Anyone Have Child's Tonsils Removed Because They're "Too Big"?

[vhoffman]

Our dd is 8.5 years. She's had several problems with her ears over the years and two sets of tubes. The tubes are out and she appeared to be doing fine, until last December, then she had two back-to-back ear infections (I actually feel it was one long infection that wasn't cleared up completely with the first round of antibiotics). Well, everyone we take her to comments on her large tonsils. We were told several years ago that children's tonsils will enlarge around age 5, then peak and come back down to a normal size. However, that doesn't seem to be the case with dd. Her tonsils continue to stay quite enlarged.

We went back to her ENT last week, a doctor who I have a lot of faith in and respect. He felt her tonsils are "too large" and should be removed. They are not infected, just too large. According to him, if they are still enlarged at her age they will not decrease in size. Indeed, over the years they will only stay the same (proportional to her body size) or get worse. As she gets older, they will become harder to remove. He really felt they should be removed, however, he wasn't pressuring us at all. His advice was to keep an "ear" on her to see if it interferes with her sleeping. If she snores, especially if she seems to stop breathing for a few seconds then resumes breathing with a loud "gasp", the tonsils are interferring with her ability to breathe while sleeping. Also, dd complains of ear pain, usually in the left ear but oftentimes in both ears. It seems to be mild, because it can be relieved with Motrin. The doctor said her ear pain is most likely due to the swollen tonsils.

Well, it all seems well and good, but I really don't want to subject dd to a major surgery (and, yes tonsils are a major surgery!), without clear indication. My dh never had his removed, and seems to be living a rich and fufilling life! I want to do the best for dd, but I'm not too sure what that is. should I remove them now to save future problems, or wait and see if they present a problem down the road? Has anyone had their child's tonsils removed about age 8 or so, and what was the outcome? Were you satisfied, or were there complications? I certainly don't want to take dd out of school now, since we're so close to the end of the school year. However,I also don't want to comprimise her summer with a surgery. I guess what I'm really concerned with the most is, how necessary is it? After all, how did human beings live before they could remove tonsils? What's the advantage of doing it now?

 

[mickeyluv]

My DD had her tonsils removed last year and she was 7 & 1/2 then. She was having problems swallowing. She kept getting choked when eating. Our ENT doctor said that there was a small cyst on one of her tonsils. You are right about removal of tonsils being a major surgery. My DD does not handle pain well at all so keep that in mind while reading this. I'm glad we had it done, but I would not want to go through that again for anything in the world. She did not get along well (but everyone is different). I work for an ENT office and there are people young and old who have their tonsils removed for various reasons. They say, the younger the better. It's worse when you get older. I think the hardest thing was keeping our DD hydrated. She was borderline to being put in the hospital for dehydration because she wouldn't swallow because it hurt. But as I said, any type of pain and my DD goes to pieces. If it were me and the doctor said that eventually the tonsils would have to come out because they would not decrease in size, then I think I would probably go ahead and have it done now before she gets any older. Also, ask her doctor about the dehydration issue. What would be the best way to keep that from happening. All they told me was to keep pushing fluids. My thoughts were, how can I do that if she won't swallow. I can't swallow for her. Everything we gave her she kept spitting out or throwing it back up and I know that just made things worse (her throwing up). I'm sure that hurt really bad and therefore she would not swallow in fear that she would throw up. I don't mean to sound so negative, but I wanted to let you know how our experience was. Like I said, everyone is different. I hear everyday where people have it done and everything goes smoothly. I wish your DD well and I hope this helped a little. Sending lots of pixie dust your way!

 

[mum of two pirates]

3 weeks ago on a friday. He went back to school on the next tue and wrestling practice thurday night. He is 6 1/2. We did it for about the same reason. I was laying wit him one night and he stopped breathing. We did a test on him called an oxcimater (sp) It tells how much oxigen he is getting at night while sleeping. He wore that finger thing with the ed light in it, to bed. It showed hid levels drop sometimes. He also has had two sets of tubes and almost three. We had his adnoids out with the secound set of tubes. After the tons. sugery our doc told us that they were big but that he also has small breathing tubes. They have the breathing tube somewhere behind the tonsils. I gave him pain med friday night before bed and then 1 time sat again I made him take it before bed, and two times on sunday then once in the night, and again in monday night. He did not want it at all during the day, It did hurt a bit he said, but popcicles did the trick for him. He had been in the doc 6 times in the last year for upper resp. type of infections or stuff. So we did it. Our Doc came out after the surgery and said he was the best pat. he has ever had for that, also the nurses said that after taking care of him. We did an in out day thing, He went in at 7:30 a.m. they took him in at 9:30 and he was out by about 10:15am. They had said they were going to keep him tell 5 or so, becouse thats how long most people stay, but they sent us home at 1:00 becouse he was already drinking. MY TWO HINTS; TAKE SMALL SIPS, NOT DRINKS, AND PUT A HUMIDIFIER IN HER ROOM AT NIGHT. He woke up 3 nights crying it hurt, well becouse of no fluids, it had dried his throat out a bit. but the Hum, did the trick. Good luck. there was a 32 yr old guy having it done also, wouldn't want to be him.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

My BestF's DD just had her too big tonsils out two weeks ago and DS had it done for the same reasons at 6. It will amaze you the difference in your child. Both of them were always "tired" and never seemed to get enough sleep becasue they were awaking so many times in the night. Not enough that you really know it but enough to disturb sleep. Sleep apnea can cause all sorts of issues. Neither of these two had ANY problems after the surgery. DS was eating by the first PM and never looked back. We both had the same Dr and he insisted on 1 full week at home no matter haw they feel so plan for that.

