OT-Tonsillectomy for ds6

[W21981Brick]

My son had both removed at the age of 6. It was not that bad of a recovery for him. He was eating lots of jello and popsicles the first few days then mabey after 3/4 days he begged for mac&cheeese!

Before the operation he had tons of upper-resp illnesses and horrible allergies. Sometimes he was on 3 different allergy meds(nosespray, pills, and eyedrops). Doc kept saying "he'll grow out of this" -I hated to give him them all at such a young age. The older he got the more he would snore and so I made an apt w/ a specialist that fianally recomended both tonsils and adeniods should come out after looking at his history.

Present time DS has rarely been sick the last 1 1/2 years and was only on seasonal allergy meds 3 months last year and so far he has not had to take any seasonal meds this year!

I think it was one of the best things we could have done for him.

Good Luck.

 

[Kies99]

My 7yo had it done three weeks ago (March 20). It was done as out-patient and we were at the hospital for a total of 8 hours.

Here's what happened (sorry if this turns into a long post).

Got the hospital prior to 6am (don't remember exactly). Surgery was scheduled for 7-7:30am. When we got there, we signed in and were taken back to the recovery room where they got her ready. After about an hour we were taken to the assembly line...er..I mean the pre-surgery waiting room. This room probably had about 12 or so people in hospital beds waiting to go in. Anyway, they gave her a quick drink of something to relax her, not fully knock her out. When it was time, we were taken to a waiting room that had coffee/tea and some breakfast rolls and such. We were in there for about 30-45 minutes when the doc came out to explain how it went and that they were the size of olives (HUGE!!). He was planning to take out the tonsils, but made the decision during that surgery to take out the adenoids(sp?). Anyway, about 10 minutes after that they took us back to the pre-surgery area (ie...the assembly line), where she was waiting for us. Sore, but none the worse for wear. We then went back to the original room where we spent the next few hours. She had an IV in her hand and was pretty drowsy so she slept a little bit (I took that opportunity to run out to the local Build-A-Bear as the new unicorn came out that day. Got there about 10:15am so that gives you an idea of how long this took).

In the recovery room, she strugled to get down a full glass of water. She wasn't allowed to be released until she did. It toook a couple of hours. She also had one double popsicle.

At home, she slept/rested most of Friday.

By Sunday, she was ready to go back to her dance class and/or gymnastics. She's a very active kid and it was killing her to sit still. She still had a sore throat and had difficulty drinking, but we forced her to and she made it. We had planned for ice-cream and popsicles, but she really didn't eat much. We still have most of the popsicles in the freezer. She was able to eat mac-n-cheese by Sunday lunch so we just kept on the pudding/apple sauce type foods for a few days.

Then came Thursday/Friday. The scabs started to peel and that brought a new round of pain and inactivity. She didn't want to move for those two days as it hurt. Not more than the initial, but pretty close I think.

Then by that Monday (the 10th day after surgery), she was back to her normal, pre-tonsillectomy self. She was really bummed when the doctor wouldn't let her go back to school that day and had to wait til Tuesday. He also said she could go back to dance class that week but had to wait another week for gymnastics.

This was all 3-4 weeks ago and she is 100% fine. She doesn't talk about it or anything. It's just a fact of life to her and she shrugs it off.

The number 1 difference I see in her is that she no longer snores. She had trouble breathing at night and was a mouth breather due to the tonsils. Day 1 after getting them out she now sleeps with her mouth closed and does not snore.

 

[mom2boys77]

My 7 yr. old ds just had this done last Monday. I was so nervous but knew he really needed it. It went really well. He seems to be dealing with the throat pain ok. it's the ear pain that is really bad. The dr. prescribed tylenol with codeine and that does take it away. Also, taking a towel and heating it up and placing it over his ears works well. The surgery was done within 30 minutes. As soon as my son woke up in recovery he told me he could breathe again. He was in recovery for about an hour and then moved up to a room where they just monitored him to make sure he could drink and urinate. All was well. We were home by 1p.m. My son was also having the snoring and sleep apnea difficulties..it has been a night and day difference! I've had to check on him to make sure he was still breathing that's how quiet he is now! Good luck. Your son will be absolutely fine. When we had our follow up visit on Friday, the dr. told me his tonsils were the size of an adult's. I'm so glad we had this done.

