My Tonsillectomy Journey

I don't know much about medical stuff, I took up BS ECE in college, and I am currently working as a supervisor in a BPO company. So pardon my innocence in this blog. I'm writing this for the sake of those who will and who are going through the healing process after a tonsillectomy. Hope this helps!

I was scheduled to undergo tonsillectomy 10am of March 22nd. According to the doctors I consulted, having tonsillitis of more than twice a year isn’t normal - mine used to be more than twice a MONTH. Also, year after year of my APE in my workplace, I had been told that my tonsils were bigger than normal, which may be the reason why I was snoring and had difficulty in breathing most of the time. Of course, they talked to me in jargon. Don't worry, I would talk in a way easy for someone like me who isn’t good with medical terms understand it better.

I had my flexible endoscopy on March 20, Tuesday. A friend, Lian, was with me. It was in Borough just near my office, performed by my ENT doctor. That was quite fast and didn’t hurt. (Before that, a general physician already gave me the same advice, and she was the one who referred me to an ENT specialist. It's always good to get 2nd or even 3rd opinion.)

What is a flexible endoscopy?

Dr. Kirt first put cotton inside my nose, deep inside my nose. His verbatim before he did it was, "not the best feeling, but it won't hurt." He was right. Then he showed me the camera which was going to enter my nose up to its back. It was like the size of my iPhone charger. He first applied a gel-like thingie on it, so it went in smoothly. He said that since my tear duct is blocked, it's normal to cry haha! It wasn't painful, I promise.

I was admitted to St. Lukes in QC, Wednesday, March 21. My friend, Herald, drove me to the hospital, together with my sisters in Christ, Nadene, and Jayzel. I had a private room, of course, because of my HMO - Intellicare. It was like hotel accommodation. I soooo love that hospital.

I was instructed not to eat nor drink 8 hours before surgery. Not that hard for me since I do 1-week fasting twice a year, so an 8-hour of no food did not shock me.

I woke up early the next morning, March 22. My friend, Emji, was on the couch, sleeping. Herald was there, too, staring at me. Creepy! That was around 6AM.

My friends and I, led by Herald, prayed together before the nurses took me from my room. I felt God’s comfort and assurance that all will be well, and claimed His healing in advanced.

  

This wasn't my first major operation. November last year, I also had my gall bladder removed because in it was a gallstone of 4.1cm. Yeah, that big...

Before the surgery, my anesthesiologist explained to me what he was going to do - I will be put to sleep, then ... lol, I couldn’t recall but the time that he was talking, I understood it full well and I felt safe in the hospital.

When I was brought in the operating room, the place was familiar. Almost the same when I had my gall bladder removed in Antipolo Doctors. Except, many more nurses this time. There were more than 7 in the room including my anesthesiologist. They asked me to gargle a very bitter pink, I forgot what they called it. Then I was asked to inhale another bitter thingie. Oh don’t get me wrong, they were very generous in explaining to me everything before I did it, I just couldn’t focus haha! Everything happened so fast. Then they put something in my chest, my left waist, of course, oxygen in my nose, then the last thing I heard was my anesthesiologist saying, “patutulugin na kita ha? Pero pag tinanggal ko yung tube sa mouth mo, kelangan gising na gising ka...” 

Everything went smooth, it took less than an hour according to my OR record. I didn’t see my doctor before the surgery but I’m pretty sure he was there during the surgery haha! I have a good doctor, by the way, his name is Dr. Kirt Areis Delovino. I met him in Borough Medical Clinic in Eastwood QC. He’s nice and gentle and I’d say, expert. I kinda stalked him on Facebook and Instagram.

And then ... la la la ... My recovery journey has begun. For the most part, I’d say, this was harder than the operation itself... I know that my pain tolerance is high, yet I don’t want to be very confident about it. I lay my confidence in God, that is a lot more comforting!