Having right side intra oral surgery on Oct 20th, less than a week. Just wondering if anyone else had this done who had their tonsils removed as a kid like I was. Wondering if it makes a difference in healing time as far as needing tonsils removed or not. Dr. Bumpous here in Louisville, KY seems to think my already having my tonsils out as a kid will shorten the healing time.
Also, tips for those who went thru intra oral, what to do to prepare? Foods/drinks that helped the most or didn’t hurt? Things I need before surgery, any tips would be awesome.
HOORAY for surgery in less than a week! I didn’t have intraoral surgery but can answer some of your questions.
YES! It does make a significant difference if your tonsils are already gone. The only incision that will need to heal is the incision made to remove the styloid. When tonsils are removed in addition, there is a second area of healing that has to occur simultaneously so the pain is worse & healing slower.
Carefully following any post op instructions Dr. Bumpous gives you will help a lot. Hopefully he’s having you rinse w/ a dilute peroxide mixture after eating to cleanse the wound of any food particles that might have adhered. The usual drill also applies to intraoral surgeries - using a wedge pillow, sleep w/ your head elevated to 30º for a week or more post op if possible (sleeping in a recliner works, too). You may find a V or U shaped pillow around your neck helps support your head & neck & keep it in a more comfy position while you sleep or rest. ICE - buying a couple of gel ice packs so you can ice your neck in the throat area can be very helpful - 15 min. on & at least 45 min. off several times a day. Putting a thin towel between your skin & the ice pack will help protect your skin. Take your pain meds on schedule day & night for at least the first week unless you find you really don’t need it. Letting pain get ahead is trouble. It’s hard for pain meds to catch up & get on top of pain when that happens so better to er on the side of caution & not cut back too soon.
Food - is up to how you’re feeling. Generally w/ intraoral a soft diet for several weeks works well. Things like pudding, jello, soup, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, soft cooked fruit/veggies, smoothies w/ protein powder w/ fruit/veggies, etc. You can even eat a “real” meal that’s been run through a blender or food processor w/ some milk, broth or water to minimize chunks. Cold drinks, popsicles, or frozen fruit you can suck on will also help your throat feel better. Stay away from fizzy/carbonated drinks for awhile & nothing too sugary as sugar is inflammatory.
I hope this helps! Your surgery date is on my calendar & I’ll be praying for all to go well.
I think that Isaiah has covered it all! I’ll just add in that several members have posted about their intra-oral surgery recoveries over the last few months (you can search for those if you’re interested, Weezie has been through it in Canada), but having scabs from the surgery & healing seemed to be mentioned quite a bit, & they seemed to last a few weeks, so be prepared for that.
I hope your surgery goes well, & will be praying for you too, not long now!!
Good luck with your upcoming surgery. I had my tonsils removed when I was 30 yrs old. Had my left styloid removed in 2008, intra orally. Don’t recall any issues with the recovery. Since my ES on the right side wasn’t causing the same amount of pain or issues that the left side had presented I followed my doctor’s advice and lived with the pain & symptoms until I simply could not live with them any longer. Had my right styloid removed intra orally on September 25th (today is day 20 post surgery) and wish I had known a few things beforehand. Please discuss with your doctor how to stay ahead of the pain & swelling following your surgery and do it ~ I was given instructions post surgery that were not “really clear” and I ended up swollen far more than necessary & in insane pain that was far more than necessary simply because I was not alternating my OTC meds properly. I was supposed to take Tylenol and 4 hours later take Motrin and repeat for several days to a week.
Your doctor may recommend something different for you based on your medical needs.
But have a good understanding what your doctor recommends you do to stay on top of the pain (before it hits) and reduce your swelling (again before it happens).
Also my doctor felt that is was very important that my tonsils were removed at an earlier date because that meant he did not have to deal with removing the tonsil first in order to get to the styloid intra orally.
My doctor felt that the recovery time would take approximately the same time as for recovering from a tonsillectomy which is roughly 10-14 days. Today is day 20 post op for me and I’m still slightly swollen (true it’s very slight today) and still experiencing some pain, uncomfortableness directly related to the surgery. I have to say it is much more tolerable these past several days but there nonetheless.
So even with an estimate of recovery time, please know that everyone heals differently and you may heal up & recover quickly (as I did in 2008) or you may take longer than expected (as I’ve read others accounts on this forum, and currently in my own case).
