You may usually return to school or work within a week but avoid strenuous activity and sports for two weeks. Sleep with your head elevated on 2-3 pillows for 3-4 days to help decrease swelling. Due to tissue swelling and throat discomfort, you may have little desire to drink for several days.
Postoperative Instructions for Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy. Activity Level: Light activity and adequate rest are recommended for the first few days. Sleeping with the head elevated 30 to 45 degrees or in a recliner for 3-4 days will reduce the swelling in the throat.
You will be advised to lie flat but to keep your head in an elevated position. Place a few pillows under your head to do so.
You should rest at home for the first 48 hours. Activity may increase as strength returns. Generally, you may return to work approximately 10 days following a tonsillectomy, and about 3 days after an adenoidectomy. You should avoid vigorous activity for 14 days after surgery.
Anecdotal evidence from several ENT departments suggests that pain following tonsillectomy is worst on the second and/or third days after surgery.
Tissue injury, whether accidental or intentional (e.g. surgery), is followed by localized swelling. After surgery, swelling increases progressively, reaching its peak by the third day. It is generally worse when you first arise in the morning and decreases throughout the day.
The pain may be the worst for 3-4 days after surgery. One to two weeks after surgery, pain may worsen because the scabs are falling off. It is important to control your child's pain after surgery. This helps your child drink and eat.
It is normal. Your pain after surgery may come and go. It may be worse on the first or second day after surgery.
Almost everyone experiences pain after a tonsillectomy. It is most common in the throat and ears, but it can also affect the neck, head, or jaw. Post-operative pain may get worse around day 3 or 4, but it should then start to improve.
Sleep with your head elevated on 2-3 pillows for 3-4 days to help decrease swelling. Due to tissue swelling and throat discomfort, you may have little desire to drink for several days.
Chew Ice Constantly
Ice is one of the best things to have during a tonsillectomy recovery. Ice keeps the incision site moist during recovery and this is very important for speedy healing. The cold temperature of ice also helps to numb pain and reduce swelling.
Trouble sleeping at night. You may experience some difficult sleeping at night in the days following the procedure. This is common because it can be uncomfortable to breathe through your mouth right after surgery.
Start with clear liquids (water, non-citrus juices). Then, advance to soft mushy foods (noodles, pudding, apple sauce) for 10 days before resuming a regular diet. Avoid spicy hot and temperature hot foods. Avoid dry food like chips and toast.
This is normal and will go away as he or she heals. Your child may have ear pain up to a week after surgery and it may be worse at night. This is normal and is coming from the tonsil area. Giving pain medicine usually helps.
Pain and discomfort will usually then ease until the seventh or ninth day after surgery when some of the scab covering the tonsillectomy site falls off. After this there is a steady reduction in pain.
The amount of discomfort usually lessens, then may increase again around day 7-9 after surgery, as some of the whitish tissue covering the tonsillectomy site falls off. After this, there is generally steady improvement with less discomfort.
Ongoing cough for several days post-op may occur due to swelling in the surgical site and post-nasal drip due to increase secretions. Before starting any over-the-counter cough remedies, please contact our Nurse Line at 412-692-5460 option 4. How much should my child eat or drink after his or her tonsillectomy?
The 4th or 5th day after the surgery is a common time for the pain to get temporarily worse. Signs of pain in younger children may be crying more often, or refusal to eat or drink.
A tonsillectomy can be a painful operation. Often the pain will get worse the day after surgery and it tends to be painful for several days. Generally, we advise two weeks off work, education or training after the operation, although sometimes it may take up to three weeks to recover.
In general, research has found that orthopedic surgeries, or those involving bones, are the most painful. However, researchers also found that some minor surgeries or those classed as keyhole or laparoscopic could also cause significant pain.
Mild or moderate pain and swelling at the incision site are common. These symptoms usually peak 2 to 3 days after surgery and then get better.
Is sleep after surgery important? The importance of rest after surgery is stressed by doctors because your body is going to do a lot of healing while sleeping. After all, your body does the majority of its healing while you're asleep. It's important that you're able to take a nap whenever you need to.