 

[left210]

Most people who have their tonsils out is because of recurrent strep or infections or breathing difficulties. However, I see several of you mentioned it helped with allergies and stuffy nose. DS8 has been treating for allergies since he was 2. We have done most medicines, shots and nasal sprays without much success. He is extremely sensitive to meds and we have found the side effects from the meds are worse than the symptoms of the allergies. His main symptoms are the purple shiners under his eyes and a stuffy nose. I have been told the shiners can be from his adenoids. So for those of you who saw positive results from the surgery in relation to allergies can you tell me more about your childs condition? We have only seen one ENT so far about possible surgery but he told us his adenoids and tonsils were not enlarged enough but his sleep doctor said his tonsils were 2+ which is big enough to be removed. He does not have sleep apnea but does have another sleep disorder that is not related to his breathing. Any info from those of you with success with allergies from this surgery would be greatly appreciated.

 

[tinkermom23]

My oldest DS had his tonsils/adnoids out when he was 7 yrs old. After we got home, he layed on the couch and ate popcicles for 2 days. We got him his first CD player and a few fun CDs that he was able to lay down and listen to. He felt "grown up" he said.
We tried to really prepare for what to expect, and tell him what we could. One bad thing that we didn't think about was that after eating 2 red popcicles and some juice, he started vomiting. It scared him and it was painful too. The nurses were great in that they let me just lay with him and take care of him in the recovery room.
A year later, DS had his tonsils/adnoids out due to sleep apnea. He was 16 months at the time. It was definately hard to see him go in to the op. room!! His big brother really conforted him when we got home.
I personally had mine out when I was 27 and I strongly urge everyone to do it as a child!! it was miserable! It hurt to even drink a sip of water for about 4 days!! I know my recovery was Much longer than my boys'.

#1- keep up the pain meds, like pp said, it's better to stay on top of the pain!

#2- Remember that this too, shall pass!

#3- Do not let them eat Doritos on day 3, no matter how much they beg you or tell you they are fine!

Good luck!

 

[mrstxcop]

Most people who have their tonsils out is because of recurrent strep or infections or breathing difficulties. However, I see several of you mentioned it helped with allergies and stuffy nose. DS8 has been treating for allergies since he was 2. We have done most medicines, shots and nasal sprays without much success. He is extremely sensitive to meds and we have found the side effects from the meds are worse than the symptoms of the allergies. His main symptoms are the purple shiners under his eyes and a stuffy nose. I have been told the shiners can be from his adenoids. So for those of you who saw positive results from the surgery in relation to allergies can you tell me more about your childs condition? We have only seen one ENT so far about possible surgery but he told us his adenoids and tonsils were not enlarged enough but his sleep doctor said his tonsils were 2+ which is big enough to be removed. He does not have sleep apnea but does have another sleep disorder that is not related to his breathing. Any info from those of you with success with allergies from this surgery would be greatly appreciated.

my daughter had her tonsils/adnoids removed due to recurring strep, as i said in my previous post --- but she has also always had very bad allergies --- i think after the surgery her allergies have not been as bad, but she does still get them --- they used to last for months, stuffy nose was has always been her worst symptom...stuffy to where she cannot breathe thru her nose at all...

after the surgery her allergies will last about 2-3 weeks...still the stuffiness is horrible, but nowhere near the 2-3 months she used to have her allergies for...

