Tonsillectomy - Day 4

I woke up with a massive headache – I feel about the same as I did last night. Crushed ice with aloe juice and coconut water still feels the best. My head really hurts when I am sitting, standing or walking……..back to bed. The Percocet doesn’t help the headache at all….but it does knock me out so I can sleep.

After napping well into the day, I woke up feeling much better. The headache is gone but my throat still hurts. It's very difficult to talk unless it's within 30 minutes of taking ther percocet. I still seem to be handling the percoset OK. I haven't thrown up and I don't feel totally out of it. But I do require several naps a day - it's still a bit of a roller coaster.

Is the worst part over? Or is the worst yet to come? I believe the Millennia oil worked on my ears.  My ears started aching with my headache last night but it stopped soon after I put the Millennia oil in. My ears are still sensitive to sound. I remember reading a blog post from someone recommending earmuffs after a tonsillectomy. She said it’s because air made her ears hurt. It’s not the air, it’s noise and sound. I wrapped a scarf over my ears and it really helped.

Alexa makes the best healing broth – she made me a bottle and brought me her favorite Aloe juice and some beautiful flowers. Thanks Alexa! The broth is so much better than store bought broth, it has tons flavor (heavy on the sweet potato…just the way I like it).  For the first time since the surgery, warm liquid felt good. Tonight I had some mashed sweet potato and butternut squash soup. The sweet potato seemed to stick to the back of the throat. I didn’t like the way that felt. The butternut squash soup was perfect.

Day 4 Diet

·         Aloe Juice and Coconut water over crushed ice

·         Spinach, pea and pear (baby food) it wasn’t very good…the broccoli apple yesterday was much better.

·         Alexa’s Healing Broth

·         Good Belly Berry Pro-biotic with borage oil, green machine juice (mixed the crushed percoset)

·         Butternut squash soup, Pacific brand

·         Roasted sweet potatoes (yams) and sweet onion drizzled with olive oil, blended in a food processor with fresh cilantro.

·         Mango Sorbet (Simon’s treat)

I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings. I really hope the worst is over.  I haven’t had any weight loss which is really disappointing….it’s amazing you can starve yourself on a liquid diet, eating less than 600 healthy calories and not lose any weight…..stupid thyroid.

Beautiful flowers from Symee and Alexa:

Next: Day 5 & 6 - Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy - Day 3

Today I feel worse than the previous 2 days. My throat seems to hurt a little more and I have a huge headache….it won’t go away. If I try to do anything on my computer, read or do anything around the house, my head just throbs. If I try to watch a movie, I doze off.

I’m surprised the couch is still the most comfortable place to sleep. It keeps my head elevated and it’s cozy right next to the fire place.

I’m pretty cold most of the time. I would love to eat something hot…or at least warm…but the ice still feels the best on my throat. I’m still having issues with air going up the nose when I swallow. If I drink something room temp, it feels like it’s going up my nose. If it’s a cold beverage it seems to go down the throat instead of up.

Day 3 Diet:

·         Aloe Juice and Coconut water over crushed ice (if I could only have one beverage, this would be it)

·         Organic apples and broccoli (baby food)

·         Chocolate Rice Protein Energizer with Borage Oil, Green Superfoods, Chlorophyll and Chia seeds. (I could only drink 1/4 of it – the chia seeds get caught in the throat)

·         Organic Healing Vegetable Broth (cold)

·         Good Belly Berry Pro-biotic beverage (mixed with the crushed percoset)

·         Green Machine, Naked Juice (mixed the crushed percoset)

·         Mango Sorbet (Simon’s treat)

I like the beverages over crushed ice instead of making them into popsicles.

I still feel pretty bloated today…no weight loss yet.

My ears feel sensitive but they are not aching. I had Simon put one drop of my essential oil blend called Millennia, in each ear. It’s supposed to reduce inflammation in the ears. I’m also using another oil blend called Endo Relief on my throat.

I just broke open a magnesium capsule and poured it into my juice. It doesn’t dissolve at all and it won’t mix in. I accidently inhaled the powder causing me to cough… cough…ouch…hopefully this will make my headache go away.

Tomorrow I will avoid the rice protein, the chia seeds hurt. I thought the swollen seeds would be soothing but they are not. I think I will do a shot of borage and flax oil with my next dose of medicine.

Aloe should be a required part of the tonsillectomy recovery. It feels soooooo good on the throat and it's so healing. Read more about the Aloe Juice I'm drinking here: http://www.lakewoodjuices.com/product_detail/id-74/

NEXT: Day 4 - Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy - Day 2

I tried to sleep partially sitting up, the nurse said to sleep at 45-30 degree angle. It didn’t work very well.  My head kept sliding to the left or right sending shocking razor like pain up my throat. After several throat shocks I realized it was 4 AM and time for another dose of Percocet. When I went back to sleep I removed the big pillow and laid back just slightly elevating my head. I slept much better.

