Anyone have a child who had adenoidectomy or tonsillectomy?

[Snoozan]

My DDIL found out today her 3 yo DS needs to have an adenoidectomy with tubes in his ears and her 8 yo DS needs a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. She has them scheduled to be done on the same day.

Any idea on what she can expect post-surgery? Any suggestions on how to make these little guys feel better? She is going to school to become a nurse so this will definitely be a learning experience for her.

 

[I married a king]

Poor little things, my son had the same procedure done last year and the one thing I would suggest would be to keep them drinking, it was very painful for my son when his throat would start to dry. Popsicles are good to eat, keeps kids hydrated. I personally found the only thing my son could eat for a couple days was applesauce and milkshakes ( yes the dr said he could have milkshakes) We also alternated Tylenol and Motrin every 4 hours. I guess the best advice I can give is just to keep them as pain free as possible, hydrated and just know they will probably be very uncomfortable for a few days. Hope this helps a little bit.

 

[figmentswife]

It's been about 7 years since DD had both out but she really didn't complain much. I do remember she couldn't take ibuprofen (something about bleeding) but we made sure she got her Tylenol every ( insert hours) as advised and that helped. Also Popsicles and ice cream, pudding, applesauce, mashed potatoes... Anything soft for a few days. Also she wasn't allowed to be around others for a week because it was during cold and flu season and because of the surgery she was more susceptible to getting infections. So we kept her home and calm and rented tons of movies.

I think the hardest part was getting the IV started. The healing went well.

 

[jen1977]

Our son had tonsils and adnoids removed at age 3. Don't give them anything red (Popsicles, jello, etc) for several days. If they get sick, you need to be able to tell if there is blood, so no red. Make sure to give them pain meds, and keep them hydrated, even if it's just tiny sips every few minutes. Our son started vomiting after we brought him home, so we ended up at the er. He was also dehydrated. We had a terrible time getting fluids into him since his throat was so sore. They ended up giving him fluids, and sending us home with nausea med that is typically used for chemo patients, so it was heavy duty. They don't want them to throw up and rip out their stitches. Some kids don't have a hard time at all, and are up and around after a couple of days....some are like our son and out of commission for several days. Good luck with having them both in the same day, and if you are close, they could probably use some help for a day or two.

 

[jennyjinx3]

Both of my oldest had them done....and the PP is right about different kids handling it differently. My oldest had a horrible time, a lot of pain, and it was very hard to get fluids into her. Basically had to explain to her that if she didn't try to take some sips we were going to end up in the hospital.

My middle DD was a different story, that kid is a toughie. When she first swallowed after surgery it was awful watching her poor face digest the pain, but she bounced back a lot quicker than her sister.

It is rough, but she can get through it.

 

[aprilgail2]

My daughter was 5 when she had a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy and also tongue tie fixed. I am not a person that will give/take pain meds unless there is a real need- she asked for pain meds once the second day and I gave them to her and that was it. the hardest part of it all is keeping them quiet- after 3 days she was ready to run around and wanted to ride her bike but the Dr said she had to be quiet and calm for a week!! She went back to school the second week just couldn't play gym for that week. Her favorite thing was slurpees from 7-11 that week. She was eating Wendys chicken nuggets by the 3rd day. Every kid is different, her friend had hers out when she was the same age and she was in a lot of pain for much longer.

 

[tvguy]

My daughter had an adenoidectomy. Groggy afterwards, no issues once she fully woke up. My MIL....who came along for support, almost fainted, but THAT is a whole other story.

 

[Mean Queen]

My daughter had both done when she was 3. The hardest part was right after surgery when she threw up blood, but nothing was wrong. It's just she got a little nauseous from the anesthesia and only had blood in her stomach. The recovery was easy, lots of popsicles, jello, and yogurt. Though after three weeks, she started crying to eat potato chips and didn't want popsicles any more.

 

[charming23]

I had all three procedures done when I was in 2nd grade at almost 8 years old. I remember being in the hospital for the day while they monitored me and then I was out of school for the rest of the week. I don't remember a ton of pain and my mom says I did pretty well. Definately nothing red for a few days but I remember getting to eat tons of ice cream and mashed potatoes.

Good luck to them all.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

Mashed patatos were a huge one around here! when my aunts daughter had hers done she ate nothing but mashed patatos covered in ranch dressing. Wouldnt drink so she got her patatos very watered down and mushy! As far as getting her to stop trying to run around we played TONS of board games. we also did lots of coloring. by the end of the week we had half the house plastered in care bears. Clay was a hit too! by the end of the week I was glad to go back to work!