 

[nessz79]

My son had his out last summer when he was 3 (almost 4). I won't lie- it was very nerve-wracking for the first week, especially the first 4-5 days. The Dr. emphasized how important it was for my son to drink plenty of fluids, but it was nearly impossible. The good thing is having him pumped up on the IV fluids prevented dehydration for the first couple days. I was able to get him to drink tiny amounts at a time for the first couple of days. The dr. advised doing one long drink every few hours with the help of Cephacol spray (spelling?). However, this did not work with my son, so we did the tiny sips every few minutes. It was very hard as my son was very combative for the first 4 days.

The Rx meds were necessary for the first few days, but I soon realized that his extreme moodiness, anger, and combativeness was partially due to the narcotic pain meds. I called the doctor's office and they had me switch to an OTC med (can't remember which one...prob Tylenol). I no longer had to hold him down to take his meds.

Once we got past day 4 or 5, he was much better. We still had setbacks until about day 8, but he was eating soft foods and drinking pretty well by day 5-6.

The good news is that your son is a bit older and may better be able to understand the importance of drinking fluids. The hardest part will probably be when he's waking up. Mine was extremely angry and violent and I couldn't help but break down crying because it was so NOT like my son to act like that.

Also, your child will need to vomit once after the surgery. It's best to get it out of the way at the surgery center. Since our son wouldn't take hardly any ice or water there, we had to wait until we got home. There will be some blood in the vomit, but as long as it isn't bright red (usually brown), it's ok. And they feel much better afterwards. Just wanted to add that in because it was something that I wasn't really prepared for.

I think the key is to be mentally prepared. Set up a little support network. If your son is close to grandmothers, father, etc have them take over once in a while so you can take a break. Hugs to you! It will be worth and the recovery week will be a distant memory soon after!

Forgot to add that since the surgery (about 9 months now), my son has gained some much-needed weight. He was always stick thin before surgery and a very finicky eater. He now eats much better and has gained weight. He's still thin, but healthier looking.

Also, he used to have colds and coughs one on top of another and a CONSTANTLY stuffy nose. He has far fewer colds and the colds that he does have don't develop into nasty coughs nearly as often. He still occasionally gets a croupy cough (he's just prone to them for whatever reason), but not all the time like it used to be.

 

[shoney]

My son had them out at 7 (2 years ago). The doctor explained that after surgery he would be very "out of it" and might not even recognize you...please don't get scared.

Well, they came to get me and the doctor had a huge smile. He said he is completely awake and talking. The nurses couldn't believe it. Everything was great. We sat in the recovery room for 5 hours before they released him. He was tired, but okay, and trying every flavor of italian ice the hospital had. The gave me prescriptions for pain meds and we went home.

They told me what to feed him...and make sure he takes the pain meds or it will be too painful to swallow.

Well he hates medicine...didn't take it...About 5 days later he was so dehydrated, super skinny, and looked terrible. I told him it is either take the meds or I am taking you to the ER. He choose the MEDS!!! He recovered quickly. It was probably 3 weeks before he was eating normally.

If he would have taken the pain meds from the beginning, I think he would have recovered in a few days!

Good Luck!

 

[emh1129]

Hi there.

We did this a year and a half ago with ds who was 5 at the time. It was nerve-wracking, but fine overall. By far the worst parts were when he was just being taken in (had been given some meds that made him 'loopy' so he didn't care - but mom did ). I was surprised they didn't let me stay with him until he was all the way asleep. YOu might want to ask this question just so you're prepared (I didn't know until the last minute). And the other worst time was just when he came out of the anesthesia.

I'm in nursing school and have been doing my OR rotations recently. I was assigned ENT, so I've watched a few children have their tonsils & adenoids removed.
We had parents who stayed until their children were asleep, and other who accompanied them into the OR and gave a kiss & said "see you soon" and then left. It might depend on hospital policy and/or the doctor performing the surgery. I'm not sure.

But yes, it's definitely good to ask (although they should volunteer this information ahead of time to you) so that you know what to expect.