For the most part I’m handling the pain medication OK. Simon can tell once I’m past the 4 hour mark. It’s really hard to talk and I’m always lying down, ½ asleep. He’ll mix up the crushed percoset with applesauce and within 20 minutes of taking the medication I’m sitting up. I can usually do some things around the house at that point or work on my computer. Then 1-2 hours after I’ve taken the medication, I get dizzy. I have to lay down until it passes – it’s a bit of a roller coaster. The ear pain has not started yet, so it’s still the calm before the storm. Here are some other things I’m experiencing:

·         My ears are sensitive to sound. Normally sounds like the washer don’t bother me but everything seems really loud.

·         My body is swollen like I’m retaining water. It must be the side effect of the Percocet. I read through the fine print and it could cause a problem with my thyroid too. I’ll be really upset if I don’t lose any weight over the next few weeks. With a thyroid problem you can starve yourself and not lose weight. I specifically started my detox 3 weeks ago and stayed on it for 2 weeks so I could shut off any thyroid issue that would prevent me from losing weight.

·         Another side effect of the Percocet is constipation. Normally I’m very regular – 2-3 times per day. Yesterday I didn’t have a movement. This morning I drank my Percocet with prune juice and aloe and it seemed to help because I had one movement.

·         The only thing that still feels good to eat is the crushed ice and the homemade popsicles. I don’t like the feeling of anything that coats the throat or gets little bits caught. (strawberry seeds or even soaked chia seeds). I’m also tired of sweet stuff. These popsicles are not very sweet compared to store bought popsicles but it’s still too much sweet. I’ve had a couple of glasses of organic vegetable broth to balance it. 

·         If I drink or eat anything that’s not a Popsicle or ice, I can feel it partially going up my nose when I swallow. Or I can feel the air up my nose when I swallow. I think that will go away when the swelling goes down….I hope.

·         Today I tried some organic baby food from Sprout – Roasted Apples and Blueberries. I liked it – it’s smooth, not grainy or pulpy like regular applesauce. I try to eat something that’s a little more substantial when I take the Percocet. So far the applesauce is working – it’s kept me from getting sick.

Day 2 Diet:

·         Peach-Apple-Prune-Aloe Juice popsicle

·         Coconut water popsicle

·         Applesauce (mixed with Percocet)

·         Organic Roasted Apples & Blueberries (baby food)

·         Chocolate Rice Protein Energizer with Borage Oil, Green Superfoods, Chlorophyll and Chia seeds. (I could only drink ¼ of it.)

·         Organic Healing Vegetable Broth (cold)

·         Sleepytime tea with a little honey (room temp)

·         Aloe Juice and Coconut water over crushed ice…..(I hated the taste of the Aloe juice at first but now I love it – it’s feels so good on my throat)

NEXT: Day 3 - Tonsillectomy

Tonsillectomy & Adenoidectomy - Day 1

I didn’t sleep well last night; too nervous I guess. We had to be downtown at 7:15 this morning to check into the hospital. You can’t eat or drink anything after midnight. This is to keep your stomach contents from getting into the lungs during anesthesia. I was also required to do a pregnancy test before the surgery. I couldn’t drink anything in the morning so I refrained from using the bathroom when I woke up. After the test I got changed into my surgery gown. The Bear Paw gown and socks were warm and comfortable for a hospital gown – much better than a thin flimsy gown that’s open in the back.

Each doctor came in to meet me and my ENT doctor gave Simon the prescriptions. The doctor explained the Coblation tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery. I asked the doctor about liquid Lortab but he said he doesn’t give liquid pain medication because it’s not as strong. He suggested crushing up the Percocet and mixing it with sorbet or applesauce. By 8:40 AM I was given some happy juice to relax me. I gave my glasses to Simon and they wheeled me out of the room about 5 minutes later, that’s the last thing I remember.

When I came to I could feel a machine squeezing my legs. A nurse was talking to me about my low heart rate and said she needed to inform the doctor. I think she asked me if I was an athlete and I must have told her yes. I faintly remember telling her about my goals for completing a Century Ride this year and a Triathlon. I’ve been doing some pretty intense Yoga 4-5 days a week for the last 3 weeks – but I haven’t really done much cardio training the last 4 months. I don’t think that makes me an athlete…..hmmm….I wonder what else I said when I was out of it? Well…I’m not an athlete, but this will be my year I reach my athletic goals. I was pretty close to reaching my goal last summer….maybe if I hadn’t come down strep or that other throat infection, I would’ve done better.

