This was a terrible experience for me. However, I have never had a sore throat or cold since, so it was most definitely worth it.
My tonsils were a mess, and after fighting with my HMO for years, I finally got a new insurance plan and a new doctor, and out they came.
HMO’s suck.
Not nearly as painful as a kidney stone, but hey. Nothing is.
Absolutely horrific pain. I think I was about 38 or 39.
It went on for about two weeks. It didn’t start until the third day. EVERY time I swallowed, it was the worse pain I’d ever experienced. Eating was not only pleasureless, it hurt, especially if it was something acidic. I don’t like Vicodin, so I basically did it without pain meds.
I also had a deviated septum fixed at the same time. That didn’t hurt even slightly, but it made breathing really uncomfortable, so I was very claustrophobic at night.
Still, I have no regrets and it’s obviously survivable 
I’ve never had a C-section and I doubt I ever will, what with the penis and all that.
The updside was losing 15 pounds. And I rarely have sore throats any more. (I was born with a sore throat.)
It sucked.
After the frist few days I got bad referred pain in the right side of my jaw and could barely eat anything. Two weeks off work for me too and I needed all of it.
Tips: drink - lots & lots. Rent a humidifier for the room you sleep in.
After about 10 years, it looks like my left tonsil has grown back 
so I still get a sore throat occasionally but it’s not as often as I used to.
Ha, same here, but those 15 pounds found me pretty quickly afterwards 
But…but…you can have all the ice cream in the world you can eat!
Did it four months ago. Stayed four days in the hospital, but in the west its usually shorter I think. Couldn’t speak for 2 days and couldn’t eat solid food for a week. The pain was acute but with the morphine they gave me it was not so bad, only swallowing really hurt but I think it’s no more painful than having several teeth extracted for example.
The weird thing, like the previous poster, is that after a few days the throat was ok but the upper part of my jaw hurt really bad. The doctor told me it may have be caused by the fact that they maintained my mouth open during the operation, but I think it may also be caused by the fact that the pain makes you contract you jaw for extended period of times.
I am a 38 year old man and I underwent a tonsillectomy 5 days ago. Getting sleep has been a major issue for me. Since I came off the table at the hospital, I have only slept between 1 to 3 hours at a time. Then I awake in pain. I then take " 2 " Hydroco/Acetamin 7.5-325 Mg pills. After around an hour the pain medication beings to kick in enough for me to go back and sleep for that 1 to 3 hours. I have been on that cycle for that last 5 days, and I’m running out of pills!
The Down sides
#1. lack of rest
#2. Eating is like trying to swallow glass or razors!
#3. Scabs are starting to come off then have been getting stuck in my throat causing me to gag and hack until they come out
#4. The pain is terrible
Things that I have found that help
#1. Drinking Ice cold water slowly
#2. Gargling warm salt water has helped some
This has been by far!
One of the worst experiences I have ever had in life. To anyone that is about to undergo this I wish you more luck than I have had.
One hopes that the earlier posters in this thread have recovered by now.