Tonsillectomy Woes

I’m literally rotting from the inside out. My post-surgery breath is so bad my kids won’t sit on the same couch as me. I have lost 13 pounds in 5 days and I can hardly eat or drink anything. The thought of swallowing is terrifying to the point where I have to psych myself up to swallow pain pills.

It has been 6 days since I had my tonsils removed and I was warned that it would be bad. I was told that it would be painful and that I would be out of commission for 7 days MINIMUM and that I would heal almost completely in 14 days. I have given birth without an epidural and watched on a screen as the surgeon closed a hole in my heart. I thought I would defy the odds and be up and about sooner rather than later.

How fucking stupid was I?

I’m about to begin my 7th day without my tonsils and I am just beginning to feel like a normal human being.

The magical combination seems to be Advil and Tylenol together. I have no idea why it is kept a secret, but apparently this mixture is one that has been recommended to several of my friends. I had been working with extra strength Tylenol.

Did the surgeon give me something else? Of course. But liquid morphine was no match for the pain. I tried 5ml, then 7 until I reached the maximum recommended dose of 10 ml. And? Nothing. Still excruciating pain. So I stopped taking it. Why deal with opioids if I didn’t have to? I don’t even take medication when I have a headache.

I was warned not to look at my throat. I didn’t look at myself after I gave birth. Why the fuck would I torture myself? So I am not looking at the mess that is probably where my tonsils used to be.

I had to go to the emergency room last night because I started to bleed. Apparently, this is perfectly normal and it’s just the scabs falling off.

And I was dehydrated, of course. So the doctor treated my pain and gave me some fluids and sent me on my way.

I am hopeful that when I wake up tomorrow I will be on the other side of it.

A tonsillectomy as an adult isn’t ice cream and popsicles. I was in so much pain I couldn’t even dream about attempting to try them. I have boxes of untouched ice pops in the freezer and packages of jello cups in the fridge.

If I had to do it all over again, I think I’d choose to keep my tonsils.