Personal stories about tonsillectomy

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Leroy, age 32: My son was 5 when he had his tonsils out. It took about 2 weeks for him to fully recover and be able to eat all the things he likes. The first few days after surgery, he was in a lot of pain, but he got better every day after that. Giving him pain medicine helped a lot. The surgery was kind of scary but not as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Maria, age 29: My daughter has been getting a lot of throat infections. But I really don't like the idea of her having surgery. My doctor says that she will probably grow out of it. I am going to take care of her myself for now and wait and see if that happens.

Shannon, age 36: I think surgery would be best for my child. He has missed school from chronic sore throats and doesn't sleep well at night. I'm going to take time off from work so that I can stay home with him after the surgery.

Katy, age 40:Last year I went back and forth about scheduling a tonsillectomy for my daughter. She wasn't getting sick that often, but I wanted to do the right thing for her. Surgery seemed so drastic. But she has had only one bad throat infection this year. I'm glad I decided not to have her go in for surgery.