Monday, September 14, 2009

Memoirs of a Tonsillectomy (from CF Husband's Wife)

Nathan is out of his surgery and into recovery. He did very well. Other than having lots of post pain and a swollen tongue, he continues to do great! I think he took before and will be taking after pictures... but I am having a hard enough time just posting this note. I am very proud of my husband, who went through a surgery which is known to be, "more painful than back surgery" from what a nurse told me. The post recovery comes with some risks though, as this is a vascular procedure along with lots of pain. Please continue to pray for Nathan in the next few days. Thanks to a good friend, Larry, Nathan will be receiving a slushy machine when we get home!!

I went to go visit some of my favorite people here in the hospital. I was able to see some nurses, physical therapists, and one of my favorite Dr.'s --- Dr. Kussin. He joked with me and told me to begin a blog for Nate called, "Memoirs of a Tonsillectomy." I am not sure if Nathan laughed at that joke. He also sincerely said to call him if we need anything. My c.f. social worker also came by for a visit and so did Nathan's dad.

Thank You Doctor Scher for fixing both my new and improved voice and Nathan's tonsils! Your our favorite E.N.T!

We both miss our baby girl very much but know she is in very good hands tonight as she spends time with my mom and brother, Frank. Since I am in the shout out mode: Hi dad in Ohio... and my family in NJ, PA, and FL! Ok, this may get crazy, so I'll stop.

Thank you to everyone else who was praying for the love of my life. He and I really appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers.

Much Love,

P.S.

51 comments:

Jennifer said...

Yeah! So glad to hear Nate made it through surgery.

When I had my Tonsils & Adenoids out, I was 12 I think. All I wanted was Teddy Grahams. Now I can't even look at them without thinking about the surgery.

Yeah for slushies. :o)

Coach Prentice said...

Yay! NJ is shouting right back atcha'!!!

Coach Prentice said...

ps You should totally start a renegade blog about Nate's tonsils :)

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

Thanks for letting us know. :) I'm glad it went well.

Megan R. said...

I had my tonsils out when I was 20. I also had major sinus surgery too. The recovery is definitely rough, but soooo worth it in the end! I'm sure a million people have said this, but DON'T eat any dairy!!

Amy E. said...

Glad all went well. Will be praying for fast healing and a highly productive slushy machine.

Aspiemom said...

Glad to hear from you, Tricia, and to hear that Nate did well.

April said...

Heal fast Nate!

Jen said...

Thanks for the update! I am really glad to hear that the surgery went well. I will keep praying for a speedy recovery.

fuzzandfuzzlet said...

A friend of mine has had several operations. The most severe being a foot amputation. She still claims that having her tonsils removed was by far the most painful and hardest recovery.

Annette said...

Two of my children have had theirs out in the past 2 years. They did enjoy the slushys and popcycles. My oldest has such large adenoids that she had to learn a new way of drinking as all her drink would go right out her nose and still does 2 years later if she isnt careful! The first 2 days were the toughest but after that they got better pretty fast. praying for you Nate!

Staci said...

Mine came out when I was 21 and I thought the shots in the bottom were more painful than my throat! Praying for a speedy recovery :)

Stacemoe said...

Ya'll are so cute! Glad the surgery went well..Praying from Dallas for a speedy recovery..and SCORE on the slushy machine!!!!!

Tracy P. said...

Glad it went well. Nice to have you on the blogging end for once, Tricia. :-)

Lexie Loo, Lily, Liam & Dylan Too said...

Praying he heals quickly!!!

Jen Wilson said...

So opposite of how this blog began! Love hearing from you, Tricia. What a blessing that slushee machine will be!!

Hope you heal quickly, Nathan!

Queen Mommy said...

I'm glad things went well. Will continue to pray that the recovery goes smoothly and Nate is feeling much better soon!

Jennifer said...

Praying for a quick recovery Nate.

auntrene said...

Praying for Nate and hoping he has a peaceful, easy feeling and can get some rest.
Trisha,,I hope that recliner is comfy for you.
Thanks for the wonderful update.. its great to hear from you.
Shout Out from O-H-I-O
Go Bucks!!!!

auntrene said...

Just thought of something.. You should start the blog about Nathan's tonsils.. because its funny to think we would all actually follow it and read it..
haha!!!
See how dull our lives are, Nathan's tonsils are interesting to us bloggers!
Take CAre!

