Days 9 & 10

I am getting a little better each day, and that is just so exciting!  Day 9 there was still some discomfort and I was on the extra strength acetaminophen throughout the day.  A tiny bit of throat pain and ear pain, but nothing to complain about really.  The part that bothers me is the swollen uvula and sounding like I have something in my throat.  I mean that uvula is huge!  I have been on a round of steroids so I thought that would've kept the swelling down.  I just hope that it shrinks a little each day.  I think being on the steroids has helped alleviate some of the pain.  I usually feel better about an hour after taking it in the morning.  I am completely off of any pain medicine day 10.  I am not even taking the acetaminophen.  I noticed myself trying to eat normal size bites at dinner and had a hard time swallowing.  I have to make a conscious effort to take small bites and swallow 'just right', so it actually goes down my throat. 

If I talk for a while my throat starts to feel strained.  That doesn't feel all that great, but I try to give my voice a break every so often.  Today was also the first day I did not take a nap.  I would say on day 10, I am living life as normal... just with a frog in my throat! 

Big lesson learned today - Sonic ice still feels good and helps me to stay hydrated since I still have to take such small sips... big gulps just don't make it down my throat. 

Days 7 & 8

Ok, so sleeping in the bed vs sleeping on the recliner in the living room.  As long as I am on the pain medicine, I almost find it easier to sleep in the recliner.  It's about an hour process to get my pain medicine, a fresh glass of ice, something to eat, and then taking the time to actually eat whatever it was.  And I do that while watching infomercials.  The closer to the kitchen, the better!  I did sleep in bed the past 2 nights, but I think everyone is sick of me taking over the living room! 

So on day 7 I took one dose of extra strength acetaminophen instead of Lortab.  That worked very well, but I was afraid to do it during the night and in the morning because those seem to be my most uncomfortable times.  And night 6 and the morning of day 7, along with day 7 evening and day 8 morning were by far my most uncomfortable.  I would say the morning of day 8 was my most uncomfortable.  I was having trouble getting the morning pain under control.  I took my Lortab and was eating it with toast and eggs.  The sharp pain in my throat and left ear sent me to the couch with an ice pack and some tea.  I gradually felt better, but I would say that may have been the peak point of pain for me.  Still not in tears, but a little more painful than I experienced the other days. 

When it was time for my next dose of pain medicine I took the extra strength acetaminophen and that lasted 7 hours.  I took a half dose right before eating pizza for dinner.  The pizza was good, went down easy, and I wasn't the last one at the table for an additional 30-45 minutes trying to get a full stomach.  It was Heaven!  I only took a 1/2 dose of the acetaminophen so that I could take a full dose before bed.  I would love to sleep through the night going into day 9! 

I tried to look in my throat tonight and wish I hadn't.  Gross!  And my Uvula (the punching bag thing) looks really swollen and looks like it's down as far as my tongue.  I think that's why I sound funny when I talk.  I still sound like I have phlegm in my throat.  However, I was able to brush ALL of my teeth.  I am still very careful when I get back towards the molars. 

We'll see how night 8 goes, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I have turned the corner! 

Big lesson learned today - Take the pain medicine before eating, that way you can eat real food without too much discomfort.  I started solid foods on day one... and could be one of the rare people that didn't lose weight (or maybe I even gained)!

Day 6

There is still not much new to report.  I am trying to spread my pain meds further apart, so the first half of the day I went 5 hours in between instead of 4.  The second part of the day I was going to do the same thing but I accidentally made it to 6 hours!  I started eating and noticed that my throat was hurting, but before that it felt great.

I also noticed a little scab when I spit in the sink today, but that was pretty anti-climactic. I thought I would be more excited than I was.  For me, this whole process is more about length of recovery rather than the pain associated with it.  I am ready to get back into the swing of daily living.  Although laying around in my pajamas all day has been quite nice!  My mom went home for the weekend, and my husband always needs to be doing something, which means the kids usually find me faster (especially if he's out running errands).  I got myself cleaned up, did some things around the kitchen and made lunch.  That's the most I've done all week, and I was wiped out!  I layed down and took a nap while he took the kids out. 

I've still been sleeping on the recliner in our living room, but tonight I am going to attempt sleeping in my bed for at least 1/2 of the night.  I will report in tomorrow to let you know how that goes.  It will be my first time using a humidifier through this whole ordeal.  When I woke up this morning I noticed I had been sleeping with my mouth open.  Ugh, can we say dry mouth!?!?   Maybe the humidifier will help with that if I happen to do it in my sleep tonight. 

