View Full Version : Tonsillectomy tomorrow, GA worry
So after a year of suffering with my tonsils/throat I'm getting a tonsillectomy tomorrow. Problem is I've terrified myself. When I went for the pre-op the nurse told me I had a heart murmur, that I didn't even know about, but was in my notes! I've had two general anesthetics in my life before, but the one for my tonsils is going to be deeper. I'm terrified something is going to go wrong with my heart and I won't wake up! I know I need this surgery because I've had issues that have made me miserable for a long time, but I'm just convinced I'm going to have a heart attack or something! I have palpitations all the time.
I also have a secondary worry that if I do wake up I'm going to find out I have cancer or something, the ENT said he was going to send my tonsils off to pathology just in case. My mother and her partner are having a lot of issues at the moment which is adding even more stress, ugh! I also think I'm seeing signs that I'll die (I think they call this magic thinking or something) like my friend told me he loved me (romantically) the other day, and all I could think was, I'm hearing this now because I'm going to die in surgery in a few days, it's a sign.
LouiseAndy
07-08-18, 00:09
My sister had her tonsils out a few years ago- she also had a heart murmur but they didn't even notice until after she had the op! She was just fine. You're going to be just fine. I know it's scary but think about all the people who go under everyday and it's totally safe. You've had it before! Maybe not a heavy but you made it out. You will again. Think about how good it will be not having those issues anymore!
My sister had her tonsils out a few years ago- she also had a heart murmur but they didn't even notice until after she had the op! She was just fine. You're going to be just fine. I know it's scary but think about all the people who go under everyday and it's totally safe. You've had it before! Maybe not a heavy but you made it out. You will again. Think about how good it will be not having those issues anymore!
Thank you <3 best case scenario would be getting through the GA, and the tonsils coming out being benign and my issues going away, that would be the dream!
Having had two tonsillectomies, I can tell you the actual procedure is not nearly as bad as you're fearing. That's actually the easy part. You'll be so drugged up, you won't care :shades:
I found the recovery to be more challenging. Having your tonsils out as an adult is not exactly a picnic. This website (http://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/tonsillectomy-recovery-forum/) helped me prepare and showed me what to expect afterwards.
Positive thoughts
Having had two tonsillectomies, I can tell you the actual procedure is not nearly as bad as you're fearing. That's actually the easy part. You'll be so drugged up, you won't care :shades:
I found the recovery to be more challenging. Having your tonsils out as an adult is not exactly a picnic. This website (http://tonsillectomyrecovery.com/tonsillectomy-recovery-forum/) helped me prepare and showed me what to expect afterwards.
Positive thoughts
Thank you <3 I've been reading about people nearly dying from hemorrhages and sepsis, weird how for most people it's seen as such a routine operation and all they're worried about is the pain following surgery, I just want to survive it haha!
What Fishmanpa said. I've had a tonsillectomy too and the GA was by far the easiest part! Well it was basically easier than well ... literally everything. You don't do anything at all or even know it's happening! Recovery as an adult, well...make sure you get good pain meds, you'll likely be wishing you could go back under!
As for the pathology check, I had the same (one tonsil was swollen the other wasn't), and my ENT who had been practicing a few years told me that he sees these literally every day, and not once had he experienced a positive for cancer. So while it's technically possible (or they wouldn't do it), it's like super unlikely and you'd probably be exhibiting some other symptoms too.
Hope your recovery goes as painless as it can. On the plus side, if you're looking to lose a few pounds, this will do it for you without any exercise since you won't be able to eat for a little while!
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What Fishmanpa said. I've had a tonsillectomy too and the GA was by far the easiest part! Well it was basically easier than well ... literally everything. You don't do anything at all or even know it's happening! Recovery as an adult, well...make sure you get good pain meds, you'll likely be wishing you could go back under!
As for the pathology check, I had the same (one tonsil was swollen the other wasn't), and my ENT who had been practicing a few years told me that he sees these literally every day, and not once had he experienced a positive for cancer. So while it's technically possible (or they wouldn't do it), it's like super unlikely and you'd probably be exhibiting some other symptoms too.
Hope your recovery goes as painless as it can. On the plus side, if you're looking to lose a few pounds, this will do it for you without any exercise since you won't be able to eat for a little while!
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Thanks guys! I'm alive (well duh, but you know health anxiety) it's pretty painful but I'm handling it. The doctors at the hospital made me feel at ease. My lymph nodes that were up for 10 months have already halved in size, hopefully this is the road to a healthier future :)
Glad to hear all went well :D Now comes the harder part. Keep some ice pops and cubes around and stick to soft foods. Jello, ice cream, cream of wheat, mashed potatoes and soft scrambled eggs etc. Stay ahead of the pain by taking pain killers or OTC pain relief even if you have to set the alarm to do so. You'll turn the corner in around two weeks or sooner.
Positive thoughts
Yes, best of luck in recovery! You'll be able to catch up on your reading/TV/movie list!
I basically survived on pudding and those Boost nutrition drinks for several days!
I had a tonsillectomy in December 2016. My biggest advice us drink water constantly. It helped me SO much! So much so, I never had to take pain meds. I would set an alarm every hour or two during the night to drink water.
Also, my ENT sent mine through pathology as well. Mine was just chronic infection, my right was huge but my left was normal.
Praying for a speedy and easy recovery!
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