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By Mayo Clinic staffYou'll receive instructions from the hospital on how to prepare yourself or your child for a tonsillectomy.
Information you'll likely be asked to provide includes:
- All medications, including over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, taken regularly
- Personal or family history of adverse reactions to anesthetics
- Known allergy or other negative reactions to medications, such as antibiotics
Instructions for preparing will include the following:
- Don't take aspirin or other over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for at least two weeks prior to surgery.
- Don't eat or drink anything after midnight before the scheduled surgery.
- Make arrangements for a ride home.
- Plan for a week or more of recovery time. Adults may need more time than children.
Questions to ask your doctor or the hospital staff for yourself or on behalf of your child include:
- When should I arrive at the hospital?
- Where do I need to check in?
- Can I take other prescription medications in the days before surgery? When can I take the last dose?
- What is the expected recovery time?
- What restrictions to activities or diet should I expect during recovery?
- Fact sheet: Tonsils and adenoids. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/tonsilsAdenoids.cfm. Accessed March 21, 2010.
- Wetmore R. Tonsils and adenoids. In: Kliegman R, et al., eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/193178650-2/0/1608/0.html. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Tonsillopharyngitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec08/ch090/ch090i.html. Accessed March 21, 2010.
- Tonsillar cellulitis and abscess. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual of Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec19/ch222/ch222b.html. Accessed April 5, 2010.
- Fact sheet: Tonsils and adenoids post-op. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/tonsilsAdenoidsPostop.cfm. Accessed March 21, 2010.
- How safe is anesthesia? What are the risks? American Society of Anesthesiologists. http://www.asahq.org/patientEducation/resource.htm. Accessed May 12, 2010.
- Fact sheet: Tonsillectomy procedures. American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. http://www.entnet.org/HealthInformation/tonsillectomyProcedures.cfm. Accessed March 21, 2010.
- Orvidas LJ (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 19, 2010.
- Hoecker JL (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 13, 2010.
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