As I was being wheeled into my recovery room I noticed my throat felt like something was in it, like cotton. The nurse gave me a bottled water – she also offered coke products which I thought sounded painful.  I was told not to use straws until I’m healed because sucking on a straw can cause bleeding. Then I was offered sorbet with crushed Percocet and some applesauce.

When I was ready to leave, Simon helped me get dressed and the nurse wheeled me out to the car. We had to make a couple stops on the way home. In addition to the Percocet and the amoxicillin I was given a prescription for tetra-caine lollipops which can only be found at certain compounding pharmacys like Jolley’s. I read these were a must to have. It seems like those who suffered the most did not have these.

After the pharmacy we stopped at Sonic to get a bag of crushed ice. They sell bags of ice for $1.79. Crushed ice is a lot easier to eat than whole ice cubes. It should be a requirement when having your tonsils out.

After we arrived home, Simon helped me to the couch where I quickly set-up camp and fell asleep. The nurse suggesting sleeping at a 30-45 degree angle so the couch seemed like the best place to set-up camp. Simon’s parents stopped by and brought some Mango juice. It may be a few more days before I can enjoy it.

I woke from my nap around 5pm. I felt pretty good. The anesthesia wore off and I felt pretty normal for a little while until the pain in my throat kicked in. Simon crushed up the perocet and blended it with some Amazing Grass Green Superfoods, frozen strawberries and coconut water. The amoxicillin is the pink bubble gum flavor you get prescribed as a kid…..Mmmm….just like I remember.

After my Percocet dosage I’m able to sit up and actually feel ok. I am able to talk, my voice comes and goes and it’s much easier if I talk softly. If I have to raise my voice, it hurts. As I reach the 4 hour point I feel wiped out and the pain starts to kick in. I've been eating my coconut water popsicles as well as the peach-apple-prune-aloe juice pops.

I’ve set-up my new humidifier to help keep my throat from drying out. Hopefully I can sleep tonight…..

Next: Day 2 - Tonsillectomy

My Tonsillectomy Surgery, age 35

In less than 10 hours I’ll be waking up from a Tonsillectomy. I’m 35 years old and have suffered from sore throats/strep, throat pearls, ear infections and pretty severe chronic fatigue a good part of my life. According to the ENT Doctor, I have the biggest crater in my tonsils that he’s ever seen. This crater catches food which can fester and cause an infection. He believes I may have been walking around with a low grade infection most of my life which would explain my weak immune system and on/off chronic fatigue.

While I’m looking forward to having them out, at the same time I’ve very nervous. Adult Tonsillectomy is pretty pain. I’ve been told several horror stories as well as numerous internet postings from people dealing with the worst pain they’ve ever experienced in their life. One woman said she’d rather give birth to her 10 lb. baby without an epidural, 30 times than have her tonsils removed again. Another said she’d rather have strep 4 times per year for the rest of her life than go through that again.

I’ve done a lot of research and have prepared myself for the different phases of recovery. The first day it’s recommended that you only drink clear liquids. Nothing citrus, tart, carbonation, tomato based, spicy or salty foods for at least a few weeks. No dairy or anything that would coat your throat for a week. It also seems to vary greatly from person to person.

I believe if I have plenty of vitamins, I will be able to recover quicker. The only problem is, taking my vitamins will be difficult so I need to rely on getting my vitamins from liquids and food. The pills will be very painful to swallow and my liquid vitamins are citrus based. I know I will be on a liquid diet for a while and I expect to lose weight. I’ve heard you can lose 5-20 pounds.  I don’t want to lose too much weight but I’ll welcome a 10-15 pound loss.

This is what I have for the first day for my clear liquids:

Pure Aloe Juice

·         Crushed ice

·         Coconut water

·         Aloe vera juice

·         Apple/Peach Juice

·         Sleepytime tea with honey

The next stage of liquids I have:

·        Prune juice to mix with the aloe, apple/peach juice (pain meds can make you constipated, prune and aloe will keep things moving)

·         Rice protein with Amazing Grass Chocolate Green Superfoods with borage/flax oil

·         Good Belly probiotic beverages

·        Healing Broth - its easy to make, it tastes better and has less sodium than store bought vegetable broth. Click here for the recipe.

Then when I can thicken things up a bit, I will add:

·         Green Machine, Naked Juice

·         Pumpkin chia pudding

·         Coconut Kefir

·         Coconut Yogurt

·         Coconut Ice cream

·         Chocolate Almond Milk

·         Carrot Ginger Soup

·         Butternut Squash Soup

·         Various organic baby food

·         Applesauce

The next stage, soft foods

·         Scrambled eggs

·         Mashed sweet potatoes

·         Oatmeal

I’ll miss my leafy greens and crunchy green veggies. I wish I had a masticating juicer – it would’ve been perfect for this.

Off to bed……I hope I can sleep.

Next: Day 1 - Tonsillectomy