3 y.o. getting tonsillectomy- POST-OP UPDATE- NEED ADVICE!

[nessz79]

UPDATED ON PAGE 2- thanks!!

His doctor said about to expect about 7-10 days recovery. Just wondering what other people's experiences have been with their kids? 4th of July will be a week after his surgery. I imagine he'll feel well enough to see the fireworks at the beach and doctor said he can do whatever he feels like as long as he doesn't do any kind of vigorous activity (no running, etc.). I'm a little worried about that as he can be very hyper in general.

Any experience, tips? (I have posted a thread about enlarged adenoids before so my post may seem familiar...this thread is just a bit different.)

Thank you!

 

[hmacmahony]

My neice just had hers out this spring, she is 8, so big difference.
But, they used a laser (where as I had mine cut out, and was a wreck for days after). I called about 6 hours after the operation to check on her, she was home, and talking on the phone, at anything she wanted, and was ready to go. She stayed home from school for a few days, just in case, but for her she was up right away, and acted like nothing happened.
I would think it really depends on the kid, and how they are taking them out.
Good luck!

 

[MandM-Mom]

My daughter had hers out last august a 2 weeks before we left for a 12 day trip to Disney. She was fine, just real tired for the first week. She wanted to eat the day of surgery when we got home, she was annoyed with me when I said ice pops. One thing I made sure to do was bug DD to drink, when there throat gets dry it gets sore. Water by the bed to keep them wet through the night too! Thats a tip I got last year on the boards when we were going through it. My youngest had tubes placed on a thursday and the next day DD had tubes places adnoids and tonsils removed we had a busy few days........I was in need of some serious Margaritas, I could of just funneled the Tequila by Sunday night!!

 

[nessz79]

My daughter had hers out last august a 2 weeks before we left for a 12 day trip to Disney. She was fine, just real tired for the first week. She wanted to eat the day of surgery when we got home, she was annoyed with me when I said ice pops. One thing I made sure to do was bug DD to drink, when there throat gets dry it gets sore. Water by the bed to keep them wet through the night too! Thats a tip I got last year on the boards when we were going through it. My youngest had tubes placed on a thursday and the next day DD had tubes places adnoids and tonsils removed we had a busy few days........I was in need of some serious Margaritas, I could of just funneled the Tequila by Sunday night!!

Wow! I'm stressing about one surgery!

Our doctor said that the #1 imperative thing to do is fluids. He's supposed to have 35-50 oz of fluid a day. He gave us a system. Pain killer, let it set in, chloroseptic spray, then 10 oz of fluid. Repeat every 4 hours to ensure the fluids get in. I'm so nervous!

 

[robsmom]

My DS was 3 when then did his tonsils/adnoids(sp?) and a new set of tubes. a few hours later he ate a grilled cheese sandwich in the hospital. Then the drugs wore out and he was a bit uncomfortable. We had one somewhat miserabe overnight in the hospital. After that, he did not eat much for a few days. All he wanted was orange jello!! Within 3 days or so he was fine. they told us to keep him home for 2 weeks to ensure he didn't catch anything or break the scab. We did, but, really by day 4 he was himself again. Not sure what the situation is for you to do this so young, but in our case it was due to asthma. The 3 days were so worth it as it stopped his issues and we never had a problem again!!

 

[nessz79]

My DS was 3 when then did his tonsils/adnoids(sp?) and a new set of tubes. a few hours later he ate a grilled cheese sandwich in the hospital. Then the drugs wore out and he was a bit uncomfortable. We had one somewhat miserabe overnight in the hospital. After that, he did not eat much for a few days. All he wanted was orange jello!! Within 3 days or so he was fine. they told us to keep him home for 2 weeks to ensure he didn't catch anything or break the scab. We did, but, really by day 4 he was himself again. Not sure what the situation is for you to do this so young, but in our case it was due to asthma. The 3 days were so worth it as it stopped his issues and we never had a problem again!!

Thank you! Ours is outpatient- was yours supposed to be an overnight stay or did something happen?

We are doing tonsils and adenoids. Both are very enlarged, he has loud snoring with episodes of apnea, and has a chronically stuffy nose (probably adenoid).

What was the scab that you are referring to?

 

[klj27]

My son had his out when he was three. I didn't feel comfortable bringing him home from the hospital the same day so the doctor okayed a 23 hour hold. (They let us stay as long as we wanted the next day.) He did great until day 3. He stopped eating and drinking and was in constant pain. He ended up back in the er on day 4 because of dehydration. His doctor told us the heavy duty pain meds wear off on day 3 and they can backslide. He wasn't back to himself for a full two weeks.

