Anesthesia options
Any allergies you may have
Current medicines, herbs, and supplements that you take and whether you need to stop taking them before surgery
Fasting before surgery, such as avoiding food or drink after midnight the night before
Whether you need a ride to and from surgery

Anesthesia

The doctor may give:

A sedative—you will feel relaxed
Local anesthesia—the area will be numbed
General anesthesia—you will be asleep

Description of the Procedure

The doctor will open the mouth. Medicine will be sprayed over the area to make it numb. A special tool will be used to hold the tonsils. The tonsils will be removed with a scalpel or electric current. Open area will be closed with stitches.

How Long Will It Take?

About 20 to 60 minutes

Will It Hurt?

Throat pain is common in the first 1 to 2 weeks. Medicine and home care help

Average Hospital Stay

You may be able to leave after the procedure. If you have problems, you may need to stay longer.

Post-procedure Care

At the Hospital

Right after the procedure, the staff may give you pain medicine.

At Home

It will take about 2 weeks to recover from surgery. Certain foods and activities may need to be avoided during this time. You may also need to delay your return to work.

Call Your Doctor

Call the doctor if you are not getting better or you have:

Signs of infection, such as fever and chills
Redness, swelling, excess bleeding, or discharge from the back of your throat
Nausea or vomiting
Pain that you cannot control with medicine

If you think you have an emergency, call for medical help right away.

RESOURCES:

American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery
https://www.entnet.org

American College of Surgeons
https://www.facs.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Society of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery
https://www.entcanada.org

The College of Family Physicians of Canada
https://www.cfpc.ca

References:

How to prepare for tonsil and adenoid surgery. American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery website. Available at: https://www.enthealth.org/be_ent_smart/how-to-prepare-for-tonsil-and-adenoid-surgery. Accessed December 14, 2020.

Mitchell RB, Archer SM, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Tonsillectomy in Children (Update). Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2019 Feb;160(1_suppl):S1-S42.

Tonsillectomy. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:
...(Click grey area to select URL)
Accessed December 14, 2020.

Last reviewed April 2021 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Marcin Chwistek, MD
Last Updated: 4/27/2021

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