Tonsillectomy

Quote:

Going Nova said:

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.

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The best advice is your physician's advice.  Frozen yogurt is usually full of calories, and the coldness of it should help reduce swelling and bleeding if anything, so I'd get a confirmation on that and get some good tasty food in ya.    I agree, and think getting calories in ya is a good idea. 

What happens happens though, all you can do is stay positive and in good spirits which is supposed to help healing a bit in and of itself as well (the reason placebos are often effective). 

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.

AWW hun just I have heard the recovery is so very painful. Lots of liquids. Yogurt and yogurt smoothies are good. And you get to enjoy Milkshakes too. I had a tumor removed in my bottom jaw a couple of years ago. Had to be on a liquid diet for ten days so as not to pull apart the stitches under my tongue. Lots of soup, ice cream and more ice cream :lol3: Hope you feel better soon

Many   for a fast recovery! 

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.

Hi there,

I've never had a tonsillectomy, so I don't really know what you are going through, but you have my sympathy.  I do, however, know about the importance of nutrition during recovery from surgeries or illnesses.  Your calorie intake is not adequate for healing, and is likely contributing to a lot of your feelings of being unwell.  I strongly suggest you begin to eat some solid foods--soft scrambled eggs, cottage cheese (blend if necessary), smoothies made with ice cream and fruit, mac n cheese (again, blended if needed), smashed beans or refried beans, oatmeal, etc.

Your period should soon be ending.  As for your constipation, be sure you are taking in adequate fiber (metamucil if needed).  The pain meds have likely slowed your intestinal motility but the longer you go without "going" the greater the chances of the stool becoming hard and even more difficult to pass.

Have you been in contact with your doctor or his/her nurse?  You may want to discuss some of your concerns, ask for suggestions from them.  I've heard of people swishing with a numbing solution prior to meals, which allows them to eat solids.  Honestly, once you begin to really eat, I think you'll turn around.  I know the same was true for me following my immunoblative chemo last year.  Food is THAT important!

Hang in there!

Cally

You need to eat something honey. I know it probably hurts (I've never had my tonsils out so I don't know how much it hurts) but your body needs some nutrients. Could you eat some cream of broccoli soup, or cream of chicken soup? I agree, call your doctor to see if you can get something to numb your throat for the next few days just so you can get some food in you. The constipation is probably caused by the pain meds. They will dehydrate you (and probably dry out your throat which doesn't help right now). I hope you feel better soon but you have to get something in your stomach first.

Yes, you must eat something. You're going to be constipated if you don't get something solid in your body. I know it hurts, but you've really got to eat something.  I like calico2222's idea of cream of chicken soup. Even chicken noodle soup, since it has solids, but is still considered relatively soft, would be better than nothing. I know it hurts, but it's also going to be week on Friday. You need something nutritious.

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.

Oh don't apologize for being scared. I've never had any type of surgery and in your position I would have been a big old baby. :lol3: Glad to hear you are healing.

The reason the smoothie may have wanted to come back up is because you've nothing solid in you. Keep trying with the soups and such. Maybe something like Cream of Wheat? (If you can eat it, that is) Something that is soft, but yet will give you some strength and some nutrition. Or maybe some rather runny scrambled eggs? Make your mashed potatoes a wee bit runny and that might help, too. Hang in there!

And yes, it's OK to be scared. The first time I went into hospital I was petrified, too. to do better every day!

Thank you all for the continuing encouragement! Posting here has been a good way to get my feelings out, since I still can't speak.

I had a minor setback in recovery- oral thrush. The antibiotics did their job too well, and now there's an overgrowth of yeast in my mouth. (Yuck!) I visited the doctor this morning and he prescribed a rinse to use 4 times a day. He said the scabs over my wounds look alright and will probably be around for another week or so. The yeast might take a couple of weeks to go away! It isn't a horrible thing, but it is uncomfortable. It feels like a sheet of toilet paper on my tongue, and it makes everything very thick and sticky to swallow. It hurts a little bit, but not too much.

