On Match 15th, I finally evicted my tonsils. This was 3 years in the making. I was talking to my ENT the week before the world shut down and all “elective” surgeries were cancelled. I was warned that it would be much worse as an adult, and boy was that right.
I started having tonsillitis a couple of times a year, and tonsil stones at least 3 times a week. For those of you that have never heard of tonsil stones, aka tonsilloliths, are calcified food, puss, or dead skin cells that build up in the crevices of tonsils, and although they are soft, they feel like a chip lodged in your throat. About a month ago, I was getting them daily and had a couple of them that were stuck.
It amazes me that in my 5 hours in the hospital for this procedure, it was only about 20 minutes of actual time under the knife. Luckily, I don’t have that bad of a reaction to anesthesia, but the healing process is and has been awful.
I tend to be very talkative, and I can’t handle more than a couple of sentences before I need Ice chips or cold water to help the pain. I also am a “can’t sit still” kind of person, and being stuck in my apartment, eating soft foods, and not being allowed to lift more than 20 pounds, I. Am. Going. Crazy.
My job only has so much that I can do from home, and that was done by day 3 of recovery. I’m now on day 7. I have done my taxes, watched through half of Bob’s Burgers, Worked on my will, and played some video games. The biggest problem is that I’m on my own for the majority of the day, as I am self sufficient after my surgery. My wife only had to miss the day of my surgery.
Some of the positives I have had so far in this journey are:
– I didn’t need heavy pain killers (I was worried about that)
– I am a pro at making jello
– I’ve gotten a lot of deskwork done that I normally wouldn’t have gotten to
– I haven’t had any tonsil stones
– I’ve lost 9 pounds since the surgery
From what I’ve read, and heard, I am either half or a third of the way through the recovery process. I’m hoping I only have 1 week left. Especially since every day, I have felt better, and better.
If you would have asked me if it was worth getting done a couple of days ago, I would have said no, as I couldn’t sleep because I was so uncomfortable. But I can’t wait until the days that I don’t have daily throat pain.
Personal Fixer Upper 