If you're getting your tonsils taken out, prepare for a painful recovery. While a 10 day recovery period doesn't seem too bad, you lose the ability to speak, breathe, yawn, sneeze, sleep, and most importantly: eat. I got my tonsils out over winter break, and it absolutely sucks. Below is a glimpse into the food I ate during those 10 miserable days. If you endure a similar surgery at any point in your life, make sure to stock your fridge and pantry with these essentials:
1. Honey Water
While it sounds unappealing to the regular person, a post-tonsillectomy patient will love the sweet and soothing feeling of a nice cup of honey water. Remember that in the first couple of days, it hurts to use the muscles that allow you to swallow. But honey water really helped me through the toughest part of my recovery. I added lemon to the cup after day 5, when my initial scabs healed.
2. Strawberry Jello
Jello was a game changer throughout my tonsillectomy recovery. It felt good when I was always able to bring myself to gulp down a few bites of cool jello.
3. Chicken and Stars Campbell Soup
I mostly drank the broth, but after day 3, I was able to consume some of the pasta and eventually eat full bites of chicken. This salty canned soup gave me some substance during the recovery period.
4. Pudding
Chocolate and vanilla pudding satisfied my sweet craving in a gentle and soothing way. I was never a pudding fan before this surgery, but trust me, when you're starving and need menu diversity, pudding is the way to go.
5. Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are definitely manageable to consume by day 4 or 5. After a few days of a mostly liquid diet, your body will be begging you for something substantial. Mashed potatoes (while initially tricky to get down) did this for me.
6. Simple Smoothie
Every morning my mom would make me a simple smoothie with frozen fruits, yogurt, a banana, and light apple juice. Sometimes she would add a bit of protein powder if I was feeling weak. Depending on how I was feeling each day, I'd either down the entire smoothie with ease or be able to take one sip. Regardless, it was good to have a constant option available.
7. Cottage Cheese
I have no idea what prompted me to ask my parents to buy cottage cheese, because I've literally never eaten it before in my life. However, I began eating cottage cheese three days out of surgery and loving every bite. It has a lot of essential nutrients too, which is great for your post-surgery malnourished body.
8. Apple Sauce
As an avid apple sauce lover (with or without tonsils), I continued to eat applesauce throughout my recovery. Out of all these foods, it was probably the easiest to get down.
9. Oatmeal
Oatmeal is a great source of fiber to keep things moving through your digestive tract during your sedentary recovery.
10. Small Pasta
During the end of my recovery, my mom would make me these small forms of pasta and overcook them to make the dish extra soft. By day 8, I was adding sauces and feeling very capable.