comments:
I want to add to my comment as original this was posted at 5am. I am going to go through what is expected/the average/what I know and my own experience in comparison. Day 0 - Surgery went well, nothing bad happened. They gave me pain meds right before I woke up (ibuprofen) and gave me two popsicles to eat (not red so we can tell it apart from blood if that happens). Pain was mild as the pain from surgery is still numbed for the most part. Passed out most of the day, I recommend not skipping pain meds no matter how tired or wanting to sleep she is (I learned the hard way) Day 1 - 4/10 pain, took getting used to but I ate some mashed potatoes and drank plenty of water along with some popsicles. Didn't eat much, had low grade fevers the whole day (this is common from what I know) and a little ear pressure (feels like an ear infection). Nothing too special. Day 2 - 7/10 pain, for me, this day was the worse so far. Worse fevers, was sleeping so much to avoid the pain so I accidently missed pain meds (don't recommend). Didn't eat and ear pain was worse (4/10). Day 3 - 4/10 without steroid, 1/10 with. I had the prescribed steroid and was able to eat 3 slices of pizza with no pain. Loopy with mild fevers but by the second half of the day, I stopped having fevers and being so out of it. In my experience so far (on day 6), day 0-2 were adjustment periods with day 2 being the worse. Day 4-6 - ranges from 3/10 to 7/10. Mornings are the roughest as you lose hydration which helps with pain and not taking pain meds. Once meds are in my system and I've drank at least a cup of water, I am doing better. Ear pain is more noticeable these days for me and I recommend ice packs on the neck and sides of face to help with it. I've eaten every day (ranging from leftover pizza, eggs, softened toast, mashed broccoil, etc.) Soft foods are easiest to eat but having solid but soft food is personally working for me. No spicy food, no sharp (like chips) food. I personally find food I can control the size of each piece better (no rice, noodles, anything that is common split from the rest of the food) My reason for this is it gets caught on the scabs and hurts like hell. Always listen to the post op instructions that your doctor gives. I am going to share some of mine so you can have an idea of what to possibly expect. Some things I already covered, ear pain, throat pain, how to handle both, fevers (being common), and staying hydrated. The scabs are the white patches in the back of the throat that will cause bad breath and healing should be done when they are gone. Foods like ice cream, soup (cooled down not hot), popsicles (for hydration) are common the first days until she can see what she can handle eating. Tips my doctor didn't give that I know help or a variation helps: have a humidifier. I personally have a humidifier CPAP machine but if you have a humidifier on a nearby nightstand or table on a medium to high setting, it helps prevent the scabs from drying out over night (best way about it varies per person). I don't have a recommended brand but I know others have posted theirs in this sub if you look (I'll look too to help out). If talking hurts to much, text to speech, whiteboard, pencil and paper, or any non speaking form of communication is important. I had times where I didn't convey needs due to not speaking but text to speech (or any other form of written communication) helped so much to make needs clear. Have her avoid running around or playing too much in the early days. It can prolong recovery or make pain worse. Calmer activities for (I would say 5 days but ask a doctor) would be good to allow her body time to heal without a higher heart rate from playing. Milk or some food on the stomach can help with nausea from medicine. Not much is needed, just something. Constipation is common but not fun. I don't personally have a tip on this so ask her doctor for the best method of handling this. Bleeding is possible. This I have no experience or know how to handle, I recommend asking her doctor about this but from what I know, ice packs around the neck along with drinking ice-cold water/holding it in your throat can should stop the bleeding in under 10 minutes. If not, go to the doctor/ER. If it stops, keep an eye out for blood but she should be fine. I'll edit when I find recommended humidifiers but other than that, this is all the info I can think to give. If you have any specific questions, I am more than happy to try and help! I wish you and her luck and a speedy, soft recovery! EDIT: Recommended from someone on the subreddit: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09LM1588Z/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_api_gl_i_TJFMV470C1MNCHS3Y8AR Cool mist, not hot mist if you want to search for a different one!