There will be a white coating in your throat where the tonsils were. The coating is like a scab. It usually starts to come off in 5 to 10 days. It is usually gone in 10 to 16 days.
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.
If a high temperature (fever) develops in the week or two after a tonsillectomy, see your GP as soon as possible. This may suggest infection, and treatment with antibiotics may be necessary. If there is any fresh bleeding from the back of the throat after a tonsillectomy you should contact your GP urgently.
The pain is usually tolerable in the first 3 days and then worsens to a crescendo around day 6 to 9 after the operation. Once this peak is reached then the pain gradually decreases daily until you can comfortably eat around day 14 after the operation.
There will be a white coating in your throat where the tonsils were. The coating is like a scab. It usually starts to come off in 5 to 10 days. It is usually gone in 10 to 16 days.
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.
The throat will have thick white patches where the tonsils were, these are normal healing areas and are not a sign of infection. Bad breath is also common during the healing process.
What do tonsillectomy scabs look like? Scabs turn a shade of white after a tonsillectomy. Because it's in the throat, it stays softer than a scab would when it's exposed to air. Typically, the whitish scab is made of a coagulum of many different kinds of cells.
The scabs usually fall off in small pieces. There may also be a small amount of bleeding. Most people swallow the scabs, often without realizing. Recovery from a tonsillectomy can take 10–14 days.
Throat pain builds up for the first few days and is usually at its the worst around the fifth day after surgery. 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.
Recovery time for a tonsillectomy is usually at least 10 days to two weeks.
About 5 to 10 days after your surgery the scab will come off. Some people notice when their scab comes off and others do not. If you notice your scab coming off it may alarm you. Please know that there is nothing wrong when this happens and it is not cause for alarm.
It is quite common for you to feel progressively worse during the first 5 to 6 days after surgery. You may also become constipated during this time for three reasons: you will not be eating your regular diet, you will be taking pain medications, and you may be less active.
Your child may have bad breath, “stuffy nose” and drainage for 7 to 10 days after surgery. 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.
As you feel better, add soft bland items that are easy to chew and swallow (pasta, puddings, mashed potatoes, tuna or chicken salad, macaroni and cheese). Avoid foods that are sharp, hot, or spicy. Lollipops and hard candies may be sucked, not chewed.
After your surgery you should expect some pain, soreness, and swelling in your throat. You may see white scabs or a yellow film where your tonsils used to be. This usually goes away within a week or two as your throat heals from the surgery.
The tonsil beds will be coated in a whitish layer of slough in the days just after surgery. This is NOT infection, but a fibrinous exudate coating the raw tissue. It is analogous to the black scab forming over skin abrasions.
The tonsil area becomes coated with white/yellow thickened mucous which acts as a protective covering while the area heals. This “eschar” begins to fall off after about 7 days. This often increases the throat pain and can cause pain to be felt in the ears.
The throat normally produces 1-2 liters of saliva a day, which is reflexively swallowed every few seconds, while awake or sleeping. Due to the pain and swelling after tonsillectomy, this swallow reflex is inhibited, which produces a sensation of constant mucous in the throat.
Post-tonsillectomy bleeding is thought to occur in approximately 5% of cases following tonsil surgery. A bleed in the first 24 hours is considered a PRIMARY bleed and those occurring after 24 hours are a SECONDARY bleed (most frequently in days 5-9, up to 28 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.
It is really quite sore for about 7 -10 days following a tonsillectomy and the pain can peak around 5-7 days after the operation. It is important to give regular painkillers especially about half an hour before eating so that your child can eat and drink comfortably.
After a tonsillectomy, you should call your healthcare provider if you develop: Excessive bleeding. Difficulty breathing. Pain that gets worse after five days or doesn't improve with pain medication.
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.