11th February 2007
I am a 23 year old male in the US. I had a tonsillectomy and septoplasty/turbinate reduction done together on 2-7-07. The tonsillectomy was done to clear up a fairly annoying battle with tonsilloths (tonsil stones) and the septoplasty was done to repair a deviated septum that I've had as long as I could remember.
Surgery Day
I was scheduled for a 7:30AM surgery and had to check in at 5:30AM. Not exactly fun, but I was a bit restless the night before/early morning of the surgery so I wasn't too tired.
Some stats about me: No chronic illnesses. No past serious illnesses. No past surgeries. Generally healthy. Normal weight with fairly regular exercise, usually cardio. Don't smoke or drink.
I remember getting an IV inserted and I was out a couple minutes later. I remember waking up in the recovery room. The total surgery took about 3 hours.
Time spent in the recovery room was uneventful. Other than being extremely thirsty and sleepy I didn't feel too bad. A nurse gave me ice chips and I did feel like throwing up but managed to hold it in. Aafter about 45 minutes in recovery they moved me to a different room and gave me a Sprite. I promptly threw up some blood that I had ingested from the tonsillectomy. It wasn't too much and I felt better immediately after.
The nurse gave me something for the nausea and kept wanting to give me something for the pain, but to be truthful it wasn't that bad, so I declined any pain killers.
I was back home by 1:30 PM. I could talk easily and my throat was only mildly sore. I was given Roxicet (liquid Tylenol and oxycodone, I think), amoxicillin, and sucralate.
I generally felt fine that day and actually had KFC for dinner (chicken, mashed potatoes and a biscuit). The septoplasty wasn't painful at all. I do have splints in my nose but other than the feeling of congestion it is fine.
I haven't taken any of the Roxicet since the pain hasn't been that bad. Drinking water at regular time intervals really lessens the throat pain.
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Post Op- Day 1
Slept fairly well. Pain was very manageable. Ate mainly soft foods such as puddings, oatmeal, and bananas. Not the most fulfilling foods but it's a start.
The only medication I've decided to take is the amoxicillin since an infection would be a very bad idea. I have no desire to take any of the Roxicet and probably won't.
I was a little constipated from the general anesthesia so I took a bit of Milk of Magnesia and was fine. I did drink a bit of Metamucil to get some fiber in my diet.
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Post Op-Day 2
More of the same. Slept well. Throat pain is the same. It's worse when I wake up since I have to breathe through my mouth which dries me out a bit, but drinking some water solves the problem along with some over the counter Tylenol caplets. I'm a bit surprised I'm able to eat/swallow fairly easily.
Decided to have KFC again for dinner. I eat slower than normal, but the food is going down.
Breathing through my mouth is the only downside due to the nasal splints but I should have them out in a week which will be a big relief.
I felt fairly good and went for a walk outside.
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Post Op-Day 3
Fairly uneventful. Had Wendy's chicken nuggets and a baked potato for lunch and took a long nap. Otherwise, I decided to come to school and study a bit since I had nothing to do and felt pretty good overall.
My throat pain is surprisingly manageable with simple over the counter Tylenol. I haven't had any problems with throat bleeding as well so I'm happy about that. I don't forsee myself using any of the Roxicet I was prescribed, and considering the cost, I am a little annoyed.
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Most important things I have discovered:
-Drink water/fluids often. This is the best way to lessen any pain.
-Force yourself to eat. Your body needs the nutrition to function properly. Just chew thoroughly and it shouldn't be a problem.
-Everyone has different pain tolerance. Reading through some of the posts on the board, I expected something horrific in terms of pain, when in actuality, it's no worse than a moderate sore throat. Take this into consideration if deciding on whether to have the surgery.
Surgery Day
I was scheduled for a 7:30AM surgery and had to check in at 5:30AM. Not exactly fun, but I was a bit restless the night before/early morning of the surgery so I wasn't too tired.
Some stats about me: No chronic illnesses. No past serious illnesses. No past surgeries. Generally healthy. Normal weight with fairly regular exercise, usually cardio. Don't smoke or drink.
I remember getting an IV inserted and I was out a couple minutes later. I remember waking up in the recovery room. The total surgery took about 3 hours.
Time spent in the recovery room was uneventful. Other than being extremely thirsty and sleepy I didn't feel too bad. A nurse gave me ice chips and I did feel like throwing up but managed to hold it in. Aafter about 45 minutes in recovery they moved me to a different room and gave me a Sprite. I promptly threw up some blood that I had ingested from the tonsillectomy. It wasn't too much and I felt better immediately after.
The nurse gave me something for the nausea and kept wanting to give me something for the pain, but to be truthful it wasn't that bad, so I declined any pain killers.
I was back home by 1:30 PM. I could talk easily and my throat was only mildly sore. I was given Roxicet (liquid Tylenol and oxycodone, I think), amoxicillin, and sucralate.
I generally felt fine that day and actually had KFC for dinner (chicken, mashed potatoes and a biscuit). The septoplasty wasn't painful at all. I do have splints in my nose but other than the feeling of congestion it is fine.
I haven't taken any of the Roxicet since the pain hasn't been that bad. Drinking water at regular time intervals really lessens the throat pain.
-------------------------------------------------------
Post Op- Day 1
Slept fairly well. Pain was very manageable. Ate mainly soft foods such as puddings, oatmeal, and bananas. Not the most fulfilling foods but it's a start.
The only medication I've decided to take is the amoxicillin since an infection would be a very bad idea. I have no desire to take any of the Roxicet and probably won't.
I was a little constipated from the general anesthesia so I took a bit of Milk of Magnesia and was fine. I did drink a bit of Metamucil to get some fiber in my diet.
--------------------------------------------------------
Post Op-Day 2
More of the same. Slept well. Throat pain is the same. It's worse when I wake up since I have to breathe through my mouth which dries me out a bit, but drinking some water solves the problem along with some over the counter Tylenol caplets. I'm a bit surprised I'm able to eat/swallow fairly easily.
Decided to have KFC again for dinner. I eat slower than normal, but the food is going down.
Breathing through my mouth is the only downside due to the nasal splints but I should have them out in a week which will be a big relief.
I felt fairly good and went for a walk outside.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Post Op-Day 3
Fairly uneventful. Had Wendy's chicken nuggets and a baked potato for lunch and took a long nap. Otherwise, I decided to come to school and study a bit since I had nothing to do and felt pretty good overall.
My throat pain is surprisingly manageable with simple over the counter Tylenol. I haven't had any problems with throat bleeding as well so I'm happy about that. I don't forsee myself using any of the Roxicet I was prescribed, and considering the cost, I am a little annoyed.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Most important things I have discovered:
-Drink water/fluids often. This is the best way to lessen any pain.
-Force yourself to eat. Your body needs the nutrition to function properly. Just chew thoroughly and it shouldn't be a problem.
-Everyone has different pain tolerance. Reading through some of the posts on the board, I expected something horrific in terms of pain, when in actuality, it's no worse than a moderate sore throat. Take this into consideration if deciding on whether to have the surgery.