It's far worse having them removed as an adult, as there's more tissue to remove from years of fighting infections and growing in size, especially when they're swollen. The pain was so severe in fact, that a couple days after surgery the nerve endings of my ears had a horrible stinging sensation, as if hot knives were being stabbed into them. The doctor even warned me that was going to happen, but nothing could've prepared me for just how bad it truly was.