As for foods that have helped me : jello snack cups were the best thing I could tolerate swallowing in the first days following surgery, popsicles were good but I found I had to cut them up into a bowl & eat with a spoon. I stuck with plain water, ice chips with water for my beverage ~ you should be told to stay on a cool, soft diet for up to 2 weeks so as for other beverages anything non citrus may work for you? Scrambled eggs cooled off (not ice cold but not hot ) really was tolerable even the first day home from surgery. I know most people say pudding, and ice cream but for me personally dairy items really increase my mucus production & my body does not need any help in that area so I avoided them as much as possible but if you don’t have a problem with mucus they may help you while you recover.
Instead of ice cream I had frozen fruit (cherries and previously sliced bananas that I had put in the freezer) blended with some ice cubes until roughly a soft serve consistency so I could eat it with a spoon (no straws following surgery/ no suction of any kind while you heal up) ~ so there are options that you may enjoy food wise. Zucchini cooked tender and cooled off was really enjoyable in my scrambled eggs. Potato cooked tender also was easier to swallow.
One other thing I was told before leaving the hospital was to keep my head higher than my heart (wasn’t clear if that order was just for the first 24 hours or for the full two week recovery time) so I slept in my recliner to be sure I was keeping my head elevated. You may want to discuss with your doctor the post surgery instructions, get them in writing if possible so that you don’t arrive home following your surgery, groggy and unclear on what you are supposed to do … because once the pain does hit you could avoid a lot of it by simply taking the medications on a schedule and possibly have only a small amount of swelling just by following the medication schedule before having the usual symptoms begin.
I also have obstructive sleep apnea and so that may have played into some of my personal instructions and may have played into some of my experiences.
I sincerely hope you have an easy surgery and an easier recovery.
Don’t know how I failed to mention the ice bag ~ you will want to use it faithfully to help keep the swelling down. In my case the ice couldn’t do it alone, without the Motrin regularly for the first couple of days following surgery the swelling & pain truly got way out of control. I can’t stress the importance of taking your medications before the symptoms hit so you can avoid a lot of unnecessary pain & swelling.
Surgery went well, first one ever I wasn’t horribly sick after waking up. Pain in throat hanging between 5-8. Been using the ice pack frequently, and got down lots of semi frozen sweet Tea, my mother’s idea as well as some jello. Not nearly as painful as I thought, though have had a heck of a time staying awake.
Honestly sleep was the best thing for me the first several days post surgery. Let yourself sleep! I do tend to keep a notebook, drink and my meds next to my bed for easy access so I don’t have to go too far in the beginning.
I’m so glad to hear your surgery went well! Cold drinks are ideal for the sore throat, & of course, icing your neck. I agree w/ anharris - SLEEP! Rest, rest, rest allows your body to deal w/ healing instead of putting a lot of energy into helping you do other things. I do recommend that, if you can, tomorrow start taking a few short walks, even just around the inside of your house, to keep your blood circulating. It will also help reduce the risk of developing blood clots in your legs from keeping too still. Sadly, as we age, we’re more prone to that problem.
I’ve been up walking almost every hour to the bathroom, does that count Isaiah_40_31?
I think I’ve had more to drink this last few hours than I have in most of a month. I remember when I was a kid and got my tonsils out I didn’t drink like I should and ended up with a blood clot in my incision site, which hemorrhaged, scaring my 8 yr old self and my mother at the time. So trying to do what the doctor tells me, drink as much as possible, etc.
Blessed that my husband took the day off to help me with surgery, and my mother came down to spend a week to help me first few days after surgery. They both have been fantastic. My mother even went to the store middle of the day to purchase soft foods she thought I’d like to have, or could eat.
It’s 2:30am roughly here and I just took my 3rd pain pill since surgery this past morning. Trying to make sure I keep on top of the pain. I can’t take NSAIDs (motrin, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc) as they severely attack my asthma, so I may call the Dr in the morning and see if there is anything I can do other than drink lots of cold and cool water.
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions everyone! I have to say even though my throat is really painful, this has so far been one of my easier surgeries,
So glad you have great family support! That helps so much. Your tonsillectomy story sounds pretty horrendous. Good job learning a lesson back then that you can apply now. Also it’s great that you’re keeping w/ the pain meds protocol. Are you taking a prescription pain med or an OTC NSAID? Curious that they affect your asthma. I can’t take them because they eat my stomach. I hope your doctor has other options for you.
As far as drinking goes, you can drink other cold drinks besides water. Ice tea, fruit juice or water w/ fruit or cucumber or herbs in it for flavor. I would stay away from exceptionally sweet drinks for the moment as the sugar could irritate your throat.
