Tonsil surgery-- What do I need to know?
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Anonymous
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My teen is getting her tonsils and adenoids out. I've ordered a humidifier and I'm stocking up on various drinks to keep her hydrated.
What else should I have on hand? Will the recovery last the full 2 weeks? Any tips on how to keep her from losing her mind from being in the house all day with nothing much to do? |
Anonymous
| Soft foods like chicken noodle soup and mac and cheese. Lots of Icecream. She will be sleeping off the painkillers most of the time. It is not an easy recovery for the first week. Will need to learn a whole new way to swallow. |
Anonymous
Can you elaborate on the bolded? I've not had this surgery and am having a hard time understanding the mechanics of this. Do you mean it might be a temporary thing that she will just have to let the food like ice cream kind of just dissolve? Or do you mean this new way is a permanent change? I'll stock up on ice cream and make a big batch of soup. |
Anonymous
| She will not want to eat for a week, and she'll be cranky as heck. It's painful. Also the pain will subside and then return a couple days later when the scabs fall off. I think cold food rather than hot may be better. |
Anonymous
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My sister had similar surgery and needed to sleep propped up for drainage. You might check whether that's the case for her recovery, and invest in a wedge pillow. Would certainly make it easier to sit up to watch TV while she's still feeling crummy, if you get the kind that can be folded to different positions.
Audiobooks or podcasts make a nice alternative when you're sick of TV, or just want to lie there and listen. Some kind of crafty thing, like crocheting or adult coloring books, would give her something to do with her hands while she listens. Also maybe Jello to eat, or pudding? Flavored Greek yogurt would also be nice and cold, and more nutritious than ice cream when she's feeling a little better. Or yogurt smoothies with low-acid fruits that won't irritate her throat. |
Anonymous
| Stay on top of the pain meds. Give the medication on schedule even if she doesn't ask for it for the first few days. |
Anonymous
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our doctor prescribed antibiotics so that bacteria (that are normally in saliva) wouldn't settle into the newly exposed muscle, to minimize pain.
At about 7 or 9 days, the scabs came off, and it was a fresh round of pain and rather disgusting to see. It does take a long time to recover. I planned an outing for day 5 but no way patient could leave the house. Depending on the pain med prescribed, it can be constipating, so ask if that's the type of med and if you need stool softeners. Have a pain plan -- weaning from the prescription to over the counter, know what otc and what dosage. |
Anonymous
Definitely! I had my tonsils out when I was eight and did not do #2 for two weeks! The pain from that bowel movement was almost as bad as the pain from the surgery. The medicine that led to that ordeal was Tylenol with codeine. |
Anonymous
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It hurts like a bitch!! I had my tonsils out in college. It was so painful the first several days I couldn't swallow my own saliva. It hurt to drink water. It's really hard to swallow the first couple of days. It will get better but it makes you realize how amazing it is when things function normally because you swallow your own saliva multiple times a minute without ever thinking about it. Swallowing isn't just a mealtime function.
The best and most soothing beverages were peach and pear nectar. I would stock up on drinks that have absolutely no citrus or acid component at all. Coconut milk or almond milk based smoothies might work, but nothing with lemon, lime, orange, etc. Rice pudding, tapioca pudding, chia pudding all should be soft enough to be tolerable. |
Anonymous
| Also agree with staying on top of the pain meds, even if that means waking up at night to get the next dose in. Set an alarm to make sure. |
Anonymous
| I had my tonsils out when I was 19. Surgery was pretty awful and I had to spend one night in the hospital. First day, only allowed clear cold liquids. Second day, any cold liquids. I could add warm liquids by the third day. I wasn’t able to eat solid food for a week. No dairy (including ice cream) because it causes you to produce mucous. My mom made me sprite slushees to get calories, jello, and lemon ice. Was in much better shape about ten days post-surgery. Still totally worth it to end my persistent strep throat. Best of luck!! |
Anonymous
| My daughter just had hers out although she is a bit younger. We did jello, Popsicle, pudding and wet oatmeal. Be careful with soup - make sure it is not hot just warm. Stay on top of the pain meds. We woke her up in the middle of the night for the first 4 or 5 nights to make sure we stayed on top of it. We would also alternated the pain meds so they overlapped and she was never without something. We used a humidifier at night which was good. Thankfully my DD's recovery was easier than we expected. She missed 5 days of school - had surgery on a Wednesday and was back the following Wednesday. Our Dr told us to wait till the following Monday but she was doing so well and so bored by the end we sent her back. She had some friends over and even went to a club meeting during the time she was out of school. Every recovery is different - hopefully your DD's will be easy. |