Great insider tips for what recovery after tonsil surgery is like
The 24 hours after surgery
The first 24 hours my son was in the hospital. My son had to be admitted to the hospital after his tonsil surgery as that was standard for patients who have sleep apnea. The tonsil surgery could cause swelling in his throat and they wanted to monitor that. My son was tired so he stayed in bed watching TV. Here is tonsil surgery info that you need to know. He was allowed a clear liquid diet so he ate popsicles and drank plenty of soda. My son experienced a lot of pain so he was given pain medicine every 4 hours. They also kept the IV in his arm to keep him hydrated. My son had a rough night sleeping as the surgery made his throat swell so he was waking up every hour due to his sleep apnea. Thank goodness that the pain medicine was helping with his sore throat. He also had a pulse meter hooked up to him at night time to monitor his sleep apnea.
Pain Management
We then went home the day after surgery. My son was still in a lot of pain so I tried to give him his pain medicine every 6 hours. The doctor said to alternate with acetaminophen and ibuprofen, but I found that the ibuprofen worked best. So buy at least 2 bottles of pain medicine and try to give the next dose before the other one wears off or it will be hard to get the next dose is due to pain. My son needed his medicine about every 6 hours. We went through 3 bottles of medicine. My son had a hard time swallowing the first week so taking the medicine was hard but we just did it slowly. I also discovered that a humidifier helped with his pain. The moist air helped his throat so he could swallow his medicine. In the recovery area at the hospital, they used tubing with moist oxygen in which they place near his mouth. Ask the nurse if you can take that tubing home to use with your humidifier. I did not so I bought a toy from the dollar store, you know the one you spin and it makes noise, and put that in my humidifier. The moist air helped my son be able to take his medicine, I simply put the tube near his mouth, about 6 inches away. My son needed pain medicine around the clock for the first week and then less the following week. We are on day 12 of his recovery and he is not needing pain medicine anymore.
Rest
The doctor said my son needed to rest for a week after the surgery. I made a bed for my son in the family room and he just watched TV the whole week. Don't plan on taking your child anywhere in the first week. They just had surgery and their immune system is week. So you don't want them near people with colds. I also found sleeping in the same room with him made things were easier so I could tend to his pain medication schedule. So I slept on the couch while my son slept on a crib mattress on the family room floor. I set my alarm clock every night to give him his pain medicine. After the first week, your child may have more activity but no exercise for another week, as their sore throat is still healing. The doctor also said no swimming for at least 3 weeks as the pressure of the water can break open the areas in the throat. My son will have a follow-up appointment 3 weeks after his surgery and if all looks good he will be allowed to swim.
Diet
The first week after the surgery all my son wanted was jello, pudding, and soda. He said everything else hurt too much to eat. My son said that cold and hot liquids hurt his throat. I did get a couple of fruit smoothies in him if they were at room temperature. A soft diet is recommended for the first week and by week two they can eat normal foods. They just have to avoid things that will scratch their throat like crackers, nuts, and raw veggies. My son is now in week two and he is now eating pasta, oatmeal, bread, milk, and blueberries. He says cold things still hurt to eat. Your child may prefer cold or warm foods. So get a variety of their favorite foods. Don't worry about your child eating too much sugar. Eating may be hard for your child so give them ice cream as they need the calories to heal.
Here is a great list of items to stock up for after surgery.
+ Jello
+ popsicles
+ pudding
+ ice cream
+chocolate milk
+ pasta
+ mac and cheese
+ items to make smoothies
+ applesauce
+ oatmeal
When to call the doctor
My doctor said to call them if my son had a high fever or any blood from the throat. We did have one episode that required a call to the doctor. My son started coughing on day 4 and a lot of blood came out. The doctor said to rinse his mouth with cold water and thank goodness it stopped bleeding. The doctor said to go to the emergency room if it started to bleed again and did not stop with cold water. That would require surgery again to sew up the area again. It is rare but it does happen. Thank goodness, my son did not bleed again.
Other Facts
The first week was rough for my son. He was in a lot of pain and had trouble swallowing. He also had symptoms of his sleep apnea as everything was swollen from the surgery. We are into week two and my son is sleeping wonderfully, with no symptoms of sleep apnea. I was thrilled to see him breathe through his nose while he slept, something he had not done for a long time. He does not ask for any pain medicine. I know that it can take up to 6 weeks for his throat to heal so I still have pain medicine on hand. I am also going to keep him on a soft food diet until his 3-week checkup as I don't want the throat area to bleed.
Here are my other posts on my son's experience with why he needed the surgery and what to expect during surgery and the hospital stay.
