"Wrong," said in my best Peter Gabriel voice. (Twenty thousand bonus points to the commenter who names that tune.)
I was off heavy pain killers for a few days, but that became intolerable. I am back on them, and they make me feel fuzzy. Loopy. Dizzy. At least they take care of most of the pain.
So far, a few things that have been
How to Decently Survive An Adult Tonsillectomy ::
- No Kids. My mom and dad had the kids at their house for the first 5 days of my recovery. I couldn't have handled having the kids all over me at that point. In fact, I kind of wish I had they stay away longer. Pretty sure it was the Lortab talking when I said, oh sure, bring them back!
- Help at home. Dave stayed home with me for much of the first week. He did 2 half days at work near the end of the week. At some point he commented that he was surprised at how busy he was caring for me.
- Meds. Dave also woke me up twice a night for the first week to give me medicine, so that we could always keep ahead of the pain. Also, I had some nausea, so my doctor prescribed an anti-nausea... this was life saving. I have had to take it twice. I can't imagine what vomiting would have done to my already jacked up throat and mouth.
- More help. My mom has been with me since she brought the kids back. She has cooked, cleaned, bathed kids, brought me countless cups of ice water, and just generally been my support. She also watches what we call "mayhem" with me. You know, Dateline, 48 Hours Mystery, etc. Dave thinks we're psycho.
- Entertainment. Friends have brought over magazines and movies. (I have most enjoyed Shelby Living, which is new to me... it's all about happenings in Shelby County, Alabama.) I have also discovered that most TV sucks. Netflix hasn't been a true option because the Instant Watch doesn't work on Linux. Major boo. But, at least I have caught up on all my blog reading, and have shopped for a number of things I need.
- Soft, bland foods, for a really long time. My food intake has been limited to mushy mac and cheese, scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes. I have had a few sweets like smoothies, applesauce, and ice cream, but the sugar stings the back of my throat so much that it's not worth it. So to everyone who says, hey, all the milkshakes you want! I say, hey! you must still have your tonsils! Oh and one more thing... my tongue was swollen and sore for the first 6 days. That also made eating and talking very unpleasant.
- Believe your doctor when he says "two week recovery." Otherwise, you might become a little restless and have unrealistic expectations. Not unlike moi.
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| My point of view for 8 days straight. Minus the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. |
I am keeping the end game in mind... to eliminate strep throat, sinusitis, and other nasty infections that love me. In the end, this ugly two weeks will (hopefully!) mean less time on my back with fever, pain, misery, as well as less time spent at the doctor's office, getting yet another prescription for antibiotics and maybe even a steroid shot. I'd say it should be worth it. I'm sick of being sick.
I would not suggest tonsillectomy to anyone, the post-surgery is a NIGHTMARE. First two weeks I was drinking ice water only because nothing else could go through. The liquid pain medication was not good for my stomach due to the sugary taste. Going back to work was definitely very difficult while in pain and no energy. By the third week I decided to not take the pain medication anymore (very difficult) and slowly got myself back to old schedule.
ReplyDeleteIt has been 12 weeks since I had my tonsils removed and after losing 15 pounds for lack of food, I still can’t taste food completely. Before going through surgery the doctor did tell me how horrible the recovery would be due to my age (29). According to the ENT, this surgery is often done in kids and they can recover within a week because they have less skin to be removed. I understand that healing varies from person to person, but I am still concerned about not tasting food as I experienced before. I do notice that I am slowly getting better every week. After a lot of wasted food, yesterday was the first time that I had a good portion of food without grossing me out due to the horrible taste.
In the other hand, I have not yet experienced a throat ache or discomfort. I have noticed that my voice is a little pitchy, but no one have mentioned anything about it.
Good Luck! I hope you feel better next week.
hi anonymous! thanks for commenting.
Deleteit is really surprising that you are not back to normal after more than 12 weeks! what did has your ENT said about the slow recovery?
i am about 5 weeks post-op and feel mostly back to normal. i do notice that if i go too long without a drink of water, the surgery site gets dry and hurts a bit.
for me, time will tell if it's been worth it. if i go til december without strep throat, sinus infection, or other bacterial infection, i'll consider the surgery a win! there is a tiny part of me that misses my two and a half weeks of netflix indulgence. though, the pain and the lortab... don't miss that at all. ;)