OP- good luck! You've gotten some great advice here.

 

[krcit]

Both of my dds had their tonsils and adnoids removed when they were 6. They both had recurrent strep(my older one had it 13 times in 12 months) i think I was pretty lucky in that both my girls had pretty easy recoveries. I really think eating as soon as possible helps-the more they swallow, the quicker the wounds heal. my dd's friend had it done a week before and wouldn't eat and she had a much tougher and longer recovery. the pain meds are crucial the first few days. My older dd was eating chicken nuggets the next day. Something I was told by the Drs was not to give them any red foods/drinks b/c if they vomit it could look like blood.

Someone had warned me about the possibility of vomiting after surgery and that there would be blood. I was so glad b/c when my oldest woke up from surgery, she did throw up and if I hadn't known that ahead of time, I think I would've freaked, lol. My younger dd didn't throw up after but I would've been prepared for it, lol. What else? oh, my oldest had already had surgery so I was prepared for her being put under. That was a bit scary. OOPS, compter is dying. bbl. good luck

 

[QVCshopper]

Hi - My 4.5-year old DD had her tonsils/adenoids removed when she was 2.75. Hers were removed with a laser burning/shaving off the tonsils. She had recurring fevers up to 105 for 2-3 days that repeated in cycles every 2 weeks from before she turned 1 until we were fortunate enough to have a kind doctor diagnose her with PFAPA, a rare fever syndrome. We went to DuPont, a good child's hospital in DE.

Anyway, she has been wonderful ever since. I am so glad we did it--it's been almost 2 years since her last fever. She gained back the weight she kept losing and has been very healthy ever since.

The actual experience was OK. She woke up out of the anesthesia screaming, and I will never forget her bloody mouth. It took me an hour to calm her down, but the nurse was very nice. I don't remember her throwing up. We were out-patient; DD felt well enough to walk around the next day. In 10 days, she was mostly recovered.

Good luck to your family!

 

[luvmy3jewels]

I agree with the previous posters who have said it was one of the best decisions that they have ever made! My son had a lot of health problems (allergies, ear infections, apnea, etc) over the first two years of his life. We kept going to the pedi. who threw antibiotic after antibiotic at him. He developed severe eczema (which I believe was from continously being on antibiotics), so then we went through the allergy testing and meds. Our pediatrician refused to refer him to the ENT because she said he would eventually out grow the health problems. Finally we ended up seeing a different Dr. who was more than happy to give us a referral. The ENT took five seconds to determine ds needed his tonsils and adenoids out and ear tubes.

The recovery period was a good two weeks for ds. His surgery was outpatient at our local hospital and he was home by lunch time. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the smell of his breath during the healing time (think rotten blood).

This surgery was life changing for ds! His quality of life improved tremendously just by him being allowed to get solid nights of sleep every night. Ds' personality changed from being a cranky, temper tantrum throwing toddler to being happy and fairly laid back (at least most of the time). I will never forget hearing him sing for the first time exactly two weeks after his surgery. His hearing improved and his speech delays were quickly overcome with the ear tubes.

My advice is to ask the ENT lots of questions about recovery time, advice, potential problems, etc. Make the most informed decision you can for your child! Good luck!

 

[left210]

I agree with the previous posters who have said it was one of the best decisions that they have ever made! My son had a lot of health problems (allergies, ear infections, apnea, etc) over the first two years of his life. We kept going to the pedi. who threw antibiotic after antibiotic at him. He developed severe eczema (which I believe was from continously being on antibiotics), so then we went through the allergy testing and meds. Our pediatrician refused to refer him to the ENT because she said he would eventually out grow the health problems. Finally we ended up seeing a different Dr. who was more than happy to give us a referral. The ENT took five seconds to determine ds needed his tonsils and adenoids out and ear tubes.

The recovery period was a good two weeks for ds. His surgery was outpatient at our local hospital and he was home by lunch time. The only thing I wasn't prepared for was the smell of his breath during the healing time (think rotten blood).

