What Happens During a Tonsillectomy?
Surgery can seem a bit scary, no matter how common or simple the procedure. If you’re having a tonsillectomy, ask your doctor about what to expect. Surgeons have several different techniques for removing the tonsils. Your doctor will give you the details on your particular procedure. During most tonsillectomies, surgeons remove the tonsils in an operating room while a person is under general anesthesia. The surgeon removes the tonsils through the mouth without making a cut on the skin. When the tonsillectomy is finished, the person is taken to the recovery area and will wake up there. In most cases, the total time in the hospital is 5 to 10 hours, but some people need to stay in the hospital overnight. It can take a week or more to recover from a tonsillectomy. During recovery, a person will have a sore throat, which may make it uncomfortable to eat and drink. In a traditional tonsillectomy, the tonsils are removed in their entirety. Another technique, called intracapsular (partial) to
