Tonsillectomy Tomorrow..Help!?

Question

Hey there!
Getting my tonsillectomy done in the morning and I have a few jitters about it.
Im sure I can contact my dr, but wanted to see if i could ask someone on here who may have some personal experience!
1) i know not to wear makeup or lotion or anything, but is nail polish *on my toes* ok? Sounds weird i know..but curious!
2)I have a tongue piercing, and was told I may have to take it out for the 1/2 hr procedure. Does anyone know if this is the case or if the hospital will allow something sterile to be put in so it doesnt close up?
3(I have tylenol with codene as well as liquid lortab but Im such a little girl when it comes to pain! Does anyone know of any home remedies that will help?
4) and finally.. and tips/tricks (besides the whole dairy products thing, and eating cold foods and drinkin lots of water..I know that stuff.. but anything else?)

Thanks for any help!

Haha. I love the person who said I was overreacting :)
Made me laugh, so thank you :D

1) I've had cancer (Twice) and made it through, so everyone has been telling me this will be the biggest breeze!! I just hate having my throat/neck touched..was choked when i was younger, so I get all crazy about it!
2) Im 21..so not really young or really old..kinda caught in the middle!
3)thanks for all the great answers :)
4) have had the tongue piercing in for 2 years..but weirdest thing is that I had it out for about 3 hours once and it started to close! Oh well, 1/2 hr- 1 hr shouldnt be too bad.
Once again , thanks for everyone's kind replies.

1) Toe nail polish was FINE
2) Tongue ring was FINE..the only reason they would need it out was so it wouldnt hurt when they clamped down my tongue..I did take it out, but it was my own choice.
3) Im sorry to those of you who feel like im "being a baby". Do NOT take the time to even answer my question if you're going to be rude. You're wasting my time and yours.
This is an extremely painful recovering time & I really dont understand what provokes those of you who have never been through the process, to write me about it.

Answer 1

I just had my tonsils out in December and I think I can answer your questions! You cannot wear any kind of nail polish - they need to be able to see your nails because that is one of the first places lack of oxygen shows up (nails looks blue). You absolutely cannot have your tongue piercing in! It would get in the way for the procedure and I doubt if they will let anything go in the hole for that reason! I wish had had any idea of any home remedies that would help, but for me, I was miserable for almost two full weeks! But I'm 33, so that may be why - I hear it's worse the older you are! I wouldn't eat/drink a lot of dairy products - it increases phlegm and that makes it worse! It will be very difficult to eat or drink anything! Just try to keep drinking at least on a daily basis. Try not to talk a lot, plan on frequent small meals and allow a lot of time to eat! Good luck with the procedure - it will get better eventually!!

Answer 2

I can't tell you about the whole tongue piercing thing but this is what I can tell you.

Nail polish should be fine. They have used it on patients for Identification in some of the televised surgeries I have seen.

I am a big fan of Tylenol with codeine I would think in liquid form it would be very good for the pain you'll have.

You will feel like you have a BAD sore throat. That is what I remember from when I had mine out. Besides the whole dairy and cold foods I ate baby food for (my mother tells me) weeks after the surgery. Popsicles are a big plus too. the serve both the fluids and the cold at once with a lot of tasty variety.

Good Luck

Answer 3

Toe nail polish is fine.

No, you can't put anything in place of your tongue piercing, nothing can be in your mouth. It won't close up that quickly, don't worry about that.

The Tylenol with codeine or lortab will take care of the pain and will probably make you sleepy, so just go ahead and sleep.

Cold foods will soothe your throat so have someone get you popsicles, italian ice, etc.

Aside from the above, have someone rent some movies and get a couple of good books and magazines to occupy yourself with until you feel better. Just plan on a little down time, it'll be over before you know it. Take care, feel better.

Answer 4

i had my tonsilectomy when i was 11. it really is a lot better when it's done when the child is still a child instead of an adult. my recovery time was about a week, and it really wasn't too bad. obviously, ice cream or popsicles are great options. i wouldn't suggest the kind with chunks of brownie, strawberries, or cookie dough. soup is another great option! the warmth soothes the throat excellently. she'll have to take some DIGUSTING medicine, so prepare for a battle. pudding is good, not jello unless she chews it up really well, definitely a lot of water and not any carbonated. but i did have tonsils and adenoids removed simultaneously. the pain was really only about a 6 on a 10 point scale 10 being the worst. make sure she gets plenty of rest as well, and no swimming for a while. macaroni and cheese is pretty good too. juice, as long as it's not soda (cause it'll burn pretty bad) and not any really solid foods. she should be fine.

Answer 5

1. Every hospital seems to be different about toenail polish. (I had to remove mine.)
2. You'll definitely need to remove your tongue piercing. But it shouldn't close. Ask the doctor when you can put it back in.
3. For pain, they will give you good meds. But on top of that you can try meditation and/or deep belly breathing. It works really well to reduce the pain (and calm you down.)
4. Get some bendy straws. Drink lots of water.
Popsicles (the ones with real fruit are a great way to get some nutrients.) Clear beef or chicken broth.
Good luck. You'll be back to normal in no time!

Answer 6

When our bodies have poor oxygenation the first place that it can be visibly seen is in the nailbeds and our skin turns pale and lips turn blue. The hospital doesn’t want you to wear make up or nail polish so that they can monitor you visibly. Yes they’ll have all kinds of machines clipped to your fingertips but don’t you want them to have a good visual of any changes? When you are intubated for the surgery there will be a tube that goes down into your lung. If you had a piercing in your tongue think of the risk if it became loose and went to your lung. Yes there is a slip… very slim risk of it happening but do you want to risk it. Also you will have stitches in your throat the tongue piercing would be a risk of infection. Lastly take the pain med… you’ll need it at first. Good luck.

Answer 7

Hey, I went through a tonsillectomy two years ago and remember some tricks. You can have any nail polish, but they won't allow something to remain in your tongue. I know it sounds weird, but eating crab meat and bananas(not together) after the surgery will help tons. of course ice cream is you best friend too. Also, I suggest having a dry erase board and marker nearby, because you won't be able to talk for a while. Good luck! I hope I could help!

Answer 8

Nail polish on toes is ok

Tongue piercing has to be out and nothing can be in it's place for various reasons... the doc is going in through the mouth for one. Unless it has been recently done it shouldn't close up within a few hours.

Talk as little as possible after the procedure and try to suck on ice or drink cold fluids (if you even nfeel like it because I know I didn't)

Good luck!!!!!!

Answer 9

Well the piercing will not close up that quickly----No make up or lipstck or whatever--the doctor and nurses could care less about your looks.Never take narcotic pain killers with a proper doctor saying to take it. I think that you will survive without it. You are overreacting to this whole thing. Chooped ice to swallow slowly will soothe the pain--dairy products will cause mucous and that will be hard on the throat for a few days. millions of kids get the tonsils removed--don't worry about it. Stay away from any pills unless prescribed by YOUR doctor---you only have a day or two of discomfort to endure---smile and good luck.

Answer 10

OK let grow up a little it is not that bad.No makeup or any thing like that just you no tongue ring it will not close up until you get home,don't see why you are worried about things like that.Take the med when you first get home then don't miss any it will take care of the pain.Eat soft foods for the first 1week there are no tricks just watch what you eat.why do you think your tongue will close up in 1/2 hour and no they want put any thing in the hole they think if you were not born with it you don't need it.And don't try to talk give the people around you a rest.