This surgery was life changing for ds! His quality of life improved tremendously just by him being allowed to get solid nights of sleep every night. Ds' personality changed from being a cranky, temper tantrum throwing toddler to being happy and fairly laid back (at least most of the time). I will never forget hearing him sing for the first time exactly two weeks after his surgery. His hearing improved and his speech delays were quickly overcome with the ear tubes.

My advice is to ask the ENT lots of questions about recovery time, advice, potential problems, etc. Make the most informed decision you can for your child! Good luck!

So how are his allergies now?

 

[mcgypsy]

Just had to pipe in on this one! My daughter is a wimp - thinks she's dying everytime she gets a cold. She had this surgery done at 7yo and did unbelieveably well. I couldn't have been more shocked.
We had the ramen noodles and soup, jello, ice cream all ready for her.
About 3 hours after the surgery, she asked for noodles. No problem. 20 minutes later,
it was ice cream. No problem. Well, then my mom called to check on her and see if
she needed anything - SHE WANTED A CHEESEBURGER AND FRIES!!!
I let her have it, but I was so paranoid that I cut the sharp ends off the fries and cut them into little pieces. I also rubbed the mustard off the burger with a napkin cuz I was
scared it would burn. She was fine.
I did give her the pain meds for the first 2 days whether she wanted it or not, but I really think that was for my sanity and not hers.

My best advice - don't read the medical websites on the web. They'll scare you to death!

 

[adsrtw]

My son had this procedure last year in June. I literally went to the restroom, grabbed a cup of coffee, made a phone call and then his doc was on his way to talk with me. It was 25 minutes tops. We stayed in recovery for about 2 hours and then went home. My son was very angry at me because I let him go to surgery, but he hasn't had one case of strep throat this year. He had it 4 times last year.

 

[lila]

Another person who had them out as an adult here. While it was no picnic, it was much better than I had feared, and it is the single best thing I ever did for my health. I am SO glad I had my tonsils out.

I am still bitter that my parents and ped didn't take them out when I was a child - your DS is lucky!

All the advice here is great - just stay away from any tonsil boards.

 

[tgrundy]

We just found out that our ds6 needs to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. We think he may have sleep apnea b/c they are too large for his mouth. Has anyone else had this procedure done with their child? How was the recovery. We were told it would be challenging. I just want to know what to expect.

My son had this done when he was 6. I had it done last July. Overall I would say recovery for my son was a lot easier then for me.

My son had huge tonsills and would snore like you would not believe. When we went to disney the first time, it was 2 months before he had them out, no one got any sleep.

The first couple of days you will have to force him to drink. The first week will be the hardest. The second week will be better but still hard. After that the hardest things will be yawning, I had a hard time yawning for months. Stock up on liquid tylenol or Advil. They tell you not to use advil (after the first week) for bleeding reasons but I used it for me it helped with the pain a lot better. My son could not stand the pain med they gave him so I only used the strong stuff before bed for him and used liquid tylenol and Advil during the day. Use reusable ice packs also they help.

After all was said and done, my son sleeps so much better. He even had stopped growing because of the apnea. After the surgery he grew 6 inches in less than a year!!

Good luck!

 

[dementia412]

My son was only 3 or 4 when he had his removed and it was so hard on him. The worse part was the time right after he woke up until they would let him drink. At first he couldn't even have something to suck on and he just cried the whole time. One good thing is how quickly he got better. They gave us enough pain medicine to knock out a horse for a month and he didn't need it after maybe a day and a half.

But I would never in a million years do this if my kids didn't need it. That operation was painful and honestly didn't help my son enough to have made it worthwhile. Your case seems a little more pressing. I hope he recovers quick.

 

[jpaxton1118]

Do they have to put a IV in?

 

[Eeyore's-tail-tack]

All surgeries need an IV. That is how the meds get into their bodies.