Overview
After surgery, your child may have pain in the throat. Often they may still have some old blood in the nose and in the mouth. Drinking a lot is very important, usually some extra encouragement is needed for this. Your child can go home the same day. Of course, no fresh blood should come out of the nose or throat before you go home.
Back home
The first few days after the operation, your child will still feel a bit sick. Eating and talking can be painful. This pain can radiate to the ears. Paracetamol helps well, preferably as a suppository. Give this at fixed times for the first 3 days, then you can taper it off and give it if you think your child needs it. When your child talks, it sounds at first whether he has a full mouth. All these complaints pass gradually.
At the site of the removed tonsils, a gray-white coating is created; that’s normal and not a sign of inflammation. It sometimes gives a bad taste in the mouth and your child can therefore also smell a little out of the mouth for a few days. This coating disappears after about a week. Sometimes this is accompanied by a slight bleeding. In case of blood loss, always contact the hospital (tel. 745 0000 office hours ask for outpatient ENT, outside to ED).
Food and drink
It is important to have your child drink regularly in the first days after surgery. At least a few sips every hour (you don’t have to wake up your child to drink). You will notice the first sip is the most painful, the sips after that will go better. Water ice creams are also fine. It is not recommended to eat sharp, spicy or very hot things. Examples for food that often goes well are: applesauce from the fridge, bread without crusts, potato purree, yogurt, etcera. No further special dietary advice is necessary.
Keep your child calm for a few days. In general, after a week a child is sufficiently recovered to play outside and possibly go to school. Swimming is only allowed two weeks after the operation.
