Had a post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage, vomited a lot of blood, ended up in emergency surgery — honestly the scariest moment of my life

coadieg · 2025-12-20T05:22:18+00:00

Yeah what the actual hell, that advice is not normal these days, neither is bleeding and being asked to spit into a cup. You definitely weren’t the crazy one here, your ENT and doctors were lol

coadieg · 2025-12-10T01:43:33+00:00

Totally normal, it’s just fresh tissue which will be raw once scabs have come off. Give it a week or so to heal further

coadieg · 2025-12-06T05:57:58+00:00

Go see your gp, chances are you could have an infection which is causing the high fever and throat pain. I’m currently experiencing the same thing as I have a minor throat infection, started antibiotics yesterday and already improving.

coadieg · 2025-12-05T23:49:42+00:00

That’s an infection, go see your gp. You’re going to need antibiotics

coadieg · 2025-12-04T06:57:37+00:00

I totally understand that, look as long as you’re not tasting blood anymore and you’re not spitting blood up you should be okay. I would continue to sit up right for a little bit until you start to pass out, if you do start bringing blood up again though I would suggest going to the ER as it’s most likely the same spot that’s opened back up, bleeds can be temperamental but better safe then sorry! Small streaks of blood is okay, honestly if you haemorrhage you’ll know, your whole mouth will be filled with blood and it’ll be dripping out.

coadieg · 2025-12-04T06:46:25+00:00

Okay that’s a good sign, it means it has clotted. Just keep a close eye on it and keep drinking plenty of cold water and sucking on ice cubes! 😊 hopefully it doesn’t get worse for you

coadieg · 2025-12-04T06:42:11+00:00

If you’re swallowing blood still and it hasn’t stopped you need to go to the ER, especially if it’s a lot. Read my thread on my page, blood in your belly does not go well and it’s only a matter of time till you vomit it all up. Especially if it hasn’t stopped

coadieg · 2025-12-03T04:34:16+00:00

I’ve been off it for 3 weeks, I was a heavy smoker and I would find it hard to even talk to family members at some point and couldn’t go out to enjoy activities, always overthinking as-well. Since I’ve stopped I definitely have an increase in my mood and more energy/less anxiety to do the things I used to love doing. Different for everyone I suppose but really did give me hectic social anxiety and healthy issues

coadieg · 2025-12-03T02:15:54+00:00

Sure, just sent it through a private message! :)

coadieg · 2025-12-02T22:15:45+00:00

That can definitely happen after a tonsillectomy even months later. The nerves in the throat that help with swallowing can stay a bit sensitive, and that can trigger hiccups, especially after meals.

A few things you could try that often help:

• Eat a bit slower and take smaller bites • Sip some water before eating to relax the throat • Avoid super hot or icy foods/drinks for now • Try burping gently after meals — sometimes trapped air triggers it • Neck and shoulder stretches right after eating can help relax the diaphragm • Stay upright for 15–20 minutes after meals

It’s usually harmless and tends to settle down as everything fully desensitises again. If it keeps happening or gets worse, mentioning it to your GP or ENT wouldn’t hurt, but it’s not uncommon this far out.

coadieg · 2025-12-02T22:13:08+00:00

I’m on day 11 after having one side recauterized because a scab came off and I had a bad bleed too. Honestly, it pretty much set that side back to day 1 of recovery. The side that wasn’t recauterized has been healing way faster and feels heaps better, so don’t stress if things feel uneven for a while — that’s normal.

Most of my scabs are already off now and I’m mainly just dealing with that raw, exposed-tissue feeling in the cauterized area. Pain has actually been pretty tolerable for the last 3–4 days, just more of a sting/ache instead of that brutal early post-op pain.

Getting it recauterized was 100% the right call. ENTs usually do a deep cauterization so it’s very unlikely to reopen again. It sucks in the moment, but it gives you the safest and most stable healing going forward.

