Adenoids & Tonsils

Hi M.!
My daughter had her third set of tubes put in and her adnoids taken out back on Dec. 27th. Her ENT said that her tonsils are quite large but did not recommend getting them out. She had a dentist appointment at the end of February and both the dentist and hygenist could not believe how large her tonsils were. They were literally almost touching. They recommended that I go back to the ENT and basically demand that they take them out. So, I went back to the ENT and he could not believe how big they became in a 2 month time span. He said they went from a 3 to a 4. I have no idea what that means.

Anyway, she goes next Fri (March 23rd) to get her tonsils out. I'm a little nervous but I'm hoping this really helps her. She is quite a snorer and she's only 4.

Good luck!

My daughter, who is also 6, is supposed to have hers out next month. I was/am so scared and paranoid about surgery and anesthesia so we had her do a sleep study to see if it was really necessary and it turned out that she has sleep apnea. If there is any thought that he may have sleep apnea (which the mouth breathing, snoring and being over tired are flags) it is best to just get it done now... I talked to 2 different ENTs and did a BUNCH of research and if you get them out by the time they are around 7 years old it often results in no sleep apnea as an adult but any later the sleep apnea is often not irradicated. Something about obstructive sleep apnea training the brain a certain way and merging into central sleep apnea (which is the more neurologic form). So even though I am still so scared we are doing it. I want to give her the best chance possible to not have to deal with this as an adult. Also everyone I talk to says that for kids it is much easier than for a teen/adult as far as the recovery goes. Good luck!!!

My tonsils were strange... some tissue was left and they grew back. I then proceeded to get tonsilitis over and over and over and over, with very high fevers. Way into adulthood I got tonsilitis.... until we discovered something I was allergic to and I could avoid that... and quit getting tonsilitis!

Another family member didn't get the operation until he was a young adult, and it helped, but he still had sleep apnea which it sounds like your son may have.

A 3rd child in the extended family just went straight to using a CPAP.

Personally, I would get a second opinion, and trust your gut. If both docs say the tonsils and adenoids need to go, and it seems that they are destroying your son's quality of sleep and thus disrupting behavior and there are no alternatives (such as checking to see if some environmental allergies are really the culprit - like ragweed, tobacco smoke, dust, etc) , do what you need to do to help him get well.

We had our son's tonsils/adenoids out soon as he turned 4.
They were not infected - he had no fever, no ear infections.
They ballooned to the point where the almost touched each other across the back of his throat and had become an obstruction.
He didn't sleep well and he had trouble eating and swallowing.
The ENT put him on a steroid series for 2 weeks, and they did deflate, but as soon as he was off the steroids they swelled right back up again.
We had them out (he didn't even stay over night at the hospital) and healed up quickly.
He could sleep (snoring was gone immediately) and eat and drink and swallow with no problems and the dark circles under his eyes disappeared.
It was the best thing we ever did and I'm glad we got it over with.
With tonsils and adenoids, the older they get, the harder it is to recover from the surgery, so I'd get it done sooner than later.

I would get a sleep study before making that decision. ENTs can't diagnose sleep issues. My son snores but does not have apnea. It turns out restless legs were his issue which was solved with medication.

I just found out that my 5 yr old son needs to get them removed also. He snores and is a mouth breather as we'll. When I took him to the ENT, he wouldn't let the dr check his tonsils with the scope through his nose so he went for an xray and also for a sleep study. The xray was easy but he was a little uncomfortable trying to sleep during the sleep study. The results show he has severe obstructive sleep apnea and only then did the dr recommend he have them removed. He's been on Nasonex for the past 2 months and its helped a bit. One spray in each nostril before bed helps with the snoring a little. I did ask the dr about shaving them and he said there is a chance they can grow back and he would have to get surgery again. I wasn't so crazy about my son having surgery but decided it will be the best thing because sleep apnea can cause problems in the future if its not corrected. You can always get a second opinion. I see you are in NY and if you are interested, I can send you the information for the pediatric ENT that I take my son to. Before agreeing to have surgery, go for more testing to see if it really is sleep apnea or maybe even something else. Hope all goes well.

Kids bounce back fast, the younger, the better.

This could also affect his speech down the line.

I know the pediatric ENT recommended this; what does your sons normal pediatrician think?

I had my tonsils out when I was about 12 or 13, but they should have come out way sooner. I had strep throat forEVER... like the second I was off antibiotics, it would come back. My tonsils had grooves that were more or less hiding the infection. I wonder now, as an adult, if this is part of the reason I'm partially deaf (undiagnosed; I just know I CAN'T HEAR).

The age I was when they came out was really tough. I wish my mom had pushed for me to have gotten it done sooner.

My cousin had his taken out (same reasons as your son), as well as his adenoids, when he was 7. He was eating pizza the next day. How I envied that, LOL!!

The longer you wait, the harder it's going to be for him to recover.

Best wishes!

I had my son's removed at 3 and while I was nervous it was the best thing! Prior to having them removed he hardly ever ate - drooled quite a bit - and had somewhat "cloudy" speech. Within a year of having them removed he gained 8lbs (!!) stopped drooling and stopped snoring - he was a different kid!

It is a tough recovery and they do say the younger the better - so I definitely would NOT wait. My son had his completely removed but my friend had her daughters "shaved" - she did seem to recover a little quicker.

Good luck.