On the Tonsillectomy

Wow. It's been quite a while. I created this blog mainly to deal with the anxiety leading up to my surgery. Now that I have recuperated, I have been spending more time with my kids and taking care of my home. I haven't been thinking much about the web. It is such an amazing difference - how I feel now versus how I felt before the surgery. Now I don't know why I waited so long to do that!

Some of you have been asking me what the tonsillectomy was like. Believe it or not, it was much worse than the hysterectomy! It is definitely true that doing it as an adult is hell. The first week was semi-okay. It was sore but more like a standard sore throat. The second week was absolutely horrid! The scabs fell off about 7 or 8 days post-op, and it was like my world was toppled. For the first week, cold food and drinks like Popsicles and Gatorade went down easy, so I was able to stay hydrated and get some energy. I also only needed pain medication every 4-6 hours, and it was well-managed.

All that changed after those darn scabs fell off. Cold was suddenly extremely painful. I couldn't eat anything at all, and only lukewarm liquids such as tea and broth were tolerable. And the pain! Oh, it was bad! My husband called the doctor and got a revised schedule for my pain meds. Between the (liquid) Percocet and something called "magic mouthwash" (a combination of diphenhydramine, lidocaine, and an antacid), I was taking something for pain every hour. Yes, every hour. And it still was not fully under control. This may be cliche, but the pain was maddening. I've never had pain that was so disconcerting. The chronic pelvic pain that led to the hysterectomy was awful, don't get me wrong, but when your throat hurts that bad, it really gets to you fast.

Even with all that pain, if I had it to do over again, I would still go through with the tonsillectomy. I haven't had anything catch in my throat since the surgery, and I haven't had my throat swell to the point it was hard to breathe. Granted, it's only 3.5 months out, but I had something catch and cause swelling at least every other week. It was definitely worth it.

By the way, did anyone else notice that I seem to have written my best while under the influence of Percocet...?