Yes, I’d count your many trips to the bathroom as walking.
Hi @redfaery, glad to hear your surgery went well. I had intra-oral tonsillectomy/styloidectomy 5 months ago now. I feel I have healed quite well, still some nerve pain and still feel like something is stuck in my throat, so many symptoms resolved though that I can live with this. The healing process was quite long for me, I believe due to the tonsillectomy at the same time, you can read my post surgery posts if you’d like a better idea.
For your healing process, SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP, use your ice pack frequently, and keep up with the fluids, I found chamomile tea with honey very helpful. For a better idea of what to expect you can reach out to @Diasy she had both sides intra-oral and had her tonsils out as a child, so her recovery experience would be closer to what you may experience. Best of luck with your recovery!
Hi!
I had my right done sept 2019 and my left June 2020 both intra oral. I had my tonsils out when I was 12! I suffered with eagle for who knows how long… I was a wreck! But since my first surgery I am a new person!
My first recovery was very smooth. My second a bit bumpier because my pain management was not as good, …I had Extra swelling, pain and a bit of an allergic reaction to codeine but on the whole went well.
My advice: Surgery definitely hurts,at first… but it’s worth it!! take the all drugs on time and full dose! Lots of fluids, lots of rest, lots of ice packs!
Jello, puréed cauliflower, Smooth soups. Don’t try to talk too much.
Update, surgery was on 20th. I was steadily doing better until today, 1st day with no pain meds, and I woke up to pain that was up to a 6 out of 10 level in my throat and sinus drainage, which may be contributing. Had husband call dr who I found out is out with COVID, so dr covering for him is giving me a new Rx for pain and wants me to come on earlier to be seen, as in 2 days. Not sure why I would have a setback like this.
What you’re experiencing is not uncommon during recovery. Pain does come & go during after surgery & sometimes can be gone for a bit then come back fiercely for a bit before it goes away again. You made the right decision to contact your doctor (so sorry he’s out w/ COVID!), & I’m glad the back-up doctor is being proactive in helping you.
With external surgery, days 3-5 post op are when inflammation is the worst. That may not hold true w/ intraoral surgery so you may be in a period of greater post op swelling right now which will make your pain worse. I suspect it’s just part of the healing process, but getting checked out in case there’s an infection brewing is a good idea.
Ice your neck & drink cold things today. If that makes things worse, try alternating heat & cold or just use heat. It can take some experimentation to figure out what works best.
good that you’re being seen earlier, as infections are more common with intraoral. As Isaiah says, days 3-5 are bad for swelling, so you’re only a day after that, so that could be making pain worse. Also as Isaiah says recovery is very much up & down- have a think back to what you’ve been doing- if you’ve been doing a bit too much that can set healing back. I felt really good & overdid things, did a bit of housework a few days after surgery & paid for that!! Even talking a long time has set pain off for some people, so maybe there might have been something you’ve done?
There could well be more setbacks, so be prepared, as long as things go generally in the right direction, that’s the main thing!
I’ve been trying to think if I’ve overdone it. I pretty much have only left the house once, my mother drove me around for 10 minutes on one of the few days we had sunshine, on day 3 after surgery, plus my mother is here and I probably have been talking more than I should. It would have been easier not to if my voice was rough, but it hasn’t been. Spent last two days pretty much in bed most of the time, with a few minutes slowly walking around the house. Honestly even today feeling like crap I still feel tons better than most surgeries I’ve had in this general area. Hopefully the other doctor will be able to look and make sure everything looks like it’s healing ok, from my eye looking inside my mouth it doesn’t look infected, I finished the antibiotics a day ago. Here’s hoping this is the only setback!
I got more pain pills from the Dr and I’m taking them for now, we’ll see what this one says, even if he’s not familiar with Eagles’, he’s an ENT so should at least be familiar with post op healing in the throat area. Overall I’m pretty pleased with Dr. Bumpous. Right before surgery on the 20th, he came in and made sure I knew exactly what was going on, answered questions again on predictions for post op recovery and the like. My husband said it was only 45 minutes between the call saying they were about to begin surgery and when I got out. Looking at my throat, there are tons of teeny tiny dissolvable stitches in there, Dr. Bumpous is also a plastic surgeon and he told me he would try to stitch me in such a way I’d have minimal scarring that would cause problems after. he definitely redeemed himself from my first visit where he said I didn’t have Eagles.
I’m glad that you’re pleased with Dr Bumpous, & it sounds like he’s done a good job of your throat! I hope you do start feeling better soon, I’m sure it’s just a blip
