How you prepare

You'll receive instructions from the hospital on how to prepare yourself or your child for a tonsillectomy.

Information you'll likely be asked to provide includes:

• All medications, including over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements, taken regularly
• Personal or family history of adverse reactions to anesthetics
• Personal or family history of bleeding disorders
• Known allergy or other negative reactions to medications, such as antibiotics

Instructions for preparing will include the following:

• Your doctor may ask you to stop taking some medications or change dosages of medications several days before the surgery.
• Don't eat anything after midnight before the scheduled surgery. Your surgeon should provide you with instructions about eating food and drinking liquids prior to reporting to the hospital.
• Make arrangements for a ride home.
• Plan for 10 days to two weeks or more of recovery time. Adults may need more time than children do.

Questions to ask your doctor or the hospital staff for yourself or on behalf of your child include:

• What are my dietary restrictions before surgery?
• When should I arrive at the hospital?
• Where do I need to check in?
• What prescription medications can I take in the days before surgery? When can I take the last dose?
• What is the expected recovery time?
• What restrictions to activities or diet should I expect during recovery?

Tests or bloodwork may be required before surgery. Your doctor may also order a sleep study (polysomnography) if a tonsillectomy is intended for treating obstructive sleep apnea, other obstructions of the airway and some other conditions.