It's official, I've got a big pair!

Actually, the words the doctor used, in mildly breathless tones, were “abnormally large.”

As anyone that has slept with me would attest, (Kyla, Nymysys, Superdude, Dyno, Snoooopy, the Xploder family*,) and magdalene and Silo will find out next month, I’m mighty noticeable in bed. Turns out, there is a medical reason for this.

I’ve got a big ol’pair…of tonsils. Yup, the biggest pair the doctor said he’d ever seen in someone not currently suffering from tonsillitis or strep. Not only are they big, but they are different sized. I asked if they could be a factor in my obstructive sleep apnea and he said “without a doubt.” Go figure.

So, after suffering through at least 3 bouts of strep-throat a year for the last five or six years, I’m finally going to get my tonsils taken out. Good news/bad news, I suppose, as this is pretty serious and painful surgery for adults and I’ll be off work for at least 5 days, but it should help my breathing and stop the cases of strep (woo!) Since they are different sizes, they are going to do a biopsy, just to cover the bases.

I could have had the surgery scheduled for the end of this month, but I’ve got relatives coming over from Holland so that was out. Any time in October is out, since I’ve got DopeFest after DopeFest planned so I’ll be going under the knife the first week of November, actually on the 1[sup]st[/sup], IIRC.

Anyone wanna take care of me for a week? (All the ice cream you can eat and my eternal gratitude included!)
*: [sub]Okay, all those people slept in the same room with me at one time or another, but it helped the intended humor. At least I though it did, so there.[/sub]

thinks, I’d come take care of you, but I know that I was a miserable bitch after having mine taken out when I was 19 - I can’t imagine how a big strapping man would behave… heh
By the way, not ice cream. Popsicles. Clear foods. Ice cream would coat your throat. BAD.
And whatever you do, do NOT eat toast. At all. Wait a month. (shudder)

::lobs frozen happy fuzzy bunnies at thinks::

:smiley:

Ice cold beer.

Lots of it.

Repeat.

bernse! I thought you liked him! Don’t make him drink American beer after surgery! That’s like pouring salt into an open wound!

Ginger, I fully intend to be drugged for as long as possible and the doctor recommended eating rough foods as soon as possible to prevent large scabs from forming (not a pleasant idea.) I was thinking more along the lines of Italian Ice, than true Bryers, but you get the idea. I love having all my food comp-ed!

*Tiggy, you are a doll.

Bernse, I think you might be on to something there. Reasonably clear and certainly cold, that might do the trick! It might take a number of practice, trial, runs to make sure I’ve honed the procedure. Thanks!

think: Something must be wrong with me today, because believe it or not, the first thing I though of when I read the thread title was, in fact, your tonsils. Hm.

My husband’s are huge, too. I distinctly remember the first visit to the sleep specialist, and the doctor told him to open his mouth. He put in a tongue depressor, looked for a second, and said “Oh my goodness!” Then the doctor waves me over, and says “look at this!” So I go over there, thinking “this doctor really thinks I’ll know what to look for…holy crow, those things are enormous!” That’s how obvious it was.

Unfortunately for my husband, surgery isn’t really an option. The doctors have told him that it probably would change the tone of his voice. And since he’s a musician that sings a lot, he’s just not willing to take the chance.

Best of luck to you, though, and I’ll be sending many thoughts of icy-cool popsicles your way!

just recently i experienced the pain of a couple of holes being burned in my esophagus thanks to a pill that got stuck. and i can now say, from experience, about when having severe pain in your throat: don’t try to eat jalapenos!!! that sucked really bad (but i didn’t know there was a hole yet, so i wasn’t being a total idiot). i’m not getting why you shouldn’t eat ice cream. the only thing i could eat for weeks were frosties from wendy’s. the cold made it numb, which is the only reason i could eat even that. even water hurt going down if it wasn’t cold enough.

TS, you should consider having a UPPP at the same time as you get your tonsils out. It has certainly helped with my apnea, they did both at the same time. I mean, if you’re gonna be laid up and in pain for a week, might as well take care of everthing in one swell foop.

BTW, after my UPPP, I ate popsicles (the dairy in ice cream was said to be bad for recovery) and cold ramen noodles. Yikes. Lost 25 pounds. Then, when I had recovered, I craved so many foods that I gained it all back and then some.

thinksnow, maybe after ingesting all the different liquids that will doubtless come your way during the 'Fests the tonsils will melt away and your surgery problem eliminated.

[sub]or maybe that’s why there so darned big in the first place[/sub]

A week? My, that’s optimistic. I also have obstructive sleep apnea, along with a huge pair of tonsils. Between fixing the deviated septum, removing the tonsils, coring out the sinuses and shaving down the back of my tongue, the doctor estimated several weeks (anywhere from 2-6) for a full recovery.

He also told me that the surgery had only a 70% chance of reducing the problem in the long run. I’d see short term benefits after healing, but I might be back to square one after 1-3 years.

I had my tonsils out when I was 17. Yes it hurt, I hardly ate anything and I still didn’t lose any weight. Go figure.

Definitely stick with the cool, clear beverages but avoid alcohol for at least a few days cause it prolongs clotting time. I know a lot of people say to avoid ice cream but unless you have a problem with milk products a little would be all right. Absolutely do not use a straw, the suction can be enough to get the site bleeding and that is unpleasant to say the least sometimes requiring a trip to the ER to have the area cauterized. At any rate you will be given explicit discharge instructions before you leave the hospital, just listen to the good doctors and nurses and you’ll be fine.

One thing that is soothing whether you’ve got a sore throat or not is frozen fruit. I like to take strawberries, bananas, grapes, peaches and plums and slice them thinly. Place in single layer on cookie sheet and freeze. Eat while frozen. For a quick smoothie just toss a handfull of frozen fruit mixed with milk in the blender. No ice required. I especially love plum & peach together.

Also Jello is very good frozen. It is just like a popsicle but you can get more variety in flavors and it melts much slower than plain fruit juice. I just freeze it in a 9-13 pan, bust it up in pieces and put the peices in a baggie.

I think you’ll find the standard of post-op care in Chicago is excellent.

As for snoring, the first night I spent with Pix I almost killed him in his sleep to make it stop - I wonder if he has a big pair as well? :smiley:

thinksnow, nothing particularly clever to add since everyone else took my jokes. :wink: I hope all goes well with the surgery. Sometimes being well-hung is a drawback, huh?

Congratulations, thinksnow! Now, you should be able to deep-throat with no problems at all!

Hats off to you :smiley:

i had my tonsils and ads out when i was a kiddie chair. i whispered a demand for ice cream as soon as i awoke. i couldn’t talk for a week; and the spitting… oy.

so, where should i send the ben and jerry’s sorbet?

I’d offer to come and take care of ya, but I suspect you’ll need your rest after the surgery. :smiley:

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes. Geo, if you really want to make a trip of it, you could come out for OhDope and stay for my time of need…I’ve got an unlimited food budget, plenty of movies, dial-up + a fast computer and, well, I’ll still have the pair that matters and I always heard that activity is good for recovery!

If all else fails, my mommy has offered to come down and take care of me, but that really doesn’t seem as fun. :frowning:

Don’t tempt me, big fella. You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.

Bring it on, girl. I’ll be drugged, anyway, so you might actually be able to keep up :wink:

[sub]Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t have said that. I’d hate for you to take advantage of me in my defenseless state…sponge baths and fluffing (my pillow, that is.)[/sub]