I wish someone would have told me that this can be normal recovery for this surgery, because then I wouldn't have worried so much.

 

[queenie1]

My 10 year old had hers out last November and it was more difficult than I expected. She is doing much better without her tonsils and I am glad they are out now, but I wasn't so sure the week after the surgery. It may go very well but be prepared. She did great in the hospital and the day after the surgery was fine and I thought it wasn't so bad...then it got worse and her recovery was difficult. Don't rush it. Surgery is surgery and for some it may take a little longer to recover.

 

[nessz79]

All good to know- I want to be prepared. I've met lots of people that tell me the recovery was so quick, but I know everyone is different and I want to be prepared in case my son's is longer and/or more difficult.

 

[monorailsilver]

Thank you! Ours is outpatient- was yours supposed to be an overnight stay or did something happen?

We are doing tonsils and adenoids. Both are very enlarged, he has loud snoring with episodes of apnea, and has a chronically stuffy nose (probably adenoid).

What was the scab that you are referring to?

My ds, 4, is having his out on the 9th (I think). He has apnea, stuffy nose & snores just as bad as my dh!

We are excited. He is doing an over night stay thought because the ENT said because of his age he'd feel better if he was in the hospital.

He also said not to travel for 2 weeks after because that is usually when things can happen, aka bleeding...

He also may get a tube put in at the same time if his EI cleared up. We go to the ped next week for his pre-op & then the ENT a few days later

And the best part....I told my dh it is his turn to stay in the hospital since I have had the luxury 3 times with child birth!

Then I found out it is going to be in the outpatient area which should be real comfy for my dh. Where as my oldest will probably spend the night at my sisters house & my youngest will be with me but most likely will want to sleep in grandmas bed because I am thinking we are going to spend the night there.

 

[_queenie_]

My DD had her's out at 7 and she went through an "okay" recovery. The doctor said that she bled more than any other patient he had ever seen, which obviously had me very worried. I wanted her to stay overnight, though of course they wanted her out within a few hours. The second day was the worst, she could hardly talk and threw up a few times. She only could tolerate liquids, really just because solid food hurt going down. Her elbow was broken so she couldn't write how she felt, which certainly didn't help the cause. The third day was a bit better, she ate a few bites of bread, but I didn't notice significant improvment until the fourth day. By the end of the week she was eating pancakes, pasta, pudding and french toast. You definately want to wait on the ice cream at least until then as sometimes the milk can coat their throat. Sorbet is a great aternative to ice cream during the early days. She gradually pulled out of it, she wasn't active for a good two weeks, but it is a bit hard to be with a cast covering your elbow!

Good luck!

 

[LisaNJ25]

My 2yo had his out in October.. along with his adenoids and tubes put in. It was much easier than I was expecting. He was miserable for a few days but than was back to eating like normal. I never used any kind of spray. He also spent the night in the hospital.

 

[luvmy3jewels]

My son was 2 when he had his tonsils, adnoids, and ear tubes done. The Dr. warned us that it would take a good 2 weeks for him to return to normal, and he was absolutely right. One thing that noone really warned us about ahead of time was the smell...I guess you would describe it as a rotten blood smell. Yuck!

It was a rough 2 weeks for everyone, but it was totally worth it! Ds was like a different child afterwards! The sleep apnea went away and he was sooooo much happier and better rested. The tubes allowed the fluid out of his ears, and he began to speak so much more clearly. I will never forget hearing him sing a song for the first time right at the 2 week post surgery mark.

Good luck and I hope everything goes smoothly!

 

[twinspluscade]

We're going through this right now....my 4 year old son just had his tonsils and adenoids out exactly a week ago.

It has been a total nightmare.

His was outpatient, and the first two days weren't bad at all. He was up and playing; and in a good mood. Although we couldn't get him to eat anything solid, he was eating dozens of popsicles and icees, and drinking plenty.

Then, on day 3, it seemed to really hit him. We had to coax him to drink anything, and he wouldn't eat a thing. Day 4 was horrible--he just laid on the couch and whined.

Day 5 was better; he drank tons, and even started to eat some solids. I thought we were over the worst of it.

Then, that night, he came down with a stomach virus he had picked up from his sisters. So, now on top of everything else he's been puking twice a day, and diarrhea once or twice a day. It's been awful. He'll start to feel better, be eating and drinking, and then a few hours later it hits him again.

Really, it wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for picking up the stomach virus. I'd recommend for you to be super cautious about not letting him around sick kids right before the surgery, or during the recovery.

 

[aheape1979]

My son was 2 when he had his tonsils, adnoids, and ear tubes done. The Dr. warned us that it would take a good 2 weeks for him to return to normal, and he was absolutely right. One thing that noone really warned us about ahead of time was the smell...I guess you would describe it as a rotten blood smell. Yuck!

