DD5 needs surgery

[kimwim8]

Just found out yesterday that my daughter needs her tonsils & adnoids out. She's had strep throat 5 times since January. They've told me since birth that her tonsils are large, but the combination of that & the strep is what made my dr. send me to CHOP (children's hospital of Philadelphia).

Anyone had a child go through this? From what they told me yesterday, it's not a fun recovery.

TIA!

 

[minniecarousel]

no first-hand knowledge here - just wanted to wish for her a quick and relatively pain-free process.

(hang in there, Mom)

 

[DoeWDW]

No experience but sending her best wishes for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery! I've heard CHOP is one of the best hospitals in the country, so she'll be in good hands!

 

[Kimberle]

I had mine out when I was 10. It really was pretty painless. Just a mild sore throught for a few days.

Good luck!

 

[kimwim8]

BUMP

 

[CEDmom]

I haven't personally gone through this with DD although I had my own tonsils and adnoids out many years ago. For me I remember being home for about a week with the first 2-3 days uncomfortable but then getting progressively better. I have a friend who went through this with her DD about a year ago and she had about the same recovery experience as I did if that's any help.

One thing I would recommend is that even if your DD will be having this done as an outpatient to still bring a change of clothes and toiletries for yourself to the hospital. With my friend's DD they ended up keeping her overnight because she was very slow to wake up. My poor friend had to beg for some scrubs and a toothbrush so she could stay with her DD.

Good luck and try to remember that it's going to be worse for you to see your DD go through this than it will actually be for her. Hope that makes sense .

 

[onecoolmama]

Hugs to you and your DD

 

[cati]

Hugs to you and to her. It is so hard when a child is sick or has to go to the hospital.

 

[2MuchOhana]

When I was a little girl I was sick all the time because of my tonsils. So, when I was about eight or nine I had them removed.
My worst complaint was having a very upset stomache afterward. I have a rather weak one and tend to get motion sickness. I tried so had not to get sick; but the nurses gave me soda. That was all it took. After that my fever went down and I was released to go home.

Although, my sense of hearing was greatly increased after that. After surgery I complained about my dad and sister talking to loud all the time. As a matter of fact they still do!

Though I have a funny story to share. For those of us old enough to remember the Brady Bunch TV show. Remember the one where Cindy and Carol Brady got their tonsils out? Well, I thought you weren't suppose to talk after getting them removed. So when I woke up from recovery I wanted a pillow. The nurses wondered what was wrong with me because I wouldn't talk and tell them what I needed. Oops! I didn't know any better than to not believe what I saw on TV. Nurses got a really good laugh that day.

I am sure your daughter will be just fine! She has everyone here on the DIS praying for her and for you, too!

Sending you all Pixie Dust for a speedy recovery!

 

[chell]

 

[Virgo10]

Some 20+ years ago both my kids had their tonsils out. Each reacted in a different way. My son was 5 at the time. The night of the surgery was bad but by the next day he was up and running around.

My daughter (the drama queen) was totally different. She was also around 5 years old but refused to eat anything solid for a week and then only after the doctor told her it was OK.

Both had very positive results. My son's hearing improved immensely and my daughter's battle with strep nearly disappeared. I'm glad I had it done in both cases.

I'm sure your daughter will be fine. Depending on how old she is, tell her as much as you can. Even at the age my kids were, I explained how they might feel. I told them that crying would make it hurt worse and if they drank a lot and too quickly it might upset their stomach. They really seemed to understand and their recovery was fast.

All the best to both of you.

Roberta

 

[clh2]

My DD had her T & A's out when she was 4 - about 6 years ago. She was in a lot of pain for the first 3 days, and did not want to eat or drink anything. I heard from another experienced parent to always give them their pain meds on time - EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO WAKE THEM UP TO DO IT! DD did not like getting woke up for the middle of the night drugs - but there is no doubt in my mind that she would have been miserable without them.

It seems like the pain meds keep the edge off the pain, however, if you let it go way past the time, you can't "catch up" with the pain.

Make sure to have some "freezy pops" or popscicles ready. If their throat is too sore to eat or drink - they will get dehydrated - and apparently kids then have to go back to the hospital/clinic/ER to get an IV - to get re-hydrated.