I had cream of chicken soup last night, and it was wonderful. Today, I will have cream of wheat and I'm so excited! Who gets excited over cream of wheat? I feel like I've taken so many things for granted. Recovery is humbling, to say the least.

I am in good spirits. No more nausea, even though I haven't had many solids. My lady cycle is pretty much over. I'll be more comfortable in the days to come.

I apologized to my doctor for calling him after hours yesterday about the yeast. He said he usually doesn't get calls about the tonsillectomies but just yesterday he had several calls from Friday's tonsillectomy patients. One of the patients had gotten food stuck in his wounds, tried to cough it up, and prematurely coughed up his scabs instead. The doctor said that's the first time in 4 years that anyone has bled post-surgery. Statistically, the odds of me bleeding as well are pretty low then I guess! I am thankful that I am not in the other patient's situation. Still, I've taken note to be extra careful when I eat because I've had food get stuck in my wounds too.

Anyhow, I am feeling much, much better even though I still have a long way to go.

I am feeling better and better. The thrush is pretty much gone after only two days of medicine. Most of the pain is gone too. Once in a while, my throat will spasm, which is kind of weird. The scab over my wounds looks like it's disintegrating ever so slowly. I think the pain flares up after I lose some of the scab, because it's a raw feeling. I've cut the pain medicine back to once or twice a day... although I'm mostly using it to keep from coughing because it's also a cough suppressant. I am still in danger of hemorrhaging, so I don't want to cough too much.

I'm up to 1100 Calories a day. (I was able to go restroom yesterday for the first time in a week) Sorry if it's TMI, but maybe another tonsillectomy patient can benefit from knowing what my experience was like.

My diet now consists of:

Cream of chicken soup (love it!)

Pudding

Yogurt

Apple sauce

Apple juice

Gatorade

Jello

Otter pops

Cream of wheat

Fruit & soy milk smoothies

Ensure shakes

Tons of water

I lost about 5 or 6 lbs in the past week. (Although this is a good thing, it is not a healthy way to lose weight!)  I'm feeling tons better, but I'm going to stick to my soft foods because it isn't too inconvenient to spend a few extra days being cautious. I'll add in mashed potatoes and Chicken & Stars, and maybe even mashed up Mac & Cheese later this week, but I don't want to eat anything too exciting until the doctor rechecks my progress.

I really miss pizza and chicken tacos.

I feel almost normal again, except for a few things.

1. If I don't drink enough water, I feel a general sense of malaise. I am drinking about 11 glasses of water, gatorade, and/or juice each day. I like water best.

2. I'm still unable to speak. If I force myself to, I can squeak out a few words. It takes A LOT of effort to speak.

3. My digestive system is working hard to get back to normal. I have gurgles in my stomach.

4. I feel well, but I'm not well. I'm no longer in pain, but I know that I can't rush right back out to the gym. I want a taco so badly, but I probably shouldn't eat one until I've had a checkup.

5. There is still a significant amount of scabbing in what I call my "tonsil pits."

Today was my dad's 84th birthday, but I didn't have enough energy to get out to his house to celebrate. He was understanding, though. My dad really likes my husband, so I'm sure he will enjoy a second celebration with just us in the near future. We told him we owe him dinner and pumpkin pie.

My husband should win an award for being so awesome. I've been sleeping in the living room because my uvula was sticking to my throat when I lay flat on the bed. My very wonderful DH decided to forego the comforts of a bed to join me in the living room. He's been camping out in a sleeping bag  for a week now. I told him he doesn't have to, but he says it's fun and the cats seem to like it.

Sounds like you're coming right along. Have you tried yogurt with probiotics....to get your digestive system back up and running better?  I saw where you're eating yogurt; the probiotics would add some bacteria to your digestive system.

