6 Year Old Getting His Tonsils Out...

[Carolina_Ggirl]

I am 36 and actually had my tonsils removed last year. All of my co-workers had a good laugh over that!

It was the best thing I could have done after years of battling infections etc. Ironically the recovery time for adults was said to be much longer than for kids. I did find that I turned a major corner around the 10 day mark.

My experience was very good, but realize it varies from person to person & obviously you guys are having a lot more done at one time. I cannot stress enough the importance of staying hydrated. I don't usually drink much & had to force myself to do so. I think that made a huge difference. Gatorade & vitamin water worked well for me.

I know everyone talks about eating the cold stuff, which at times was good. However, initially I found warm broth to be more soothing. Also you can get the Campbell Soup in a cup in varieties that would be tolerable.

I had my fair share of ice cream later in the recovery process too. I seem to remember they may encourage you to initially stay away from dairy.

My suggestion would be to go to the store & purchase a variety of warm & cool treats from which to choose. Cravings at the time may surprise you both!

On a different note, I realize and respect your family's choice on whether or not to tell him about the surgery in the days/weeks ahead of time. Personally, I would have to tell my little one; but I know he doesn't handle change well. Telling ahead of time may not be the preferred thing, but you can work together to plan to make the most of it (picking out special movies, books, food, special PJs etc.)

Best of luck!!

 

[davis65]

My DS had his tonsils taken out when he was 5. Our situatuion was a little different. He had battled mono for about 4 weeks and contracted strep with the mono. This made one of his tonsils swell out. He has asthma, and we were constantly having to give him breathing treatments because the tonsil was so swelled that he couldn't breathe. The doctor decided to remove his tonsils and anoieds in order to help his breathing. I think I was more scared than my DS. He is terrified of needles, so I let the surgeons know about this before hand. I also went to walmart and bought him a stuff animal to take with him. When we were in pre-op the nurses were great. We told him that his monkey was having the surgery with him. Everything that was done to him, the nurses did to the monkey too. They even gave the stuffed monkey shots. This made my DS feel better. He said that he didn't feel like he was doing this alone. Also if your Nurses don't do it try to make it fun.. The nurses at our hospital told my son that his IV gave him special powers, just like spiderman. My DS would act like he was shooting webs at the doctors and nurses and they would say, "OH, you got me" When it came time to take him back to surgery one nurse acted like he couldn't open the door to the OR. He told my DS that he needed to use his special powers. DS acted like he was shooting the door and it came open. This made him really excited. When he woke up he was sore, but they gave him medicine to help, and he was more occupied with helping his monkey through it too. For that first week everything that we did to take care of him, he would do with his monkey. Buying him that stuffed monkey and letting him take it with him really helped us out.

 

[honeydiane1953]

I am a nurse also. While in there I would suggest take out all TA & tubes. The only thing he will hurt from is the Tonsillectomy. After a couple of days he'll be fine. Lots of ice chips, liquids, rest and keeping him in a cool environment will be just what the DR orders.

 

[Kit'smommy]

My DS had his tonsils taken out when he was 5. Our situatuion was a little different. He had battled mono for about 4 weeks and contracted strep with the mono. This made one of his tonsils swell out. He has asthma, and we were constantly having to give him breathing treatments because the tonsil was so swelled that he couldn't breathe. The doctor decided to remove his tonsils and anoieds in order to help his breathing.

Actually your situation is quite close to ours. DS had strep (first case) last fall and his tonsils swelled badly and never went down again. His adenoids are obstructing his breathing so we have issues with sleep apnea and the child is always exhausted. He constantly gags on food because he cannot swallow easily. His ears cannot drain and are so full of fluid that he cannot hear unless you are either yelling or standing directly in front of him to speak. And this is on top of his asthma.

He wants a frog that Build-a-bear just came out with. I am going to get it tonight and hide it until next week. We were told that he can bring a stuffed animal with him so I think froggy with be getting his tonsils out as well...

 

[lghost]

My 3 year old had her tonsils and adenoids removed this past summer.

When I checked the forums for info, I got a range of responses, ie, recoveries that lasted 2 days, kids eating dinner that night etc. So I thought "great, this won't be so bad". However, what many people did not write was that there is a HUGE difference between a partial and full tonsillectomy. A partial has a quick recovery while a full tonsillectomy is a very painful recovery. We opted for the full and I am glad we did. However, the recovery was a full 14 days. The ENT was not kidding on that one. The first week was pretty bad and then it got better day by day. For the first 24 hours, My DD would not drink anything. We had to resort to codeine suppositories which saved the day. Had we not had access to them, she would have needed IV fluids.

The upside is that I am sooo glad we did it. Since the surgery, we have not had one single sick visit. She has had a few minor colds and they clear in no time without leading to any issues.
Good luck!!

 

[Kit'smommy]

Update on surgery...

My son had his surgery today. We were supposed to be at the hospital at 9:45 for a 10:45 surgery, but ended up arriving at 9:30. The child in front of us had to skip surgery for today (hint - follow the directions and don't eat after midnight) so they took us right in and surgery was done by 10:30. This worked out great for us because Kit didn't have much time to sit in preop and get nervous.

We were home by noon. He rested for about an hour and then wanted to play with his legos. He spent most of the day playing quietly and watching tv, but he was never listless or just wanting to cuddle.

He asked for an Icee, push ups, a large Eddy's popcicle, vanilla pudding, ice tea, and Kraft mac & cheese. And he ate everything he asked for.

We will have to see how the next few days go, but he has been very happy and comfortable all day, all things considered.

 

[krcit]

Update on surgery...

My son had his surgery today. We were supposed to be at the hospital at 9:45 for a 10:45 surgery, but ended up arriving at 9:30. The child in front of us had to skip surgery for today (hint - follow the directions and don't eat after midnight) so they took us right in and surgery was done by 10:30. This worked out great for us because Kit didn't have much time to sit in preop and get nervous.

We were home by noon. He rested for about an hour and then wanted to play with his legos. He spent most of the day playing quietly and watching tv, but he was never listless or just wanting to cuddle.

He asked for an Icee, push ups, a large Eddy's popcicle, vanilla pudding, ice tea, and Kraft mac & cheese. And he ate everything he asked for.

We will have to see how the next few days go, but he has been very happy and comfortable all day, all things considered.

That's great! I'm so glad to hear it. it's wonderful that he is eating already-I really think that that is what helped my dds heal faster.

 

[justinjenn]

So glad your little one is doing so well!! ~Jenn~