So days 1 and 2 were the most uncomfortable for me, and days 3-6 have been a little uncomfortable with some associated pain when medicine is wearing off.  I still research every day to find out what may be in store for me the following day (or 2).  I usually read through all sorts of reader comments on http://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/  I'm sure if you've found my website, surely you've come across Greg's already!  With so many people that have gone through this or are going through it, you would think there would be tshirts available saying 'I survived an adult tonsillectomy'!  Hmmmm, what other sayings could we come up with for this experience?!

Big lesson learned today - Nothing compares to Sonic ice!  My sweet husband ran out and got some for me today!

Days 4 & 5

I am combining these 2 days together because really there has been no change.  For me, days 4 and 5 are about the same as day 3.  As long as I keep up with my medicine I am fine.  Really, the mornings are the worst.  And when I say worst, it's really not that bad.  Even though I am keeping up with my pain medicine throughout the night, I still have discomfort in the morning until I can get a fresh dose of Lortab and some ice chips.  I'm thinking the morning discomfort is a combination of not staying very well hydrated all night and needing my steroid medicine in the morning.  During the night I stay awake for about an hour after I take my medicine during this time I eat something and chew on ice chips.  Then I go to sleep for about 2-3 hours, but this is when my throat must get dried out.  I am making a conscious effort to keep my mouth closed while I sleep though.

The one thing that threw me off was snoring!  I have never been a snorer ~ UNTIL NOW!  One of my morning naps was pretty much continuously interrupted by my constant snoring.  I kept waking myself up!  I think it goes back to the mucous/phlegm build up.  Last night I don't remember snoring, so I'm pretty confident it's just a temporary thing and part of the recovery.  I sure hope it's temporary, or I may find myself sleeping on the couch more often (but not by choice). 

Today my mom made me a scrambled egg and a piece of toast.  Let me tell you.. it was delicious!  I think that's what I will have for  dinner tonight too.  I even ate the crust of the toast.  Some people may think I'm crazy, but I really am taking such small bites and chewing it really well.  It's soft by the time I swallow it. 

Be careful when using your voice.  Maybe you won't need to worry about this if you don't have kids.  Yesterday I needed to raise my voice (as much as one can in a froggy tone) and felt like I really strained it.  So I put myself on voice rest the remainder of the day yesterday.  Today I'm back to talking and I sound about the same.

I'm hesitant to say this because I don't want to jinx myself.  I am glad I had the surgery.  If this is the worst that I will feel during the recovery, I'm good with that.  Days 1 and 2 were the worst for me, and even they weren't 'I'm in tears' sort of days.  The only time I got tears was when the nurse told me I looked nervous before I was even put to sleep!  For those of you out there that are scared, or questioning whether or not to proceed with the surgery, I say go for it.  Don't let the horror stories get to you.  Like everyone says, stay well hydrated and keep up with your pain medicine.  Also, the steroid and antibiotic may have been helpful for me too.  I'm figuring maybe another week of this for a lifetime of no tonsil stones... well worth it!

The big lesson learned today - You may become a snorer (is that even a word) during your recovery!

Frogger (Day 3)

 

 

I know it was driving my husband crazy to sit there and wait for me to write down a long drawn out answer or to explain something.  So when I started talking on Day 3, I could not wait to tell him (via text of course, but only because he was at work).  And when I say talking, I mean a soft, phlegm in your throat, straining sort of talk.  I made a conscious effort to do this.  I was tired of writing things down too.  So when I sent him a text saying that 'I'm using my words' (which is what we always tell our 5 & 6 years old to do) he writes back to me and says... ribbit.  Can you believe that!  I just didn't know that he would know I would sound like that.  How did he know!?  I guess that's how I sounded right after the surgery.  It's okay though, it made me laugh. 

 

I could be crazy for thinking this, but I feel like talking is helping to work the muscles back there and is helping me drink fluids a little better.  Because after I started talking I felt like I was able to take sips throughout the day.  Very small sips, but hey, it's progress! 

