OT: ENT appt - what to expect

[laughinplace199]

DS3 is going to an ENT tomorrow. I recently had him evaluated by a speech therapist who believes that his issue (we can't always understand what he's saying) is due to enlarged adenoids. She suggested a visit to an ENT to see if the dr agrees. Our appt is tomorrow morning and I have no idea what to expect or how to prepare DS for it.

Thanks!

 

[hunnybean]

My DD11 just had her adenoids removed due to them being very inflamed and enlarged. It was 2 weeks ago. At the ENT appt. they examined her nose and throat the typical way a normal pediatrician would, and then they got this tube thing(have no clue what it was called) that has a camera on the end and inserted it into her nose. They fed it all the way back to her adenoids, while watching it on a tv screen....The whole time the doc made jokes about her saving boogers for later, etc.....trying to put her at ease. She never complained that it hurt, but that it was just really weird. They went ahead and scheduled the surgery for a week later. She did not have to have her tonsils out, so her recovery was even quicker....Had surgery on a Friday, returned to school on Tuesday. Most kids are able to return on Monday, but DD was having bad migraine headaches due to anasthesia.....

 

[laughinplace199]

hunnybean - Thanks so much for your reply! I'm glad to hear that your DD has a fairly quick recovery (with the exception of the migraine). I was wondering about the tube/camera thingy. I'm not sure how that will go if they have to do that to DS since he's only 3. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

 

[LisaNJ25]

they will probably do a hearing test if they havent done one already.

My now 4yo son got a cold at around 18 months and his tonsils swelled up.. never went down. He also ended with with fluid in his ears causing some hearing loss and was hard to understand.

He ended going in for surgery at 25 months to remove his adenoids, his tonsils and put ear tubes in. Than when he was 3 he went to speech therapy for about a year. I can understand him much better now but once an awhile he still is a little hard to understand. He did great with the surgery.

 

[2binak]

I was wondering about the tube/camera thingy. I'm not sure how that will go if they have to do that to DS since he's only 3. I guess I'll find out tomorrow.

Can you call the office this afternoon and ask them what will be done and how you can prepare your son? I'm sure they would be happy to give you some suggestions since they most likely work with little ones all of the time.

 

[jthornton94]

My son had his adnoids checked by x-ray. Even I could see how large they were. He had already had ear tubes for 2 years at that point and still having infections. Doc went in and replaced the tubes and removed the adnoids and his has been fine since. We have a follow-up this week and hoping we are done with tubes for good.

 

[Mommy2Abby]

DD had her adenoids removed when she had her second set of tubes put in. She was 2 1/2 at the time. When we went for the consult with the ENT, he checked her adenoids via xray. DD was afraid of the xray machine, so there were lots of tears and I ended up having to hold her on my lap so they could get a good picture.

The procedure itself was easy. Like I said, they did it at the same time she had her second set of tubes put in, but the recovery time was minimal. She was pretty much fine as soon as the anesthesia wore off. She did have HORRIBLE smelling breath for about 4 days after the surgery, but she never complained about being in pain or anything.

Good luck to you and your little guy!

Mommy2Abby

 

[laughinplace199]

Thanks for all of the replies. They're very helpful!

 

[We_love_WDW]

My dd had her tonsils and adnoids out over spring break because they were very large and she had sleep apnea. She is in speech therapy and the removal did not really help with her speech, but that was not the reason we had them out. I know they said it might help with speech but that was not the case with dd. Good luck

 

[laughinplace199]

Thanks again, everyone!

We just got back from the appt. They did use the camera/tube thingy in DS's nose, but he did ok with it. Having blood drawn a few minutes later was much worse !

It turns out that his adenoids and tonsils are extremely large and need to be removed. I'm definitely nervous about the surgery, so any tips or words of wisdom you might have would be appreciated.

 

[2binak]

I'm glad your little guy did well with the camera. Our DD has only had tubes put in, but it was still a nerve-wracking experience for us. Talk with your ENT about what to expect on the day of the surgery since every place is different. We have friends who were able to go into the OR with their son until he was put under. For our DD, we were at a different hospital and we weren't allowed to go into the OR. Instead, the nurse anesthesiologist took her in. Before that, she received a dose of Tylenol with something in it that made her seem drunk - she giggled for 15 mins straight before getting sleepy & cuddly. It was nice that she didn't have any idea of what was going on because I think otherwise, she would have been upset to be handed over to a stranger in a strange place.

Will you meet with the ENT again before the surgery? Our DD had an ENT appt. 3 days before her surgery and we went over everything then. If you aren't meeting with him/her before the surgery, just call their office and ask them to go over what to expect both pre & post op. Good luck!!!!!

