Advice on Tubes/Adenoid Removal

Hi S.,
My 7 year old son had this (tubes and adenoids) done on Valentine's Day this year. They happened to have a 2 day break from school the next two days. He went back to school on that Monday and he was SO READY! Truth be told, if school had been in session that next day, he would have been ready then! He had no issues whatsoever. Oh, the one thing that the doctor did that we weren't prepared for is, my son's two top front teeth were loose. The doctor pulled them out when he was under the anesthesia. Apparently the tube the doctor put down the kids throat could possibly knock the teeth out, so they pulled them for safety reasons. My son was ok with it because the tooth fairy made up for them being pulled. LOL. Good luck to you!!

I would say that with just tubes he might be ok, but with the adnoids, probably not till after xmas break. My daughter has had both done. She had tubes in her ears put in two days after her 1st birthday and the tonsils and adnoids just in Oct of this year. She did not go back to school for over a week. I know that you said he is only having adnoids out so that may be different too.

My son had his adenoids removed twice. In 10% of patients they grow back. We just were in that lucky 10% :(.
My son was five the first time. It was outpatient and we went in after the surgery to sit with him in recovery for an hour or so. He was very sleepy and just had to eat soft foods for awhile but he really had very little pain both times. The second time went just as well. Tubes take about 10 minutes and the recovery there is quick too. It really was not bad at all. My son had his removed due to chronic sinus infections and it really helped a lot.

Hi-
I did not read through all the responses, but wanted to tell you that my son had adnoids and tubes and it was the best thing we could have ever done for him. He went a year from 2yrs-3yrs with ear infections and a stuffy nose, snoring etc. We had a humidifyer in his room for a year, and I did saline drops with him, elevated his bed...here we find out that his adnoids were so enlarged they were blocking his airway to his nose. It broke my heart when after the surgery he was washing his hands and smelling the soap and saying" mommy smell this..it smells wonderful" He could not smell!! After the surgery he has has no ear infections, or major colds for over a year and a half now...knock on wood..

Best of luck to you

S., My 6 year old had his adnoids out at Childrens Hosp. last fall. I was amazed at how quick the procedure was and how EASY the recovery was. Adnoids are different from tonsils in that you don't really experience any soreness and you can still eat/drink anything following. You need to keep their activity level low to prevent the stitches from pulling out, but its hard because the child feels fine! He needed to stay on the couch with "low activity" for a day and then just take it easy (ie. no recess/gym class) for a couple more. If you can definately do Childrens Hosp. Makes all the difference in yours and your childs comfort level. And do the pre-op tour so your child isn't scared.

Both of my kids just had their tonsils and adenoids out at the end of October this year. They are age 8 and 6. We didn't have tubes put in, so I can't comment on that. But the surgeries went great. The first couple days were kind of rough, and they were kind of out of it. But mostly it was throat discomfort due to the tonsil removal. My 6 year old recovered very fast and very well and the 8 year old wasn't much futher behind. They were both wanting to be up and playing just a couple days after the surgery. In fact the hardest part was keeping them settled down so they could recover well. Good luck-I know it is scary! But I am sure he will do fine and it will probaly be easier than you expected.

Every child is different, but my 3 yo has had tubes 3 times, we go in for the 4th here next week, tonsils and adenoids out. The tube recovery is usually very short and he should be ready to go by the next day. The adenoids are realyl not that bad either. You can expect that with in a day or two things will be fine. With the tonsils you just have to make sure that they rest and do not run around to allow the throat to heal. That usually takes about 1 week to 10 days. Good luck with everything.

My daughter had her tubes placed along with her tonsils and adenoids taken out at the same time. She was four at the time. The surgery went fine and the only trouble we had was she had vomiting with the liquid codeine (not every child does, she just happened to). The first three days are the days you want them to stay fairly quiet even if they feel like playing hard. I think total my daughter was out of school for two weeks. I would suggest not sending him back until after the holidays if you can. That just gives a little better healing time. Trust me though, they are about back to normal after about 7-10 days! It becomes hard to keep them playing quiet games for the three days!

Your son will most likely go home that day but it would probably be best to keep him home until after the holidays. When my infant son had tubes put in his ears it was a short 30 min surgery and we were back home in a few hours. Later (age 4) when he had tonsils and adenoids out he was in the hospital overnight but that was due to the tonsils. He recovered great and was back to his rambunctious self in a few days. Good Luck!

My daughter had both of these done together when she was four years old (10 yrs ago). They are both done outpatient. The only concern after was to keep them quiet and not run around for a couple of days. She had to relax, because there is scabbing and you want to make sure they don't open up and bleed. I think we gave her a lot of popsicles.

We didn't have any problems. After two years of back to back ear infections and three sets up tubes, this finally was the answer.

Good luck!

My son had tubes put in at 9 months - and now is 14 months - what a difference! We had recurring severe ear infections for 6 months prior. I know your son is older, but I wanted to share that the tubes were a life saver at our house. The surgery was amazingly fast - and he was back to himself 4 hours later. Good luck to you & your son. It is worth it, if your son will not have all the pain/discomfort anymore.

My son had that surgery and I don't remember it as being a very big deal. I'm sure he went to school the next day.

Good luck!

