Day 9, 10, 11, 12

Whilst I was in hospital another girl had gone back who actually had her tonsillectomy the day before I did! She said she was getting a lot of pain too. She didn't bleed like I did but they kept her in over night to help re-charge her body. It seems to be quite a common thing!

So on day 9 I was released from hospital. I went home armed with a ton of medications to keep me going. I was a little nervous leaving the hospital, just in case anything were to happen again! It was a good job I was already in hospital when I had my bleeding. I guess things happen for a reason.
I had mixed messages from the doctor, one had said that my second surgery would not slow down my recovery but another doctor said it would. He said that I will be starting at day 1 again! Can you imagine how deflating that would be to be told you're now back at day 1 after everything I've been through? At this point I was pretty low and fed up, I really didn't want to have to go through the struggle again.

Luckily, when I was home I was feeling better and was able to eat. Eat anything - literally. Once I just snacked on really soft boiled carrots. Each day I got stronger and stronger - I was speaking more too and generally felt better within myself! It does take time though so take it easy.
I was setting alarms during the night to take my pain meds so I wouldn't wake up in pain. Taking the right pain meds (and the right amounts) is so so important - make sure you nail this down from the start. I'm not sure if I was taking enough pain killers at first, which may explain the amount of pain I was in. If you're ever feeling a lot of pain, even when you're on meds then tell your doctor right away.

I'm now on day 12 and things are looking up! My throat is pretty much normal colour now. Still a little sore and I can't eat all foods yet. I feel so so much better then I did! I can't believe how low I felt. Today I'm up doing more around the house and it's the first day I've worn makeup in about 12-14 days. I certainly feel more human so hopefully in a few days I'll be even better!

I'll make a list of all my meds and another post to summarize my overall experience soon!

Day 8

So I woke up feeling quite sore and my throat was tight. I had ice cream for breakfast as the nurses didn't want to give me anything too rough. The Doctors came round and explained that the surgery went well. They said that eating did not cause the bleeding. They believe the bleeding was due to my infection, please dont worry though if you get an infection! Bleeding to my extent only happens 3% of the time - I was just unfortunate to be part of that 3%!

They told me that I needed to start eating asap to help heal my throat.
I was on strong painkillers so by about lunch time I was able to each a sandwich. They wanted to keep me in over night again to regularly check my blood pressure and blood levels. I had lost a lot of blood and at one point, they were going to give me a blood transfusion. Luckily, they didn't have to as my body had made up for the loss of blood. I am now on iron tablets though as my iron levels were a little low - which I'm not surprised!

Day 7 - recovery continued

So, it's taken me a few days to build up the strength to write this update. Needless to say day 7 was the worst day of my life - not even exaggerating. At round 10:30am I noticed I was bleeding a little. The nurse told me to keep rinsing my mouth out with water and to let her know should the bleeding get worse. It did. It got a lot worse within the matter of minutes. I found myself being sick, yet it was literally just blood and blood clots. I was literally pulling the blood clots of out my mouth which was disgusting. I was crying my eyes out because I was so scared and had no idea what was happening. I was waiting for the Doctor which felt like a life time! I was told to gargle with some kind of hydroxide formula which is supposed to stop the bleeding, they were also putting some medication through my cannula which was supposed to help. These things did nothing. I was heavily bleeding for around 30mins - I started to feel so light headed. Suddenly it was panic stations and they rushed me into surgery, that was the only way to stop this bleeding. I had already filled about 6 bed pans of blood by this point.

It all seems a little bit of a blur, I was in total shock and could not believe this was happening to me! All the blood looked like something out of a horror film. It was the most scariest experience.
The surgery went well and the bleeding had stopped. I could still taste blood in my mouth from before. My throat felt tighter as they had to pull extra skin across to seal the wound. I was so so tired after the surgery, more so then the first time.
I ate ice cream for the rest of the day and just rested as much as I could. I was so so pleased to see my parents when I came out of surgery. Going through that experience with no one around me was awful. Although, I'm pleased my parents didn't have to witness what had happened!

This day was by far the worst. I knew it couldn't get much worse so things could only get better from here!

Day 7 - recovery

Morning! So it's 06:52 of day 7. Can't believe I've made it to day 7 lol. I know that sounds dramatic but you often can't see light at the end of the tunnel! I've had my first night in hospital and it wasn't too bad. I've got a room with three others so it's good to have some company. I'm right by a window with a good view so I can't complain! 

As much as Hospitals freak me out - I'm pretty pleased I'm in here. Theyre able to control my meds for me and make sure I'm taking the right stuff! The nurses are lovely too! 

