Adult Tonsil Problems??

What!?? My girlfriend, 26, is having her tonsils out as we speak and there was no mention of bleeding out! Is there a condition specific to this???

A friend of mine had his taken out as an adult and it was painful for about a week, but they didn't do the melt down. He was only in his early 20's at the time though. Have you considedred getting a second opinion?

My gut reaction says to get a second opinion. Also, call and speak to your insurance company. My mother had her tonsils out in her mid 30s. I was in my teens at the time and am pretty sure it was the standard surgery. I know the risk of any surgery increases as we pass through our adult years. However, I have never heard that there would be a "good chance of bleeding to death" unless there is a bleeding condition in addition to the tonsil problems. Are you sure he just doesn't want to try a new procedure on you? That is why I say get a second opinion before doing anything else and talk to your insurance company. If it is an experimental procedure, they probably wouldn't cover it and will tell you why.

Good luck, K.. Please let me know how it goes.

All I know is, I was 17 when I had my tonsils out, still young, but not really a "kid". They cauterized mine as well, and, my god, the recovery was ridiculous. I can remember dreaming about waterfalls and cold mountain streams and rainforests b/c it hurt so much to swallow I souldn't drink enough, and even when I could swallow, all I could eat was cream of wheat for weeks.

Keep in mind I was still 17 and had my mom taking care of me, not the other way around. Personally, it didn't do much. I still get chronic throat infections. I don't get totally knocked out like I used to, but I still get the really sore throats and thick green and yellow mucus, and 'stiff' throat when I wake up in the morning. Not to mention my voice comes and goes as it pleases, pretty much all winter long. I don't get major fevers 4 and 5 times a year, though.

It is definitely something that you should do, but make sure that you have someone who can take care of you afterwards and your kids, it is surgery after all. And your doctor is being cautious, so that is a good sign. I would be more concerned with a doctor who didn't tell you anything and just went ahead with the surgery. He is obviously conscientious enough to keep you informed of the true risks, and I would trust him to be just as conscientious in surgery. Also, what does he say is a "goos chance" and, that whatever the percentage of risk is, he is telling you, so you will know why is not doing a standard tonsillectomy on you.

Best advice I can give, and I can't stress it enough because this isn't just a little throat surgery, you need to have someone stay with you, or go to stay with someone who can take care of you and your kids, and keep the kids away from you so you can rest an recover.

K.,
I also have suffered from tonsilitis all of my life. I am a mother of 7 children ranging from 15 yrs. to 4 yrs. old. Last year I was sent to Dr.Te in Greenville and I had my tonsils removed. It was really hard, at the time my husband and I had no help. We only have each other. But I am vary glad that I did it. I no longer am sick like I use to be. I was sick probably once a month and now I have only been sick twice since my recovery from my surgery. Get as much help as you can because recovery from this was very hard. I was extremely tired and hurt very bad. I also was sick from some of the medicine. But I am still glad that I did it. I feel so much better now! Having a good support system is the most important part of recovery. I wish you the best of luck!
~ V.~

As on O.R. nurse, I have seen MANY performed on adults and YES it can be very serious as an adult vs. having it done on a child. Bleeding pre and post op is the main risk and yes it can be very painful. This is not to scare you or advise you against it but just to get you perpared for some extra help at home or even waiting until after the holidays to get it done.
Good luck!