Most hospitals and surgery centers will give you a list of things to observe and do as your DD recovers. Read it carefully - and if you have any questions - there will most likely be a phone number on it to call.

While my DD started to feel better after about the 4th day - it was a good 10 days before she was "herself." Out of desparation -- it seemed like the one thing that helped out tons was on about days 5-10, she didn't really want to take a deparately needed nap - so I put her in the car, and we went somewhere far enough away that she got 2-mini "car naps" in which did wonders for her mood.

I know this was a really long answer - please let me know if you have any specific questions!

 

[Kitty 34]

My oldest DS had his tonsils and adnoids out when he was 5. The surgery itself went very well but he was in a lot of pain for about 3 days afterwards. He even had Tylenol with codeine!

Good luck to your DD.

 

[Serena]

I think the recovery is better than the strep throat. She'll be ok.

 

[Alice28]

No experience with this but hugs to your and your DD and hope she comes through with flying colors! I'm sure she will enjoy the ice cream, right?

 

[PolyAddict]

My DD was 10 when she had T&A surgery. Her recovery was slow. She was in pain and would not eat for several days. She didn't want the pain meds because they were making her sick to her stomach. She lost a lot of weight. At her 10 day checkup the doctor fussed at me because her throat was not healing quick enough. I explained to him that she was refusing the pain meds and was not eating well. Eating helps to pull the yucky stuff off the healing tonsils.

Just keep her comfortable. Give her plenty of time to heal. Encourage her to eat and drink. Don't be like me and back down on the pain meds. They need it!!

Good Luck!!!

PolyAddict

 

[Pop Daddy]

she wll be fine

 

[stacilee]

we just went through this with our 6 yr old DD. Strep 12 times in 14 months.

My suggestion is this. Before the surgery, Go to walmart and buy a Rival (brand) snow cone shaver. The kind that uses regular ice cubes straight from your freezer. You will not be sorry.

Our child had a miserable recovery, lots of post op swelling. I don't know what I would have done without this! She had 1(one) lick of a popsicle, 1 spoonful of icecream, 1 spoonful of yogurt, 1 blob of jello-- each thing she said stung her throat and then she wouldn't touch it again. She litterally LIVED off of the plain shaved ice for the first 24 hours and then eventually she eased into the syrup on top. The root beer flavor was the absolute best. The fruit flavored ones were just so sooooo sweet they made her a little nauseaous. If you can't find the rootbeer syrup for the snow cones get the best rootbeer you can find- like IBC.

Try not to get "behind" on the pain medicine for at least the first few days. We made the mistake of not setting the clock for it the first night and she slept through about two hours past when it was due. When she finally DID wake up the pain was through the roof bad, and I wound up sitting up with her the rest of the night. Also I hope that your Doc writes you a Rx for at least a couple of phenergan suppositories to curb the post anesthesia nausea. I was glad that we had it. It checked that throw-upy feeling right away and she never did vomit, which I hear is terrible with a throat that raw.
All in all it was a rough couple of weeks but the actual surgery was quick (40 minutes?) She is finally back to normal, mostly and has gained back the weight she lost after the surgery too. I am relieved that it is over with but glad that we finally did it because NO little child deserves to be THAT sick THAT often. She said to her daddy yesterday, "I haven't been sick in a LONGGGG time" really it has only been about 9 weeks since her last strep episode and only 7 weeks since the surgery! To us though, it seems like a really long stretch of well-ness.

Best wishes, many blessings for safety for your little one. You are not alone. Feel free to PM me if you have any ???
Stacilee

 

[kimwim8]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I wasn't sure if I should talk to her ahead of time or not, but I think I will. It looks like as of right now her surgery is scheduled for Nov 9th. I was hoping she could get it done some time in August (before she starts kindergarten) b/c she is already gonna miss 4 days in October for WDW!! And I hate to think how many more bouts of strep she will have between now & November - that's 4 months away!!

Thanks again, I'm so glad I posted!!

 

[ugadog99]

prayers and pixie dust being sent to you and your !