So during the night I had woken up... Twice I think. I went to bed around 22:30 then first woke up at 00:40 so thats not too bad. I had a strong painkiller and then got back off to sleep. I then woke up a second time around 03:40 where they gave me two mouthwashes - one was pink (not sure what its called) and the other is green difflam. That seemed to calm the pain and got me back off to sleep. The nurses then came round at 06:30 where I had some paracetamol and again some more of the mouth washes. It was perfect timing because I did feel pretty sore! 

My stomach did feel better for eating yesterday. I had two sandwiches in total! Such good progress. I took a look at my throat last night and it did look a little clearer. I think the solid food had taken away a lot of the nasty stuff! Breakfast is around 8am so I'll try something to eat. I'll keep you updated! 

Day 6 - recovery

I had woken up around 4am in a lot of pain. I was crying when I woke up. It was more like weeping to be honest, the pain was a dull, constant ache and seemed to go through my ears too. Makes sense as they are all linked but still extremely painful!!

I managed to eat a Jelly pot this morning and napped on the sofa. I hate napping because it means you wake up with such a dry throat! 

So i went to see my local GP because I was still in pain and needed their opinion. They told me to go back to the hospital to get a proper check up. Back off to Oxford we went! Sat waiting a while and then a nurse took me into a room to check my blood pressure. A little while after I was seen by a doctor, they were quite concerned that I wasn't eating. I think my pain symptoms are pretty normal. How on earth am I supposed to eat solid foods with pain like this?! Are you crazy! 

Anyway, ive had even more bloods done which have now been sent off as urgent. I feel like a pin cushion! They said they will perhaps change my meds. They also want me to eat something before I go home! Gahhh. Not looking forward to that! 

Im still waiting on my blood results. In the meantime though the nurse has just been around to give me a painkiller by my cannula. Ive also had an ibroprofen tablet and I'm now on a drip. The drip is just saline which contains many different salts etc to replace my fluids. Ive had about half of the fluid bag and i feel brighter and look brighter too! I don't feel as tired or drained. Earlier I was literally falling asleep constantly. 

The nurse also came in with an egg sandwich. For the first time I said 'yeah sure!' I wasn't worried about whether I would be able to eat it or not. 

I must have been dehydrated because since having this drip I've been able to cope with the pain better. I think my body just had enough and couldn't cope any longer! I've eaten the sandwich, apart from the crust. Not quite that brave yet! It was a little painful but now my body is energised it was much easier to cope with. 

The nurse is such a gem. Shes just brought me some lovely ice cold water. She was saying how she had her tonsils out a few years ago and she didn't eat for 10 days!  Im so pleased I didn't leave it that long! 

Just had the specialist team come round, they seem pleased with my progress but are going to keep me in over night to make sure I'm eating and drinking. 

My weight has been a big thing really. I'm a tall 5ft 10 (or just under) and I weight just over 50kg which is under weight for my age and height. So eating is a big thing for me at the moment. 

In a way I'm pleased I'm staying. Im in the best place and they can dose me up on meds all night long! Ha! 

Essential tonsellectomy coping tips to stick by:

- If you can talk, keep it to a minimum. You don't want to strain the muscles in your throat. To be honest, it's probably nice for my family to get some peace a quiet.

- Use sign language, it's a bit like playing a game because they have to guess what you are trying to say. Find the funny side though if they don't get it. Try not to make it all doom and gloom (I know it's hard as you feel like s***).

- Sleep upright, I have about four large pillows keeping me upright. You don't want to choke on any of that nasty stuff in the back of your throat! Also, try to sleep for short periods so you can stay hydrated. Sleep anywhere, you don't have to say bed bound.

- Stay hydrated. This is soooo much easier said then done. Ice water has pretty much become my best friend and I literally can not be without it by my side. Keep taking little sips often to keep your throat soft and clean. On a few reviews I did read that people can just down it, I have no idea how! Way too painful for me. Try to take the biggest sips you can. Sucking on ice cubs can also help.

- Ice packs. Your throat will feel sore and tight with a burning sensation. If this occurs grab yourself an icepack and hold it against your throat. It does work - promise!

- Pain meds - take them as frequently as possible!! Be honest as well if you feel they aren't working. Your doctor maybe able to prescribe something else for you. You may need to set an alarm during the night so you don't miss a dose. Or if you're like me, you'll wake up like clock work because it's so painful!

- Please try to eat. So, eating has not been my strong point. I've barely eaten for the past 6 days. Jelly doesn't seem to be too bad or angel delight! Mash potato is a bit too thick for me at the moment. Eat whatever you fancy - little and often.