 

I have to say, things went pretty smooth during the night, and this was a good day for the most part.  The hardest part seems to be taking the meds.  They taste pretty nasty and the Lortab burns!  Showers feel really good and help to loosen some of the mucous and I am still blowing my nose.  I put the tip of my tongue to the middle of the roof of my mouth.  For some reason that's how I can get that phlegm to go from my throat area and out my nose.  I'm still eating the same sort of foods, but I have added prune juice to my liquid consumption.  Yes, the pain medicine that I am taking puts a hault on the elimination process.  Without going into too much personal detail, I am still working out this kink.  

 

So far, my schedule looks something like this:

• Take pain medicine
• Eat to avoid an upset stomach
• Nap, watch tv, play on phone, just something to pass the time
• Watch the clock to see when I can take my next dose (not really because I'm in pain, but because I'm scheduling my meals around my pain medicine)

Is it bad that I like being in my pajamas all day long!  I forgot to mention before now about brushing teeth.  I had not read too much about this in my pre op research.  I do remember when I used to get horrible tonsilitis that I was never able to open my mouth very wide.  And sure enough, I am having that problem after the surgery.  I am not able to brush my back teeth because I'm too paranoid I will bump the wound.  I do the best I can and try not to get too close when I talk to anyone.  I already have a bad taste in my mouth, and not being able to brush well does not help! I thought about chewing some gum today, but I might wait another day or two.  For dinner I added mashed potatoes to my menu. 

The big lesson learned today - Showers and talking make me feel like a human being again!

 

 

 

  

Day 2

 

Beautiful flowers sent from my In-Laws!

Today I begin what I consider to be a pretty heavy duty drug regimen.  Steroid in the morning, Antibiotic 3 times a day, along with my pain medicine.  I will tell you that I DO NOT like to take prescription medicine.  I always prefer to go a more natural route to recovery.  This time however, I am doing as the doctor ordered.  Besides, I'm hoping that these medicines will help to get rid of the mucous.  Yes, it is still there! 

Today my mom and my husband both had to call the Dr.'s office to get an answer for me.  The Lortab is not doing what I thought it would do.  By the time it starts working, I may nap for a little bit, but the medicine starts to wear off and I'm watching the clock to see when I can take another dose.  Their answer... Take a full dose (1 tsp) every 4 hours.  Done, I'll try it!  What a difference that made in allowing me to get some sleep!  The Dr.'s office also said I could take Ibuprofen in between... wait... huh?  Take something that could thin the blood?  No thanks, I'll pass.  Since the full dose usually wore off around the 4 hour mark, I figured I could handle it and not need to worry about taking Ibuprofen. 

These first 2 days for me seemed to be opposite of what most people say.  I read a lot of people thinking days 1 & 2 were the easiest.  I thought they were pretty tough.  The discomfort of the mucous, the pain at the surgery site, and the realization that this is how things were going to be for a few weeks.  Not a fun first 2 days.  One thing I do remember reading about but for some reason I didn't think it would happen to me... liquids going up the nose.  I could only eat ice chips today to stay hydrated because even drinking my medicine was proving to be a challenge.  This is going to take some experimenting and practice. 

It did not take long for me to get tired of eating jello and Popsicles.  Today I had a little bit of a waffle, some mac and cheese and potato broccoli bites.  When I was doing my own research, I read about quite a few people from the UK being encouraged to eat as normal to try and 'slough' away some of the scabbing.  I liked this school of thought and figured if I can eat, I will.  Besides, I don't do well when I don't eat.  Around our house we call it 'hangry'.  Being angry because you're hungry!  Food tastes SOOOO good!

I did not talk AT ALL today, and writing everything down is getting very old.  My dad came for a visit this evening, but I was not good company.  Not a big deal because he understood, but I just felt blah.  I didn't nap during my last dose of medicine and I think that's why.  Nap when you can!  For some reason I was looking forward to catching up on some shows that I had missed and was ready to get another night of sleep (or lack of) behind me.  So when my mom and my husband were ready to call it a night, I was too! 

The big lesson learned today - liquids may go up your nose instead of down your throat!

And Just Like That... They're Gone!

After I created this blog I didn't check back for quite a few days.  I caught a virus of some sort from my kids.  I didn't know if I was going to be able to go in for my surgery on April 1st.  Am I the only crazy person that would even schedule a surgery on April Fools Day?  I voluntarily did that!  Anyway, on the Friday before my surgery the ENT called in a steroid and antibiotic prescription to take care of the virus.  I also had last minute pre op errands and jitters to deal with, but more importantly I wanted to enjoy a nice Easter weekend.  Easter evening, my mom came home with us and that's when it all started to hit me.  I drove her around in the evening so she would know how to get to the kids' schools, made up a medicine chart, a daily schedule for the household and we reviewed meals.  I wanted things to be stress free for her because she was doing us such a huge favor by coming to help out for 2 weeks!  We have to let her go home on the weekend though... I think she deserves a break!

