Day 8 post op haemorrhage

This is gonna sound crazy but I feel so much better now I’ve haemorrhaged.

I am a 20yr old (F) and I had my tonsils removed 25th November due to recurrent bacterial tonsillitis and bilateral asymmetry. They were sent off to histology and I am still awaiting the results.

Day 1-3 were very easy peasy, I was drinking well, slightly swollen, mangaging my pain well (I was given codeine and paracetamol) and I was jjst sleeping a lot. Down side was I couldn’t talk and my uvula chocked me out a lot.

Day 4-7 LORD HAVE MERCY. AGONY. Absolutely agony. Pain meds didn’t help, I could eat. Water was an absolute chore and ice packs were the only thing that helped. Every movement was horrible. I also hadn’t pooped since Saturday the 23rd so I was backed up and took a laxative which gave me diarrohea, and to top it all off day 5 I came on a very heavy period 😂😂

Day 8 - I woke up and felt magically better. Majority of my scabs had come off and it was just a bit stingy due to the fresh skin. I was speaking better but it was still a chore. Eating and drinking had become more comfortable as well. I finally thought I was seeing the light, and then…..

@0020 I was brushing my teeth, gargled water, and noticed blood stained spit. I thought it was a scab at first and that it was normal but I re gargled water and it came out BRIGHT thick red. I then waited a few minutes with ice water in my mouth as I had read on here that it helps but I spat that out and it was still bright thick red and I could feel the blood pooling in my mouth. I called my mum and we went A&E.

@0045 we arrived at A&E and I had filled up half a clear plastic Tupperware tub of blood. The receptionist gagged at me lol and then sat me in the waiting room, which also made a bunch of people gag. I thought we’d be seen within like 10 minutes but nope.

@0115 a nurse had called through another patient and then spotted me still bleeding into my now 3/4 full Tupperware tub and sat back down the other patient and took me to resus. I was given a fresh bowl and was still pouring into there. My obs were surprisingly fine

@0130 doctors came and began 1g of TXA and then left me.

@0140 they came back and I was still bleeding. They then attempted to put gauze in my mouth with adrenaline (which stings like a bitch and makes you gag) but I soldiered through. They then left again to see if that helped.

@0145 the bleeding restarted. We called for help and this nurse came and said it’ll be fine it’ll slow (she was not involved in my care)

@0150 it hadn’t slowed (what a shock) and we pressed the call buzzer.

@0200 no one had answered us and I had lost another 150mls and we called for help. The same nurse came back and was like “right I’ll get the doctors” 😒.

@0210 doctors came back and trie the gauze and adrenaline trick again, which didn’t work. They then asked me if I could sit there with the gauze in my mouth HOLDING IT. Like what?!? I could just bare them doing it with tweezers but sitting with my whole hand in my mouth pressing in my tonsil gap hell no I’ll throw up ahha

@0230 we were told that I’d be transferred to another hospital as they had ENT available overnight. I was still bleeding at this point and had gotten a new bowl to monitor the loss after the interventions.

@0240 ambulance came and took me to hospital. The paramedics were lovely, and it was my first ambulance ride and it wasn’t too bad actually. I still continued to bleed.

@0310 we got to the new hospital and the ENT consultants were there waiting for me. I went straight through to resus and they immediately got started with the same adrenaline and gauze, however this time instead of holding it, they actually packed it in and left it for 10 minutes. They did this twice and both times I bled through the gauze.

@0330 they then tried bedside cauterisation. (It wasn’t actually too bad but it tastes so gross) and this worked, until a small trickle started again 💔 it was then decided I would need surgery again. They then packed the wound with adrenaline gauze so I didn’t have to choke on my own blood no more.

@0340 my mum joined me. My nurse at the new A&E was lovely. He made us feel proper cared for and even joked with use too.

@0400 I was transferred to theatre and the staff were lovely. I even got given vanilla flavoured 02 lol

I don’t remember times after that because I’ve been in and out of sleep all day. But I ended up getting stitches instead of having it re cauterised as the wound was deep.

honestly waking up with stitches has been so much more comfortable. There’s less swelling and pain. I have a bit of uncomfortable but it’s manageable with codeine and paracetamol. The staff have been so lovely and been on top of my care. I have to be kept in overnight for observation in case I rebleed.

Looking in my throat, the scabs look so much better, my stinky ass breath has gone, and my uvula is no where near as swollen as last time.

All in all, while I don’t recommend bleeding out, haemorrhage made things so much better lol