- Have a teddy bear. OK, now I'm going to sound like a 5 year old but, if you ever feel as poorly as I do, you'll want a teddy bear too! 

- Hugs, get lots of hugs and loving from the people around you. You'll need their support.

- Mama Nurse - my Mama has basically been my nurse since I've been back home. Honestly don't know what I'd do without her. One things for sure, you 100% do not want to be on your own. 

- Rest sleepy head. Rest as much as you can, this doesn't necessarily mean sleeping. Just make sure you're chilling, watch movies etc. I have found that my attention span hasn't been too great so I'm not interested in reading or anything which is a shame! I find I'm getting very irritable and therefore get 'over it' really quick and have to do something else. 

- Wish list. Dream, make lists of what you're going to do when you get better. Are you going to buy something to treat yourself? Are you going to have a day out? What meal are you most looking forward to? Always stay positive and look to the future. The days do seem like weeks but it will soon roll round! 

- Be mobile, try to walk about the house if you can. Get that body moving slowly!

- Cry, if you want to cry then please cry. There's no point holding in that tension and frustration. A tonsillectomy is awful!!!! Especially as an adult. You have every right to feel sad and upset.

I hope these tips help you!

I'll do a tip review at the end (when I've finally found the light at the end of the tunnel). Hopefully I'll think of some more ideas for you!

Day 5 - recovery

I woke up feeling a tiny bit better! Literally, only a tiny bit. I had been waking up early (or not sleeping) so I went downstairs and managed to eat the rest of my Jelly. I thought ah, we have a break through! By 11:30am I tried some plain chicken soup, I had about half a tin and managed to eat most of it. Again, progress! By about 1pm I managed to have the rest of my soup.
The trouble is, I feel soooo hungry, I just can't swallow! It's really frustrating.

I had a few more teary moments, at this point I have had enough. 5 days of feeling so so rubbish and not being able to swallow is just torture. I'd suffered enough over the past 18 months and I was really feeling sorry for myself. Quite rightly so, it is awful!

I had a tiny bit more bleeding this morning, but nothing major and stopped within about 2 mins. I think it's the scab coming off for something.
I had tried to eat some watermelon that I had cut up into tiny pieces, but I had such bad jaw ache! I literally could not chew. Again, at this point I'm feeling so low, depressed and I just want to feel normal! I hadn't felt normal in over a year and I wasn't sure how much more I could take.

I didn't sleep too good. I kept waking up and I found myself making noises because my throat ached so much. Around 4am I woke up crying because of the pain. Oh, you'll get ear pain too which is a b*****! So painful and achy. Those strong dull aches that you just can't get rid of. My mum rushed in and we got an ice pack to hold against my throat, this helps to relieve the swelling. I had a fresh cup of ice cold water too - this is especially good to reduce bleeding. The nights and mornings do seem to be the worst, I guess this is when you are most tired.

Sip on ice cold water whenever you can. I know each time you swallow is a battle but it will help your recovery. The only thing really getting me through is the hope that I've been through the worst of it now. The past few days have been pretty low. I've never experienced pain like it!!

At this point, my Mum is pretty good to getting to know my made-up sign language. I haven't been able to speak for the past 3 days so I have to mime everything. It's so frustrating! I want my voice back and I want this pain to end!!

Day 4 - recovery

So todays pretty much the same as day 3. Still very painful, very sore and full of mucus. So very attractive I know! Today was one of the slowest days of my life - not even exaggerating. There was more tears and frustration. I barely ate anything! I tried Jelly, soup, mash potato but no, nothing was doing it for me. I was staying away from diary as it can create more mucus and no one wants that! No no.

I was barely sleeping, probs getting about 3-4 hours per night. I dreaded going to sleep because of how dry and sore your throat feels when you wake up.
I was taking my pain meds every 4 hours but I was still in pain.

During the night I had woken up because my throat was bleeding, it was around 3am and automatically what do I do? PANIC! I called my Mum to my room and was crying because it was so scary. I could feel it running like a tap.
I took sips of cold water and rinsed my mouth out. It looked like a lot of blood but it really wasn't. I had been reading reviews online and small amounts of bleeding is normal, especially when the scabs start to come off. After a few mins it stopped - thank goodness! I did NOT want to go back to A&E.

The panic was over, but then I couldn't sleep! Was a long night for me...

