my tonsillectomy log

[sean]

Hello all,
I had a tonsillectomy performed on 5/28/08. I have been keeping a journal of my experience so far. So here are the first three days.

Tonsillectomy log.

5/28/2008 (Day 1- the day of surgery)

Surgery took place under general anesthesia at around 8am. I woke slowly around 9 am with no grogginess or disorientation. I was surprised at this as almost every experience I’ve read, patients referred to disorientation immediately after waking from surgery. I was given a cup of ice around 9:30 when my wife showed up to take me home. I felt no pain in my throat only like there was something lodged there. I ate the ice then went to the bathroom to urinate. Upon standing I swayed gently several times. I also swayed while walking. The movable hanger on which the IV bag rested had casters and I held on to it to keep my balance. Even though I swayed I did not feel woozy or dizzy. I was given second cup of crushed ice only this time it was flavored with root beer syrup.

I was given a set of instructions about what to eat or drink the first three days. My prescription for pain is oxycodone and my antibiotic is amox-clav (amoxicillin and clavulanate).

My first experience with pain was at 10:30 am, half an hour before I was released. I was given a narcotic called fentonyl (I hope I have the name right), and it worked almost instantly; amazing stuff.

I was released at 11am and my wife drove me immediately to the pharmacy to fill my prescriptions then to the supermarket to purchase ‘food’, then home to rest.

First day recommended diet:
Tons of fluids: water, Gatorade (sports drink that replaces electrolytes), clear juices, broths, and Popsicles (flavored ice stick).

Biggest surprises/myths:
1. Dairy is not allowed until day 2. I stocked up on ice cream, ready to dive in. I am sorely disappointed.
2. Second, and more personal surprise, I never understood why some people use narcotics (marijuana,cocaine, meth etc. etc.). I was never particularly judgmental, just couldn’t understand. I understand now. The narcotic I was given along with the effect of the anesthesia post surgery was amazing. I experienced a sense of calm that is incomparable to anything else. To adapt a phrase from Star Trek: TNG (one of the movies) “it was like being inside of ‘calm’”. I am glad I did not discover this until now or I would have been a serious drug addict. I did not care about my CH or BB, I spoke to the doctors and nurses without being self-conscious. It was an amazing ride.
3. Lastly, this was simply ignorance on my part, but I thought I would have been able to speak afterwards, or at least for two for three days. Sometimes it was painful or uncomfortable to speak, but in general I spoke freely and easily. I am unable to laugh, however, as that seems to irritate the scar.

My instructions state that I should avoid coughing, clearing throat, or gargling. Coughing and gargling are not a problem, but clearing my throat has been almost impossible to avoid. Saliva is being created on a massive scale and some of it rests in the back of my throat leaving me with the urge to clear my throat. Furthermore, mucus creation, never a problem for me since I have PND, has quadrupled. Sometimes I feel like I am drowning in my own saliva and mucus mix. I have given in several times but I am fighting the urge to clear my throat.

So far I have spit up blood twice in small amounts. If I continue to do this I will call my doctor either later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Well, so long for now. Thanks for allowing me share.




5/29/08 (day 2)
Last night I slept relatively well. I took the advice of one of the nurses and slept on my side with my mouth open to drain excess saliva instead of swallowing it. However, I’ve been having a hard time with the mucus buildup. My doctor told me to contact him if there is any bright red bleeding from my throat. But I only see bleeding occasionally and seems to show up after swallowing or clearing my throat. Except when swallowing, the pain has been nonexistent. A white coating covers the area where my tonsils were, but that is to be expected. The doctor says that drinking water or fluids should get rid of this.

I have a dreadful taste in my mouth, and I can’t seem to get rid of it. The taste is medicine like or chemical like and could be a byproduct of the mucus buildup in my throat. In fact I’m pretty sure that’s it.

My saliva smells bad. I cannot explain the nature of the smell, just that it smells bad.

I am terrified of eating or drinking this morning. I know I must, but the pain of swallowing is almost unbearable. Today I can eat soft food, jello, pudding, mashed potatoes, eggs, and protein drinks. I am going to try Ensure this morning.



5/30/08 (day 3)
My attempt to eat mashed potatoes failed miserably. It was excruciatingly painful. Everything I eat now is torture on my throat. I’ve gone back to Jello and Popsicles. I tried one Ensure and some soymilk.

This afternoon I started experiencing pain in earnest. The mucus in my throat only makes the situation worse as I either must clear my throat or swallow it, both painful options. The oxycodone does get rid of the pain, although I must take it after each meal.

Eating is an exercise in force of will. I face each swallow with terror because of the pain.

It is too early to make any observations about my breath, but I had this procedure done primarily to get rid of tonsil stones and to aid with my snoring and sleep apnea. If my breath gets better, that is simply a bonus. One interesting observation is that my saliva smells just as bad or maybe worse than before the surgery. The good thing here is that I am producing a lot of it. It is thick and frothy; I spit constantly.

[searching]

Does anyone in this forum perform the Finklestein smell test, wherein a clean finger rubs the tonsil, or throat-tissue area where the removed tonsils were, and then smells the coating on the finger? Does it smell?

This is the remaining oral, or nasal, area which, for me occasionally produces a foul smelling emission. No other oral, or nasal, area produces this foul odor.

I think those with good oral hygiene habits, i.e. all of us, may be suffering bb due to bacteria living/feeding in anaerobic pockets. These pockets may be due to crypts in tonsils, flaps of skin covering impacted teeth that permit entry of food particles. This may be why brushing and flossing fail to produce a clean-smelling result 100 percent of the time.

In the past I have rubbed my palentine tonsils (the ones at the back of the throat) and dislodged tonsil stones after which I enjoyed fresh breath. By the way, my palentine tonsils appear healthy and small, each the size of a shelled almond, with no visual crypts (although I know crypts are present). More recently I have probed the lingual tonsils (downward in the throat, adjacent the base of the tongue) and dislodged small, potently-foul, tonsils stones as well.

I have used a Water Pik oral irrigator, with a throat irrigation tip, with spotty success. The challenge seems to be the difficulty in jetting the water stream into the hidden tonsil, or throat crypt(s) in a manner that, by chance, flushes all of the tonsil stones.

If I had certainty that a surgeon could ablate, or remove, all tissue that creates the crypts in palentine, lingual, or other areas, I believe I would elect for the surgery.

[emotional rescue]

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More recently I have probed the lingual tonsils (downward in the throat, adjacent the base of the tongue) and dislodged small, potently-foul, tonsils stones as well.

This are total news!!
how did you manage to get out tonsil stones from the lingual tonsils??? The common sense tell me that they should exist the same way that can exist in the palatine´s, but the lingual have very few space, maybe milimetric, to host the tonsil stones.....
How did you do it and what size did they had??

This could probe once and for all that the main source of most bb sufferers are the lingual tonsils, and it´s only about to find a right way to keep it clean (i don´t know how...)