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Tonsillectomy tomorrow - really scared

cgz
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I'm due to have tonsillectomy first thing tomorrow due to recurrent sore throat and an enlarged tonsil. I'm really scared about the surgery, the recovery and about getting the biopsy result

 

Has anyone gotten tonsillectomy due to an enlarged tonsil where the biopsy has come back negative? I can't wait for the wait to be over and for the recovery to be finished

  • Hello cgz,

    I hope the tonsillectomy went well. I can understand the wait can be worrying but there are some tips here to help you get through the wait. If you have any problems during your recovery, you should get in touch with your doctor.

    All the best,

    Moderator Anastasia

  • Offline

    Hi,

    I have just come across your post. I am in a similar situation. 

    How are you doing now?

    I saw the ENT yesterday for an enlarged tonsil and he has booked me in to have them both removed in 19 days. He also sent me for a chest xray and bloods which both took me by surprise and I didn't really know why.

    I haven't been able to sleep or eat since and my mind is in overdrive so I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance.

    Thank you

  • Offline in reply to K12345

    I'm sorry to hear you're in this situation, it is so stressful

    The tonsillectomy went well - as expected recovery was really not nice but I was feeling much better after 9 days and completely recovered after about 12 days. I would encourage you to try to eat as normally as possible even if its painful as I think it really helped me heal faster.

    The biopsy came back as normal and I'm so pleased this is behind me. I was an anxious mess for the 2 months I waited for the surgery, it was torture. It was just an inflammed tonsil. 

    I would not worry too much about the X-ray and bloods, it is a standard thing to check for when there is even a remote suspicion of throat cancer but in all likelihood all will come back normal. When are you having them done? My ENT did not ask for an Xray initially and said we can do it after the biopsy is needed but he did mention in many cases he has his patients have one when there is an enlarged tonsil

    I know it's easy to say when you're on the other side but waiting for the surgery and worrying about bad news really made my life miserable for 2 months and i'm happy to say for no good reason but I wish I had been able to relax and take it one step at a time. There are many stories out there of people with one enlarged tonsil where biopsy came back normal - I also had recurrent sore throat and weight loss so it ticked enough boxes that the ENT wanted to be safe. 

     

  • Offline in reply to cgz

    Hello,

    Thank you for your reply.

    My surgery is booked for the 26th Jan.

    I pushed for the ENT appointment due to me being so anxious about the enlarged tonsil. However deep down, i was thinking it was nothing. So i was so shocked when he told me he was advising I had them out. And even more shocked when he sent me for an xray and bloods.

    I'm a very anxious person so I quite often suffer with chest pains but this has made it so much worse. I can't sleep or eat or concentrate.

    My mum is a nurse and she said the chest xray is normal prior to surgery but I cant help but use Google and it sends me down a rabbit hole. I'm just thinking the worst.

    I don't have a sore throat. He said my neck felt fine and said the endoscopy was fine but I can't help but feel like he is hiding something for me.

  • Offline in reply to K12345

    I really would not worry so much about it - if you come to him worrying about cancer with an enlarged tonsil it is his duty to follow through and offer the tonsillectomy as it is impossible to know if there is cancer just looking at the tonsil and doctors would rather be safe than sorry even though in 9 out of 10 cases, an enlarged tonsil will not be cancer. 

    The fact that you had an endoscopy is reassuring as it means no lesions or growth were spotted down your throat and oesophagus- the doctor can't be lying to you about this, it would be malpractice. 

    If you told him you had chest pain, it is even more of a reason for him to give you the chest X-ray - he is only trying to rule out the worst based on what you are telling him (even though the chest pain could be linked to your anxiety or back ache for example). Surgeons need to take chest pain into account before they operate as they don't want any complications to happen during surgery.

    I have had health anxiety myself and I know it is a vicious cycle - you go to the doctor hoping for reassurance but feel the need to list all your symptoms so he does not miss out on anything and inevitably, on the basis of what you are telling him, he takes action to ensure all is well. Him taking action does not mean he is definitely concerned about you having cancer, it means he has listened to your worries and is acting to rule out anything bad (on your request). 

    I found cognitive behavioural therapy really helpful to go through this - I would googe CBT reframing. It is a long journey to learn to let go of things we can't control but you have done everything you can at this stage and you are in good hands - I wish you the same outcome as mine, the odds are everything will come back as normal

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