Hello!
So, my 8 year old daughter had her tonsils taken out last Monday and she has done ok since then. A few rough patches with the meds, but she is ok now. Now, I might call and ask the dr. this tomorrow, but I thought I might ask here as well. A little background first though. After her surgery last Monday her dr. prescribed lortab for pain. She woke up the next morning with an allergic reaction (her face and lips and eyes swelled up. Same reaction she had with ibuprofen a few years ago). So, dr stopped that medication and called in tylenol with codene. That made her very sick. She could not eat, barely drink and was throwing up. We tried to get her to eat before giving her the meds but she was just so naucious that she couldn't eat anything. We almost ended up in the ER. Dr said she can not have any pain meds until she eats something. She finally ate some plain rice and then asked for an avocado and ate that with no problems. That was Wed. Thursday she woke up STILL with an awful stomach ache. She was now refusing her meds because she thinks that it's the cause of her stomach ache. I talked to the dr. and they said just try regular tylenol as it's better than nothing. So, we have been doing that every 5 hours or so (sometimes every 6 or 7 depending on how she is feeling).
My question is how do I know when to stop giving her the meds? I hate giving her so much medicine all the time, but I know if she needs it then of course, I don't want her to be in pain. But how do I know if it's too much. I was reading the bottle of childrens tylenol and it says to not give more than 5 doses with in 24 hours because it could cause permanent liver damage. We have not done more than that amount, but I'm more worried about the length of time we are giving it to her (every 5 or 6 hours and we are on the 3rd day now of regular childrens tylenol). Maybe I'm being paranoid? Over all she is doing better. Still not eating much other than mash potatoes, mac n cheese, eggs and popsicles. She said her pain level in her throat is a 5 (between 1 and 10). She has energy and likes to play with her brother and today I had to remind her to rest. She has lost weight and I've been trying to get her to eat more, but she doesn't want to. She has moments where she feels great and moments where she cries because it hurts.
How long does the pain last? I know it's different for everyone.
I'm sorry, I know I'm rambling. It's been a long week, lol! I just want everything back to normal and I don't like to see her hurting. I'm mostly concerned with the tylenol and I don't want to give her too much but I don't want her to be in pain either.
Thanks!
thanks everyone. I will give it to her as needed. I have been giving her ice water (she doesn't like juice or anything too sweet). I know she is hydrated because she has to pee a lot. She drinks a lot of water. I do try to get her to eat as much as I can. I feel like I'm constantly in the kitchen making her something and then she takes 2 bites and doesn't want to eat anymore. I'm hoping for a good day today! She told me "you better go on a BIG shopping trip when I'm all better". I asked her why and she said "because I'm going to eat everything I possibly can". lol! I know she will gain her weight back. I'm not too worried about her weight. She is skinny though.
Yes Cheryl, I was up at 2am. During the summer we get on a weird schedule. I can't sleep at night and my kids sleep in until 9am anyway, so that means I can sleep in also :) We will be slowly going back to a regular schedule in August to get ready for school starting back up
I would not worry about taking the tylenol. My doctor said that was a cover their butt guideline because people were taking five times that and then suing the makers saying they didn't know taking 10 times the recommended dose would cause liver damage.
Still there is no point in giving it to her if she isn't in pain so wait till she complains and then give it to her.
The length of time she's on regular Tylenol would be the least of my worries, my oldest daughter was 8 when she had her tonsils & adenoids removed also & it was a complete nightmare. Giving her the Tylenol is allowing her stay comfortable enough to eat & drink, our daughter ended up having to be hospitalized to have iv's put in to be hydrated after a bit more went on, so I would count yourself lucky. That was also after she ended up needing emergency surgery a week after her original surgery, so honestly if your daughter is off the prescription pain meds, I'd just keep doing right on what you're doing, because you are doing perfect. I hope she is up and running around real soon!
Hi, C.:
One week isn't very long for an 8 year old to get through surgery.
There is more to it than just removing tonsils. She is getting through the
trauma of having surgery. She must have been scared to death. She is dealing with that fear. With her throat hurting that is making her fear worse. Her throat could be dry that is causing her physical pain. Try giving her a popsicle when she complains of pain, see if that works. After she eats the popsicle and she still complains, give her a children's Tylenol.
Do as other's suggest and take care of yourself too.
Good luck.
D.
Our son had his tonsils and adenoids out a few days after his 4th birthday.
He only needed pain meds for the first 3 days.
But the younger you are, the easier the recovery.
So I can imagine an 8 yr old might need the meds for a few more days and I know a teen or an adult can be miserable for 2 weeks or more.
At this stage, eating solids is less important than keeping well hydrated.
So continue to push liquids - water, tea, apple juice, soup broth, popsicles, ice cream, etc.
Jello is great warm or cold and she might like pudding too.
Then yogurt, mashed potatoes, scrambled or soft boiled eggs.
Her energy is returning and that's good, so I wouldn't worry too much about giving her more Tylenol at this point.
Give it to her only when she complains. Each day will get better.
give her the drugs. Why let her hurt?
My son took Motrin all thru his childhood. We followed dosing/dr instructions & he's fine.
When my younger son went thru tonsils/adenoids, I gave meds as directed. We were told to expect Day #5/10 to be the worst....& they were.
Don't worry about the Tylenol as long as you are giving it as directed .I feel her pain . I had my tonsils out when I was 30 . I am allergic to codeine also . I took Tylenol liquid the entire time also. What did help was icing my neck like they have you do the first day . On for 20 off for 20 . I did it for days . Also, drinking lots of water to keep the throat moist . If she drinks it after putting on the ice it won't hurt as bad going down . Don't worry , she will "turn the corner" soon . Then she will be almost better overnight . Hang in there !
C.:
Girlfriend!! You were up at 2AM!?!?! You need to sleep too you know!! :)
I would NOT give her pain meds. Sorry but at one week out - she should be doing okay.
I know you don't like to see her hurting. Unfortunately, at this time, you need to tell her to push past it. Deep breaths, letting it out slowly. Distracting her with something else to take her mind off it.
She's already skinny!! She really can't afford to lose any more weight. Is it possible that the medications are exacerbating her gluten allergies that is causing her stomach to hurt? I know when I don't ear regularly, my stomach hurts. Can you try to get her back on a regular schedule on eating? She can eat applesauce and such, right? Get her to eat every few hours instead of three regular meals during the day...
I wish I had better advice!
We're not a week past yet (surgery was on Wednesday), and my 2.5 yo still needs meds ... Advil every 5.5-6 hours or he's miserable ... Won't sleep and cries if he eats or drinks anything. Give her the meds ... I remember that pain (I had mine out at 40) and don't want my kiddo to hurt.
