Anyone have their tonsils removed as an adult? Any ENT MD's here?

Hey, how'd your tonsil removal go? Hopefully mine will be gone by Independence Day.

chown33 said:

Does it involve aliens and Will Smith?

Click to expand...

They'll be getting jiggy with it.

Prof. said:

My tonsils have given me problems most of my life and now that I'm 25 with my own means of taking care of myself I want to look into getting them removed.

Has anyone ever had their tonsils removed as an adult (21+)? How was your experience? How much pain were you in and for how long?

I could go into the details why I want them removed, but I don't wanna gross anyone out.

Click to expand...

I am not an ENT, nor have I had a tonsillectomy. I am however Clinical Pharmacist and have worked in multiple hospitals and worked on such patient cases.

Adult tonsillectomies are not very common. There are a bunch of reasons why the procedure is not commonly done these days. Can I ask for what reason you are considering the surgery? Is it your own idea to have your tonsils removed or has this suggestion been made by a doctor?

From what I've seen and heard toselectomies are very painful. Throats surgeries as you can imagine are not pleasent. Often patients are kept in the hospital overnight for monitoring. Generally Rx painkillers are given for 7-10 days afterward in addition to antibiotics. Pain generally is severe in the beginning but settles down, but comes back a few days later due to inflammation. You'd probably want to take at least a week off from work. A full recovery takes weeks- probably 4-6 weeks I would guess for everything to heal up. In that time expect a lot of discomfort- if not pain, itchiness. The wounds will scab over which I can only imagine is quite uncomfortable. Swallowing may be difficult for some time in the earlier phases of recovery, weight loss as a result isn't uncommon.

I do know there are different types of procedures, I imagine some are more invasive than others. Your best bet is to get information from an ENT though who deals with these cases and can specifically address yours.

A.Goldberg said:

I am not an ENT, nor have I had a tonsillectomy. I am however Clinical Pharmacist and have worked in multiple hospitals and worked on such patient cases.

Adult tonsillectomies are not very common. There are a bunch of reasons why the procedure is not commonly done these days. Can I ask for what reason you are considering the surgery? Is it your own idea to have your tonsils removed or has this suggestion been made by a doctor?

From what I've seen and heard toselectomies are very painful. Throats surgeries as you can imagine are not pleasent. Often patients are kept in the hospital overnight for monitoring. Generally Rx painkillers are given for 7-10 days afterward in addition to antibiotics. Pain generally is severe in the beginning but settles down, but comes back a few days later due to inflammation. You'd probably want to take at least a week off from work. A full recovery takes weeks- probably 4-6 weeks I would guess for everything to heal up. In that time expect a lot of discomfort- if not pain, itchiness. The wounds will scab over which I can only imagine is quite uncomfortable. Swallowing may be difficult for some time in the earlier phases of recovery, weight loss as a result isn't uncommon.

I do know there are different types of procedures, I imagine some are more invasive than others. Your best bet is to get information from an ENT though who deals with these cases and can specifically address yours.

Click to expand...

Mine were pulled as a child, not to bad of an experience. However my Dad had his pulled when he was in his 30's and he was miserable. Do they still associate tonsils with a greater degree of illness?

Huntn said:

Mine were pulled as a child, not to bad of an experience. However my Dad had his pulled when he was in his 30's and he was miserable. Do they still associate tonsils with a greater degree of illness?

Click to expand...

Yes, I think it may be one of those things that is easier to do at a younger age. There are also various procedures used which probably affects discomfort and recovery time.

The biggest factor in dissuading tonsillectomies is that removing tonsils has been show to decrease infections for up to a couple years, but then infections often recur at around the same rate prior to the surgery. And yes, tonsillectomies are also associated in studies with a higher risk of developing a number of other conditions from heart attacks to Crohn's disease to lymphoma and so on (the degree of risk however must be considered and if the risks are age dependent). Surgery also has many risks that need to be weighed. Mortality rates due to tonsillectomies are very low, but complications can be severe.

At the time, frequent bouts of tonsillitis carries its own risks, some that can be severe if not managed. Repeated use of painkillers and antibiotics (especially) also carries further risks.

The general medical consensus has favored avoiding surgery for some time now, but that's not to say the procedures are no longer done. The risks and benefits of the procedure should be discussed with the OP's own doctor who specifically understands his/her case, and if it is even an appropriate option at this time.

Just wanted to update this, in case anyone searching the web stumbles across it later on.

I had mine removed on August 4. Doctor said they were the worst he had seen. I laid around for a about 10 days, watched movies while I slept for 20 minutes at a time throughout the day. Couldn't sleep at night. Ate cold ramen noodles, cold Malt-O-Meal, and cold Snack Packs. Drank about 3/4 gallon of water a day. On day 13 I finally had a cheeseburger and a Blizzard, regular food on Day 14. Back to work on August 21.

Pain was alright, but tolerable. No ear pain. Glad I had it done though. I can breath so much easier now and, while I have forgotten to take my allergy medicine, and I know I'm getting a bit snotty, no throat infections!