9th February 2007
I just had both procedures done together on Feb 7, 2007.
The entire surgery took approximately 3 hours (730AM TO 1030AM) and was done under general anesthesia.
I am a 23 year old male and am in relatively good health. Non-smoker/drinker. Not overweight and no chronic illnesses or past serious illnesses.
The surgery itself was fairly routine. According to my ENT, he tried a newer technique with the tonsillectomy and this caused the tonsillectomy to take a bit longer than normal. He used sutures to close the wound site and I can feel them on one side. They will dissolve in a few days.
The septoplasty/turbinate reduction was routine and presented no problems. He used splints to keep my septum in place. No need for packing.
Post surgery I felt okay. Just very thirsty. They wouldn't give me water in the recovery room, only ice, which was fine by me. I spent about 45 minutes in the recovery room and then went to a different floor where they gave me some Sprite. After a few sips I did throw up a bit, mainly just Sprite and blood that got ingested during the tonsillectomy. After I threw up, I felt much better. I spent another hour or so in the post-op recovery room.
The nurse wanted to give me something for the pain, but to be truthful, the pain wasn't too bad. Basically like a sore throat. I'm not too keen on taking narcotics in general. I went home at about 1:45 PM, along with my presciption for antibiotics, sucralate, and roxicet (acetominophen/oxycodone).
Post surgery, at home, I didn't feel too poor. I was talking and walking with no problems. My tongue was a little sore from the forceps that were used to keep it in place during the surgery, and the tonsil sites themselves were sore, which is to be expected.
I hadn't eaten in over 16 hours and was fairly hungry. I started off with some soft puddings and they went down fairly easily. I made sure to drink at least 500 mL of water every 1.5 hours.
For dinner, I managed to eat some KFC (original recipe) with mashed potatoes and a biscuit. Best meal of my life since I was starving. Taking small bites and chewing thoroughly prevented the pain from becoming an issue really.
I slept in an elevated position on and off without the use of pain medicaitons. Unless the pain is unbearable, I will not be taking the roxicet. I have been taking the antibiotics as prescribed, since an infection is nothing to laugh at.
Sleeping can be tough, since breathing through your mouth just dries it out and makes the wound sites more painful. Drinking water eases this though.
Post Op-Day 1
I got about 6 hours of sleep. Woke up had some cream of wheat with milk for breakfast. Dozed off again. Woke up and cleaned up and went for a walk outside with my mom. I felt pretty good overall. The throat is still sore but it feels like a typical sore throat one gets with a cold/flu. My septoplasty hasn't resulted in any pain. Just the feel of congestion since I have splints in each nostril and as a result can't blow away mucus/blood. I can only use Q-tips to clear away mucus that is around the opening.
For my other meals, I just had creamed soups with crackers and pudding. Nothing too tough. I made sure to continue drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day, specifically water. I do have apple juice in the fridge but I don't think I'm up to it yet.
Post Op Day 2
Slept for a little while. Woke up, showered and came to school to check my email and send some messages, and of course post this experience. The throat pain isn't too bad. No need for the roxicet and my nose doesn't really hurt.
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Overall, If you are planning on getting a septoplasty/tonsillectomy done, I'd recommend knocking them out in one surgery. The septoplasty is a fairly mild surgery in terms of pain. There really is only discomfort, mainly due to the splints and lack of nose blowing. The tonsillectomy is the more invasive surgery and although it is painful, it's not any worse than a sore throat, so far.
If you do have them both together, drinking fluids will be imperative, since you will be breathing through your mouth, possibly drying out your tonsil wound sites. Keep a water bottle by you and finish it off and refill at regular intervals.
I haven't taken any pain meds yet and have been able to eat fairly regularly. This will vary from person to person.
Constipation post surgery can be a problem. Narcotics can cause constipation. I haven't taken any in recovery but the general anesthesia did cause me to not have bowel movements for 2 days. Milk of magnesia will help. I needed one dose and I was able to go.
I haven't experienced any throat/ear pain, but have read that jaw inactivity can cause this. So chewing can ease this additional pain.
