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+--- Thread: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? (/Thread-Should-I-avoid-CPAP-for-short-time-after-tonsillectomy)
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Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - Labromaniac - 06-15-2022
Greetings. I am having one tonsil out surgically very soon, not for apnea reasons, but in regards to ruling out a cancer in the tonsil. A tonsillectomy leaves a big open patch of healing mucosa and and overlying scab (eschar) that falls off at about one week.
Does anyone have any experience or thoughts about using CPAP in this immediate post-operative period? My worry is the intense drying I experience since I am a almost exclusively a mouth breather using a full face mask.
My doctors seem to have no experience or wisdom on this.
Has anybody out there used a CPAP in the first 2 healing weeks after a tonsillectomy?
Thanks
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - Sleeprider - 06-15-2022
Use the CPAP with humidifier. It’s more comfortable than snoring or apnea, but you can judge for yourself and decide. Obstructive apnea and snoring are a lot more irritating than just added pressure. Remember, it is not blowing air, it is providing pressure to keep the airway patent.
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - Labromaniac - 06-15-2022
Thanks for that. In my case I am an exclusive mouth breather and even using high tube temperature and humidity, my mouth is usually very dry in the morning so I was wondering if any users had any experience with this causing them to be in more pain in the morning due to drying out of the very sensitive healing tissues. Anybody been through this?
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - Sleeprider - 06-15-2022
Consider whether you are more uncomfortable without the pressure or with it after a night. You are an exception to the obstructive apnea condition I was talking about, so you may not experience the thoracic pressures and airway vibrations that an OSA patient would. My suggestion is to use it, and make a decision based on your experience from there.
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - hh9797 - 06-15-2022
The correct answer is "ask your doctor who is doing the surgery", they deal with these types of situations all the time and know the appropriate actions for your personal needs. While random person A, B, and C can tell you what they did each persons medical needs are unique to their personal situation and the doctor would be able to assess your situation where as random forum people can only answer from their personal situations which may not match your own.
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - Labromaniac - 06-15-2022
Thanks for that. Of course I will be asking my doctor. What I was and still am interested in is whether a board member has had a tonsillectomy and how they found that CPAP did or did not affect their throat pain comfort due to drying in the healing period.
Perhaps there will be nobody who has experienced this situation, but I certainly will be interested if there is someone with personal experience.
I certainly am not trying to get people who haven't experienced this to give an opinion; how could they?
Not arguing here, just clarifying my intent in asking the question.
Cheers
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - OpalRose - 06-16-2022
The healing will take place regardless if you use Cpap or not. I've not experienced this, but do know that having a tonsillectomy as an adult is more painful than having it done as a child.
If it were me, I would try to use the Cpap as much as possible while recovering, as long as it doesn't cause more pain. Just be sure your humidity setting is sufficient to combat
dryness. Also, if you have a heated hose, turn the setting up a bit so that the air isn't cold.
I also suggest that you run all this by your Doctor. Good luck for a speedy recovery.
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - hh9797 - 06-16-2022
(06-15-2022, 11:39 PM)Labromaniac Wrote: I certainly am not trying to get people who haven't experienced this to give an opinion; how could they?
Not arguing here, just clarifying my intent in asking the question.
Cheers
My point was more of the fact that you can have two people who have the exact same procedure but due to other health differences for person A doing X might makes more sense while for person B doing Y might make more sense. Just because you have 2 similar or even possibly identical variables in common doesn't mean that you don't have 10,000 other variables that would make doing x make sense for one but doing x be bad for the other person.
For example let's say you and I both have extremely bad coughs to the degree that the doctor prescribes us both much stronger than over the counter cough syrups because we are both coughing so hard that it is causing physical harm to the airway and lungs. For you it may make sense to prescribe a cough medication that contains alcohol in it because that particular medication happens to be the strength you need, while as they would have me try a different one even though we both need the same thing because I am allergic to alcohol and would have an allergic reaction to that specific medication. We both have the exact same situation we both have the exact same need, but due to other variables you need X while I need Y because our health factors are different.
Edit: (And yes I do realize that is a slightly poor example but still the results of the surgery itself can make a difference as well because well we are humans no matter how perfect a surgeon is some people will have issues that others don't, for example a fair amount of people after a thyroidectomy have difficulty talking for a while after because the damage done right near the vocal cords but recover quickly, a fair amount of people have no vocal issue at all, and a much smaller percentage of other people have their vocal cords permanently damaged altering their voice indefinitely, all three had the exact same surgery but had very different needs post surgery because of how they specifically heal and/or if a mistake gets made during surgery, it is rare but the chances are never 0 and it does happen)
That is what I was getting at is you can have two things the exact same or very similar but have different factors where one thing makes sense for one person but a different thing makes sense for the other person.
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - Labromaniac - 06-16-2022
Thanks hh9797.
RE: Should I avoid CPAP for short time after tonsillectomy? - clownbell - 06-16-2022
Be sure to keep you lab nearby to comfort you after the surgery. Labs know things.