Tonsillectomy - Page 2

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winchester 

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.

 

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcat 

 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.

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.

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.