3621 22

nd
street, suite 300
Lubbock, Texas 79410
(806) 792 5331
Fax (806) 792 9417
Thomas F. Neal, M.D., P.A.
Stan E. Potocki, M.D.

Otolaryngology head and neck surgery


Ear, Nose & Throat
Laser Surgery
Hearing Testing &
Hearing Aids

Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy Information Sheet
If tonsils are removed, I will give you pain medicine that contains Tylenol and a synthetic
codeine (unless allergic). This pain medication will help but unfortunately will not relieve pain
completely. It takes about 4.7 days for severe-discomfort in children under 10 to improve. In adults
and older children, the recovery period is up to 2 weeks. I advise staying home from work and school
for 1 week. Adults will typically have some soreness of the throat (but not severe after 2 weeks) for
up to 1 month.

Medicinal Alternatives and Cautions:
Follow the aspirin warning for 2 weeks.
Once the pain is less, try using smaller doses of the pain medicine as it can cause constipation
and nausea.
The prescribed medicine can be substituted by pain Tylenol.
The prescribed medicine and Tylenol should not be taken together as it may have harmful
effects.

Eating and Drinking
Expect to have difficulty with food for several days.
It will hurt to swallow liquids, but liquids must be forced down to prevent dehydration.
Dehydration occasionally requires hospitalization for IV fluids.
Try pushing liquids about 30-45 minutes after the pain medicine, as this is the best the throat
will feel.
Experiment with room temperature versus cold fluids to see what works best.
Milk products are safe but sometimes they cause irritation because they coat the throat, I
recommend water-based Popsicles.
Once food is tolerated, be very careful to only eat very soft foods for 14 days from surgery.
There are scabs I the back of the throat for two weeks that could be dislodged by solid or
scratchy food and cause bleeding.

Clotting:
Drops of blood from the nose and blood mixed with saliva in the mouth are normal for 2
weeks. If more than this amount is encountered, call me as this can represent and
emergency.
Vomiting in the first 24 hours after surgery will commonly contain blood clots. Call me if a
clot is seen in vomit after this time. If nausea is present, antibiotic can be skipped for a dose.

Additional Points:
Avoid strenuous activity for 2 weeks after surgery. Activities such as going to the mall seeing
a movie, and being outside when its not hot are okay. Avoid exercise during this time.
Expect a low-grade fever (up to 101.5) for the first week. This needs no medication
Expect ear pain that radiates form the throat for up to 2 weeks.
While the frequency of throat infections should be much less without the tonsils infection of
the throat can still occur.





















Risks The biggest risk is bleeding: follow the above instructions to lessen this risk. It is common to have some temporary
nasal regurgitation with eating and drinking. In almost all cases, this resolves by 3-4 weeks. If the tonsils and adenoids are
very large, expect the voice to have a different quality due to the throat having more space.