Tonsillectomy

Hi all. I know I don't post very often, and a tonsillectomy probably is one of the more minor surgeries one can have... but I'm terrified! I'm having my tonsils out because (among other things) they are huge and block about half of my throat. I've never had surgery before, but I hear the recovery is pretty rough. If you can spare some vibes or words of encouragement, I'd really appreciate it. My surgery appointment is this Friday.

Thank you for the well-wishes. It's 9 hours before my surgery, and I'm a nervous wreck. I keep thinking about everything that could go wrong. It doesn't help to read so many horrific recovery stories that have been posted online, but this thread is pretty positive. Right now, I feel sick with worry. I guess the trick is to take the recovery a day at a time. Part of what worries me is that my husband works every weekday, and there's no one to take care of me if I'm not doing too well come Monday.

I'm home from the surgery. The anesthesia was much more pleasant than I expected. No nausea yet.

My uvula is very swollen, and my throat is very sore. I've had 10 ounces of gatorade and half of an ice pop in the past 3 hours. It hurts to swallow, but I keep telling myself that I have to do it to speed up the recovery. I think it'll get a little easier when I no longer feel like I'm about to swallow my uvula.. So far, I am managing. I had to make a chart to keep track of my medicines because I'm in and out of sleep with little concept of how much time has passed.

The doctor said my tonsils were so inflamed that there's an increased risk of bleeding for me... so that's one negative. I will be as gentle as I can and pray that I don't bleed. Today, my husband is my caretaker. He stayed home from work to take care of me, but get this- he's sound asleep!

Thank you all for the words of encouragement. I feel lonely in this, and am humbled by the kindness shown to me.

GloriaJH, thank you for posting a link to your daughter's experience. It is definitely helpful to read about what others experienced during their recovery.

I prepared with a lot of liquids and soft foods. I am very hungry, but am sticking to liquids because they're more gentle on my wounds. Broth and ice water are my favorite things. The ice chips... I'm afraid of falling asleep with those in my mouth. I am so groggy and forgetful.

One thing that is helping me get sleep is... I wear a face mask in addition to running a humidifier. The warm moist air is pleasant. I do still wake up periodically  to remind myself to swallow my saliva, though.

Pain meds are kicking in, and I'm falling asleep at the keyboard. You wouldn't believe how long it has taken me to write just a few sentences.

I woke up feeling weak, hungry. The pain seems less, but that might be because of how hungry I am.

The doctor said that I have a higher risk of bleeding beyond day 7 because of how swollen my tonsils were, so I'm afraid of injuring my wounds. I'm afraid to eat because I'm afraid I'll start bleeding. Is that irrational? On the other hand, maybe my body will heal faster if I am having more nutritious things.

What if I do everything I'm supposed to and I still bleed? I worry too much, maybe.

My next pain medicine dose is in an hour, so this is as coherent as I'm going to get! I didn't realize that I mentioned my fear of bleeding over and over and over in this thread.

I've been able to get down a lot of water, broth, gatorade, and apple juice. No food really. The pain medicine they gave me helps when its time to swallow my liquid diet, but it knocks me out within half an hour so I have to be quick. I tried an Ensure today, and it really hit the spot but left sort of a film in my throat that made it difficult to breathe. Still, I think it was worth it. (Hopefully I'll be brave enough soon for things like frozen yogurt.) I also tried mashed potatoes and they were really rough. Applesauce was a little bit better, but not much. I can't talk yet, and laughing really does hurt! (Shame on you Trout's Mom for making your sister laugh! ) I hope that a week from now, I can look back on this post and feel like I've come a long way.

Thanks again for the warm wishes.

Is it OK if I continue to post my progress here?

Yesterday I made it to 1030 Calories of liquids. The pain felt like it was subsiding for about half the day, but I was overly optimistic. I had trouble sleeping last night due to pain.

Maybe it's too much info, but I've been menstruating since Sunday. Such bad timing. I wish I had scheduled surgery for a different time. I'm uncomfortable, and it makes me more nervous about losing blood from my throat as well.

On the other hand, I need as much time as possible to recover by next school quarter and I took the first available surgery appointment. I got a job as a lecturer at a local state uni, and I'll need my voice. I'm still unable to speak. Having work lined up is a real blessing. I haven't worked in a year, and my savings are depleted. I am motivated to recover so I can work again.

Here's another possible TMI (sorry!): I haven't had a bowel movement since Friday morning. Then again, I haven't been eating solids. I felt nauseated yesterday, I think because of the antibiotic or the crummy diet.

Recovery is slow and painful. I want this part of my life to be behind me. Right now, I feel like I'm stuck. Every day is the same- a blur of pain, medicines, and forcing myself to drink.

A little at a time. It's not as if I can ask them to put my tonsils back and make everything normal again. I'll take it hour by hour and day by day.

Husband goes back to work today. I wish I didn't have to be alone. He doesn't have cell phone access at work, and I can't speak. How will I ask for help if I need it? I am worrying too much again. Many people have gone through this and have come out fine; I'm not the first, nor will I be the last.

You all are so right. I'm even having dreams about food! I need to get something nutritious in there even if it hurts. I did have a cream of chicken soup, and it was good, but it didn't have as many Calories as I would have hoped. Yesterday, I tried to have a smoothie made with soy milk and I was doing a good job of forcing myself to swallow but then it threatened to come back up. The doctor said it is OK to stop the antibiotics at this point, so I did and was able to get the same smoothie down today. I will try Chicken & Stars soup this evening, or a broth with egg in it. I tried mashed potatoes a few days ago, and it really hurt, but I will try again. I'm not giving up. After experiencing both pain and nausea while eating, I'm happy to be dealing with pain only! The pain was fairly consistent the first few days, now it increases and decreases in strength.