Hi K.,
After 3 years of chronic throat infections, abscessed tonsils, losing my voice to laryngitis over a dozen times, and constantly enlarged lymph nodes, I changed primary care physicians from the one who poo-pooed the problem to one who sent me to an ENT immediately, with a CT scan of my head and neck. My ENT was not quite so scary with the surgical bleeding and post-surgical issues. He did say two weeks for recovery, and liquid vicodin for the pain. I have a 4 year old, and in preparation for my recovery period, we learned enough sign language necessary for basic child care and getting ready for preschool in the morning. The pain was not so bad that I could not care for her, but she is an only. I'd take my bedtime dose of vicodin, wake up in moderate but manageable pain and get her up and ready for school, and drive her there narcotic-free (from day 1), take pain meds when I got home, and eight hours later again forego my meds to pick her up. The first week was worse than the second, but it really wasn't so bad as I had expected. I quit the vicodin at day 9 as I just didn't need it anymore, and just used tylenol. I have a slightly (!) mitigated pain scale from severe migraines (enough to need treatment at Jefferson Headache Center), but I'm sure your pain scale from birthing and mothering 3 little ones is more than a bit shifted, as well. I think male ENTs just have no concept of labor, birth, and multiple children at home to care for immediately post-partum. Women just learn to work through the pain to see to the little ones. Now that I think about it, the recovery from vaginal birth (and tearing) was more painful and prolonged than the tonsillectomy.
Yes, the pain is worse than any individual sore throat, but the freedom from sore throats since my March tonsillectomy has made it totally worth it. As you have a higher maintenance 1 year old, I would recommend at least some daily respite for the first week, as the body does need considerable rest in that time to heal and avoid hemorrhage. I never had a drop of blood, but I was able to take it physically easy with my cooperative and concerned 4 year old daughter, no carrying her or heavy lifting in general.
I am glad to have had the surgery, wasn't nervous going in, just made the necessary preparations for post-op pain and recovery time. I did vomit after my surgery late that first night (yay general anesthetics, even extra anti-emetics didn't spare me that joy), and that wasn't even all that bad.
I had done lots of alternative treatments on my own prior to switching to a primary care doctor with a functioning brain, and none worked. After toughing out 3 years of throat misery, I was ready to yank them myself with a melon baller (ironically, that's what your throat looks like immediately post-op, like two perfectly round little caves). If you'd like to talk to a less scare-tactic-prone ENT, email me and I'll give you his info. He's a good doc, also saw my daughter for chronic ear infections, and recommended a wait and see period before tubes, so he's not that surgery-happy. She's fine and tube-free now, so I value his judgment. He wrote me a note for two weeks of recuperation before returning to work, but you hardly have that luxury as a work-from-home mom. My boss had no problem with the 2 weeks, as I had missed so much work and was a cesspool of strep throat and painful to listen to with each bout of laryngitis.
Wow, got long-winded there, sorry. If you have any questions, feel free to email me, I'm more than happy to help with any additional info.
Good luck,
J. (one tonsillectomy down, one lobotomy to go)

My husband is an ENT and they do adult tonsilectomies all the time. This is a VERY standard procedure (I have mine scheduled for after the holidays). My hubby says I'll need someone to help with my son (14 mo.) for the first 2-3 days, and then I should feel good enough to take care of him, but will still need to eat very soft foods for a couple weeks. If you would like a reference for a good doctor, please email me.

I suffered w/strep throat at least 2 infections a year for over 10 years before finally getting my tonsils out 3 years ago (I was 27 at the time).I will not lie - the recovery is the most painful thing I have ever experienced (that's after having 2 children 1 vaginally and the other by c-section). But the good news is that I have not had strep since. If you have the surgery you WILL need to arrange for help/childcare for your kids for at least the 1st week! As far as bleeding to death? Well, I've never heard of that......good luck to you and please keep us posted.

I agree with the others that you should get a second opinion on this.
I had recurring tonsilitis and strep throat to the point that I got scarlet fever and was quarantined for a couple days. I had my tonsils out a couple years ago and my dr never said anything about bleeding to death. He said that it is a longer and harder recovery then when doing it on a child. I have never had tonsilitis or strep again since the surgery.
I had a sore throat for about a week and half and liquid diet then started on softer foods.
It really wasn't that bad!
One piece of advice, after the surgery, no matter how much it hurts DRINK!! My cousin had hers out just 2 days before me. She refused to drink and it took her forever to heal. I forced myself and healed quickly.
Good Luck in whatever you decide to do!! Please keep us posted!
*Sending Hugs*

I had my tonsils removed at 21 and it was extremely painful. I was taking oxtcontin (sp) and tylenol with codine and was still in severe pain. I lost 20 pounds over the course of 3 weeks and couldnt eat solids for almost a month. I know this seems extreme but it is the truth. I would def. have a game plan for the kids. I had a 2 year old at the time that my parents completely took care of, there would have been no way I could have taken care of her. I will say in the long run it was worth it, I had streep every month for 7 months and I havent even had a sore throat since the surgery.

I am not sure about the type of surgery they are talking about but I would discuss it again with your doc. Good luck!