Good luck,
Jordans' mom

 

[vhoffman]

Thanks for the suggestions. My ds, age 9, also has "big" tonsils and it has been recomended they be removed. He has been diagnosed with ADHD, however, I understand that oftentimes sleep disturbances due to things like tonsils can be mistaken for ADHD. Indeed, I really don't see any difference in him when he's on ADHD medication. He says he often wakes up in the middle of the night for no reason. Perhaps removing his tonsils would be helpful for him as well. It looks like a busy summer!

Thanks for the tips about keeping the room hydrated with a humidifier. We can experiment with some to see which works best before the surgery. I really am inclined to go ahead with it for both children. However, I do plan on a second opinion, even though both pediatrician and ENT have said its indicated, at least in dd's case. It is a major surgery and a second (or third or fourth) opinion is always prudent. We live in a small town, and I plan on taking both kids to a major medical center so it can be done right. Of course, I won't do both at once, so that will involve several overnight trips and hotel stays. But we did that for dd's other ear surgeries. You can't go too far or do too much to ensure your child gets the absolute best medical care!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My daughter is the same age and has had enlarged tonsils for several years. On the advice of our pediatrician, we have been "watching" them. I know about sleep apnea and she snores a bit but she does not stop breathing at all (I've been watching for it). However, during sleepovers some kids have mentioned she snores so she's a bit embarrassed. I'm a believer in no surgery unless it's absolutely necessary so we'll wait and see some more, but it will be interesting to see what responses you get on this thread. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[polly p]

Ds had his tonsils out when he was 9. He had sleep apnea. One night DH and I heard him stop breathing for about 20 seconds while he was sleeping. Took him to MD next day. She said they don't mess with sleep apnea with kids and rec removal of adnoids, while in there they saw tonsils were enormous and removed them too. DS has been sleeping fine ever since.

 

[helens042266]

DD had them out when she was 5. She snored LOUD!! woke us all up, every night. She had sleep apnea which lead to her being very tired and cranky during the day. Her tonsils were large. She went through surgery like a champ and was up running around the next day. The doc said they do better the younger they are. She no longer snores (this was 4 years ago) and sleeps through the night. For our situation, it was the best decision. Good luck.

 

[chrisn]

The younger the better! The older they are, the harder it is on them. My DD suffered through bouts of Strep and Tonsilitis for years. At age 8, she developed sleep apnea and it progressively worsened. She would stop breathing for like 20 seconds then gasp for air. It was truly frightening but I was so paranoid about the surgery that I let both her and I suffer until she was 13. At 13 I took her into the specialist and he said that her tonsils were diseased and recommended the removal of both tonsils and adnoids. She went in a couple weeks later. I cried the whole time and when she came out of surgery after longer than expected, he called us into the chapel. I almost fainted from fright right then and there. I grabbed his collar and screeched "is my daughter ok?" He said she was perfect and told us that usually he removed the adnoids first then the tonsils but because hers were so bad, he had to remove them first to get to the adnoids. It was outpatient surgery (although I don't understand why) but let me tell you, you would have thought the child had open heart surgery. She was in bed for 2 weeks. She couldn't even get up and open her presents X-mas morning 3 days later because she was soooo miserable. She lost 20 pounds but I feel so bad that I let my fears allow her to suffer so long. I wish I would have had it done when she first started having problems at age 8. She sleeps like a dream and is so quiet and still now that I don't even hear her breathing when I stand in her room let alone hear her breathing in the next room before her surgery. We celebrated 6 weeks after her surgery with a trip to where else WDW and it was wonderful.

Now if someone can talk me out of my fear and into having DS's Inverted Mesiodens (upside down extra permanent front tooth) removed, we'd all be in great shape!

 

[vhoffman]

I guess its indicated and I will probably do it this summer. Its just that its so much to put a little thing through, but if its only going to get worse,,,,,,,,,,,we will get more opinions and read up on it, but the ENT we consulted (he's with Baylor in Houston), is one of the best in the country (hey, I should settle for second best? ), so I really think we have the opinion we'll go with. Now to get ds evaluated..............

That would really freak me out if the surgeon talked to me in the chapel!!!!Did he say why? Probably it was the only private space available? Glad everything worked out well!

 

[veraletta]

We were told that my daughter at 6 years old had enlarged tonsils and that the dr. would loved to have removed them at 6 years old, while he was putting tubes in her ears, but the insurance company would not let him, because she wasnt sick with bouts of Strep and Tonsilitis.
He told us it was a shame because he would end up seeing her later and would have to removed them because she would end up getting sick with them, and it would be much eaiser on her now as she was so young.

Well he was right at the age of 17 she was back and believe me it was much harder on her at the age of 17 years old, then it would have been at 6.
Thank god that her sister and brother were able to get their removed at age 2 and 5, because of the new insurance company left it up to the dr.
All three of my kids had enlarged tonsils.

The two year old had a hard time swallowing food, he had to sleep with pillows to keep him in sleeping up right. The dr. said he was worried that if he got sick that the tonsils could swell up and could close off his air way.

He said there are two things that you have to have tonsil removed one was because your sick and the other is because your air way can close off.

 

[TriMom]

This is my opinion on why to go ahead and have them removed. I am 31 yo, and I have had very large tonsils all my life. Back in the late 70's, and where I grew up, the ENTs would only remove tonsils in exteme situtations. Mine should have been removed, but weren't. I have frequent sinus infections,always get a sore throat with a cold, they absess easily, and I snore. Since I am 31, they think a recovery period for me to have them removed would be 3-4 weeks. I am a SAHM of 2 little guys, and I can't be down for a month. I wish they were taken out when I was a child.

Now DS (2 yo) is having sleep apnea, and has very large tonsils. We are meeting with the ENT this week to discuss treatment. While I HATE the thought of major surgery for DS, I want his tonsils and adnoids removed.

 

[baybgurl81]

my son is only 5. but i had to have my tonsils out when i was 8. and my adnoids. i was snored all the time. and my tonsils were so big that when i would move a certain way, or even talk, they would touch. my advice is to do it and to save any future problems. but that is just my opinion. go with your gut.

 

[maxsmom01]

Yes, two weeks ago. My son's were so large that he was having a terrible time sleeping and even swallowing. The surgeon removed his enlarged adenoids at the same time. Even now I can see a world of difference. The dark circles under his eyes have subsided and you can't hear him snoring down the hall. He is getting a lot more sleep and it has changed his sense of smell and taste because he was continually stuffy from the adenoid swelling. I would heartily recommend it. He did very well, especially with the Tylenol w/codeine. The only downside for me is that he is now scared to go to the doctor's office.

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

My DD is now 8.5 years old and had her enlarged tonsils & adenoids removed when she was 4.5 years old. (She'd also had many ear infections and had tubes inserted when she was 20 months old.)

We had her tonsils/adenoids removed because she was constantly getting strep throat, she snored terribly and also had trouble breathing at night. I can remember watching her little chest pulling for air but she wasn't getting any. She'd finally wake up gasping. It was really scary.

I noticed when she was little she hated wearing turtlenecks. I guess her throat already felt constricted so the extra fabric around her neck really bothered her. She also didn't eat very well. And now when we watch old videos of her before the surgery you can actually hear the change in her voice. Before the surgery her throat actually sounded constricted.

Her ENT said DD's tonsils were some of the biggest he'd ever seen (about the size of golf balls). After her surgery she was like a different child. She's hardly ever sick anymore and she eats well.

The surgery was quick and DD's recovery went very well. We are very glad she had the surgery! She'll even asked if she'd have to have her tonsils out again because she liked getting presents! Silly girl. Oh, and she only ate 1 bowl of ice cream during her entire recovery. Wanna know what she wanted to eat? Potato chips!!

Oh, and yes, the younger you have them out the better. One of my co-workers was in his mid-30's when he had his tonsils out a few years ago and it took him over 2 weeks to recover. He said it was awful.

Debbie

 

[chrisn]

When the Dr. saw the deep rooted fear in my eyes, he smiled and calmly explained that his was standard protocol to speak in the chapel because it was quiet and private. I wish I would have known, I made a fool out of myself.

 

[vhoffman]

Bump

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Well my DD hasn't been feeling well today, just picked her up at school and made a dr's appt for later. Asked to see our own pediatrician because after reading all this I want to ask her again about these tonsils. We'll see what she says.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I wish I would have known, I made a fool out of myself.

Seems to me they should have warned you about that. A chapel is an unusual place for an informational conference.

 

[CTillberg]

My daughter had her tonsils and adnoids removed last year when she was 5. I too was skeptical and didn't want her to have to endure surgery unnecessarily (she had already been through a couple of sugeries for a birth defect - I was afraid I couldn't endure more). But she snored like a drunk man every night, was tired and cranky most days, and had about 4 ear infections every year since she was born. We took her to a ear, nose, throat specialist. He did a quick look at her, asked about her ear infections and said the tonsils are very large we should remove them and the adnoids. After a lot of thought we decided to do it - BEST decision we ever made. She has not had a ear infection since, sleeps quiety, is a much happier child - and her appetite improved - she is just all together healthier.