Mʏ Tᴏɴsɪʟʟᴇᴄᴛᴏᴍʏ Exᴘᴇʀɪᴇɴᴄᴇ

Back in 2010 I was confined at the hospital for three days due to chronic tonsillitis and by then I was already advised by my doctor to have my tonsils removed since it often swells and it might create a more serious problem but i just didn't really take that advise seriously since after that "confinement" incident it kind'a rested as well but in 2011 I had the same problem while travelling in Manila with my husband and I've gone through the same hell of a pain.  My husband urged me to have the operation asap and I told him i'll do it in Cebu.  I got busy with work and started doing my language studies so I forgot about it until the "illness" itself reminded me of its existence.  Like what my doctor said it'll keep on coming back until they're removed so I wasn't surprised but it made me decide to really do the operation.

On the 25th of January I admitted myself at the Cebu Doctor's University Hospital as advised by my doctor for the tonsillectomy scheduled early morning the next day.  The operation was done at 07:00 and it lasted about an hour.  I stayed at the recovery room for two hours without any grave pain but first thing I did when I gained consciousness was "coughing" and it alarmed the nurses at the recovery room coz I might bleed.  Coughing is a common after-effect of the operation since while on the process the throat created a lot of mucus.  I was able to stop my coughing quickly when the nurses warned me about the bleeding.  I got back in my room at about 10:30 and I felt so hungry so I asked Mama to get me some ice cream.  I tried to eat but it made me want to throw-up so I stopped, stayed calm and just tried to relax.  My throat felt so dry, Mama couldn't find any "cold" water so i tried to drink a bottled water with normal temp and God if felt like hundreds of needles were scratching my wounds!  

On the first day I couldn't talk, I was afraid to but the pain wasn't really very important yet since the anesthetics were still in effect but the next day when I woke up I started to feel miserable.  I couldn't eat anything other than ice cream, yogurt and jelly and this lasted for about three to four days.  Everything I take-in must be really cold otherwise it'll be very painful.  In other countries after a tonsillectomy procedure the patient goes home right away but here in the Philippines the patient stays in the hospital for about three to four days but in my case I stayed for six f****ng days coz I had to wait for some papers from my job as required by "Intellicare" my HMO, otherwise I'm gonna have to pay some ₱10,000+ which of course I'm not willing to pay since I got full coverage of my insurance, so I just waited though I felt like I was in prison.

Oh thank God for family and good friends!!  I'm an attention seeker when I'm sick, I've always been like that since I was little.  I want to be pampered, to be taken-care-of and to be looked-after when i'm not feeling well.  If we're close and I don't get your attention when I'm not feeling well then I'd be upset, some would say it's immature but it's just really me...i'm just really like that.  All my loved ones know that and they've never failed to support me.  On my recovery days I was often short of patience, so irritable coz i couldn't explain the pain and thankfully everyone had been so understanding.  

I've never spent a penny for the operation but I've spent a lot for my food.  There must be ice cream everyday.  Here are the foods that helped me get through it:  Vanilla flavored ice cream, Yogurt, Jelly, Food supplement (Ensure - vanilla flavored too), Porridge and Choco Frappe.  Then when I was already able take some a bit harder food I started it with pasta: spaghetti, macaroni, pancit-canton and lomi.  My brother also bought me some fruits, I was able to take mango and water melon, both refrigerated.  

Everyday of the healing process had been a challenge.  At one moment I got so afraid to eat, I wasn't able to eat enough food to support my medication and I ended up vomiting which caused me to bleed.  My coughing was also a constant issue, on the 11th day of my recovery I wasn't able to hold my cough and I bled even more than the first bleeding incident which got me a bit scared.  The next day I went to see my doctor and he asked me to take my pain relievers again and another medicine to help me soften the scar so the healing will be smoother as well.  If eating is a struggle so is sleeping, the pain really wakes me up in the middle of the night up to the 12th or 13th day of the recovery period.  On the first week after the operation the smell of my breath was not nice, it smelt like medicines and my taste was just awful.  I was eating ice cream everyday but it didn't really taste like ice cream at all.  Another thing is that a few days after the operation there were some sore gums near the wounds and on each side of my tongue which made it even harder for me to eat.

Apparently my recovery isn't as fast as expected according to my doctor so I'm not able to get back to work immediately.  Since I bled on the 11th day of my recovery, he had to extend my medical leave for a couple more days.  Thankfully I'm already at the end part of my recovery.  Today is my 14th day and I still have a little pain, still couldn't talk "straight" because I feel like something is holding my tongue and there's still a few left of the sore gums.

If it wasn't necessary I really wouldn't have done it.  It's like a torture everyday but it'll be worth it.  At least I won't have to worry about having tonsillitis ever again and I'm able to avoid buying and taking the strong antibiotics which might even damage my kidneys and liver.  

A day after the operation.