I Had My Tonsils Taken Out

On the fifteenth of December, I was set to get my tonsils taken out (tonsillectomy). It was all very up in the air as to if I was actually going to get the surgery or not, as the date had been changed three or four times in the lead up. The fifteenth came around and it seemed everything would be going ahead. Though a few plans had to be canceled with ten days to recover for Christmas, this seemed like the best option and so I decided to just get on with it and get them out.

The first thing I will say about this whole ordeal is that everyone's experience will be different. In reality this surgery is simple enough and done so much that their really is no need to worry about the procedure itself, it's the recovery that can cause problems. Like I say, it's different for everyone, some take three days to recover, some take two weeks, others it takes months. Secondly, I would like to thank our amazing (overworked and underpaid, but still incredible, despite everything they get put through) NHS staff and services that made my experience the best it possibly could have been.

I went into Salisbury district hospital on the fifteenth of December 2018. The whole thing was pretty good. I got signed in and had to fill in lots of forms, making sure that I was fit and healthy enough to have the surgery with no complications. I then met the surgeon and he told me how the day would go. I would wait for a couple of hours and then head to a room where the nurses would put me to sleep. I'd then have the surgery mid-morning and finally be left to recover for a couple of hours while they checked I was all good to go home.

I waited with my boyfriend in a little room for a few hours and we played cards to keep me distracted (thanks Joey). A nurse came out and took me to a room where I was asked to lay on a bed and relax. A lovely lady put a cannula in my arm and attached me to a drip of medicated water. The nurses chatted to me about Toronto and my course as this was being sorted out and at this point I was feeling okay about everything. They took my blood pressure and heart rate, made sure I knew why I was there and then they put in some anti-sickness, so I could eat once I woke up and a drug to make me chill before they put me to sleep. Then they put a gas and air mask over my mouth and injected the anesthetic. I don't remember anything after that.

The next thing I know, I'm being wheeled into the recovery room in the fetal position and having an oxygen mask being stuffed in my face. At this point, I have to admit I didn't feel fantastic, but I was also just very confused. I asked for my mum, but she wasn't allowed to see me until much later once I was out of recovery.

I was there for around three hours and then finally once I had, had a drink of water, a slice of bread, and a wee at around six o'clock. I was allowed to go home. Walking after anethetic is super strange. I was incredibly giggly and wobbly on my feet and my mum had to hold my hand to keep me stable, but in general, I was okay.

I got home and for the next few days I was feeling good. Though my throat was sore, I could walk around and eat without much of a problem... It was mostly just like a bad bout of tonsillitis. Nevertheless, I kept taking my tablets and followed all the instructions that I had been given, such as eating normally and getting up and about the house. On day 5, I noticed something strange on my right tonsil; a strange dark gash-like structure appeared out of the blue. It started to hurt and by day 6 I was in the worst pain I have ever experienced. The worst bit came in the evening when I sat with my Mum and Dad and cried for an hour straight. I thought at this point it was just the scabs peeling off the wounds, which makes sense and I had read lots online about the pain getting worse at this point. I finally fell asleep at 12:30 and woke up at 1:30 AM with such bad pain I just sat and zoned out as I stared at the end of the bed waiting until I could take my meds at 2:30. I headed downstairs at 5:30 and tried to distract myself by watching Netflix.

When my mum and dad woke up, they came downstairs to check I was okay. I said to mum I felt I could feel the scabs peeling off and she had a look in my throat. She looked shocked and I panicked and I, of course, asked what it was. She didn't tell me how bad it was, but she had seen a huge blood clot on my right tonsil. I started to feel dizzy and sick and mum rushed me to A&E to have it checked out.

Well it turned out that I had contracted an infection, which had caused bleeding and the clot. I began to throw up blood and the doctors started to get very worried. They had put a cannula in my arm and started feeding me antibiotics (non-penicillin, as I'm allergic) and morphine straight away. The morphine helped the pain, stopped me worrying, and made me feel super wavy... Yeah the morphine would have to be the best part of this experience. I also was not able to eat or drink just in case the doctors had to operate again. I was sent to a bed and was monitored all day. Every two hours I gargled Hydrogen Peroxide to try and dislodge and seal the blood clot.

I did have to stay the night and the nurses were wonderful changing my drip, feeding me antibiotics and paid meds whenever I needed them. In the middle of that night, I gargled and the blood clot dislodged (YAY) and I spat it out. (ew)

The next morning, I was feeling 100 times better and managed to eat a piece of toast and a cup of tea! The ear, nose, and throat team came and checked my throat and told me I was all good to go home.

My mum came to get me and I was discharged within a few hours. I was sent home with lots of antibiotics and pain relief. Sadly the codeine they give you makes you constipated, so don't panic if that happens to you (sorry).

It's been two weeks now and I have to say this whole experience was slightly traumatising, but, also, I think it will be incredibly handy not to be getting ill every month because of my tonsils. Though it was seven days of hell, I would say it was worth it from the amount of pain I was in with the tonsils.

If you're going to get yours taken out, I hope this has helped prepare you for what you're about to go through. Don't be scared, it's pain that can be managed with the right care.

I'm not a doctor, but from my experience here are my top tips for a Tonsillectomy:

1. Get ice cream and pain relief BEFORE you go to the hospital .

2. Don't make plans until at least a week after the surgery, you will regret it.

2. If the pain gets worse after day 6 to the point where you can't talk or you see a visibly darkened patch on the tonsil, like a gash, go to A&E. It's better if you bleed at the hospital rather than at home.

3. EAT SOLID FOOD AS SOON AS YOU GET HOME. This will help the healing process and prevent infection and bleeding.

4. Have someone at home to help you out and be ready to look after you.

5. Don't let your partner near your mouth, because your breath will be the worst thing they have ever smelt.

6. Crushed ICE.

7. Lip balm.

8. DON'T LOOK at them straight away, it'll make the pain worse

9. Be prepared to lose weight... I lost 5 pounds during this whole ordeal.

These were my tonsils before my operation.

The Cannula in My Hand

Just After the Op

The beginnings of the infection can be seen on the left tonsil.

Just Before I Went Back Into Hospital

Drip Fed Antibiotics

GROSS... But Two Weeks Later and Almost Fully Recovered!

GROSS... but two weeks later and almost fully recovered!