Smoking Weed After Tonsillectomy
Cannabis, Cigarettes, And Tonsillectomy
Looking at Reddit and sites like Quora, I found that many individuals were surprisingly asking questions on cannabis and tonsilitis. I then became curious and looked for the answer and was unable to find one.
That’s why I felt it was important to address this question of whether or not it is okay to smoke weed after a tonsillectomy? I will also address the following issues:
- Is smoking weed with tonsillitis a bad idea?
- Should smoking weed after tonsillectomy be avoided?
- Is smoking cigarettes after tonsillectomy good?
Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I do not have a medical background. Therefore, this is not medical advice. This article’s goal is to steer you in the right direction and give you various resources for you to make and educate decision. And, it should go without saying, visit your doctor’s office if you have any questions concerning cannabis and tonsils or any other medical question.
First I would like to address the following important matter.
Anesthesia and Weed
I’ve mentioned the effects of anesthesia and weed before when I wrote an article concerning oral surgery and THC. THC and aesthesia both affect your body’s central nervous system, which means that for weed smokers more anesthesia may be needed than if you did not smoke cannabis. The problem occurs when your doctors do not know that you smoke cannabis, which results in them not giving you the right dosage of anesthesia. The results of this happening are quite traumatic as you may wake up during mid-operation because you were not given enough anesthesia.
This Means Edibles
Cannabis edibles especially need to be avoided before any medical procedure that requires anesthesia. This is not necessarily because of the THC in edibles. But, to avoid complications, like pneumonia, you are not allowed to eat anything from six to eight hours before your operation. I.E., An edible brownie is obviously food. So, eating it would result in complications either before or post-operation.
What is Tonsilitis?
Bacterial Tonsillitis Sufferer
You likely know what tonsillectomy is and why the operation is performed. However, since getting your tonsils removed isn’t performed as much as it used to be, I felt it would be wise to review the very basics of what it entails and what it is performed.
The tonsils are the two roundish shaped globs of fat at the back of your throat, that are designed to help stop your body fight infections. However, tonsils can get inflamed and infected, which is called tonsilitis, which in turn will cause you to be sick. It is a procedure to get your tonsils removed, which will stop further infections of that area.
With the advance of antibiotic medicine, a tonsillectomy is not performed as frequently as it used to be. However, it is still performed for those who suffer from frequent bouts of tonsilitis that are resistant to antibiotics. Also, it is done to help cure loud snoring and sleeping problems.
Some of the common symptoms of tonsilitis are:
- Fever
- Rancid Breath
- Stiff Neck
- Hard to swallow
- Headaches
- Sore throat
Click Here, for a full list of tonsilitis symptoms.
Smoking Cigarettes With Tonsillitis
First of all, cigarettes, cigars, or any form of tobacco is not advised if you have tonsilitis. Tobacco smoke is an irritant, which can cause your tonsilitis-related pain to get worse. Additionally, tobacco smoke can cause “tonsil stones”, which happens when holes in your tonsils expand. Even worse there have been peer-reviewed studies that have indicated as cigarette smokers may be more prone to having tonsilitis in the first place.
Smoking Weed With Tonsilitis
I was not able to find any evidence concerning if it is dangerous for you to smoke cannabis with tonsilitis. The info that I did find out was related to smoking pot while you have the flu or the common cold. The flu and the common cold have many of the same symptoms that tonsilitis has. As result, I felt this advice is somewhat applicable to smoking while you are suffering from tonsilitis.
Healthline states that there is no evidence that using cannabis while you sick with either the flu or the common cold is harmful. However, cannabis smoking can make some of the tonsilitis symptoms worse. For example, tonsilitis causes a sore throat, and smoking can cause your throat to be further irritated.
Smoking After Tonsillectomy
Smoking Cigarettes After Tonsillectomy
Even one or two cigarettes can cause your post-surgery healing to take longer. The reason is that tobacco smoke is known to irritate the throat’s upper airways, and irritation does not help in your after surgery recovery. Smoking right after your operation has also been shown, via a peer-reviewed, medical study to cause an increased chance of bleeding.
Weed After Tonsillectomy
There was almost no information addressing cannabis after a tonsillectomy on the web. The only information that I could find that somewhat answered this question was based upon if it is wise to smoke weed if you had a cold or the flu.
The following information is based on my own personal viewpoint and is not medical advice. However, I feel it could be helpful as it is based upon general life experience and common sense.
The tonsillectomy operation occurs on your throat, which results in your getting a sore throat after you have your tonsils taken out. Smoking a cigarette or anything can result in throat irritation and pain. This includes cannabis. Therefore, I personally would not smoke until at least after I recovered from the operation. Of course, If you have any questions ask your Doctor.
Final Thoughts
Surprisingly, I could not find any definitive yes or no answers to any question concerning cannabis and your tonsils. I am afraid the reason for this is that, even though cannabis is becoming more accepted, it is still taboo among many doctors in the medical community.
As it is still illegal federally in the US, there have been very few medical studies concerning cannabis. (According to the US Government cannabis has no medicinal purposes and is the same category as meth and LSD). As a result, there are no set rules concerning how many days you show wait before you can start to smoke again.
My only advice that I can give you is to get a doctor that you can trust and that you feel comfortable telling them that you do smoke, and be sure to tell all of your doctors that you do enjoy cannabis.
