A tonsillectomy is one of the more painful surgeries with a recovery process that can take a week or two. So its better to manage your recovery proactively, rather than try to downplay the pain of recovery associated with this surgery.
Tonsillectomy is a surgery that causes a mild or moderate pain in most cases, although few patients complain of severe pain.
Is tonsillectomy very painful? You can expect to feel some discomfort following a tonsillectomy. In general, recovery is more difficult for adults than children. This is a normal side effect and should go away in a couple of weeks.
The pain may be the worst for 3-4 days after surgery. One to two weeks after surgery, pain may worsen because the scabs are falling off. It is important to control your child's pain after surgery. This helps your child drink and eat.
Some people may even feel worse than they did in the first 2 days following surgery. Post-surgical pain most commonly occurs in the throat and ears, but it can also affect the neck and jaw. During this period, people should continue to rest, stay hydrated, and consume soft foods.
My preferred method to remove tonsils is the Powered Intracapsular Tonsillectomy (PIT). This method decreases pain by using a shaving device to remove the tonsil tissue but leaving the cover, or capsule, in place. The capsule works like a protective barrier and decreases postoperative pain and bleeding.
Throat pain builds up for the first few days and is usually at its the worst around the fifth day after surgery. Pain and discomfort will usually then ease until the seventh or ninth day after surgery when some of the scab covering the tonsillectomy site falls off. After this there is a steady reduction in pain.
Change in voice is a concern which many patients and parents have when surgical details of tonsillectomy are being explained. Hypertrophied tonsils are assumed to obstruct transmission of sound into the oral and nasal cavities, thus altering the resonance of the voice [3].
The surgery takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour, but the recovery from anesthesia can take a few hours.
You may experience some difficult sleeping at night in the days following the procedure. This is common because it can be uncomfortable to breathe through your mouth right after surgery. This should subside once the healing process begins.
Some patients find that small sips of ginger ale or a cola drink may help to relieve nausea. Small portions of bananas, applesauce, moistened graham crackers or soda crackers may be helpful prior to taking medications. You may wish to avoid acidic products such as orange juice.
Throat and ear pain can be severe after a tonsillectomy. Take regular doses of pain medicine as prescribed. Tylenol or the prescribed narcotic pain medicine should be taken as instructed. 24 hours after your surgery, you may add ibuprofen for pain control.
What Happens During a Tonsillectomy? An ear, nose, and throat (ENT) surgeon will do the surgery while you're under general anesthesia. This means an anesthesiologist will keep you safely and comfortably asleep during the procedure. The surgery is done through your open mouth.
Your child will need pain medication for up to two weeks and their pain may get worse before it gets better. The 4th or 5th day after the surgery is a common time for the pain to get temporarily worse. Signs of pain in younger children may be crying more often, or refusal to eat or drink.
Tonsillectomy, like other surgeries, has certain risks: Reactions to anesthetics. Medication to make you sleep during surgery often causes minor, short-term problems, such as headache, nausea, vomiting or muscle soreness. Serious, long-term problems are rare, though general anesthesia is not without the risk of death.
Your voice probably will get back to normal in 2 to 6 weeks.
A child at any age can have a tonsillectomy if the indications are severe. However, surgeons generally wait until children are 3 years old to remove tonsils because the risk of dehydration and bleeding is greater among small children.
It is possible for tonsils to partially grow back. During a tonsillectomy, most of the tonsils are removed. However, some tissue often remains, so tonsils occasionally can regenerate (regrow) — although they probably won't grow back completely or to their original size.
A tonsillectomy without insurance ranges from $1,500 to $4,000. These costs depend on the type of tonsillectomy and are influenced by your geographic location. You will need to go through a consultation with a doctor who will diagnose you and recommend a tonsillectomy.
Tonsil surgery can improve or get rid of breathing and sleep problems such as snoring or breathing pauses in children. But surgery isn't always necessary.
Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy. Are cold-like symptoms after a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy (such as a cough and congestion) normal? Yes. Cold and congestion symptoms are normal due to recovering from anesthesia/intubation as well as increased production of secretions when recovering from surgery.
Your child should not drink through a straw after surgery until his throat is completely healed. Using a straw may increase the risk of bleeding. Give frequent small feedings of soft foods and cool liquids. They usually are most comfortable for your child.