tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy...sigh

[stitchlovestink]

Not to be a negative Nellie but, recoveries from tonsillectomy can be pretty brutual. My younger DD has adenoids removed at about 18 mo, piece of cake recovery, but it did not require stitchs or incisions. She was absolutely fine after about 24 to 36 hrs with no restrictions either on her activities. We had her tonsils removed at 5. ENT said he would take them out at 3, but I kept putting it off. Recovery for her from that was awful. She didn't eat anything at all for 3 weeks. She would drink, but that was it. It really made that part of the summer suck, but I was glad I didn't do it during the school year because missing 3 weeks of school would have been awful for her at that point. It was well worth it in the long run. Her tonsils were HUGE and completely infected w/ 'gunk'. She'll still get strep, but not nearly as often. And we don't have that 'loud freight train running thru our house while she sleeps. I never heard a kid snore as loud as she did. It was deafening.
Older DD had hers out the end of the summer about a month before she turned 13. Her recovery was better but not by much. Week 1 was very tough. Week 2 she started back to school and was utterly exhausted by the time she walked in the door. At least there was very little homework that week. By week 3, she was pretty much back to normal.
BBFL's DD was about 12 when she had hers removed. She did nothing but rest and still ended up having the scab(s) come off. She was bleeding so bad they had to go to the ER. ENT came in to check her out and had to cauterize (sp?) the spots.
I'd plan on at least 2 weeks very low key and possibly 3. I know, probably not what you wanted to hear. But then again, do you want to be out and about and possibly have to go to an ER in an unfamiliar area? Best of luck to you and sending Pixie dust that your daughter has a speedy recovery.

 

[DawnM]

Really, I understand....no need for you to defend yourself at all.....of course you are a good parent, and just following doctor's recommendations. My father is a surgeon and he is of the less overly cautious mentality.....in other words, it is better to get up and get in the shower and feel better than to lie around and feel miserable. He is by no means reckless with his patients, but he likes to see them get up and move around rather than just lying around and not moving at all.

Dawn

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!

 

[secretpantssam]

I had mine removed last summer. I was okay after a week, but I was really tired from the pain meds and kind of weak from not being able to eat properly. I don't know if I would have been up for walking around a theme park at that time.

 

[mamalle]

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

she did under go anesthesia correct to have them out? Im not sure but most places state for adults and children to take it easy. Plus for 24 hours nothing- means no driving for adults, no making important decisions, etc. sitting on a couch for a kid or in bed is generally the idea- no running, playing, etc. Or the fact your child should avoid anyone that is sick during the immediate recovery. There are so many things that can happen not only due to the surgery but due to anesthesia. This is why there are post op instructions for both that should be followed. Im flabbergasted about this.. but that might be the post op nurse in me

Ice packs are a wonderful thing I agree. If the child can tolerate it- I give it almost immediately in recovery. Rebleeding is always a complication and we keep our kiddos for 4 hours postop. The chances of it bleeding are increased when it scabs over like day 5-9. I have seen kids come back into the ER also earlier but they havent followed the soft diet rule and something has aggrevated that area and had to be recauterized..

 

[beckanoah]

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.

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!

Okay, well, the part I saw was play soccer... However, I also said I wasn't trying to be rude, and I did NOT call you an inept parent. I just said that it sounded like a bad idea to me. I'm not apologizing for my opinion, nor was I trying to be insulting.

But also from everything I've read and discussed, no Dr. I know would approve of that right after an operation. The potential dangers of that are just not worth the risk in my opinion.

My daughter came out of surgery great, and the first day she was doing well... but after that it went downhill for nearly 3 weeks. It was ROUGH!

 

[fivefordisney]

Ice packs are a wonderful thing I agree. If the child can tolerate it- I give it almost immediately in recovery.

I know I am going to sound dense but...do you put the ice packs on the patient's neck/throat? For some reason, I can't visualize it...

 

[beckanoah]

Yes, on the throat. I found a great one at wal*mart that is filled with this gel stuff. It doesn't drip...and it worked great. The hospital also filled theirs with crushed ice. It was good too, till it ripped.

 

[disneychrista]

Took my DD at least 10 days be able to eat real foods. And at least 5 to be able to eat even soft foods. She was 13 and lost a good 10 pounds post-surgery.

If you can do the trip before the surgery I would. I would not recommend it afterwards.

 

[just2girls1]

What is lortab?

Lortab is acetaminophen and hydrocodone, for pain.

