I have to get my tonsils removed next week. Should I be worried?

Question

I am 23 years old. I have abnormally large tonsils. They have been trouble since I was a kid. I have always been too scared to remove them. But recently, I feel like I'm about to choke almost every timee I eat. I can't even swallow pills. I have been doing my research, and I found a majority of posts are horror stories. I even found something about an 18 girl dying after she hemmoraged. I do not want to die. I have a beautiful 5 year old boy I want to be around for. I know everyone will think I'm stupid for thinking I might die, but everyone posts horror stories. I'm scard of the pain. I'm scared of needles. I'm scared of dying and leaving my baby with no one. I need help calming my fears. I broke my back and shattered my elbow about 4 years ago. I had to go under to get arm surgery after that. But I'm still so scared. I dont know if its people who are CURRENTLY in discomfort that are writing posts. I need help. I need reassurance.

Answer 1

calm down i had a tonsillectomy when i was 13 and it was fine

they gave me a general anaesthetic and i was asleep for it

then they take them out and give you painkillers

when i woke up my throat hurt but then the painkillers kicked in and it stopped hurting

i spent the rest of the day in the hospital because they had to keep me there for a while and observe me or something, but i had no problems so i just sat there, watched friends, listened to my mp3 player, played on my ds and read a book.

then i stayed off school for 2 weeks. it was actually pretty great and i think it may help you that your first operation is a minor one.

and those horror stories are just those: stories

your experience might be a little different but hope this helps anyway and good luck

x

Answer 2

A friend of mine had this done on Friday. She is the same age as you. She also had her adnoids taken out as well. Today is tuesday and she still can't talk and her voice isn't even thinking about coming back. Sunday she said her ears started to hurt and still do. Her's were very infected though. They were unable to get the infection out, so they had to go ahead with surgery. I have had about 50 surgeries and believe me, I am still scared everytime. It will eventually be ok. Also, make sure your doctor gives pain meds after. Her's didn't, which is making things worse.

Answer 3

You need Prosac; Halcyon works great, too.  But if you have someone to take care of your child for a few days. . .THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO UNTIL AFTER SURGERY!  The surgery ISN'T bad.  The few "horror" stories you've heard are but a "drop in the bucket"!  It's a fairly "straight-forward" procedure.  NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!  But if you're having a tough time CALMING DOWN, then consider asking your doctor for Prosac or Halcyon to help CALM YOU DOWN before the surgery.  YOU WON'T GIVE A d**n about the surgery while you're taking it.  TRUST ME!

When it's all over. . .you'll find how much time you've really wasted worrying about it.  Both my brother and sister had it done.  IT'S NOTHING!!!!!

Answer 4

Of course you read horror stories - no one is going to post something so simple as "I had my tonsils out and I'm fine".  Everyone sensationalizes the bad.  A tonsilectomy is such a common procedure.  You will go under general anesthesia and won't feel a thing, except a sore throat for a couple of days afterwards.  I seriously doubt you'll die from it.  Talk to your doctor instead of listening to everyone's horror stories.

Answer 5

Its OK to be afraid of surgery.

But don't be worried..

getting your tonsils out is a breeze.

I got mine out when i was in first grade.

I remember it hurting a bit when i woke up from the anesthesia

but it wasn't too bad.. just remember after the operation..

don't eat anything thats crunchy/rough.. it will make your throat bleed.. believe me.. it was horrible. Eat things that are smooth, such as popsicles, ice cream and such.. its just a great way to eat junk, and actually have a reason =]

Answer 6

The doctors do not want you to die either.   The chances of dying are really slim.  Make sure you have things in order before your surgery - like who should take care of your kid.  That is all you can do.  Your odds of dying are almost nothing.  You have a bigger chance of dying in an automobile wreck.  Don't worry.  You will be okay.

