I’m sick of the recurrent tonsillitis I suffer from. I am considering asking my doctor about a tonsillectomy (I’m 51 years old). Would like to hear of any of your experiences with this operation as an adult.
Sorry Jill, but most of us who are sans tonsils had them out when we were wee tackers. I’ve never heard of anyone getting them out after the age of 10…and even that was considered mature-aged at the time!!
However, I thought the protocol was that three attacks of tonsillitis within a 12 month frame was considered grounds for removal, regardless of age. But don’t forget that tonsillitis is not the diagnosis for every single sore-throat. It must include swelling and pustulence on the tonsils themselves for a definitive diagnosis…as well as fever and all the other goodies that come with a nasty bacterial infection.
How do you fare with the lurgy?
I am soon going to have my tonsils taken out because of sleep apnea… Somehow the only nervous thought that occured to me “What if I miss them?”
I don’t think many of us who are old enough to have had them out as wee nippers miss 'em, groman. Something’s are better out than left in.
Yeah but you didn’t live close to a quarter century with them in before they were out, have you? Honestly I have the same aprehension about having my appendix removed if there ever is a need. I don’t know, is that… weird that I think about that?
No, it’s not weird. But if, say, I needed to have my adenoids out now (I’m 42) I would. The only icky part is actually having to go to hospital, which I’d not be too thrilled with, but yeah. I’d have the op.
As for the appendix – same would apply. If it got to be that it needed to come out – I’d be signing the consent forms in a flash.
Well first and foremost, you being 42, the chances of you still having your adenoids are slim to none. If they survive to adulthood they like to cause problems and get taken out. But yeah, I’ll do any procedure that is reasonable and the doctor gives me a compelling arugment for having it done. But it is still a completely irreversible procedure that physically removes a living part of you that has been with you (even if it’s causing problems) all of your life. That’s why I’m never getting a circumcision 
These days, here in NZ, doctors will do anything (it seems) not to go whipping body parts out of people unless it’s really necessary. Kids with recurring sore throats are just treated with antibiotics. Their tonsils remain intact. For adults, it’d be pretty much the same.
Sometimes, though, for varying reasons, we just don’t reach the end of life’s road as intact as when we started out. It’s a shame, but that’s sometimes the way it is.
I like your attitude though, groman. Question the beggers with the sharp knives every step of the way, man! 
Hi JillGat!
Had mine out at age 21 (after one night I pulled over 50 of those nasty smelling white lumps out of my mouth that said “Hmmm…maybe I should see a doctor.”). Laser surgery, outpatient clinic. Mom drove me to her house where I stayed for about a week. Throat hurt, of course, but the drugs were adequate I recall. I remember starving myself for a week - just liquids (broth and tea) and I think I remember eating a lot of italian sorbet, but no real solid food because of the pain. I started to bleed after coughing one day and had to take a quick trip to the doctors office (not emergency room) and had an unpleasant quick fix applied - he rubbed a sulpher stick in my throat. Ever suck on a match? Same thing. The taste didn’t leave for a full day. I think I had to not eat or drink anything at all for the rest of that day. I lost some weight due to not eating for a solid week, but was able to introduce oatmeal, etc after 7 days and was normal by the end of week 2. On serious pain meds for 3 or 4 days, then Tylenol for the rest. As with other surgeries and recovery I just diverted my attention - we rented over 30 movies and that week went by fairly quickly. But yeah, plan on at least 4 days of no fun and lots of pampering.
Good luck-
-Tcat
I had mine taken out about 2 years ago when I was 32. Best decision I ever made, I was getting bad tonsillitis 4 or 5 times a year at least, along with what seemed a lower tolerance for figthing off colds etc.
As for the op. itself. I was in hospital overnight, had about 10 days off work. Generally the aftermath was not too bad. I had some slight bleeding after about 7 days which lasted an hour.
A few survival tips: warm tea, heat packs and soluble pain killers are great. Get a humidifier for your sleeping area.
I’m scheduled for two weeks, three days (and counting) out… I’m 32. In addition to the recurrent infections, I started getting tonsil stones (ugh!) and my sleep patterns started getting all screwy because I was snoring. One of my coworkers (I would guess him to be in his early forties) had his out last week, and I’m looking forward to grilling him for information when he returns to work. Both of us have scheduled two weeks off.
Here’s what the surgical nurse told me to expect from an adult tonsillectomy:
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Minimum 2 week recovery time. Ten of those days will be spent on your back to reduce the chance for bleeding. Don’t expect to feel totally “right” for about a month.
