Recovery after tonsillectomy in adults: day by day and week by week

What follows are typical ranges taken from two hospital leaflets, which themselves differ in places. Your own recovery may be quicker or slower, and anything your surgical team tells you personally takes precedence over this page.

This page is written for adults, and children are advised differently, so it should not be applied to a child. Details of the operation itself are in our procedure guide.

The ranges below are drawn from two NHS trust leaflets, which differ slightly.

You wake in recovery with a sore throat and may feel sleepy. One hospital describes nothing to eat for two hours after surgery, then sips of water, then toast or a sandwich. You are observed for several hours, with a trust giving at least six hours, and are discharged if there is no bleeding and you are drinking.

Do not drive for 24 hours, according to one trust, and arrange for an adult to stay with you the first night. Take the painkillers you were sent home with at the times advised, rather than waiting for pain to start.

This is the hardest stretch. Leaflets stress regular painkillers for the whole first week, with a trust saying pain often peaks at days three to six and another saying severity can run between days three and seven. Paracetamol and ibuprofen are suggested, staggered or together as the leaflet advises, with stronger medicines for those who need them.

Earache is common and is described as normal, because nerves are shared with the throat. A white or yellow coating forms where the tonsils were and is described as a normal and healthy appearance, not infection. Bad breath is common as it heals.

Both leaflets recommend returning to a normal diet as soon as possible, with no restrictions. The reasoning is that food and fluids keep the throat clean and moving, which lowers the chance of infection and bleeding. Crunchy foods such as toast and cornflakes are suggested, with cold drinks and ice lollies for comfort.

Fizzy drinks, citrus drinks, very hot or spicy foods and chewing gum are best avoided early on. One trust advises no smoking or alcohol for two weeks. If you cannot eat or drink because of pain, tell the ward, because dehydration makes infection and bleeding more likely.

Bleeding is the main serious risk. Leaflets say it can occur up to about two weeks after surgery, and is commonest between about days three and ten, as the coating comes away. Blood streaking in saliva can occur for a while, which a trust treats as normal.

Fresh bright red bleeding is different. A trust says return to your nearest A&E after any episode, and another says to contact the ward if you spit out more than a tablespoon of fresh blood or clots. If it is heavy, call 999. Sit upright, spit rather than swallow, and do not wait to see whether it stops.

Both leaflets advise at least about two weeks off work, and one adds more if necessary. Avoid strenuous exercise for about two weeks. Driving is not allowed for the first 24 hours after the anaesthetic, and after that DVLA guidance applies: you must not drive if you cannot control the vehicle safely, which pain or sedating painkillers can affect, and ignoring medical advice may affect insurance.

Flying is not covered in the leaflets we retrieved, so ask your surgeon before travelling during the bleeding window, and keep access to a hospital within reach until the two weeks are over.

Go to A&E, or call 999 if it is heavy, for any fresh bright red bleeding, difficulty breathing, or a swelling in the throat. Ring the ward or NHS 111 for a high temperature, worsening pain after the first week, a foul smell, or if you cannot keep fluids down.

Follow-up depends on the hospital. Many units do not routinely see people after discharge unless there is a problem, so keep the ward number to hand.