Answer 7

you will be fine, believe me! I'm 13 and I got mine out two springs ago and I was perfectly fine. The only thing you have to worry about is how you react to amnesia (but you had surgery before so you probably know  how you react to it) my surgery and my twin sister's lasted exactly 30 minutes. It hurts to swallow and my uvula was stretched but that went back to normal. You'll be sore for at least a week, maybe a little bit longer.  i drank water the entire week. It also hurts to talk sometimes. I  noticed my voice got a bit higher too. you talk funny for a bit too. You cant eat anything hard or scratchy like chips or pizza crust. Also spaghetti sauce burns like h**l

Hope I was of some help and have a speedy recovery

Answer 8

You're not going to die.

You're not stupid for thinking you might, people are morons for posting those awful awful stories just to scare people.

You won't die.

The doctors are trained professionals.

They are good people and they're going to make your life better.

Hope I helped!

xoxo

Answer 9

Most tonsils removals go very smoothly and all you have afterward is a sore throat for several days. During this time, you eat soft foods, i.e. ice cream, milkshakes, mashed pototos etc. I had mine out when I was 18 and all went well. Only problem I had was the next morning the food service ppl brought me frosted flakes and oj for breakfast. That was too hard on my throoat. A nurse was trying to force me to eat it or said I wasn't going to be released. She was wearing frosted flakes and oj when i was thru with her and my dr got on her about her rudeness to patients. Otherwise, no major medical problems from any of the surgery.

Answer 10

tonsillectomy's are very common, complications rarely develop. You will be fine, just have a wicked sore throat for a couple of days. it's normal to be scared before surgery, you will be ok, maybe you could call your doctors office, his nurse should be available to reassure you and answer any questions.

Answer 11

I'm glad you are getting it done.  You will fill so much better and you will notice you have a lot more energy.  Don't be scared, recovery is pretty quick.  And you will be able to enjoy your son a lot longer.  xox

Answer 12

hey, i'm 16 and i have had my tonsils out, and have recently come out of hospital after an operation on my head. look there's  always going to be risks with operations, having your tonsils isn't that risky, you dont really use them and if they are causing you discomfort you must have them removed.

the risks far outweigh the benefits, try not to think about it mate.

good luck , hope i could help x

Answer 13

I'm an Operating Room nurse.

Tonsillectomies in adults take about two weeks to recover from.  They are uncomfortable, so you need to follow the docs instructions for pain relief to the T.

Yes, there are horror stories, but the vast majority of tonsillectomies are smooth.

When you go in for your pre-op workup, be sure to let them know that you are scared of needles.  I can tell you that these days, you need only IV access and blood testing as the sticks you are scared of.  Once the IV is in, the rest of the meds are given IV, in pre-op, the OR and post op in the Recovery area.

You might ask your doc if he/she can prescribe an anti anxiety med for you to help you the morning of surgery, one you can take before going to the hospital.

In my long experience, yes there have been patients who needed to come back for a bleed.  It is a risk of all surgeries.  After a tonsillectomy, that is a possibility for the first 10 days out.  That's why your doc will ask you not to eat anything red(jello, popsicles, etc), in case you feel you are having ANY problem and he/she needs to examine you.

No one in the OR wants you to die.  Anesthesia is the safest it ever has been; there are more and more monitors and better and better drugs and gases.  Your docs certainly do not want you to die- after all, they like their patients to go home and tell others that Dr So and so is a great doc.  They take pride in their ability to do a great job for their patients.  The OR nurses feel the same, as well as the surgical techs who assist, etc.We are geared for a successful surgery for everyone.

The people who work in the PACU(post op anesthesia unit) feel the same way.  

The experience you had after your back injury and elbow surgery were much different than a scheduled controlled tonsillectomy.  Emergency surgeries are much scarier for the patient to experience, and you must have been absolutely terrified and in pain.  That doesn't lend itself to feeling good about facing further surgery.  It sets up a memory that lends itself to making you  very very nervous- as you are now.

If you wish to contact me for more information, please feel free to do so.