It was a rough 2 weeks for everyone, but it was totally worth it! Ds was like a different child afterwards! The sleep apnea went away and he was sooooo much happier and better rested. The tubes allowed the fluid out of his ears, and he began to speak so much more clearly. I will never forget hearing him sing a song for the first time right at the 2 week post surgery mark.

Good luck and I hope everything goes smoothly!

I had almost the same experience. My DD was 21 months old when she had hers out. She ended up having to take a steroid pack 2 days after surgery because she was so swollen, but after about 12 hours of that, started to feel better. The smell was HORRIBLE, though! She would want to get in my face and kiss me, and I would almost gag! She was pretty subdued for the 1st week and slightly better the 2nd week. After 2 weeks, she was back to her old self.
She is now 3, the tubes are out, and has been healthy as a horse since the surgery!

Oh, one more thing. . .
my DD loves chocolate milkshakes, so I would put a packet of chocolate carnation instant breakfast mix, some milk, and some ice cubes in the blender and make her a "milkshake". It was one of the only things we could get into her, but she got the necessary protein from the shake!

 

[michelle1]

Most children recover very easily from tonisils so don't worry. Stay away from milk products...anything that might make them phlegmy. Also don't give red popsicles or red fruit juices...any other colour but red so you don't misinterpret bleeding. No using a straw. Keep on top of the pain meds and push fluids..water, apple juice, 1/2 strength gatorade etc. My son was 4 when he had his tonsils and adenoids out and he was down and out for exactly 2 days..I would have preferred him to take it easy for longer but he's my non-stop child! Good luck, I'm sure it will be smooth sailing!

 

[kcool]

My son just had his out at the end of may and he is also 3. My best advice is to run a cool mist humidifier in his room at night, that worked good for us. My son never stopped eating. He had a hamburger the next day. It did take 2 full weeks for him to get back to normal. It was more of just getting tired out easier. I tried to do pain meds the exact minute that he was able to take the next does and I did that for about 2 weeks. I have always heard that it is harder to control the pain if you let it get out of hand. DO make him drink even if he does not want to. That was the hardest for me. I was so worried about dehydration. The time passes very quickly and the results are all worth it. My son also snored very loud and had the apnea problems. He sleeps so quiet now!! Hope all goes well.

 

[5 for WDW]

All three of my kids had their tonsills and adenoids removed due to severe sleep apnea. Both of my sons also had multiple sets of ear tubes each.
Talk about stress!

Our daughter was the most recent and that was last year at 3 years old. Her surgery was also outpatient. We went home about 5 hours after surgery.
One issue we had that she refused to take any liquid pain meds. Of course, you want to make them as comfortable as possible and we were told to give her the meds before they wore off or she was in pain. She would throw it up anytime we tried to give it to her. We called her ENT and he said we could give her over the counter chewables. We got chewable Tylenol. It did not work as well as the pain meds he had prescribed but, it took the edge off enough that she was able to rest and sleep. Just something to think of if your son has any issues taking medication. The prescribed pain meds do taste pretty terrible!
She was okay the first day after surgery and then days 3-5 or so she was pretty miserable. After that, she continued to get better, just tired easily.
The surgery made a world of difference with her.

Best of luck, I hope your son has a smooth recovery!!

 

[LovinPooh]

My son had his out when he was 7 because of strep that just wouldnt go away. I had mine out a few years earlier and went through a nightmare. So I was scared that he would too.
But he had an incredible doctor. When they were all done the doctor even showed him the tonsils and adenoids in a jar. When we got home the kid was eating pizza bites. The only thing he complained about was that his throat was scratchy. And some tylenol would take care of that. Kids are so much more resiliant than adults.
Good luck, i hope everything goes smoothly.

 

[luvmylittleboy2003]

My ds had his out when he was around 2.5 years old. He stayed overnight. The surgery itself was fine, he was up and playing (in the hospital playing room) shortly after. We went home the next day, everything was still going great and he was eating and drinking what the Dr. had ordered. Then on the 3rd day - it was awful - he wouldn't eat/drink, he started throwing up and had a slight fever - we called his Dr. and he said that was very typical of some Pt's on the 3rd/4th day & if he got worse to call him back in the morning and he would admit him for IV fluids, luckly we didn't have to do that, by the next morning he was already starting to get better, by that evening he was back to his old self and with a couple of weeks you would have never of know he had the surgery.
Having the surgery was def. the best thing for him and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. He sleeps so much better now and hardly ever gets sick.
Good luck with everything!!