What's it like to have your tonsils removed?
I was 20 when I had mine removed. I had several bouts of strep and constant fatigue from just feeling bad in general. It's rare for people to get them removed as teens or adults, but it was worth it for me. The doctor told me after the surgery that they were the worst he'd ever seen, and the tissue had become necrotic (dead). They can't necessarily tell this before the surgery unless they do a biopsy or something beforehand. When they are removed, they'll send the tissue to a pathologist to determine if there are cancerous cells or anything just to be on the safe side. Tonsils are important to your immune system so it was like night and day after they came out; I felt much better. However, the recovery was pretty painful for a few days--stinging/burning when I ate or drank because of the incisions, but it was worth it. Do see an ENT soon. Good luck!
Which is more painful: tonsillectomy or wisdom teeth removal?
sorry to say but you can't even compare the 2. the wisdom teeth are like a walk in the park as compare to a tonsillectomy. for me anyway after my wisdom teeth were out it hurt for all of a day. and then was just a little sore for a couple more day. a tonsillectomy has a much longer recovery time (usually 10 days). the first couple of days it hurts a little but you can pretty much function normally. then once the scabs start to form it hurts more and more and the pain meds stop working as well. i'd say day 4, 5, 6, and 7 were the worst as far as pain goes. the thing i couldn't handle was the limited menu options. i'm not a big water, gatoraid, jello, apple juice, popsicles kind of person and thats all you can eat for the first 3 days. after that you can add things like apple sauce, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, baked beans..... pretty much anything really soft and mushy. it just gets sooooooo boring after a few days that you just want to be bad and eat a cheeseburger. the scabs will fall off between day 8-12. and after that you'll feel back to normal. you go in for a check up 10 days after the surgery and if all looks good you can start eating pretty much normal again with the exception of chips, pretzels, and using a straw. those things have to wait aonther 10 days or so. i don't have a good tolarence for pain but i survived so don't worry you will get through it. good luck.
Does getting your tonsils removed hurt?
I've had a strep a bunch of times in my life, all really severe cases, and my doctor yesterday decided that it's time for my to have my tonsils removed. I'm not worried about the actual surgery hurting because I know that you're under anesthesia. What I'm worried about it AFTER. Can anyone help ease my mind? I had my appendix out a last February and I couldn't even move the night after my surgery because my stitches hurt so bad. But I was back on my feet the next day feeling totally fine. I've also had multiple teeth pulled so is it anything like that? I'm just worried if it will feel worse than actually having strep throat after the surgery. I'm fifteen if that matters. So what does it feel like afterwards?
Any adults who have had their tonsils removed as an adult?
I just had mine taken out the 10th of this month and I am still in alot of pain. I was already taken back to the ER for Dehydration, the ER doc. had to prescribe Oxycodone plus and Magic Mouth Wash. Three days after the ER visit I was back in the Dr. Office where he had to prescribe an anti-biotic, Higher dose of oxycodone and Lordicaine mouth wash with spray. It has been like a nightmare. I have given birth to four children and still never felt pain like this. If I would have known that the pain was going to be this intense I would have never gotten the surgery. Believe it or not praying does help! Maybe your recovery will be smoother and easier. Good Luck.
Adults, have you had your tonsils removed as an adult?
I'm 27 and I just had my tonsils out 3 weeks ago. My tonsils were huge & I was getting tonsilliths - plus everytime I get strep it gets worse & worse. In most people your adenoids shrink as you get older (sometimes they don't) - mine were fine so I didn't end up having the adenoidectomy. The day after the surgery, my throat hurt but all in all I felt fine. I cleaned my car out, washed it, etc. My doctor had told me I would need 2 weeks off of work and at that point I was thinking "yeah right". If you're that kind of person (thinking "I'll be fine") - heed your doctor's advice!!!! You will NEED the full 2 weeks!) I originally only took 1 week (had the surgery on a Tuesday and took the rest of the week off). I ended up missing most of the 2nd week anyway. Here's why: About the 3rd day post surgery, it felt like I got hit by a truck. I felt AWFUL. My throat, tongue, ears and head hurt like hell. Here's how you feel (not to scare you) - it's like you have a migraine, double ear infection & huge canker sores in the back of your throat. You have to be careful not to eat things with salt or spices because it kills your throat!! I just wanted to sleep. Cold food (ice cream etc.) was NOT soothing to me. I wanted chicken noodle soup (warm - NOT HOT - food) After about the 10th day, I felt much better. The worst part about the whole ordeal was the ear pain. My ENT said that most people call on about the 6th day complaining of the ear pain. It still hurts when I yawn (like there's a sprained muscle in my throat) & food doesn't taste right but other then that I'm fine. I've had TONS of ear problems (cholesteatoma, ear bone reconstruction etc.) - I don't know how much those were associated with the tonsil stuff. Since my last ear surgery in February of 2005 I've been fine w/ the ear stuff and since it's only been 3 weeks, I can't really answer the question about ear/throat problems being better just yet. Hope this helps & didn't scare you - let me know if you have any other questions.