Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Health Tips for August 5

Health Tip: Recovering From a Tonsillectomy

After having your tonsils removed (a tonsillectomy), expect your throat to be rather sore for at least a few days.

With that in mind, the Alaska Native Medical Center offers this advice on what to eat and drink just after the surgery:

  • Drink a lot of fluids, which will help your throat feel better and keep you hydrated.
  • Stick with soft foods that are easy on your throat. Consider foods such as Jello, soup, popsicles, mashed potatoes and scrambled eggs.
  • Stay away from hard or crunchy foods, such as chips, tacos, pizza or other delicacies with sharp edges.
  • Avoid foods that may sting your tender throat, such as orange juice, grapefruit, or tomato-based foods or drinks.

Health Tip: Reasons for Adenoid Removal

Adenoids are glands that are found between the airway and the back of the throat. When the adenoids are removed, the procedure is called adenoidectomy.

Adenoidectomy is most often performed on children, and rarely on adults. The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this list of reasons for why a child might need an adenoidectomy:

  • Difficulty breathing through the nose because of enlarged adenoids.
  • Frequent snoring.
  • Sleep apnea.
  • Recurrent ear infections that affect attendance at school or occur five times or more per year.
  • Frequent tonsillitis infections.

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