Hi Everyone, I have had right tonsillo-styloidectomy yesterday. I have pain in my throat which feels like sore throat . I can barely talk, eat and drink. Is it normal to have such pain after surgery?? I am released from the hospital today. Now I am taking some pain meditations and antibiotics.
Hi Ishratchy,
You can expect to have a very sore throat for 2-3 weeks from the tonsillectomy alone. When the styloidectomy is added, there are some nerves that get irritated so your pain can last longer as the nerves heal. It can take 6-12 months for nerves to fully recover. I hope your doctor has prescribed pain medication. You should take it on the schedule prescribed. Hopefully you were also prescribed Prednisone to help keep the swelling in your throat down. WARNING: Prescription pain medications are very constipating. You should also begin taking a stool softener & laxative as soon as you can & keep up with that as long as you take the pain meds. If you can’t swallow pills now, you can use magnesium citrate (start with 1-2 tsp. & increase if needed) which comes in a powdered form, mix with 8 oz warm water & drink it daily as that will work, too. In the US we have a form of mag citrate called CALM. It comes in different flavors. Mag citrate by itself is very sour tasting.
You should use an ice pack on your neck up near your jaw area - 15 min. on & at least 45 min. off 4-5x/day over the next week. Make sure you put a thin towel or pillow case between your skin & the ice pack. Also, lying down &/or sleeping w/ your head elevated to about 30º (that’s almost sitting up) will help control the swelling in your throat. Some people only need the head elevation for a few days, others for longer. You will need to decided what’s best for you.
A liquid or very soft diet is also recommended until swallowing solid food feels ok. People have found smoothies to be good w/ fruit & vegetables, protein powder, milk or milk replacement like almond, soy, or coconut milk, yogurt, etc. as they are nutritious & easy to swallow. Soups, mashed potatoes or squash, pasta, etc. are also reasonably easy to swallow. Drinking enough is important, too, but try to stay away from sugary drinks for the time being because sugar causes inflammation.
Please let us know if you have other questions. There is a lot of information on the forum about what to expect after surgery. You can use the magnifying glass icon to search for posts about that topic.
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Yes, tonsillectomies as an adult are painful, & as Isaiah says having your styloid removed too will add to the pain. Intra-oral can be a more painful surgery to recover from, but hopefully you’ll have been prescribed good pain relief. If you search for recovery from intra oral surgery particularly it could help, here’s a few links to look at:
Hope that you recover well, best wishes! 
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Thank you @Isaiah_40_31 for your precious informations. After surgery my headache and fatigue have gone. The only problem is now throat pain issue. Doctor performed only right tonsillo-styloidectomy. But I have sore throat in both side. Mine are bilateral and doctor remove the symptomatic one. I am afraid that the left styloid may be irritating. I really don’t want to undergo another surgery 
thank you @Jules. Other recovery stories really helps faster recovery. I was really going through frustration. This forum helps me a lot to learn many things.
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I’m sorry you have bilateral ES Ishratchy! Jules & I both had bilateral ES & we each had to have 2 surgeries. Give yourself 4-6 months to recover from this surgery & see how you’re feeling then. Your throat pain on both sides now is most likely from the swelling from the surgery you just had. In time you’ll know if the other styloid is causing problems, but right now you can’t make that judgment so please don’t worry about it. Just stay positive & work on healing. 