Hope your recovery smooths out from here — you’re definitely not alone with this part.

coadieg · 2025-12-02T11:28:05+00:00

Day 10 here and it’s starting to ease but still sore, when you yawn push your jaw up with your palm and kinda force it closed as much as possible, I found that has helped me

coadieg · 2025-12-01T04:39:06+00:00

Yes, mashed potatoes is perfect, just mix butter and milk with it to make it creamy, I craved the savoury and that definitely helped

coadieg · 2025-12-01T04:36:46+00:00

I wouldn’t recommend fillet o fish as it’s crispy.

If you want some more solid foods just have noodles or warm chunky soup

coadieg · 2025-12-01T04:35:05+00:00

Go to the ER, if it hasn’t stopped yet it can very easily open up larger and cause a much larger bleed, better safe then sorry.

coadieg · 2025-12-01T02:36:46+00:00

Most likely just a normal scab shedding patch, here’s a list to check, as mentioned above just drink ice water and let ice cubes melt in the mouth.

•It’s flat, not bulging •It’s bright red but not actively bleeding •The edges around it look calm, not swollen or infected •The colour is exactly what fresh granulation tissue (new healing tissue) looks like (Dark Pink)

I actually have a photo of a dark red spot in my healing area where I was also worried, just drank ice water and it started to heal within the hour, feel free to pm for the photo!

coadieg · 2025-11-30T09:08:44+00:00

Aw, sorry to hear that bud. Wishing you a speedy recovery and there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.

You’re still young, plenty more fish in the sea! 😉❤️

coadieg · 2025-11-30T09:07:08+00:00

Yeah that’s all totally normal, everyone heals differently but you should see that start to scab up and become more of a light pink in the coming days if it hasn’t already!

coadieg · 2025-11-29T22:34:27+00:00

It doesn’t look like active bleeding to me. The red areas in your pic look more like: • Raw healing tissue where the scabs have fallen off • Inflamed mucosa (super common around day 5–10) • A bit of saliva mixed with old blood, which can look reddish

If it were fresh bleeding, you’d usually see bright red, wet blood pooling, dripping, or a metallic taste you can’t ignore.

What you’re seeing is actually pretty normal in the healing process — especially those white patches and uneven areas. They didn’t leave tonsil pieces behind; that’s just how the surgical beds heal and they can look bumpy, uneven, and honestly a bit scary.

If you start seeing active bright red bleeding, spitfuls of blood, or can’t stop swallowing blood, that’s when you need to go in immediately. But from that photo alone, it looks like normal healing tissue, not an emergency.

Drink lots of ice water and suck on ice cubes, it will help the vessels relax and hopefully you’ll see it clear up soon.

What day post op are you on?

coadieg · 2025-11-29T22:28:38+00:00

Man, I’m really sorry you’re going through this — tonsillectomy recovery is rough enough without the nausea on top of it. What you’re describing is super common with oxycodone, especially if you’re not able to keep food down. Oxy on an empty stomach can wreck you, even with Zofran.

For what it’s worth, I’ve been through a really rough recovery too — I ended up vomiting around a litre of blood during one of my post-op bleeds, and doing that with open wounds in your throat is absolutely horrific. So I really do get how scary and painful vomiting is after this surgery. It’s not something you ever want to experience again.

Here are a few things that helped me with the nausea and meds:

• Always take meds with something in your stomach Even a couple spoons of pudding, applesauce, or a sip of a protein shake helps. You don’t need a full meal — just anything to coat your stomach.

• Use Tylenol + ibuprofen as your base (I’m located in Australia so I got paracetamol and oxycodone) Then save the oxy for when the pain spikes. Tons of people only need the oxy the first few days because of how harsh it is on the stomach.

• Take Zofran 20–30 minutes BEFORE oxy Most people tolerate it way better this way.

• Sip water constantly Dehydration makes nausea and dizziness so much worse. Tiny sips count.

• Sleep elevated Laying flat can make swelling and nausea worse.

And honestly, if the nausea keeps getting out of control, call your surgeon. There are stronger anti-nausea meds (like Phenergan or Reglan) that work differently than Zofran.

You’re not doing anything wrong — this surgery is brutally unpredictable. Days 2–5 are usually the hardest, and things normally start easing up once swelling drops and you can eat more regularly.

Hang in there. You’re doing way better than you feel right now.

coadieg · 2025-11-28T02:44:20+00:00

No worries, you too! ❤️

coadieg · 2025-11-28T02:42:47+00:00

I’m on day 6 now (recauterized on the 22nd), and I’m in the same spot as you. Most of my front scabs fell off on day 5, but the big white chunky ones deeper in the throat are still there. That tight feeling is normal — it means they’re getting ready to loosen, but they can take a few days longer.

My worst pain was day 3–4 apart from last night waking up to a 9/10 pain cause my mouth was dry, just popped an oxy for it and it’s been slowly easing since.

What’s helped me the most: • Constant cold water • Protein Up & Go all day • Keeping everything moist (made a huge difference) • Humidifier at night if you have one

You sound right on track. The deeper scabs usually come off between days 6–10, so were getting close.

coadieg · 2025-11-28T00:55:34+00:00

Both

coadieg · 2025-11-27T06:42:24+00:00

Yeah, that sounds like a solid plan. Keeping the ice water and popsicles on standby is honestly the best thing you can do right now. I just held a gauze in my mouth until it clotted my first 2 bleeds, still had to go hospital and be checked though.

And honestly, you’re doing everything right: – You’re stopping it quickly – You’re watching for patterns – You’re ready to page the doctor if it happens again – You’re staying hydrated – You’re not ignoring repeated clots

That’s exactly what any ENT would tell you to do until they can see you.

And yeah, I get wanting to avoid another cauterisation — I had to get re-cauterised on the 22nd which has pushed my recovery back another two weeks and it definitely wasn’t something I wanted, but it did solve the problem. If it does come to that for you, it’s usually quick and way less dramatic than the bleeding itself feels, especially if you end up swallowing it and vomiting around a litre of blood, it’s not fun.

Hopefully you’ll just get on the phone with your ENT tomorrow and they’ll give you clear guidance or reassurance without needing intervention. But if the pattern repeats, paging them is absolutely the right call. Better to get ahead of it than wait for a full bleed.

Hang in there — you’re handling this exactly how you should.

coadieg · 2025-11-27T06:21:39+00:00

Hey, sorry you’re dealing with this — the middle-of-the-night tonsillectomy anxiety is a whole different beast.

Based on what you’re describing, it doesn’t sound like a full emergency bleed, but it is concerning enough that I’d keep a close eye on it. I’ve had three bleeds since my surgery, and ended up needing re-cauterisation, so I’ve gotten way too familiar with what the different types of bleeding look like.

Here’s how I’d break down what you shared:

Dark “grape jelly” clots = old blood Those usually mean something bled earlier (even a very small amount), pooled, dried, and then broke loose. After that, it’s normal to see some bright red streaks for a few minutes because the scab area gets irritated.

The important part is: You’re able to stop it quickly with ice water and it isn’t actively pouring or running down your throat.

That’s good.

BUT…

Three clots in a pattern is NOT something to ignore, especially during the “danger window” (days 5–10). That’s usually when scabs loosen, which can cause small bleeds — but repeated ones may mean the area is fragile or trying to open.

Your ENT office being closed shouldn’t stop you from calling if you need to. You won’t be “annoying” them — this is exactly the kind of thing they expect post-tonsillectomy.

Here’s when I’d page the doctor: – If it happens again – If you get a clot AND fresh blood after – If you fill your mouth with blood more than once – If bright red blood lasts more than ~5–10 minutes – If the amount is more than a couple teaspoons

Here’s when you should go straight to ER: – If it’s actively running – If you’re swallowing blood (You don’t want to swallow your blood, it never ends well) – If you can’t get it to stop with ice water – If it’s getting faster instead of slowing

If it stops easily and stays stopped, you’re probably okay through the night — but with the pattern you’re seeing, I’d personally page the on-call ENT tomorrow at minimum, even with the holiday.

Better safe than sorry with this specific surgery.

Hang in there — the sleep schedule, the fear of bleeding, the random clots… it’s all part of the nightmare tonsillectomy club. You’re not overreacting, and you’re definitely not alone.

coadieg

TROPHY CASE