[EN] Tonsillitis removed

Recently, I have been looking for more details of tonsillitis on how and what happens after removed them.  Well, it is because I just did the tonsillitis removed last two days. I wasn't afraid of surgery or anything but afterwards what will seriously happen to my life? What will I have to deal with until it is fully recover? So let me first tell you about it.. 

What Is a Tonsillectomy?

Have you ever had tonsillitis? That's when your tonsils, in the back of your throat, get sore and infected. If tonsillitis happens to you a lot, the doctor may suggest you have an operation to remove your tonsils. Or maybe you have really large tonsils that make it hard for you to breathe at night. That's another reason the doctor may say they should come out.

Your tonsils are two lumps of tissue that work as germ fighters for your body. The trouble is that sometimes germs like to hang out there, where they cause infections. In other words, instead of fighting infections, the tonsils become infected.

The surgery to remove tonsils is called a tonsillectomy (say: tahn-suh-LEK-tuh-mee).

After this operation, kids usually don't have as many sore throats. And, if they were having trouble breathing at night, that problem goes away, too. Without tonsils, a kid won't look any different and won't have any scars that anyone can see. You don't need your tonsils, so a kid's body keeps on working just fine even after they've been removed.

What Happens Afterward?

After your operation, it's important to drink fluids when you wake up. You should try to drink, even if it hurts a bit at first. This will help you feel better and get home faster. Some kids stay in the hospital overnight; others go home the same day as their operation.

You will probably need to take it easy for a few days to a week or more after surgery. Light activities would be fine. If the doctor wants you to stay home from school, talk to your teacher about getting homework for you to do while you're getting better at home.

Drink fluids during your recovery. Some doctors let you eat what you want. Others may suggest that you stick to eating soft foods.

While you're getting better, you'll take medication so you don't hurt and can eat and drink. You also might get antibiotics (say: an-tye-bye-AH-tiks) to prevent infection. You may see little white patches in the back of your throat. This is normal. After the first week, the white patches will begin to fall off. You also might return to see your doctor for a checkup.

After a week or two, you should feel much better. You'll be ready to go back to school and play with your friends again. You can tell them all about your tonsillectomy!

When the tonsillectomy patient comes home

Most children take seven to ten days to recover from the surgery. Some may recover more quickly; others can take up to two weeks for a full recovery. The following guidelines are recommended:

Drinking: The most important requirement for recovery is for the patient to drink plenty of fluids..Starting immediately after surgery, children may have fluids such as water or apple juice.   Some patients experience nausea and vomiting after the surgery. This usually occurs within the first 24 hours and resolves on its own after the effects of anesthesia wear off. Contact your physician if there are signs of dehydration (urination less than 2-3 times a day or crying without tears).

Eating: Generally, there are no food restrictions after surgery, but some physicians will recommend a soft diet during the recovery period. The sooner the child eats and chews, the quicker the recovery. Tonsillectomy patients may be reluctant to eat because of throat pain; consequently, some weight loss may occur, which is gained back after a normal diet is resumed.

Fever: A low-grade fever may be observed the night of the surgery and for a day or two afterward. Contact your physician if the fever is greater than 102º.

Activity: Activity may be increased slowly, with a return to school after normal eating and drinking resumes, pain medication is no longer required, and the child sleeps through the night. Travel on airplanes or far away from a medical facility  is not recommended for two weeks following surgery.

Breathing: The parent may notice snoring and mouth breathing due to swelling in the throat. Breathing should return to normal when swelling subsides, 10-14 days after surgery.

Scabs: A scab will form where the tonsils and adenoids were removed. These scabs are thick, white, and cause bad breath. This is normal. Most scabs fall off in small pieces five to ten days after surgery.

Bleeding: With the exception of small specks of blood from the nose or in the saliva, bright red blood should not be seen. If such bleeding occurs, contact your physician immediately or take your child to the emergency room.

Pain: Nearly all children undergoing a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy will have mild to severe pain in the throat after surgery. Some may complain of an earache (so called referred pain) and a few may have  pain in the jaw and neck .

