Background

Hey there,

I'm a 34yo male who had a tonsillectomy on Wednesday. Today is Sunday, so it's day 4 post-op, and I thought I'd share some of my experiences to help those of you who want to read about the procedure and recovery before going through with it. I know I did--and yes, the horror stories scared me, but so far my case is nothing like those (see future posts). I'll also share some of the foods I've been eating so you can get some recipe ideas.

First, some background:

I started noticing tonsil stones a few years ago after I finally looked in the mirror when I felt something stuck in the back of my throat. At that point, probably 2008 or 2009, I also started noticing that my tonsils were often enlarged. The tonsil stones and tonsillitis continued frequently, though I didn't have to take antibiotics for a bacterial infection too often--maybe once a year. However, the tonsillitis, which could last weeks at a time several times a year, would often cause an earache, and the tonsil stones, while they never hurt, were smelly and annoying (though I'd coax them out with dental tools). I also suffer from continual post-nasal drip (allergies), a snoring problem, and possibly also a mild case of obstructive sleep apnea (though I've never done a sleep test). All of these things pointed me to a tonsillectomy for relief of tonsillitis and tonsil stones, and possibly to the other ailments.

After a cough and congestion accompanied by tonsillitis that lasted almost a month this past November, I got sick again towards the end of December, this time with congestion and major sinus aches--and both tonsils notably swollen even more than the previous month. I went to the doctor, but it wasn't clear that it was bacterial, so I was told to call later in the week if it got worse. It didn't, so I thought I'd ride it out. About 2 weeks later, one tonsil had mostly retreated, but the other was even bigger than before, just about to the middle of my throat, and it was clearly infected, coated in white. At that point, I went back to the doctor and got some antibiotics, but I also asked about whether I might be a candidate for tonsillectomy and whether I should see an ENT. The NP who was filling in that day, who listened to my history, said I might as well, and that quite frankly she was glad when she had her kids' tonsils out even though they were older than usual. At the very least, I could introduce myself and the ENT could monitor me over a period of time. Note that I had mentioned my enlarged tonsils to 2 doctors prior to this, as well as to an allergist, but I had to go in with an infected tonsil and specifically ask about tonsillectomy and whether I should see an ENT. No one suggested it to me. Perhaps that's because my case isn't as severe as some of the clear-cut cases, which I freely admit, but it illustrated, but it illustrates how z

About 2 weeks later, I saw an ENT. He looked at my throat, still red even though my tonsils were back to normal--not huge, but definitely larger than most people who don't have tonsil problems--and I told him my history. He told me I was definitely a candidate for tonsillectomy and that it was up to me if I wanted to endure the notorious recovery. My job gives me a bank of over 4 weeks of sick days per year, which I've never used in 5 years. That's on top of my vacation time. Given those benefits, it's silly not to use them to take care of my problems. Given that February into March tend to be slower times at work for me and that it's before spring allergies really kick in, I landed on the March 11 date for surgery. It's doubly perfect because  I'll be travelling for work in May and June with my own vacation in between, so I want to be fully recovered before then.

Given my time-off benefits at work and the fact that I don't have kids, it was a relatively easy decision to go ahead with the surgery. I can even start back by working from home before I actually go back into the office. So, I have a lot of flexibility. I never could have done this in my previous jobs without using most of a year's worth of vacation or taking time off without pay--a position I think many of you reading this may be in. I count myself lucky.