It is best to avoid citrus juices as they can sting. Milk products, such as ice cream, yogurt smoothies and milkshakes, are quite acceptable and do not increase mucous production, a common misconception. Bottle nipple and straw use is allowed for thin liquids.
Your child may use straws, sippy cups, bottles and pacifiers after surgery. Offer apple juice, ice pops and Jello in small, frequent servings. Before your child resumes a regular diet, offer soft foods like noodles, pudding, apple sauce and yogurt for ten days following surgery.
Your child should eat soft foods for two weeks. Soft foods include yogurt, cooked cereal, cooked pasta, soft fruit, cooked vegetables, mashed potatoes, soups, pudding, ice cream and smoothies. Avoid foods that are crunchy or have sharp edges (such as chips).
They can drink from a regular cup, a sippy cup, a bottle and they may use drinking straws. We expect the pain to be worst on around the third to fifth days—it seems to actually get worse after the first couple of days, so don't be alarmed by that.
Offer your child small amounts of fluids (half a cup) every hour during waking hours for the first few days after his/her tonsillectomy. Try cool fluids first such as water, cordial, ice blocks, and non-acidic fruit juices (ie apple juice) and soft drinks (let them stand to de-fizz first).
Complete recovery takes about 2 weeks. If only the adenoids are removed, the recovery most often takes only a few days. Your child will have pain or discomfort that will get better slowly. Your child's tongue, mouth, throat, or jaw may be sore from the surgery.
Bottom line: Which cup? Sippy cups are a great transitioning tool, so they're perfect for the first few months of learning to drink independently from a cup. Once a baby has mastered sipping, you can move onto a straw and/or open cup.
Throat and ear pain can be severe after a tonsillectomy. Give regular doses of pain medicine as often as every four hours. NO Aspirin or Ibuprofen products are to be given for two weeks after surgery. Chewing gum may be helpful in lessening muscle spasm and should be encouraged.
Check on your child at least twice during the night for the first two nights after surgery to check that there is no bleeding or difficulty breathing. Eating and drinking is very important after surgery – give pain relief medicines 30 to 60 minutes before eating to relieve the pain of swallowing.
Soft foods such as creamed potatoes, milk toast, eggs, cooked cereals, such as Cream of Wheat and oatmeal, grits, marshmallows, applesauce, bananas, Jello, and soft vegetables may be taken the day after surgery. Melons and peaches in season are fine.
THROAT PAIN is normal for 21 days after the surgery. The pain is usually tolerable in the first 3 days and then worsens to a crescendo around day 6 to 9 after the operation. Once this peak is reached then the pain gradually decreases daily until you can comfortably eat around day 14 after the operation.
When your child wants food, add dairy and soft foods such as: applesauce ■ cooked cereal, thinned with milk ■ ice cream ■ milk shakes (use a spoon, not a straw) ■ mashed potatoes ■ pudding ■ smooth yogurt. Liquids are more important than food.
Using a straw may increase the risk of bleeding.
It is important to allow blood clot formation of the surgery site. DO NOT drink with a straw, smoke cigarettes or suck on hard candies for a minimum of three days. This can rupture the blood clot, which can be detrimental to the healing process. DO NOT rinse or spit for 24 hours.
Our dentists make it a point to advise patients who have undergone oral surgery to avoid straws. Drinking from a straw can lead to a condition known as “dry socket”, which is painful and may result in an infection. The act of sucking through a straw can move the blood clot protecting the site of the tooth removal.
Almost everyone experiences pain after a tonsillectomy. It is most common in the throat and ears, but it can also affect the neck, head, or jaw. Post-operative pain may get worse around day 3 or 4, but it should then start to improve.
Chew Ice Constantly
Ice is one of the best things to have during a tonsillectomy recovery. Ice keeps the incision site moist during recovery and this is very important for speedy healing. The cold temperature of ice also helps to numb pain and reduce swelling.
This causes hypernasality, which is usually temporary. Hypernasality occurs when speech sounds are incorrectly transmitted through the nose, especially during the production of vowels and oral voiced consonants. For most children, this hypernasality reduces significantly within 3 months of the operation.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends transitioning away from bottles between 12 and 24 months of age. A straw cup for babies can help ease the transition from bottle to open cup—especially if you opt for one that doesn't leak when it's thrown.
In summary, a straw cup can help improve your child's oral motor abilities, which are needed for advanced speech and feeding skills.
Opt for a straw or spout made from a soft material, such as silicone, instead of hard plastic. That's because unlike a soft silicone straw, a hard spout can injure your toddler if they ever fall while drinking.
Although they may feel okay in the immediate postoperative period, their pain increases as their anesthesia wears off. Eventually, they don't want to eat, drink or swallow. They might even hold their saliva in their mouths to avoid the pain that comes with swallowing.
The pain was evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS) on a scale of 0–10, with 0 representing no pain at all and 10 worst possible pain. Postoperative pain was consider mild if EVA ranges between 0.00 and 2.99; moderate when ranges between 3.00 and 6.99, and severe pain when it was greater than 7.00.
Cold liquids and foods help soothe your throat. Avoid hot, spicy, or sharp foods, such as chips, that can hurt your tonsil areas. Avoid milk and dairy foods if you have problems with thick mucus in your throat. This can cause you to cough, which could hurt your surgery areas.