The entire surgery took approximately 3 hours (730AM TO 1030AM) and was done under general anesthesia.
I am a 23 year old male and am in relatively good health. Non-smoker/drinker. Not overweight and no chronic illnesses or past serious illnesses.
The surgery itself was fairly routine. According to my ENT, he tried a newer technique with the tonsillectomy and this caused the tonsillectomy to take a bit longer than normal. He used sutures to close the wound site and I can feel them on one side. They will dissolve in a few days.
The septoplasty/turbinate reduction was routine and presented no problems. He used splints to keep my septum in place. No need for packing.
Post surgery I felt okay. Just very thirsty. They wouldn't give me water in the recovery room, only ice, which was fine by me. I spent about 45 minutes in the recovery room and then went to a different floor where they gave me some Sprite. After a few sips I did throw up a bit, mainly just Sprite and blood that got ingested during the tonsillectomy. After I threw up, I felt much better. I spent another hour or so in the post-op recovery room.
The nurse wanted to give me something for the pain, but to be truthful, the pain wasn't too bad. Basically like a sore throat. I'm not too keen on taking narcotics in general. I went home at about 1:45 PM, along with my presciption for antibiotics, sucralate, and roxicet (acetominophen/oxycodone).
Post surgery, at home, I didn't feel too poor. I was talking and walking with no problems. My tongue was a little sore from the forceps that were used to keep it in place during the surgery, and the tonsil sites themselves were sore, which is to be expected.
I hadn't eaten in over 16 hours and was fairly hungry. I started off with some soft puddings and they went down fairly easily. I made sure to drink at least 500 mL of water every 1.5 hours.
For dinner, I managed to eat some KFC (original recipe) with mashed potatoes and a biscuit. Best meal of my life since I was starving. Taking small bites and chewing thoroughly prevented the pain from becoming an issue really.
I slept in an elevated position on and off without the use of pain medicaitons. Unless the pain is unbearable, I will not be taking the roxicet. I have been taking the antibiotics as prescribed, since an infection is nothing to laugh at.
Sleeping can be tough, since breathing through your mouth just dries it out and makes the wound sites more painful. Drinking water eases this though.
Post Op-Day 1
I got about 6 hours of sleep. Woke up had some cream of wheat with milk for breakfast. Dozed off again. Woke up and cleaned up and went for a walk outside with my mom. I felt pretty good overall. The throat is still sore but it feels like a typical sore throat one gets with a cold/flu. My septoplasty hasn't resulted in any pain. Just the feel of congestion since I have splints in each nostril and as a result can't blow away mucus/blood. I can only use Q-tips to clear away mucus that is around the opening.
For my other meals, I just had creamed soups with crackers and pudding. Nothing too tough. I made sure to continue drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day, specifically water. I do have apple juice in the fridge but I don't think I'm up to it yet.
Post Op Day 2
Slept for a little while. Woke up, showered and came to school to check my email and send some messages, and of course post this experience. The throat pain isn't too bad. No need for the roxicet and my nose doesn't really hurt.
------------------------------------
Overall, If you are planning on getting a septoplasty/tonsillectomy done, I'd recommend knocking them out in one surgery. The septoplasty is a fairly mild surgery in terms of pain. There really is only discomfort, mainly due to the splints and lack of nose blowing. The tonsillectomy is the more invasive surgery and although it is painful, it's not any worse than a sore throat, so far.
If you do have them both together, drinking fluids will be imperative, since you will be breathing through your mouth, possibly drying out your tonsil wound sites. Keep a water bottle by you and finish it off and refill at regular intervals.
I haven't taken any pain meds yet and have been able to eat fairly regularly. This will vary from person to person.
Constipation post surgery can be a problem. Narcotics can cause constipation. I haven't taken any in recovery but the general anesthesia did cause me to not have bowel movements for 2 days. Milk of magnesia will help. I needed one dose and I was able to go.
I haven't experienced any throat/ear pain, but have read that jaw inactivity can cause this. So chewing can ease this additional pain.