Anyone who has had tonsilitis before can testify that it’s a rough condition to suffer through. For an elite athlete, the infection can be devastating, hindering training and causing pain that can seriously hinder performance.
Such was the case for Felipe Pena, who revealed yesterday that he underwent surgery to have his tonsils removed. In a social media post, Pena stated that he’d gotten tonsilitis a whopping nine times in 2019 alone, and with the illness came symptoms that made it impossible to train at the level required to perform at his best.
Now, though, Pena is in recovery after his operation, and he shared his struggle with his followers:
“Tonsils removed✔️. I thought the surgery and the post-op would be much simpler than they were. I had bleeding and had to go back to the block to cauterize, and I’d never felt so much pain for so many days, with difficulty swallowing even water … But the worst is over and I’m feeling better and better. I had recurrent tonsillitis — in 2019 alone I had it 9x, and only those who’ve have it know how bad it is. Every time I started training hard I got sick and consequently, antibiotics, rest, weight loss etc … It was very difficult to prepare myself as a high level athlete must prepare, and it hindered me a lot. But now in a few days I will be able to train as I haven’t been able to train for a long time, and I promise you will soon see a very sharp Preguiça 2.0. Thank you mother, father, girlfriend, friends and everyone who cared so much these days!”
With Pena now tonsil-free (and tonsilitis-free), we’ll all be looking forward to seeing him back in action on the mats soon.