 

[laughinplace199]

I'm glad your little guy did well with the camera. Our DD has only had tubes put in, but it was still a nerve-wracking experience for us. Talk with your ENT about what to expect on the day of the surgery since every place is different. We have friends who were able to go into the OR with their son until he was put under. For our DD, we were at a different hospital and we weren't allowed to go into the OR. Instead, the nurse anesthesiologist took her in. Before that, she received a dose of Tylenol with something in it that made her seem drunk - she giggled for 15 mins straight before getting sleepy & cuddly. It was nice that she didn't have any idea of what was going on because I think otherwise, she would have been upset to be handed over to a stranger in a strange place.

Will you meet with the ENT again before the surgery? Our DD had an ENT appt. 3 days before her surgery and we went over everything then. If you aren't meeting with him/her before the surgery, just call their office and ask them to go over what to expect both pre & post op. Good luck!!!!!

You bring up some excellent points - thanks.

I don't think we will have another appt with the dr prior to the surgery, but he said that we'd receive a packet of info from the hospital with all of the pertinent info. The nurse also gave me the phone # for the nurse's line in case I have any questions. I did learn that DS will have to spend the night in the hospital, which I wasn't expecting.

 

[2binak]

You bring up some excellent points - thanks.

I don't think we will have another appt with the dr prior to the surgery, but he said that we'd receive a packet of info from the hospital with all of the pertinent info. The nurse also gave me the phone # for the nurse's line in case I have any questions. I did learn that DS will have to spend the night in the hospital, which I wasn't expecting.

Those packets from the hospital usually only include paperwork that you'll need to fill out prior to arriving, suggestions on where to park & where the waiting rooms are, etc. They usually don't include any information about the actual pre & post-op procedures so keep that nurse's line phone number handy.

 

[verlee]

Last summer ds6 was at the time had his adenoids and tonsils removed. It was a difficult 10 days but I am so glad we had them taken out. I wish we had done it sooner. He is a different kid now that he can breath!

The surgery itself went very smoothly. The recovery was rough. DS was in a lot of pain and the meds did not help much. He barely ate for the entire time. I could not help him. However, I read on here that some kids bounce back right away. They are eating the very next day. I think it varys. I got a lot of great responces from the DIS about what to expect. It was a lifesaver. Here is the thread I started. Lots of good info in here. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2147746&highlight=tonsils+and+adenoids+removed


Edited to add: Sorry if I sounded harsh. I am not trying to scare you. Just want you to be informed.

 

[laughinplace199]

Last summer ds6 was at the time had his adenoids and tonsils removed. It was a difficult 10 days but I am so glad we had them taken out. I wish we had done it sooner. He is a different kid now that he can breath!

The surgery itself went very smoothly. The recovery was rough. DS was in a lot of pain and the meds did not help much. He barely ate for the entire time. I could not help him. However, I read on here that some kids bounce back right away. They are eating the very next day. I think it varys. I got a lot of great responces from the DIS about what to expect. It was a lifesaver. Here is the thread I started. Lots of good info in here. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2147746&highlight=tonsils+and+adenoids+removed


Edited to add: Sorry if I sounded harsh. I am not trying to scare you. Just want you to be informed.

Thanks for sharing your story. I'll check out the link too. I'm am very concerned about the recovery. My DS is already underweight, so I'm really worried about him not eating. The surgery isn't until the end of June, so I have some time to prepare myself for what we might be dealing with.

 

[polkadotminnie]

My DD8 has had 2 sets of ear tubes, adenoids and tonsils removed. It was the best thing we could have done for her! She did not have one case of strep this year after on-going cases last year. She had a lot of nausea after waking up from the tonsils. She is underweight but was a trooper. Keep them hydrated to keep the scabs moist is the most important part. Her worst day was the third day after the surgery.

 

[frtchr]

DD 3 had her tonsils and adenoids removed 6 weeks ago. She did great! She asked to eat pizza that afternoon. Lots of hydration is key to keep the scabs moist, like someone else mentioned. Our ENT said that anywhere from day 4 to 8 after the surgery the pain could be worse because that's when the scabs fall off inside the throat. He advised us to stay on the meds to ease the pain. I quit giving DD the Tylenol with codeine after day 2 because she was just too dopey; she did fine with regular Tylenol. Good luck! I think it's scarier for the parent(s) than the child.

 

[bwilcox]

My 3 year old had his tonsils and adenoids out last year. It was very scary watching the drs. wheel him away, but the surgery only lasted 30 minutes. He was in a lot of pain for about 3 days. After that, he started eating and playing normally again, although we took it easy for a week. One thing he loved about the recovery was that he got to eat lots of popsicles and jello! I know it's scary to think about, but once it's over you will be so glad you had it done! I don't know much about speech problems, but my son's enlarged adenoids caused him to have sleep apnea, and he sleeps soundly ever since the surgery.

 

[polkadotminnie]

One thing to remember is that pain meds cause constipation which was a much bigger problem for us than the surgery.
Ask your doc about taking fiber or something ahead of time.

 

[laughinplace199]

Thanks again for all of the replies. They've been so helpful!