I have never heard of this procedure but I had my tonsils out as a freshman in college and let me tell you I was in the worst pain for about 3 weeks so it really dosent sound any different than actually getting them out. Good luck with whatever happens.

if I were you I would get a new doc. i had my tonsils removed when I was 31. Yes there was some pain involved for a couple of weeks, but not unbearable that I couldn't watch my children or function. You will need to be on liquid percoset for a few days then just motrin or aleve. The first 3-4 days are the worst. The numbness from surgery wears off and then the pain kicks in. It feels like you are swallowing glass for a few days. A sitter for a few days will be the best, but no need for 3 weeks! You will need to get as many liquids in your system as you can so you don't dehydrate. Popsicles and broth (warm not hot) helped me. i alternated between the two. The broth helped wth the swelling and the popsicles with the pain. As far as the bleeding goes...your doctor is a nut! you will not bleed to death on the table. Why he would say such a thing is absurd! There is always risk with any surgery, but to have to doc tell you that you are going to bleed to death is awful. Get a new doc ASAP! What area of town are you in? I have a great ENT in Sewickley if you want his #? Good luck! And don't be too scared...it will all be fine.

Hmmmm. "melting" sounds like the ENT wants to use a laser or cautery, which is pretty standard procedure. And bleeding is a potential complication in any surgery at any age.

I would see the doctor again and get more details, because you obviously still have questions. If you would feel more comfortable with a second opinion, do that as well. Also, I suggest that you take a second person along with you, and both of you take along a small note pad and pen. If you have someone with a medical background to go with you, so much the better.

This is why, and stay with me on this one. I'm going off on a tangent, but I plan to reconnect. :)

I grew up in a bi-lingual household. My grandmother, parents, aunts and uncles spoke Italian to each other. All of us kids, though, well, we only listened to the Italian. We answered everything in English. Our first-generation American parents wanted us to be fully American, so they, sadly, discouraged us from speaking Italian. The result of this upbringing is that I can listen to an Italian conversation and about every third or fifth word pops at me. So what I understand has lots of holes in it. To get a picture, simply go back over this post and circle every third or fifth word and re-read it, and see how much sense it makes! :)

Well, sometimes that's exactly what happens when we talk to our healthcare providers. Medical terminology, the context of treatment and procedures are foreign to most of us. But the docs do this stuff all the time. Some are better than others at translating their language into ours. I've been in healthcare for 20 years and have never heard a doctor describe "melting" tonsils before. But because I understand the context of adult tonsillectomies, I can picture a doctor describing a laser or cautery procedure using the word "melt".

So, this is why I suggested going back for a second conversation and taking someone else along with you. The second set of ears may hear another group of "third or fifth" words, and if the person has a medical background and can put the conversation into context for you and help you to ask the right questions that would be a great help.

I personally don't think your doctor is nuts, but he may not be a great communicator. Write all your questions down. Write his answers. Later, if you have more questions, you can call and ask them. Ask the doctor to show you pictures or use a model and explain exactly what he will do during the procedure. Ask him what he means by "melting". How will that be done? What instruments does he use to do that? Don't be afraid to ask lots of questions, and do not be afraid to stop him at any point when he uses a term or talks about something that you don't understand. A good doctor won't mind doing this, because it's so very important that a patient understands what is happening. You'll be less apprehensive, and you'll also recover with less stress when you understand exactly what is happening. Less stress means easier recovery, and hopefully, quicker recovery.

Good luck!

I had to have my tonsils removed & what they called "plastic surgery" to my palate due sleep apnea. They used a laser & it was called UPPP. I have a high tolerance for pain, but I will tell you this was very painful & I needed to take pain medication so I could swallow my saliva & eat! I slept a lot & my mother stayed with me to help me take care of my then 1 year old & 5 year old for about 5 days. It was worth it for me, but I can honestly say it wasn't easy. I would recommend getting someone to help you. Good luck!!!!!!

I would get a second opinion before making any decisions. I have always heard that bleeding during this type of surgery is a bigger problem for adults than children, but I never knew if it was a myth or not. I've never heard of melting tonsils so I can't comment on that. Plese let us know what you decide and if there are any other alternatives. Good luck!

This sounds terrible. I would have to get a second ENT's opinion on this as well as the opinion of your primary physician before doing anything.

Good luck!

My husband had his removed at 27. He went straight from the hospital and ate Burger King. He had maybe 2-3 days of discomfort about 2 days after the procedure where he didn't really care to eat anything but soft, cold foods.

I think it depends on your pain tolerance and healing ability. And that the doctor is giving you the worst case scenario.
Good luck. You might want to have someone prepared to help you with the kids for a few days at least to let you rest.

hello i have never had my tonsils out but my husband needs to get his out and he is 30..i have never heard of melting the tonsils. i would get a second oppinion i know alot of people who had theres taken out and they was over the age of 25 and they never had theres melted down or was told they was going to bleed to death. that would make me not want to have surgery when i have three little ones. why would he even say such a thing i would get a second oppinion i'm sure what this doctor said is not true .good luck i hope this goes well for you.

I e.