How I Managed a Pain-Free Tonsillectomy
There’s something like a 1-in-50,000 mortality rate following tonsillectomies. I didn’t know that when I went in for my operation bright and early Thursday, September 21, but I knew waking up was not a virtual guarantee. I took that reality, along with every friend and acquaintance’s hellish recovery experience, into the operating room with me and hoped for the best.
The intravenous needle hiding under that surgical tape? That hurt. So did the anesthesia that was pumped into me after I’d been bound to the surgery table. The small flame that burned beneath my skin grew, sending the pain just beyond my wrist. It probably spread farther up my arm, but I was out by that point.
I woke up, found out the site of my left tonsil had been cauterized, did my best to eat an Otter Pop without making a mess — I’d bit my lip and tongue at some point before gaining consciousness — and, an hour or so later, was on my way home.
Recovery Must-Haves
I really didn’t think I was capable of handling I-asked-my-boyfriend-to-kill-me-on-the-seventh-day pain, so I needed this recovery to go as smoothly as possible. I purchased a stock of soft, simple foods, and I made sure I had a few other things on-hand, including:
- Bottled water
- Raw honey — for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory benefits
- Arnica Montana 30c — a homeopathic medicine intended to accelerate healing
- Marijuana prescription — gummies and a tincture both high in CBD
All of that combined with a healthy respect for my temporary limitations — fear of laughing, choking, coughing, yawning, and taking big gulps — I thought I had a good chance of keeping the pain to a minimum.
The Recovery
Days 1–3: Okay, that could have been a lot worse
The one thing about tonsillectomies that everyone seemed to agree on, besides the eventual excruciating pain, was that the first day would be a breeze. Everyone was right. I could talk, though I did so delicately, and I had no trouble moving about my apartment. I watched Netflix, drank lots of water, had a few spoons of raw honey, and took short naps.
For the first few days, I must have drank 4–6 bottles of water.
I took tiny sips, but I got it all down. It was only ever annoying, and while it caused some discomfort I had to do it. Once the anesthesia wore off, I took my first Percocet. Three hours later, I took a single dose of ibuprofen 600 mg, alternating between the two for the next 48 hours.
The pain began to crescendo toward the end of my second day of recovery. It wasn’t my throat, but damn near everything else. I’d been warned of the aftereffects of anesthesia — gas and whatever they pumped through the IV — but I expected dizziness and nausea, not body aches. That said, they weren’t the worst I’d ever had, and a couple days later it passed.
As for the gummies and tincture, I sprinkled those in sporadically. I purchased these because so many people warned me that Percocet made them vomit. I didn’t want to find out what it would feel like if I let that acidic bile strain my throat, so I got a prescription for my goods. At no point was I aware that either product worked.
Days 4–6: The pain will be here any day now
So I got a disposable vaporizer that Monday, and then I spent nearly the entire evening trying to figure out how it worked. It wasn’t working.
One of the may things you’re going to have a hard time doing is sucking (blowing too). That’s why the vaporizer didn’t work. Once I’d figured that out and how to position maneuver my mouth, I never looked back. Thank you, THC.
But that was the end of Day 4. Earlier that day a big milestone passed.
I hadn’t pooped in over three days. I wasn’t eating much, but I was eating. Something should have been cooking, but the oven wasn’t even on.
So, during Day 3 I stopped taking Percocet entirely and took only ibuprofen. (Percocet causes constipation, which is why I was prescribed a stool softener.)
In the early afternoon of Day 4, I sat down on the toilet to pee. I’d finished, but for some reason stayed seated a little longer. It took around five seconds for me to realize what was happening once it started, but once I did I grinned, slapped my hand to my mouth, and repeated “I’m pooping! I’m pooping!”
The next day, I got a call from a nurse who told me to space out my medication by 4–6 hours if I could tolerate the pain. I began taking less Percocet and increasing the time between taking a pill to 6 hours. Eventually I only took a pill when I realized the pain in my ears was persistent.
Most of my meals up to this point had been buttered grits cooked in chicken stock, scrambled eggs, and frozen sausage cut into small pieces. (Grits aren’t nearly as bad as I remember from childhood.) But this night I needed real food, and I thought my throat could handle it. I went a little all out and ordered soul food. I ate fried chicken with all of my fingers, like my grandmother and aunt do, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and coleslaw. I eave put Crystal Hot Sauce on the chicken. This was easily one of the highlights of this recovery.
Days 7–9: So, about that pain that’s coming
Things were getting pretty sad at home. My condition was great — no pain, eating food food, talking on the phone, doing a bit of work, getting a little high, bugging friends, and enjoying the effects of Percocet — but damn was I bored. Excitement was eating a spoon of honey to combat the swelling of my tongue. Excitement was eating ice cream out of the tub while standing in front of my open freezer. And, excitement was waiting to feel my throat rip open so that I could test my pain threshold.
Instead of waiting around for another day, I left the house for the first time yesterday, Day 8. A friend and I met up, had brisket fries from a BBQ spot nearby, and I watched him drink his beer. I had water, and haven’t had alcohol in 10 days. It’s been a welcome sobriety stint.
Tonight is the end of Day 9. I haven’t yawned since the morning of my bilateral tonsillectomy — still too scared — but I am getting better at taking hits from my vaporizer. The only noticeable side effect is that the left side of my tongue is operating at about 10% of its tasting capacity, likely a result of cauterization.
There’s still no pain in my throat; there isn’t even mild discomfort. I let 9 hours pass between doses today, and I probably didn’t even need the second one. And the yellow coating on the back of my throat that helps keep the covered area dry so scabs can form is all but gone.
How I Did It
First, find an amazing ENT/otolaryngologist. For the success of my surgery and recovery, feeling nothing more than mild discomfort this whole time, I have to give the majority of the credit to my doctor. I’m happy to recommend them if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The bulk of the remaining credit must be attributed to the fact I drank so much water during those first few days.
Drink at least 4 pints a day. The raw honey helped as well, even if only to lessen the swelling of my tongue.
As for the Arnica Montana 30c, I took it three times a day and want to think it helped, but I don’t and won’t know if it did. However, at $8 USD, I suggest purchasing some. If nothing else, the little pellets are sweet.
My final bit of advice is something I was a told number of times the day of the operation: stay ahead of the pain. This is easy enough during the day, but you’ll want to set alarms throughout the night and early morning.
Proactively manage the pain and it will be much easier to drink all the water you need to ensure as pain-free a recovery as possible.
I know I’ve still got some recovery time left, so I’ve knocked wood just in case I’ve jinxed myself. If I should experience any pain or complications between now and the next week, I’ll make an update to the piece.