My DD was 5 when she had her's out. What a difference it has made. She would snore like no child I have ever heard and the strep is no longer a problem. Her recovery did not take very long. She had them removed 4 days before xmas...I know, I already heard what a horrible parent, how could I do that to her at xmas. It was a choice that was made based on school being out and my vacation schedule. Anyway, I had her stay in the hospital over night,( I stayed right there with her). I had spoken to the ENT prior and voiced my concerns of bleeding. (I had a 10 yr old child as a patient one time post 6 hours adnoidectomy/tonsillectomy bleeding. The outcome was not good) Needless to say I was a little overprotective of my DD. All was fine with her in the 24 hr period. However she did start bleeding on xmas day with all the family here. Ice packs and pressure, along with the ?do we go to the ER now or wait? since the closest does not have a peds area, the next closest does but her surgeon would not be there. We would have gone past 4 hospitals to get to the one where she had it done. The bleeding eased up and I did a wait & see approach. She is fine and did not have anymore bleeding, I did keep her on only liquids and quiet a bit longer.

I did not post this to scare anyone or in any way be rude or nasty. Had I not seen what I did prior to her surgury I would not have been really concerned prior or when she started bleeding. I am the parent that tells her child 'get up and brush yourself off, your fine'

I guess what I am trying to say is just let her take it easy and just watch her and go with how she is feeling. Every child is definitely different.


Sending wishes to your DD for a speedy recovery.

 

[mamalle]

know I am going to sound dense but...do you put the ice packs on the patient's neck/throat? For some reason, I can't visualize it...

thats exactly correct! we actually have the patient take one home to reuse and fill it with crushed ice. It soothing to their throat. I think dd used it for over a week postop when she had her surgery last summer. Kids are very resilent I agree, ometimes its harder on the parents to see their child go thru so much..

 

[mkpoohgirl]

I have not read all of the posts, but let me interject this thought. I am not sure how far Hershey Park is for you. I am a nurse and worked with an ENT surgeon for 4 years. He NEVER wanted anyone to travel for at least 2 weeks after surgery due to risk of bleeding. If you are traveling and your child has a bleed, you need to get to the nearest ER ASAP. Sometimes, those can be controlled with a simple procedure (silver nitrate stick) performed in the ER and sometimes the child needs to be taken back to the OR to stop the bleed. You really don't want to be traveling and not know where the nearest hospital is.

In my experience, most kids don't feel like doing very much for 7-10 days after surgery. It is best for them to lie around and rest. We always told parents to keep the child as calm as possible and no strenuous activity for 2 weeks.

I would recommend you speak with your surgeon about this prior to surgery. He/she may have very strong feelings about you traveling during the 2 week recovery period.

Remember, soft foods and always give pain meds prior to eating. We were always most concerned about how much someone was drinking and not as much about how much they ate. We always told parents to make sure the child drinks at least one quart of fluid per day. More is better. My ENT surgeon told parents as long as they drink 1 quart of fluid per day, he was not concerned if they didn't eat anything for a week. I don't know if anyone has told you, but some children complain of ear pain after tonsillectomy. This is very common and unfortunately there is nothing you can do. Continue to give them the pain meds as prescribed.

Good luck and I am sure everything will go fine.

 

[poohbear8]

When my DD had her adnoids out the Dr. told her no PE or Dance class for 3-4 days. His concern was about the bleeding. Be sure to check with the Dr.

Also, DD didn't need her tonsils out, but I asked why he didn't just remove them since he was already in there. He said that he could, but that the recovery time was longer. I think that would have been no PE/Dance for at least a week or more.

 

[mkpoohgirl]

Please encourage as much liquid intake as possible. Also, PLEASE PLEASE keep giving the pain meds. Don't let the pain get out of control before you try to give another dose. Each child is different, but if you let the pain get too far gone, it is much harder to get under control. We always gave Lortab elixir. Don't try to give Tylenol in addition to this as Lortab liquid contains Tylenol. If the bottle says every 4-6 hours, do it. You know your child best and some need pain meds longer than others. Your job is to keep them hydrated and keep the pain meds in their system as long as they need it.

 

[fkj2]

I know I am going to sound dense but...do you put the ice packs on the patient's neck/throat? For some reason, I can't visualize it...

The ice packs are proportional in size to the area they're intended to cover.

Ice packs will be one of your greatest friends in this recovery. They'll help keep swelling down, which will help decrease discomfort.