When I had my teeth whitened (I know, that's way different than a tonsillectomy), I wasn't allowed to eat anything red, like pasta sauce, ketchup, etc. I ended up eating a baked potato with cream of chicken soup two days in a row. It wasn't bad. Mashed potatoes would be good for you and if you mash them enough, you should be able to get them down with a minimal amount of trouble.

Your DH does, indeed, deserve a medal. When I had knee surgery last year, Rick took a week off work and didn't allow me to do one thing.....I was actually looking forward to him going back to work the next week because he did everything for me and I was over-pampered.

that you continue to do well.

It sounds like you're healing normally. Your voice might not be normal for a couple of weeks. I would lose my voice mid-sentence for about 6 - 8 weeks after the tonsillectomy, but it eventually straightened out. IIRC, most of the scabbing was gone the second week; about day 4 or 5 I was supposed to eat something a little more solid to get rid of it. Have you been told to eat bread? Don't be paranoid about bleeding at this point. I'm a bleeder, so was kept in the hospital for a week (I also had blood poisoning from my tonsils rupturing), and the surgeons weren't too concerned after three days, because the healing had started.

Winchester said:

Sounds like you're coming right along. Have you tried yogurt with probiotics....to get your digestive system back up and running better?  I saw where you're eating yogurt; the probiotics would add some bacteria to your digestive system.

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I'm embarrassed to say... I've heard of probiotics, but I don't know how to procure them. Are there probiotics in yogurt I can get at a regular supermarket, or is it a specialty food that I have to search for? I was just eating regular plain yogurt. My digestion is back to normal now, but it's probably a good thing to know.

jcat said:

 Have you been told to eat bread? Don't be paranoid about bleeding at this point. I'm a bleeder, so was kept in the hospital for a week (I also had blood poisoning from my tonsils rupturing), and the surgeons weren't too concerned after three days, because the healing had started.

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I wasn't told to eat bread, but I was told that I could have soft meats, like a pot roast.

I am pretty paranoid about the bleeding. Most of the scabbing seems to be on one side, the other side is looking very pink.

Last night, I was feeling great. I had a real meal- beef tips in gravy and mashed potatoes.

It was the best thing in the world.

The amount I ate was small compared to what I would normally eat even though I was very hungry.

A few minutes ago, I had a sudden sneeze and started to bleed.

The blood came out very fast, but it slowed down after I drank a glass of ice water.

It stopped after about 3 or 4 glasses.

I probably shouldn't have swallowed the bloody water, but I panicked and really wasn't thinking.

I feel sad to have bled this many days (12) post surgery, though it didn't turn into anything to rush to the emergency room over.

I am hoping that the bleeding doesn't start up again later.

Look for yogurt that says "Contains active yogurt cultures". If the words say "Made with active cultures" , well, I think all yogurt is made with active cultures. The problem is that some yogurts are heat-treated and then those active cultures die in the process. So look for "Contains active yogurt cultures".

However, since you seem to be eating better now, I wouldn't worry about it. I was concerned because when one doesn't eat for awhile, especially is one is on antibiotics, sometimes those meds are very powerful and they can kill the little beasties that live in our stomachs. Those beasties are good; they're used to help digestion. If you don't have them, it becomes harder to eat again and be able to digest food. But you seem to be doing better, so I'm not as concerned as I was.

When my husband was very ill, he was on a strong antibiotic and that's what happened to him. It took several weeks before he could eat anything and keep it down. His doctor recommended yogurt that contained active yogurt cultures to get the bacteria built back up in his stomach. That's why I mentioned yogurt.

You're doing very well. that you continue to make good progress.

It's been 13 days and some hours since surgery, and I had my follow up appointment today. The doctor says my progress is slow. I'm at the point in my recovery that most people would be at somewhere between days 7 and 9.

The silver lining is that I've lost 6 pounds, and my fitness goal when I signed up for a gym membership was to lose 21 pounds. Eating mushy foods for another week will help me get there sooner.

He did think you were making progress though? More "Get Well Soon!"