Started By
Message
locked post

Tonsillectomy as an adult

Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:51 am
Posted by BoogaBear
Member since Jul 2013
6937 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:51 am
Today makes 12 weeks straight I've had strep throat. Another round of antibiotics just to keep me feeling better through the weekend.

Looks like I'm running out of options and a tonsillectomy is on the radar for the near future. I've always struggled with strep, getting it or tonsillitis several times a year. This time it just won't go away.

I've heard horror stories about getting it done as an adult (I'm 37). Any adult experiences that don't involve horrible pain, bleeding out and dying, etc.?
Posted by BeachDude022
Premium Elite Platinum TD Member
Member since Dec 2006
36406 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:54 am to
Got mine out at 22, it sucked. Two weeks of liquid diet.
Posted by SauceBawse
Member since Mar 2022
246 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:57 am to
Was the worse pain I have ever experienced. Wife bought me a PS5 for when I was recovering and I never opened it.
Posted by aTmTexas Dillo
East Texas Lake
Member since Sep 2018
22235 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:57 am to
Daughter in law did it in her 30s. No problemo. Don't recall if she was on an ice cream diet for a few days.
Posted by Pezzo
Member since Aug 2020
2858 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:58 am to
FIL had it done a year or so ago and it was rough for sure. liquid diet for weeks. took a while to heal and had to re-learn to swallow normally. he's in his 50's

Posted by SauceBawse
Member since Mar 2022
246 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:58 am to
I will say Sonic slushies saved me though. If you can have a steady supply of those your golden.
Posted by Major Dutch Schaefer
Location: Classified
Member since Nov 2011
38006 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 11:58 am to
Posted by John Cocktosten
Everywhere and Nowhere
Member since May 2016
418 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:05 pm to
Had mine taken out in my mid-30’s. Don’t wait. Do it asap. The healing time will only get worse as you get older.

Kids will reasonably recover in a couple days and then complete the week before being 100%. For me, it was one week of recovery (on heavy pain meds in syrup format) and a second week before feeling back to normal.

When I told my ENT that the recovery wasn’t as bad as many made it out to be (but it was still rough), he told me they always try to “overestimate” when they describe the recovery. Rather you be pleasantly surprised than upset.

Lastly, it will have a dramatic positive impact on your quality of life. Obviously, not worrying about strep is nice; but I had improved breathing and sleep. My snoring became much less frequent as well.

If you can take off a week to recover, it’s worth it.
Posted by magicman534
The dirty dell
Member since May 2011
1794 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:06 pm to
Every adult I know that did it said it sucked for 2 weeks but would do it again to avoid constantly having strep.
Posted by chinhoyang
Member since Jun 2011
25522 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:07 pm to
Adult tonsillectomies suck, but you're better off getting it done.

Youngest son had his removed at age 20. They were gigantic. The path lab kept them as "the largest tonsils they had ever seen." I did work for the path lab, and they invited me to check out the room of "odd stuff." There, on the shelf, was my son's tonsils. When I said "wow, that's my son's tonsils", they looked tense until I started laughing.

Wife had her tonsils out as an adult and had zero problems and she recovered quickly. She was around age 40 at the time.
Posted by rickyh
Positiger Nation
Member since Dec 2003
12967 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:13 pm to
A relative about the same age just had his removed last week. No issues.
Posted by AlextheBodacious
Member since Oct 2020
3605 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:13 pm to
quote:

Today makes 12 weeks straight I've had strep throat

quote:

Looks like I'm running out of options and a tonsillectomy is on the radar

quote:

I've heard horror stories about getting it done as an adult

Dude I’ve never heard a tonsillectomy story that is anywhere near as bad as 3 straight months of strep. I would’ve scheduled the surgery after week 2 or 3 of strep. Even if you recover from strep, your tonsils are so fricked and scarred that you’ll want them out anyway. Man up and get those frickers removed.
Posted by bhtigerfan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2008
32909 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:16 pm to
I had it done in my early thirties.

I went 10 days without eating solid food because it hurt so fricking much to swallow. Nothing but a couple of small glasses of Gatorade a day.

But I did lose 15 pounds and didn’t take a shite for 12 days.
Posted by Deepwood
Member since Sep 2023
50 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:16 pm to
Ask about Exparel or some sort of long acting local anesthesia around the incision. Exparel is a 96 hour local anesthesia.

Had that for mine at age 25, was great, mine may have been 72 hours. By the time it wore off pain was minimal.

Posted by CrappyPants
Member since Apr 2021
1022 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:17 pm to
Got mine out at 27. Best thing i ever did. Yeah the recovery sucked and I basically had to teach my self to re-swallow but haven't had a sore throat since. I'm in my 40s.

Tip. If you do it, take your adenoids out as well and keep your throat moist at all times. Set your alarm at night every two hours the first few days to keep it wet. When it dries out, it hurts like a motherfricker.
Posted by Jcorye1
Tom Brady = GoAT
Member since Dec 2007
76373 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:18 pm to
It's not that bad. I was eating a hamburger two days later and I had it done at 35.

My problem was getting my nose fixed at the same time, 10/10 do not recommend.
Posted by momentoftruth87
Your mom
Member since Oct 2013
86110 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:19 pm to
quote:

I went 10 days without eating solid food because it hurt so fricking much to swallow. Nothing but a couple of small glasses of Gatorade a day. But I did lose 15 pounds and didn’t take a shite for 12 days


Reminds me of when I had mono or wisdom teeth removed. I have heard tonsil removal can be very bad for adults. Strep has hit out house hard too this year.
Posted by WonPercent
BATON ROUGE
Member since Aug 2023
1012 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:34 pm to
Ex wife had it done in her late 20's and she was miserable for at least a week.

Daughters used to struggle with strep as kids. Their doctor recommended gargling warm salt water a couple of times a week year around to clean the tonsils. It definitely seemed to help.

Posted by Chrome
Chromeville
Member since Nov 2007
12493 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:45 pm to
Remember when this came up last year and a lot of people agreed you better have someone with you the first 24 hours after surgery. Apparently you can bleed to death if something goes wrong.
Posted by DaBeerz
Member since Sep 2004
18275 posts
Posted on 5/23/24 at 12:45 pm to
I was about 25… took about a week. Had a post op bleed that had to be cauterized in ER. It was worth it though, haven’t had strep in 20 years
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 3Next pagelast page

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram