In addition to the method your surgeon uses to remove your tonsils, the amount of time it takes you to recover will depend on many factors, including your age, overall health, and how well you take care of yourself after surgery.
You may have heard that the older you are, the harder it is to recover from a tonsillectomy—it is true. Small children just bounce back sooner than the rest of us. Different age groups recover in different intervals. While you will fee better in a few weeks, the actual tonsillectomy will take about one year to completely heal. Here is a breakdown of the average healing tonsillectomy recovery times:
Children Aged 2-5
Feeling better: usually in a few days
Back to normal activities: by two weeks (keep in mind that children this age will usually want to engage in normal activities before this, but because there is an increased risk of bleeding 7-10 days after surgery, they should still take it easy)
Children Aged 5-12
Feeling better: sometime within the first week
Able to eat solid foods: 2 weeks
Back to normal activities: 2 weeks
Completely healed: one year
Adolescents Aged 12-19
Feeling better: about 2 weeks
Able to eat solid foods: 2 weeks
Back to normal activities: 2 weeks
Completely healed: one year
Healthy Adults Aged 19+
Feeling better: about 2 weeks
Able to eat solid foods: 2 weeks
Back to normal activities: 2-3 weeks
Completely healed: one year
You may feel like eating solid foods, but because of an increased risk for bleeding 7-10 days after surgery when the scabs slough off, I recommend waiting 2 weeks (but always follow your doctor’s instructions regarding diet).