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The first three days are awful. The next three are okay. The three after that are excruciating, as in addition to the sore throat you’ll have significant ear pain.
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The stuff they tell you about all the ice cream you can eat? Bollocks. They actually tell you to stay far, far away from any dairy product, as it coats the throat and increases mucous production. You also can’t have anything that involves sucking- no popsicles, no drinks with straws, no hard candy.
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You must do everything within your power to drink constantly. Apparently dehydration is a big concern, and very hazardous.
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Do NOT wait the prescribed amount of time between painkillers. If they say every four hours, take the next one at 3.5 hours. Getting rid of the pain is harder than preventing it.
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Expect to cough/throw up blood, especially after a week or so as the scabs come off. This has to be monitored really closely, as adults have a greater chance of bleeding out.
Everyone I’ve talked to has said that the recovery was a bitch, but that it was the best thing they’ve ever done. I work with kids, which we know are nothing but walking petri dishes, and I think I’ve been sick for about a year straight. I’m looking forward to at least narrowing down the chances for infection.
Well, I wasn’t an adult, but I was a teenager and I remember most of the details. bobkitty pretty much described it accurately. Ice cream is just a myth and my throat hurt too much for that, and even for popsicles. It was water only for me for a while.
I don’t remember actually -suffering- (felt like a sore throat for the most part) except when I swallowed. It was a chore to drink the prescribed daily gallon of water, and the liquid painkiller I took was actually very irritating and I had to dilute it.
It was very much worth it. Prior to the operation, it seemed I was down half the time with tonsillitis, and afterwards, I didn’t get a sore throat for many years.
I had mine out when I was in my early teens, I think about 14. The worst part for me was the actual procedure, which was done under local anaesthesia. Supposedly that’s safer since you are less likely to choke. But it was nasty and I was very scared. I swore I felt the whole thing. The doctors told my parents that could not possibly have been the case; I was just experiencing tugging sensations. Several years later, my dentist had lots of trouble numbing my lower jaw for a deep filling, and said I must have especially deep nerves in that area. So I still think it’s possible I wasn’t properly numbed for the tonsillectomy.
I also think that had I been told what to expect I would have been less terrified, but in those days doctors didn’t think they had to explain anything to anybody. Also I don’t recall having any kid of sedative or calming meds, which would have been a good thing.
Anyway, I’m sure that procedures are much better now. As far as recovery, I recall having quite the sore throat for a few days, but do not recall having any serious pain relieving meds, nor do I recall any excruciating pain. Certainly not as bad as, say, a toothache or a bad sinus infection. Of course, that was back in the day before Tylenol and Advil, and I’m sure they would not have given aspirin because of the chance of increased bleeding.
I had a combination of 4 surgeries to help with sleep apnea 2 years ago. They were tonsils and adenoids out, uvulaplasty (throat reshaped and uvula removed) and a deviated septum corrected. The surgeon said that it would likely be my most painful experience ever. I didn’t think it was that bad although I was -bed-bound for two weeks and couldn’t really eat anything for 5 days.
Adult tonsillectomies are known to be much worse than their juvenile counterparts. There is also the risk of sudden, intense bleeding that may require emergency surgery to stop it. I wouldn’t take it lightly and you will likely have to take most of the week off but I survived that plus much more just fine.
Is laser surgery the norm for this now?
I’m considering it too, for the same reasons you noted. Nasty stones.
My brother had his tonsils, adenoids and uvula removed along with a fix to his deviated septum at 23. He was sick for most of three weeks and lost 40 pounds.
The pain pills they gave him were larger than the opening to his esophagus.
Had mine out at the age of 18, after years of chronic strep infections and tonsilitis. I was out of commission for about two weeks, and the pain was excruciating – Vicodin did absolutely nothing to help it. But I healed up after about 3 weeks and haven’t had a strep infection in the throat since then, so on balance I’d say it was worth it.
My BIL had his tonsils out a couple of years ago; he was probably 29 or 30. Before he had them out, he would get serious strep throat or other illnesses 3-4 times a year. He no longer has that problem and feels much better.
Good og, I had no idea tonsillectomies were performed on adults. Last I heard it was strictly a little kid’s thing ( I had mine out when I was 5) – if you went through childhood with them, chances were you’d have them for life.
I can’t cite at the moment, but I also remember hearing or reading somewhere that the reason why tonsillectomies were rarely performed on adult women was because tonsils had something to do with hormonal regulation. I very well could be wrong…anyone ever hear something similar?
IANAD, but I cannot imagine how in the world tonsils could possibly be related to hormonal function. If they were, it would also apply to men, wouldn’t it? I mean, they have hormones, too.