I've always heard that some bleeding is normal - did you doc give you any instructions? The pain meds did not help me much either. I went to my primary care doc yesterday b/c of some chest congestion and he laughed at the antibiotic that the surgeon gave me. He gave me a stronger antibiotic and today I can tell a huge difference. It's day 7 for me - keep that in mind. My husband made me smoothies for breakfast and I could always drink them. Another thing the doc told us to do is put cherry Koolaid in the blender and add a little water and a bunch of ice to make a slushie. I always heard the worst thing to do when your tonsils come out is not to drink and end up dehydrated - you have to drink or you'll end up in the hospital. Drink pedialyte or energy drinks and you'll be able to drink less. Good luck - you should feel a little better over the next day or two.

I would get to the doctor quick! I don't remember that much blood from mine and I certainly didn't throw up, that can't be good with your throat already sore from the removal. If nothing else they can maybe give you something for the nausea.