Tonsillectomy Recovery Guide

What should I expect?

Recovery usually takes 10 to 14 days, and sometimes longer. Recovery varies from person to person. Many children need up to 2 weeks before they are back to normal, and adults tend to have more throat pain. All of these are normal:

• A very sore throat and pain with swallowing. Pain may get worse over the first few days before it improves.
• Ear pain. It comes from the throat, because the nerves to the throat and ear cross paths.
• White patches in the back of the throat. They are part of normal healing, not an infection.
• Bad breath for the first week or two.
• Nausea or a low appetite for the first few days.
• A fever up to 101°F in the first couple of days.
• Temporary tongue soreness, numbness or a change in taste, from the instrument that holds the mouth open during surgery.
• A mild, temporary change in voice.

If the adenoids were removed too, snoring and a stuffy nose can continue until the swelling goes down, up to 2 weeks.

How should I manage pain?

Stay ahead of the pain

• Give pain medicine on a schedule, around the clock, including overnight, for the first several days. Waiting until the pain is bad makes it harder to bring under control.
• Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) together. Each helps, and they work better as a pair than either one alone.
• You can give them at the same time, or alternate them so a dose is due every few hours (for example, acetaminophen, then ibuprofen 3 hours later, then acetaminophen 3 hours after that). Either way, keep to each medicine’s timing and daily limit below.
• As the pain eases, space the doses out, then stop.

Adults

*Some acetaminophen packages list a lower limit of 3,000 mg a day. If you are not sure which limit applies to you, ask us.

Children (liquid medicine, dosed by weight)

Dose by your child’s weight, not age: about 10 to 15 mg of acetaminophen and 5 to 10 mg of ibuprofen per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of body weight per dose. Give acetaminophen every 4 to 6 hours (no more than 5 doses in 24 hours) and ibuprofen every 6 to 8 hours (no more than 4 doses in 24 hours). The table shows doses of children’s liquid medicine for common weights; measure with the syringe or cup that comes with the medicine.

• Check the strength on the box. These amounts are only for the strengths shown. Infants’ ibuprofen drops are stronger, so do not use these amounts with them.
• The per-kilogram doses are the ranges in the American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery tonsillectomy guideline.

Medicine safety

• Ibuprofen is typically fine after a tonsillectomy. A 2025 review of the research found that it eased pain without increasing bleeding (Geißler et al., 2025). In some cases your surgeon may ask you to avoid it; we will tell you if so.
• Do not take aspirin or products containing aspirin for 2 weeks after surgery.
• Some prescription pain medicines also contain acetaminophen. Count it toward the daily limit, and do not add Tylenol on top of it without checking with us.
• Never give codeine or tramadol to anyone under 18 after tonsil or adenoid surgery. They can dangerously slow a child’s breathing, and the FDA warns against this use (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2024).
• If your surgeon prescribed a stronger pain medicine, use it only for severe pain that the schedule above does not control, and stop it as soon as you can.
• Check with us first if you have kidney disease, a stomach ulcer or take a blood thinner (before ibuprofen), or have liver disease (before acetaminophen).

What else helps?

These help alongside pain medicine, not in place of it:

• Cold foods and drinks. Ice pops and ice cream eased pain in studies of children after tonsillectomy, especially in the first hours after surgery.
• Sipping often. Staying well hydrated keeps the throat more comfortable.
• Distraction. For children, a favorite show, game or book can help between doses.

What can I eat and drink?

• Drinking is the most important thing you can do. We recommend at least 30 to 40 ounces of water a day. Using a straw is fine. In the first few days, fluids matter more than food.
• Follow your surgeon’s diet instructions for 2 weeks. That may mean soft foods only, or your usual foods with a few to avoid. Your surgeon will tell you which.
• Either way, avoid sharp, crunchy, acidic or very spicy foods for 2 weeks, such as chips, crackers, toast and citrus. Even if you feel healed, a scratch to the healing throat can cause bleeding.
• Easy choices while it is sore: ice pops, smoothies, applesauce, broth and lukewarm soups, yogurt, pudding and mashed potatoes.

When can I get back to normal?

This is what we usually recommend. Your surgeon may adjust it for you.

• For the first 48 hours, spend most of the time in bed or seated in a chair.
• No heavy lifting, strenuous exercise or anything tiring for 2 weeks. Children should not do any hard playing or get worn out for 2 weeks.
• Most children are ready for school within 1 to 2 weeks, and some need longer; your surgeon will tell you when. Skip recess and P.E. until 2 weeks after surgery.
• We recommend not traveling for 2 weeks after surgery.

When should I call?