Patient Information

Advice Sheet: Tonsils and Adenoid Surgery

When the patient is discharged

Most children require seven to ten days to recover from the surgery. Some may recover quickly and other may take up to two weeks for a full recovery. The following guidelines are recommended

EATING

• General there are no food restrictions after surgery.
• There sooner the child eats and chews, the quicker the recovery.
• Tonsillectomy patients may be reluctant to eat because of some throat pain. Consequently some weight loss may occur which will be gained back after a normal diet is resumed

DRINKING

• Juice, soft drink, ice lollies, jelly, yogurt and ice cream can be given to the patient.
• Some patient experience nausea and vomiting after the surgery caused by the general Anesthetic.

This usually occurs within the 24 hours and resolves on its own.

FEVER

• A low grade fever may be observed for several days after surgery

ACTIVITY

• Rest is recommended for several days after surgery.
• Activity may be increased slowly with return to school after normal eating and drinking resumes, pain medication creases and the child sleep through the night.
• Travel away form home is not recommended for two weeks following surgery.

BREATHING

• You may abnormal snoring and mouth breathing due to swelling in the throat.
• Breathing should return to normal when swelling subsides-10-14 days after surgery.

SCABS

• A scab will form where the tonsils and adenoid sere removed.
• These scabs are thick, white and cause bad breath. This is not unexpected
• Most scabs fall of in small pieces five to ten days after surgery and are swallowed.

BLEEDING

• With the exception of small specks of blood from the nose or in the saliva, bright red blood should not be seen.
• If such bleeding occurs, contact your Doctor immediately or take your child to the emergency centre.
• Bleeding is an indication that the scabs have fallen off too early and medical attention is required.

PAIN

• Nearly all children undergoing a tonsillectomy/ adenoidectomy will have mild to serve pain in the throat after surgery.
• Some may complain of an earache (because stimulation of the same nerve that goes to the throat travels to the ear) and a few may complain of pain in the jaw and neck(due to positioning of the patient in the operating room)

PAIN CONTROL

• Your Doctor will prescribe appropriate pain medications for your child- most commonly Myprodol or Stopayne suspension. This is recommended for regular administration to the patient for up to 7-10 days after surgery.

POST OPERATIVE FOLLOW UP

• If an appointment has not already been made for you, please telephone for an appointment. The first post operative appointment should be about 7-10 days after the operation.