Tonsillectomy

That home medical 'diary' sounds interesting, @12bumblebees Care to quote the entry for your tonsillectomy?! Are details like about your being given ether and getting a pint of ice cream afterwards, added by you from memory? What about your not receiving an enema? Who wrote the entry? Presumably your parents?

Do you remember anything specifically about the ether? In my case, they covered my eyes and then a moment later l was choking and terrified from the ether fumes. I know l kicked and threshed about until l was asleep. Ring any bells?

Of course, l know that some anaesthetics are purposefully given these days to minimise memories of the procedure. (Hmm. Why, exactly?) But l doubt that ether could do that. In my case, quite the opposite!

- Ken

I had my tonsils out when I was 25 because I had been getting strep/tonsillitis recurring about every two weeks, and apparently I was mildly contagious to everyone all the time.

Having tonsils out as an adult.... brutal.

My throat looked like a Jackson Pollock painting.

The recovery time was eight full weeks.

Dehydration is the biggest risk because you will do literally anything to resist swallowing.

The immune system goes haywire at first, immediately giving you nasal congestion that tries to make you into a mouth-breather through your scabbed-over throat, and this is the most horrible pain you can imagine, in spite of heavy opioids.

(I know all about pain. I've had kidney stones also. Trust me, we're talking really bad pain.)

I actually started duct taping my mouth closed at night to prevent myself from mouth-breathing because I would wake up after having slept for like an hour in so much pain. I kinda knew that this was probably not safe, but I decided I'd rather die than fall asleep with my mouth open. Fortunately I survived.

I don't regret having it done, but this is something you want to do only if you REALLY can't live with things the way they are.

Edit: Here's one extra detail. I really tried to hydrate and to eat soft, high-calorie foods. I'm six feet tall, average build, but after two months of recovery, I weighed 110 lbs.

I had my tonsils removed at the age of 12 or13, due to chronic tonsillitis. It was back in the former USSR, what is now Ukraine. It was done in a clinic. There was no general anesthesia. They literally tied you to a medical chair, arms and legs, so you couldn't move. I had a needle jabbed in the back of my throat with some local anesthetic. It was still pretty painful and bloody, as far as I remember. It would likely be considered pretty barbaric by today's standards. I believe I stayed at the clinic for a few days afterwards.

There was a joke back then among medical personnel: A properly restrained patient doesn't require anesthesia. Apparently, there was a lot of truth to it.

I had my tonsils removed at the age of 12 or13, due to chronic tonsillitis. It was back in the former USSR, what is now Ukraine. It was done in a clinic.

I see that you're male, but do you have any knowledge about USSRs customs regarding gynecological examinations? If you do, I'd appreciate you writing something about it, either in a dedicated discussion thread, or in private message to me (my messages are open, yours are sadly not).

That being said, I still do have my tonsils.

N.

Thanks hugely @SlimDave for that graphic description of an adult tonsillectomy. A throat that looked like 'a Jackson Pollock painting' afterwards - very well said! I offer my congratulations as well as my commiserations!

- Ken

Thanks @lember for your description of having your tonsils out, tied to a medical chair, as a young teen in the former USSR. I bet you were terrified. It confirms and corresponds to the ghastly video on the web of a 4yo boy in Belarus having his tonsils out without anaesthetic.

My every sympathy!

- Ken

Thanks Ken,

I haven't seen the video you mentioned, but can imagine it's pretty gruesome.

Curiously enough, I don't remember being terrified, just understandably apprehensive. At that age, I stopped being scared of medical procedures. I just wanted it to be over with.

I also had an adenoidectomy at the same time, and that was actually significantly more painful (no anesthesia), although it was done in one swift move.

My son had an adenoidectomy at about the age of 10, because adenoids started to affect his breathing. It was done in a hospital in NY, and, of course, under general anesthesia. I told him how lucky he was.

Hi again @lember,The video l mentioned is still up on the Web. I googled just two words: 'Belarus' + 'tonsils'. Watch it if you aren't afraid of bringing back your own memories.

- Ken

Yes I had mine out in 1956, my mom gave me an enema the night before and I got another one in the hospital as “prep”, they used ether to knock me out which caused me to be nauseous and vomiting when I woke up! Just what you needed after a tonsillectomy? Really? It took about a week to get fully recovered from that nightmare.

I sent a sympathetic response to @codjer about the nausous and other effects of receiving ether as an anaesthetic. What l wrote was essentially objective, though based on my own observation. (Note. Ether as an anaesthetic has been discontinued for precisely the reasons l gave, and because IV has supplanted it as the preferred means to knock a patient out prior to surgery.) Yet my post was removed, and l've received no explanation.

- Ken

Speaking of recent Australian research on tonsillectomies (compare post #78 ), l remember that a year or so ago, researchers at Melbourne University did a longitudinal study (over time) of people who had had their tonsils out when they were kids. The researchers found that such people were more susceptible to ailments such as respiratory difficulties in later life. Ah, me!

Thanks Mum & Dad for surrendering your little boy to this 'wicked operation'!

- Ken

I still have my tonsils at age 56. I thought a tonsillectomy was to prevent having respiratory and throat ailments later in life.