Day 3 - recovery

Oh wow, here comes the pain! My goodness, I've never felt so unwell. My head was hurting, my throat was swollen, I couldn't speak or swallow. I started to get a little scared because I was having heart palpitations. At first, I thought this was just anxiety and the side effects of being on a lot of meds. It then started to get worse and worse. My mum called 111 and they suggested I go straight to A&E. As always, there was a long wait.
I had two ECG tests, a chest x-ray and a load of blood tests. They were testing to see if I had a blood clot in my lung (this is a side effect of surgery apparently). I was so scared and so uncomfortable whilst I was waiting. Thankfully, there was no blood clot!!
They said I did have an infection though so they gave me some anti-biotics, which to be honest i think I should have had in the first place! They also gave me Codeine to take which is a strong pain killer.
Today I noticed I had a lot of mucus, yeah I know it's gross but I'm not holding back on the details lol. I found it very hard to swallow and was such an awful taste!

Today was a really uncomfortable day for me. I hated it.
I remember crying as well because of the pain. I barely ate or drank for that matter!

Day 2 - recovery

I woke up feeling OK. I managed to have some poached eggs for breakfast. I was still feeling a little numb from the meds I had before the surgery.
Overall, today was okay. I ate some sweet potato mash, gravy and tiny pieces of chicken for dinner. I then had some chocolate angel delight which went down pretty well!

Day 2 seemed a bit of the blur really. I think this is due to the meds that were still going through my system.

Day 1 - operation day

So the next morning soon came round. I had to be at the hospital for 7:30am ready for my op. They had told me that I may have to stay over night so I had to pack a bag just in case. When I got there it was a long long wait. I didn't have my op until 12:10pm - that's a long wait when you havent eaten since 10pm the night before! Apparently the operation before me was taking longer then expected so there wasn't anything they could do. I was asked loads of questions about my health, weight, height etc. I also had to do a pregnancy test which they do now with all girls over the age of 12 (yeah 12 right?!)

I was FINALLY called and was taken to the pre-op room where I had all the injections, gas etc to put me to sleep before the surgery. I remember asking so many questions as I was so curious. I felt the pain relief kick in and I started to feel drowsy. I don't even remember falling asleep.

Next thing I know I've woken up in the resting room. Apparently, I had already been speaking to the nurses but I do not remember that lol! I had a little pain when i woke up so she gave me some liquid pain meds and it was hard to swallow because I was so dry! I had to lay there for a while to make sure I was OK, again I was asking the nurse so many questions - I get so curious lol. We ended up having a conversation about tattoos and I really could not believe I had just come out of surgery.
They shortly wheeled me through to my own room where my lovely Mama was waiting. I felt a bit emotional from the meds and very sleepy. The nurse came through to make sure I was OK and got me some water to sip. They also gave me some vanilla ice cream which actually went down pretty well.
I had to rest for a few hours and I managed to have a nap. I did start to feel a little more like myself.

Before I could go home they wanted to see if I could eat anything, I managed to eat a little mash potato and gravy. They sent me home with Paracetamol and Ibuprofen for the pain. I was surprised that they didn't give me anti-biotics though.
That night I was pretty drowsy and had a good nights sleep.

The Story

So, I'm a 22 year old who has quite simply had enough - I'm not even joking. I've been suffering with Glandular Fever for the past... 18 months now and along with that came recurrent Tonsillitis. Every 2-3 weeks I would be feeling ill, which basically means I've spent most of the past year feeling unwell!

I caught Glandular Fever in June of 2014, however this did not show up on my blood tests until the November so I had a few months where I had no idea what was wrong with me! - I think that's the tough part sometimes, when you have no idea what you are dealing with. By this time I had probably battled with Tonsillitis around 6 times since June. Glandular Fever can generally make you feel unwell, Tonsillitis was just part of it! It lowers your immune system so you often feel tired, achy, fed up and just so under the weather. For me, this could not have come at a worse time - I had just finished my second year at University and was soon to start third year. As if dealing with third year isn't tough enough!

Anyway, with the help of my amazing friends and family I was able to battle through the best I could. I've been awarded a First Class Honours Degree so that made the fight worth it! 

My health has been up and down over the past 18 months, I do feel I have missed out on things because of this illness. I soon realised I wasn't able to live the life as a 'normal' student. I couldn't go out drinking as much and I couldn't eat whatever I wanted! I did have to look after myself as much as I could. I saved going out for special occasions but I'd very often become poorly a few days later. 

I've learnt a lot about myself and how to live a healthier lifestyle so I guess this was kind of a blessing in disguise! 

After suffering with tonsillitis around 10-13 times now (I lost count as it was so many times), my Dr agreed that I needed to have them out. I had also paid for private health care to get another opinion.

I went to see a ENT specialist on July 26th and was told I would be put on the waiting list. I received a call on the Wednesday so say they could fit me in the next morning!! - How could I refuse? I was so so nervous but I knew it was now or never. So I accepted.