Pain control: Your physician will prescribe pain medication for the young patient such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen  acetaminophen with codeine, or acetaminophen with hydrocodone. The pain medication will be in a liquid form or sometimes a rectal suppository will be recommended. Pain medication should be given as prescribed.  Contact your physician if side effects are suspected or if pain is not well-controlled. If you are troubled about any phase of your child’s recovery, contact your physician immediately.

Reviewed by: Steven P. Cook, MD

Website credits: kidshealth.org and entnet.org

Read more: How-Long-Does-It-Take-To-Recover-From-A-Tonsillectomy

 

And here is the website where I found tons of opinion about Tonsillectomy survival tips and grocery list, people experience are differences and here is the one I like most..

"How prescient. I had mine out about a month ago (29yo). It was among the most sustained pain I've experienced, but, although uncomfortable to the max, you survive. Some thoughts:

Water, water, water, water, water, water, water. All the time, even when you don't want to, even when it HURTS like hell to swallow, because it will make the "hurts like hell" go away faster. I could always tell from the encroaching pain when I was getting dehydrated or needed more fluids. Two gallons or more a day, if you can manage it.

I did not have ANY issues with massive blood loss. I'm sure I bled down the back of my throat, but I didn't notice it. When my scabs came off, it was truly disgusting - you'll find your throat muscles squeegeeing the most foul-smelling white chunks off the back of your throat - and that part was honestly even worse than the pain. Your breath will stink like holy hell for a few days to a week around that time.

Sleep is difficult. I found the best method was to sleep sitting upright with three or four pillows to make myself comfortable. You want to do this to keep the drainage going in the direction it's supposed to. Even so, I think I slept a maximum of three to four hours at a time. I watched a lot, a lot, a lot of movies during this time - always try to have something handy to distract yourself from the general suckiness. I bought a stack of fresh new books, had a friend run me the day's newspapers, and either rented or downloaded a bunch of fun but noncommittal movies and TV shows. You don't want anything that's too much 'brain food,' in my experience - the drugs will make it hard to concentrate, and I think the pleasantness of dumb entertainment can help to soothe the soul.

If there is any, the fun of stumbling around in a drug-induced haze wears off fast. I started off bored, then started to go crazy from isolation, and from not being able to talk. Ask friends to stop by and keep you company, even if you have to communicate by paper or not talk at all. By the end of two weeks, I started to feel like a non-person from being so cooped up and out-of-it on drugs.

Some people say dairy is problematic after this operation, but I'm even lactose-intolerant and had no issue with shoveling down the stuff. I suppose if you're super-concerned about infections, then so be it, but my personal experience involved a fair ton of cold, sugary, dairy-inclusive stuff, and it only made my life more pleasurable. Caveats etc etc.

Remember that this is a serious and intrusive medical operation that is traumatic to the affected area. Your body will be working overtime, even after the pain is gone, to deal with the fact that it is now missing parts. Expect to be very sleepy and lethargic even when the rest of you feels "fine," and give yourself the extra few days to take it easy if you can. Jumping right back into your crazy daily routine would lead to worse problems than a simple dish of ice cream, if you're thinking about infections or complications.

You will, after two weeks, never want to see a jar of apple sauce or a bowl of instant mashed potatoes ever again.

But, after all is said and done, you'll be thrilled to think of the nights you WON'T be spending ever again with your throat the size of a life raft."

posted by mykescipark at 5:17 PM on April 13, 2006 ; Read it HERE

This could really explain how I am feeling right now the most!! When I get up it feels like my ears, neck and my tongue are gonna exploded!! I can't even swallow a tiny bit of water. The doctor gave me a kid's liquid medicine which I thought it was fine, smells of strawberry and orange was really nice, but what actually happening is " it really hurt my throat!! It's burning!!! " Jeezzzzz, this realy have no ending... I will have to bear with it for 2 weeks, one month!?  *dead face*