I still have mine but. Do remember a few friends that went through the procedure back in the 50's. The story that I remember the most was from my best buddy. I am sure we were 7 or 8 at the time. He was bragging about all the ice cream he got to eat. Which was a rare treat for us. While describing the procedure he also told me that they had put diapers on him in the hospital. Almost had me convinced I needed my tonsils out! Didn't know if I was more jealous of all the ice cream or of having been diapered. LOL

I'm not entirely sure how these fits with this thread?

I recall my father (b 1914) telling me as a child he had his tonsils taken out on the kitchen table, I just assume that was with some early anesthetic (ether) of the time (1920's ?) … I do also wonder sometimes if he was also circumcised at that same time ….. but it's not the sort of thing one discusses in the family environment so long after the event

My Tonsils came out when I was 6. Generally if you had any problems out they came. I remember being in hospital a long time before that.

Already circumcised so that didn't need to be done but I did hear of a few boys who got “two for the price of one”.

Didn’t have mine out, but a few friends did. Overnight stay, with an enema before surgery and maybe a few days stay, with an enema before going home. All temps rectally!!

No.

To Nils

You wrote: At the day of the operation two nurses went in my room with a little trolley. They prepared injections, two in my back and two in my legs. It did burn quite heavily, especially in my back. Then my complete bed was driven down to operation circus in the cellar.

Injections in the back seem absolutely out of place forr tonsil surgery alone. Since they hurt so badly, they were possibly epidural anesthesia or spinal anesthesia or anesthesia to numb out nerves going to the lower stomach or pelvic area,

It looks like they also perfformed a procedue in your urinary system, lower digeestive system or other pelvic areas too when you were under anesthesia. Did you feel any synptoms in your urethra, anus, hip joints or other lower body areea after the procedure? Can you remember a catheter or other things mounted in your pelvic area? Did any part of you get numbed after the injections?

Yeah, that was the procedure. I donrvrember pain, but I do remember the early-morning (very early) morning enema and the ice cream. The enema was in a big green bag. It burned like crazy¹and i woke up the other kids with my hollering. Pretty much everybody got enemas that morning.. I guess that was the routine back then. Don't know why. I dontbknow if they gave adults enemas back then or even today.

@hoseman1 Any idea why your parents had you circumcised at that age?

When I was in the 5th grade I had my tonsils & adenoids out along with most of my class during April vacation. One boy escaped having it done because he had a cold. I guess it was just the thing to do to kids at that age because I never had a problem nor do I remember any of my classmates ever having tonsillitis. I sure had a problem afterward though. I was just learning to play the trumpet but after the operation I was unable to because I couldn't stop the air from coming out my nose instead of going into the mouthpiece. At some point I must have mastered that because I was in the senior band from the 6th grade through high school and I played with them for two football seasons after graduating. I was also in the town band that gave weekly concerts during the summer.

The tonsil experience was both good and bad. I loved the bed baths the nurses gave me but the rest was a horror show.Went in the hospital in the morning after being starved the night before. Was stripped naked and given a bed bath. Back in bed now naked which for a 10 year old was not a pleasant thing. I think I got a shot in the arm and after a while I was taken to the operating room where I was introduced to mr. stinky rubber mask. That was held tightly over my face while two nurses held me down tight and kept me from moving my head. Someone said to count backward from 100 and then the ether replaced the air I had been breathing and I felt like I was being suffocated by this stuff that burned by respiratory system like hell. I think I got to 92 or 91.

I woke up slowly back in a room with the door open so I was looking at the very blurry room number on it which bothered the shit out of me not being able to focus it. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep. Next time I awoke I could focus the room number better and eventually it was clear again. By now my throat hurt like hell and ten times worse if I tried to swallow. A nurse came in and let me have some ice. I could have kissed her for that. My parents came to visit and I discovered hellish pain all over again trying to speak. All I wanted was to get the hell out of that place but I was kept over night. Ahhh, another wonderful bed bath. Morning came and another bed bath then my parents showed up and I was allowed to go home with them.

For the rest of school vacation week it was ice cream melting in my mouth and slowly trickling down my throat that still hurt like hell. I think it took a couple weeks to be able to eat any solid food.

My hobby had been making model airplanes but that ended abruptly because the glue smelled just like the ether they smothered me with. It was several years before I could even get near anything that smelled like ether. When I was in my 20s doing TV service calls at the hospital was still quite unpleasant because they still used ether and it permeated the lower floor and office.

@roscoe I think indeed you were from an era when preventive, routine tonsillectomy was done.

Was stripped naked and given a bed bath. Back in bed now naked which for a 10 year old was not a pleasant thing.

.

That’s right. When I had my tonsils removed at an age of 12 it was the same for me. Two boys, myself and a younger boy from our ward were called and taken to the theatre. When we entered a small room leading to the theatre itself we were told to remove all clothes. I was very embarrassed. Why would they strip us naked if it is about throat. Then we went along a big theatre with lots of staff all faces covered by masks. The second boy was taken to a different location in the theatre. After the operation we still were not allowed to were clothes until the next day.