What you need to know and ask

Pain is a normal experience after any type of surgery and it is no different with tonsillectomy.

It is not uncommon for pain to increase in the first few days after surgery, and with tonsillectomy this includes pain that goes to the ears (called referred pain). Sometimes the pain in the ears is worse than the throat pain.

Due to the intensity of the pain, it is not uncommon to lose 10% of your body weight in the first week or so. This is all fluid and is readily replaced during the recovery process.

The one risk that causes greatest concern is bleeding afterwards. This is something your surgeon can discuss with you as part of planning for surgery.

This is a normal part of the recovery process and is associated with a build up of white debris where the tonsils were removed. This white debris is not indicative of an infection.