tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy...sigh

[brockscandy]

My dd 9 just had hers out Tuesday (July 29). She is still laying on the couch. In fact, her doctor told us she could go outside, but don't get hot and sweaty. He would prefer her to watch movies or sit and play games. We also can't go more than an hour away from his office, in case the stitches tear and she starts bleeding. They told us that the first day is critical in making sure she doesn't bleed AND then the 9 and 10 days when the scabs start coming off. She also can't eat so many things right now. She would not be having a fun time at Disney at this moment and the rest of us would be frustrated if we were there. I am not trying to rain on your parade, but I am living this at the moment and would not advise you to try to get that trip in. Sorry.

 

[LisaNJ25]

My 2yo had it done in October and he bounced back very fast. He was out tricker treating a few days later.

 

[beckanoah]

I wanted to add, I'm glad we did the surgery... but sadly, she still got strep 3 weeks after it (and passed it to me again... oy)...

She did stop snoring, and is able to eat without choking on everything in sight... and yes, the Liquid Lortab is NOT fun! DD was awful on that stuff.

I'm sorry your plans got changed. And I wish a smooth recovery for your daughter!

 

[disalways]

My 9 year old son had this done this past May, and took 2 full weeks to recover. He actually had to go back into the hospital for IV fluids and pain meds because his recovery was so difficult. He lost 10 pounds in the process. Every person is different. If I were you I would not have any expectations other than helping your daughter heal. It would be wonderful if it only took a week.

 

[Sunshineminnie]

Gosh, I really feel for you. My DS9 just had his out Monday. We too were planning a trip for next week but cancelled it because of the risk of bleeding at the 7-10 day mark. Just not worth the chance. We too lost my dad this year and were hoping to go have some fun with Grandma. We were all bummed when we realized we couldn't go.

With that being said, I am so glad that we made the decision not to go. Although he has been great with everything, the pain really hit him yesterday and today (day 5 and 6). It was the only time he has cried. He really hurt. The pain was in his ears and jaw, which is normal. As everyone else said, keep on top of the pain. It helped us get through these two days. He is much better tonight!

I know each kid is different, but I would lay low and enjoy the quiet time. We had our DS go to the store and pick out all of his food, ice cream, sherbert and soft foods. It made him feel more in control. We rented 8 movies and he picked out a new board game. We are usually a busy family with sports, friends and boating, but it has been kind of nice just to sit and cuddle. We were forced to slow down and it's been good. It not many times that we all get to be together for so many days just chillin!

I wish you luck!

 

[maymom96]

Both my children have had this surgery done. My son was about 8 and had a hard recovery. He refused to drink and was in lots of pain. When he was able to eat, he lived on tuna fish. He took pain med's for about two or three weeks. I think part of his problem was he had to learn how to swallow. His tonsils were so big it effected how he swallowed. I do remember how wonderful it sounded when he slept after the surgery (he had sleep apnea).
My daughter had her surgery when she was 3. She came home and that night ate pizza. She had no problems recovering and was on pain meds for a few days. But I pushed liquids on her. Thankfully she still nursed and so getting her to drink wasn't a problem.
Our ENT told us what ever the kids wanted to eat or drink, let them. I tried to keep red stuff away from they still got some things red.
So when your daughter gets it done, push the liquids. It honestly helps with the pain because the throat doesn't get dry. I also set an alarm for every 3-4 hours for the first few days. I preferred to wake my kids to give them medication than to have them wake me in pain and have to wait till the medication kicks in for everyone to go back to sleep. Good luck!

 

[fivefordisney]

Thank you for all your wonderful responses! I guess we are going to have to hit Blockbuster and rent a lot of movies... I hope her siblings will be helpful!!!

 

[MandM-Mom]

I am sorry your plans have gotten switched up, my dd7 had tonsils and adnoids out and tubes placed last August exactly 14 days before we left for 12 days at Disney and my youngest had tubes placeed the day after her big sisters surgery. So I know how nerve racking it can be!!! We went to her 2 week check after surgery and left and went home and got our luggage and headed to the airport. She wanted food while we were still in the hospital, we came home the same afternoon and by the next day she was fine I actually had to tell her she needed to be chilling out because she wanted to go to the pool. I kept her with a drink 24/7 a water bottle by her at all times so it doesn't get dry at all. We opted out of the tylenol with codeine and used plain tylenol, it made her to yucky and it was too much of battle not worth it, I think for some they may need it but she did fine without it and I was afraid she was going to throwup and hurt her throat because she kept saying her belly hurt. You can make a stay-cation at home and do some really neat stuff too, I am sure you will make it fun for them!

 

[Vijoge]

My youngest had his out when he was 14. He needed at least three weeks to fully recover.

 

[5 at disney]

NOt to scare you but my son's scabs fell off too early, exactly one week post surgery. He had to be recauterized, so basically he went under again. He basically started bleeding from his mouth with no other signs that this would happen. So this is a surgery and your child should probably dictate what things she is wanting to do based on how sore/well she feels.

 

[fivefordisney]

NOt to scare you but my son's scabs fell off too early, exactly one week post surgery. He had to be recauterized, so basically he went under again. He basically started bleeding from his mouth with no other signs that this would happen. So this is a surgery and your child should probably dictate what things she is wanting to do based on how sore/well she feels.

Wow...that must have been a scary sight.

I am actually more afraid of dangers and complications from the anesthesia than the surgery. So I'd be a mess having her go under twice...

 

[DawnM]

It really depends on the person I think.

My 4 year old had not only adenoids and tonsils out at the same time, but also had both hands operated on and fully bandaged up.

The throat seemed to heal very quickly for him. He was asking for food the first day!!!! His hands were the painful part.

