I had mine out at 28 ( four years ago ) , after recurrent problems with tonsillitis (strep?), and yep the recovery is brutal, takes bout three weeks , another thing the doc didnt tell me was that you have this big gap where your tonsils used to be hence be careful when swallowing or it will come out your nose. Something my bh found very amusing! Apart from that I would totally recommend it, I was told that it can cause more bronchial infections because the bugs dont get picked up by your tonsil but the surgeon basically said that is very unlikely and I have not had any problems.
Just a little side note, hollistic healing books will tell you that recurring throat infections are a sign of repressed emotions, so speak up next time some one annoys you