 

[kimblebee]

I had my adenoids out when I was 3 and my tonsils when I was 19! I lived on mashed potatoes, noodles and slurpees for about a week. Make sure you don't give them anything that may sting like tomato soup. Also, the doctor should tell you not to use a straw for drinking. I think it strains the throat and can rip stitches.

 

[tminus22]

Hi Everyone. Just a parent here worried about moving forward with the procedure for my two twins. It was recommended they both get their adenoids and tonsils removed. Can anyone share the post surgery results and experience, like after you completely healed? Do you recommend and did it make your life better? I'm a little reluctant to pulling stuff out of my kids bodies but if it's going to improve the quality of their lives, I'm all about it. Are there any ngetative things that came after the full recover that you think a parent should need to know? Any info would really help us out. Please share. Are little guys have obstructions with their breathing and their ENT Dr recommended removal of both.

 

[kcool]

Hi Everyone. Just a parent here worried about moving forward with the procedure for my two twins. It was recommended they both get their adenoids and tonsils removed. Can anyone share the post surgery results and experience, like after you completely healed? Do you recommend and did it make your life better? I'm a little reluctant to pulling stuff out of my kids bodies but if it's going to improve the quality of their lives, I'm all about it. Are there any ngetative things that came after the full recover that you think a parent should need to know? Any info would really help us out. Please share. Are little guys have obstructions with their breathing and their ENT Dr recommended removal of both.

How old are they? My youngest was about 4 when he got his done, oldest was 9. The younger one recovered so much quicker. My youngest had a drooling problem and my oldest child, they were almost touching. They also got constant strep. They have not had it since. They are both above 18 now. I have had issues my entire life and I wish mine had been take out. It is so much riskier as you get older, so I refuse to be evaluated to have it done.

 

[unrequited23]

My oldest had his adnoids out when he was nearly 2 as well as getting tubes in his ears. According to his ENT his adnoids were blocking 90% of his sinus cavity. His snoring stopped and his quality of sleep improved. It was weird to not hear his "sleeping breathing" on the monitor at night. He was due to wake up from anesthesia at the time he normally would go down for his nap...so, his little body just decided to take his nap, freaking the doctors out a bit. We did a lot of milkshakes and smoothies in the following days. You will have to actively work with them to switch over to nose breathing vs mouth breathing but the earlier you start the easier it is to learn. According to our ENT tonsils and adnoids can both grow back after removal.

 

[WEDcryoHEAD]

Fluids, popsicles, ice chips. The good thing is, the earlier / younger they have these procedures done the easier the recovery is. Hopefully their recovery will be speedy.

 

[tminus22]

How old are they? My youngest was about 4 when he got his done, oldest was 9. The younger one recovered so much quicker. My youngest had a drooling problem and my oldest child, they were almost touching. They also got constant strep. They have not had it since. They are both above 18 now. I have had issues my entire life and I wish mine had been take out. It is so much riskier as you get older, so I refuse to be evaluated to have it done.

My boys are 5 years old. I'm also concerned because some studies show that the risk of copd increases once adenoids or tonsils are removed. I almost had mine removed as well but the doctor refused and I'm not sure why. I was ten years old at the time, I'm 42 now. Thank you for sharing.

 

[tminus22]

My boys are 5 years old. I'm also concerned because some studies show that the risk of copd increases once adenoids or tonsils are removed. I almost had mine removed as well but the doctor refused and I'm not sure why. I was ten years old at the time, I'm 42 now. Thank you for sharing.

Did they have any breathing problem before the procedure?

 

[Heatherhy01]

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed at 18 months old. She was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea at the time and was always sick. She is now 19 and thriving.

 

[VandVsmama]

YDD was in 2nd grade when she had her tonsils and adenoids removed. She was home from school for a week and couldn’t do PE for another week after that. Prior to the surgery, she got strep throat and ear infections for a year and a half. All the time. It was bad. She used to snore a little bit, too.

Prior to that when she was 18 mo old, she had tubes put in her ears because of chronic ear infections.

Now she’s totally fine. Never gets strep at all. Healthy as a horse. SO GLAD we did the surgery. She’s 14 now.

After surgery for about 5 days, she didn’t want to eat much. Had her eat a lot of popsicles and ice cream. Yogurt, too. At about the 5 day mark, she spit out this big glob of disgusting stuff. It was the scab that had formed over the wounds. After that, she went on to eat chicken nuggets and normal stuff.