Something woke me up at 2:30 in the morning (ummm nerves maybe) and I did not go back to sleep before needing to get ready at 5:30.  We had to be at the hospital at 6:15 for a 7:30 surgery.  I won't bore you with the details of all that.  If you want to know more specifics about check in, surgery and all that I would be happy to tell you, but it was uneventful.  The faster they give you a 'cocktail' to calm your nerves, the better.  I was scared.  Not about the surgery itself, but the recovery.  And I was worried I was going to throw up from the anaesthesia.  However, I told them about my fear, and they said they would be giving me anti-nausea via iv!  And then just like that... they were gone.  I woke up to them saying my name.  I could muster up a few froggy sounding words, but I think I was repeating myself.  They gave me a Popsicle which was a little difficult to eat but I didn't care because it tasted so good.  Then they gave me a can of Ginger Ale and sent me home before I even had a chance to finish it.  Move 'em in, move 'em out!

I do remember the nurse asking my pain level on a scale of 1-10 after having the pain medicine and I told her a 2.  She said I was doing great, so I thought I had this thing in the bag!  I got home and started having ice chips right away.  I was ready for eating and drinking.  I know I was keeping myself hydrated because I went to the bathroom quite a bit.  I think on that first day I managed to eat a muffin, a (dairy free) yogurt, popsicle cut into smaller pieces, and jello. 

Through the night, I was lonely and wishing I had someone there with me.  My mom had to get up early the next day to run the house, and my husband had to get up for work.  I can't possibly expect either one of them to keep an eye on me.  I stayed downstairs on the couch (recliner).  I didn't have much interest in watching tv, but had it on for background noise.  The evening was a cycle of pain medicine, eat, sleep.  Doesn't sound too bad, right?  I was doing a 1/2 dose of pain medicine every 3 hours because a full dose every 6 was leaving me in pain around the 4 hour mark.  Taking it every 3 I only had to be in pain for the last hour.  I did not need to set an alarm to wake up for my meds, because the discomfort was enough to wake me up.  I decided that the next day would require a phone call to the doctor to get a stronger pain medicine.  I was getting tired of eating jello and applesauce (as others have said) does not feel good.  It took me a while to eat, but I would try to eat at least some, because I didn't not want to get sick from taking pain medicine on an empty stomach.  I sure was glad when the night was over!  A 3 hour schedule of medicine is no fun at all. 

Some important things that I noted on that first day coming home from surgery. 

• I was so full of mucous!  It made swallowing very difficult, and there were times I didn't think I would even be able to swallow my own saliva.  Somehow during the night I figured out a way to blow my nose to get some of it out.  Scary because in the back of my mind I was worried about the surgery sight bleeding, but I did it anyway.  I was desperate to be Phlegm free!
• I was talking when I came home from the hospital, but as the day wore on and the mucous was building up, I stopped trying to talk.  I was communicating by writing on paper the old fashion way.
• I took one full dose of lortab and realized that it was wearing off around the 4 hour mark and the instructions say to take every 6 hours.  (That's not gonna cut it for me).  I immediately switched to 1/2 dose every 3 hours because I had read that some people had success doing that. 
• My mom crushed up a bunch of ice and put it in a container for me so it was accessible to me throughout the night.  HUGE help!
• I did not sleep AT ALL during the day.  I don't know if it was everything that was given to me in the IV, but not being able to nap at all made for a long day.
• I slept in a recliner.
• A lot of people say that the first 2 days are a piece of cake.  That was not the case here.  I think the mucous played a big role in that.  It may have been because of the virus that I had prior to the surgery, but I have also read of others having the mucous problem as well.   
• Lastly, I cannot open my mouth very wide at all.  Not that I want to look, but if I had any interest in seeing what my throat looked like it would be very hard.  Thank goodness I bought a kids toothbrush to use.  But I will talk about brushing teeth in my next post. 

My husband keeps asking if I'm glad they are gone.  I'm sure one day I will be glad... right now it's just hard to imagine a time when I am no longer recovering.