His second hand surgery (again, both hands) happened 5 weeks before our Disney trip. We had water park tickets too and the doctor said he couldn't go to the water parks because of the healing he needed to stay dry.

Dawn

 

[fivefordisney]

It really depends on the person I think.

My 4 year old had not only adenoids and tonsils out at the same time, but also had both hands operated on and fully bandaged up.

The throat seemed to heal very quickly for him. He was asking for food the first day!!!! His hands were the painful part.

His second hand surgery (again, both hands) happened 5 weeks before our Disney trip. We had water park tickets too and the doctor said he couldn't go to the water parks because of the healing he needed to stay dry.

Dawn

Wow! He is a trooper, huh?

 

[poohfriend]

My DD 9 just had same surgery two weeks ago. The first 8 days were really hard. Dr. said to plan on staying at home for 10 days. And lighter activity for a few days after that.

My DD had a hard time with the meds (made her throw up) and that slowed things down. Then on day 10 caught a nasty stomach bug from one of our other kids....yuck. We were upset that all that throwing up would hurt her...but nope...fine.

She's been a real trooper and today is feeling almost normal. You may very well be able to do a short trip....can you do it at the last minute? Or can you book something that can be cancelled?

 

[fivefordisney]

My DD 9 just had same surgery two weeks ago. The first 8 days were really hard. Dr. said to plan on staying at home for 10 days. And lighter activity for a few days after that.

My DD had a hard time with the meds (made her throw up) and that slowed things down. Then on day 10 caught a nasty stomach bug from one of our other kids....yuck. We were upset that all that throwing up would hurt her...but nope...fine.

She's been a real trooper and today is feeling almost normal. You may very well be able to do a short trip....can you do it at the last minute? Or can you book something that can be cancelled?

At this point, the only thing I can imagine is a last minute trip. I just have to see how it goes... Even then, I guess it will have to be a low-key vacation.

 

[cougar242]

I think that every child handles this differently. My daughter is 6 and had this done on June 30. I went online and did alot of reading so I was a little nervous, reading about weight loss and not being able to eat. My daughter was able to go home around 4 pm the same day of the surgery. My oldest son coaches a soccer team so we had to take him to practice and my daughter cried her eyes out to play and against my judgement my husband let her. She did amazing! She didn't need any pain medicine after we left the hospital.

We took her to Busch Gardens Williamsburg that weekend. The only thing we did different was to get her a stroller so she didnt have to walk so much.

My daughter was eating and drinking and acting like her normal self, so I dont know if she was the exception to the rule or not. I watched her closely all day and made sure she kept drinking lots of fluids while we were there.

 

[beckanoah]

There is supposed to be NO hard activity after the surgery... NONE for at least a week. I'm not trying to be rude, but that soccer game was a dangerous idea.

One more thing for the OP. Ice packs will be your child's best friend for the first few days too!

 

[fkj2]

Yes, DD has trouble sleeping while lying flat. She always has "allergy shiners" but has no allergies, she has wicked breath, sleep apnea and is a skinny little beanpole. Despite this, she's a pretty pleasant kid. The xrays showed huge adenoids and we always know the tonsils were big. I am just hoping this is worth it.

I was in my 30s when I had my tonsils removed. I used to be good for 3-4 episodes of an upper respiratory infection that could each last 10-14 days. It was incapacitating. The first year afterward, I had a couple of colds, but the frequency now is rare.

I'd recommend not waiting until your daughter is experiencing discomfort post-operatively to offer her the pain medicine. If it's approaching the time when she could take the medicine, and she seems alert and oriented, I'd go ahead and give it to her to keep the pain from rearing its ugly head. It's far more difficult to reign the pain back in once it's taken hold. Keeping her relatively pain free will allow her to swallow, which obviously helps with maintaining her food and fluid intake, and more importantly, exercise her throat muscles which can help prevent bleeding when any scabs slough off about 7-10 days later.

I'm assuming this is an out-patient procedure. Make sure she's kept some fluids down, isn't nauseated, and that she's got some pain medicine on board before she's discharged from the hospital, and that you can get the prescription for any oral pain medicines filled before local pharmacies close for the day.

The first week is rough. As other posters noted, kids do better than adults but overall, I would think having the T&A will be well worth it.

 

[cougar242]

There is supposed to be NO hard activity after the surgery... NONE for at least a week. I'm not trying to be rude, but that soccer game was a dangerous idea.

One more thing for the OP. Ice packs will be your child's best friend for the first few days too!

If you read my post it was a practice. She went out on the field with her team for the last 30 minutes of practice. She went out with her team mates and kicked the soccer ball around. DID NOT run up and down the field! Again I say it is a matter of your child and how well they handled the surgery. I simply stated how my daughter handled the surgery and what her limits and abilities were after the surgery. I am not an inept parent and had SEVERAL LENGTHY discussions with her ENT!

 

[Shelly D.]

OP - It sounds like you pretty much got your answer here, but I wanted to add that I would be in the camp of those suggesting you hold off on the trip.

My DD had what we called the ENT Special when she was 4 (tonsils, adenoids, ear tubes) and it was a little rougher than I expected. She seemed great initially, had a hard time the first night (we had a terrible hospital stay with a shared room!), and then did okay. But, between days 5-9 she was feeling lousy again. You just never know. Our ENT is pretty old school and really hit home the no physical activity rule for a full 14 days. Now, I have a friend who's 3 year-old had the same surgery, same doctor, and she didn't skip a beat. The parents wondered if he actually took out the tonsils!

Anyway, but I did want to add that I'm so glad we had the surgery done. She is almost 6 now and has done great. She did have to get another round of tubes this past Feb, but she hasn't had any illness to speak of since winter which is probably the longest "well" streak she's ever had.

Best of luck!