Lisa said...

Praying for Nate's healing and the pain to be less..My hub's had his out a few years ago, and he lost 15lbs he did eats lots of soup tho..praying for peace and calm too..remeber the STINKY breath that will come later is normal.

Twinkletoes said...

So glad he's doing well!

Praying for a speedy recovery (in PA).

Carrie said...

I was 15 when I had mine out, I have only had strep throat 1x since then and of course no more of the dozen tonsilitis cases I had every year!! The surgery was worth it. I lost weight but didn't find it more painful then the horrendous cases of tonsilitis. Although I had tons of extra mucous in my mouth for a week (sorry, but that is what I remember!!). Goodluck. I will be thinking about you.

Nana2Six said...

So glad you both are doing well! This reminds me of the old Bill Cosby routine from long ago about he and his brother Russell having their tonsils out and being told they could have all the ice cream in the world that they could eat! Then of course their throats were so sore they did not want ice cream! We are praying for Nate to make a complete and quick recovery!

Penny said...

I had mine out when I was 40! People told me horror stories of adult tonsillectomies, so I had put it off for YEARS! However, after strep throat Darvocet couldn't help--- I went through with it! Piece of cake compared to strep throat! I had it done as an outpatient and was in recovering talking to my family when I heard the lady on the other side of the curtain ask what I was in there for. When the nurse told her I'd just had my tonsils taken out, the lady exclaimed, "Today?!" Funny! Hope Nathan feels great soon. Oh and follow the advice from yesterday--- no straws! =)

Judy said...

Oh my, I'm praying for ya Nate! I had my tonsils removed in my twenties and it was HORRIBLE...I know...I know...not encouraging at all. But I had the worst doctor ever who actually ruptured both of my ear drums during the surgery. I have no idea how he did that. I would give birth to a child before having my tonsils removed any day! So I'm praying for you and hoping this procedure brings you better sleep and good health!!!

Rhonda said...

Poor Nate! Had my tonsills out as an adult and it was horrid! But - it has saved me a lot of inections and I've been much more well since having them cut out! Will be praying for a quick recoveryand adequate pain relief! Rhonda

Wendy Glosser said...

Great blog! Thanks for the update! praying and Praising!

Kate said...

Praying for a fast and easy recovery. Thanks for the update, Tricia!

Kimberly said...

Good to hear he's come out just fine.. the first week was horrible - had mine out at 23.. I mean seriously.. the kids in the ward with me were screaming there heads off and eating ice cream like machines within 6 hours.. I was in misery and ready to puke every time I turned my head.. once they got me out of the screaming meme ward (my love name for peds), it was much easier to actually feel sorry for myself properly!! anyhow, he will definitely need slushies so this was a good move.. I had the worst trouble at about 7 days when the scabbing wanted to try to slough off.. when they say slippery-slidey-soft diet, they really mean it--don't try to challenge it, they know what they are talking about.. mashed taters, slushies, milk shakes, scrambled eggs mushy.. definitely want to skip anything that requires tremendous work to swallow or you'll tear the scabs prematurely and that there ain't pretty.. nope, nope, nope.. he'll do much better and it will help tremendously general health-wise and with the cpap.. God bless P.S. and try to rest when you can, men are terrible patients :o)

Anonymous said...

You are awesome Tricia & so genuine! We're praying for your blessed family!

House of Collinsworth said...

Hope you both rest well! :o) Glad he made it through the surgery ok!

~j~ said...

thanks for the update.. i know several people who are getting their tonsil out, seems to be a popular surgery right now. Glad to hear so far so good!

LA said...

Woo! Been following Tricia's tweets yesterday, and glad all has gone well so far!

What a great excuse to eat slushies and ice cream...

Holly said...

I hope Nathan gets better soon! My boyfriend just got his out at the end of July and he is 23. It took him a good 2 weeks before he was able to really feel healthy again, and he still has some problems with a tight throat now. Slushies are great, and popsicles, and anything cold :) Hang in there, Nathan!

~Holly

LOVE, MERCY AND GRACE...GOD'S GRACE said...

So glad surgery went well! Praying for a speedy and not so painful recovery!

~Beth

Mickey & Minnie said...

Glad the surgery went well, yesterday. Hopefully today is a better day for you. Get well soon and enjoy your slushie machine!!

Amy said...

Get well soon Nate! I think that slushey machine sounds like just the right medicine!

Courtney said...

I'm so glad he is doing great! I have my tonsils out about 7 years ago (when I was 24) and it was awful! I got car-sick on the drive home so that probably didn't help.

Hope Nathan's recovery going great!! Long live the slushie!!

Becky in VA said...

How nice to get an update from the CF Husband's Wife!

I'm sure Nate will make a good and fast recovery.

Love to all!

Taylor said...

Feel better soon! The best food I ate when I was recovering from my tonsills was soft scrambled eggs with brie cheese. All the protein from the eggs and fat from the cheese keeps you from feeling like you're starving on top of all the pain, and the best part is you can actually swallow it. Actually, the best part is it keeps the medicine from making your stomache hurt!

Stephanie J said...

I had mine out at age 39, and it was definitely the most painful experience of my life. Totally worth it, because now I can sleep without my breathing being obstructed. My recovery time was 3 weeks at home, due to having pneumonia after the surgery, and a couple of weeks more to begin feeling more like "myself". Again, though, it was totally worth it in the long run.

Just me said...

Thinking of you guys.

Stacey

Deb said...

So glad to hear Nate is doing well!

My hubby had his tonsils out in May at age 37. It was a rough couple of weeks, but he says it was definitely worth it.

One of the previous comments reminded me what the ENT said before surgery. His ENT told him it was a great weight loss plan. He said it is so successful that he's never had anyone come back for a second treatment. LOL

Carol said...

Yay for all and thanks for taking on the blog Tricia. I am very happy I got rid of those tonsils when I was five - did not love it but clearly it was a walk in the park compared to what it is for an adult. So, whenever Nate is up to hearing it, tell him we all send our continued prayers and love - to you and Gwyneth too!

MamaMia said...

Glad to hear he's doing good!! And yes, having a tonsillectomy is HORRIBLE!!! I've had two c-sections and would rather deal with that than have a tonsillectomy any day!!

Joyce K said...

Glad to hear the surgery went well. Praying now for a speedy recovery.

Elaine said...

So glad to hear Nate came through surgery with no problems. Will be praying that he has a speedy recovery and hopeful a short one.
Elaine in MT

Elaine said...

Tricia,
Forgot to tell you it is sure nice to hear from you on this blog. Not that Nate's posts aren't informational and entertaining. You will have to let us know if his voice sounds funny for a while. When my son had his out, for a few days, he sounded like a girl. He sure didn't like that and wouldn't talk much if someone was listening.
Elaine in MT

Cynthia Jill Photography said...

Hi there,

Glad to hear Nate is doing well after surgery. I actually just had a tonsillectomy and my 4 impacted wisdom teeth extracted in July (I'm 29). Not a fun experience at all! Please let him know that drinking water and staying well hydrated is very, very important - no matter how much it hurts! And that if he starts getting sick from his pain meds to call his Dr. immediately to have it changed.
The scabs falling off was by far the worst part of it all for me, but continually drinking water helps. Three weeks after my surgery the doctor gave me Advil and told me to take 3 every 6 hours to try to wean me off the pain meds. Worst idea ever!! A scab ended up coming off and because the Advil thinned my blood, I started bleeding profusely. Turns out, the scab tore open an artery and I had to have emergency surgery.

I came across this website before my surgeries and it was immensely helpful and full of great info and advice. Here's the link: http://www.karlkatzke.com/how-to-quickly-recover-from-a-tonsillectomy-as-an-adult/

Sending him lots of positive vibes!!!

~Cindy

Anonymous said...

Hello I was reading about your tonsillectomy a year and a half or so ago. I found your blog because I am most likely going to drive 500 miles to Durham to let Dr. Scher take out my tonstils. I understand that he is a fabulous doctor and has won many awards
I am 40 years old and am very worried about getting my tonsils out. I have heard all of stories about the pain. I will make it fine though. I was wondering how you are now Nate. Did the tonstilectomy take care of your problems. I have got chronic tonsil infections and enlarged tonsils that are probably cause me not to breathe as easy. I hope that you are 1000% better now Nate and any information about your recovery and how your throat and symtoms are now would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Mike