My now 5 year old son had the same procedure done this last April. The adenoids and tubes are both outpatient. I don't know if he will be able to go back to school right away, because they will want him to stay calm and not run around so that his throat will have time to heal. I am very happy that we had this done my son Riley hasn't had any problems since. He was having alot of sinus infections, and there was some fluid on his ears that wasn't draining. Just be aware that when he starts to come out of the anestesia, he might be crying. My nurse and doctor warned me that it might happen, and it's a normal reaction for children to have. Good luck.

Our son had his adenoids out shortly after his fourth birthday, and the recovery was relatively quick. And the constant stuffiness and goopiness cleared up incredibly fast, which made us so glad we went ahead with the surgery. The procedure itself was very fast: I think he was in the OR for nine minutes. The day after the surgery he felt great, but he was sore and under the weather for a few days after that. (So don't be fooled if it seems as if he made an instant recovery.) I think he stuck close to home for a total of about five days. The holidays seems like a very good time to have it done. I hope things go well.

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed last year at age 4, and she recovered very quickly. Because yours isn't getting the tonsils removed, you're looking at a quick recovery. You may have some drainage from the nose after the surgery, but I don't remember much, if any, from my daughter after her surgery. I had tubes and adenoids surgery when I was in 6th grade and I had a lot of drainage, but that was also 16 years ago, so a lot has changed in the procedure since then. As far as getting back to school, I'd base it on your son. If he's doing great the day after, I'd probably send him to school, but if he's still not 100%, keep him home.
Overall, I think the surgery is harder on the parents than the child! ;)

My son had the same surgery at 4 y.o., and it was a day surgery, but I kept him home from headstart for a couple of days because of a small amount of post surgical drainage, and he said it hurt a little. So, my recommendation: Keep the Tylenol/Motrin available, let him rest and relax.

My daughter had the same surgery last May, she was 2 1/2. She recovered so quickly, we had to keep her from running, jumping etc too soon. Also, the results have been incredible. She no longer has difficulty breathing at night, only gets an occasional runny nose, no infections/antibiotics since! And after months of doctor visits and prescriptions, that has been nice.

I am sure you will get plenty of responses about natural methods, which is great if you have the time. We tried some chiropractic sessions with our youngest daughter which may or may not have helped with her issues. We didn't go long enough to find out...The only problem was having the time for weekly appointments. With both mom and dad working it wasn't a good option for us.

If you go forward with the surgery, I am sure it will be great. Recovery for kids is so quick and you will see noticeable improvements right away. Good luck! :)

nmy 6 year old just had both done too. and he recovered without any problems. in fact that night after surgery he was up and eating his favorite mac and cheese. and the next day he was his old self again. he and i had no problems with before or after surgery....good luck!!!!

Hi,

Have you tried any "natural" methods before considering this surgery?

Here's a phone number for a man by the name of Dr. Paul. He has helped many people with ear problems. My old daycare girl was scheduled to have this same surgery the next day when they talked with him and he told them what they needed to do to fix it without surgery. IT WORKED! His number is ###-###-####. He was living in MN but has a clinic out in (South or North) Dakata. I was told he just moved back out there. But try his number and talk to him over the phone. He can tell you what to try. Otherwise call ###-###-#### and ask how to get ahold of Dr. Paul if his other number doesn't work.

Also, have you taken your son in for chiropractic adjustments? That has helped my 2 kids every time they've had an ear infection. The one time the doc said my daughter had a terrible double ear infection and sent me home with antibiotics. Well, I ended up going back a couple days later for something else and they were like, "Oh, the meds are working great keep it up!" SHE NEVER GOT THE MEDS> I took her straight to the chiropractor after the docs appointment!!! So, meds are not always the answer......JUST SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT>

If it works then you helped your child avoid some painful and unnecessary surgery and recovery!!!

I was just wondering if you have went to anyone else for a second opinion? Have you tried going to a chiropractor?

Recent research suggests that chiropractic adjustments are extremely effective at treating these types of ear infections by utilizing the normal draining pathway (the Eustachian tube) of the middle and inner ear as well as boosting the child’s own natural resistance to the infection. By reestablishing proper draining and boosting the immune system, these earaches not only resolve quickly, but also reoccur far less frequently, and often not at all.

These adjustments are statistically the safest, most effective form of treatment for recurring ear infections, and has received much praise from the medical community for their effectiveness.

It has been found that 93 percent of all episodes of otitis media treated improved with chiropractic care. Seventy-five percent of the cases improved in 10 days or less, and 43 percent with only one or two adjustment (Froehle, 1996).

So, before surgery, might be a safer and definately cheaper alternative to help out your son. Its worth a try!

My daughter was 5 when she had her Tubes/Adenoid's done. She did very well. The whole surgery was about an hour and a half. She was in recovery for about an hour or so to wake up. She was fine after. Lots of popsicles. (: As far as going back to school, he probably could. He should be back to normal by that Friday. She was back to herself right away! It is a very easy procedure. She had an ear infection almost right after the other, after the surgery, it improved 100%. I can't remember the last time she had one. Good luck!

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed when she was 4, it was an outpatient surgery. She was in preschool, and they wanted her to stay home for a week. Get lots of movies, books, and sit-down activities to keep him occupied, because the doctor wanted my daughter to avoid a lot of physical activity for the week.
She bounced back pretty quickly, and I am so glad she had this done. She used to snore like a lumberjack, and now she doesn't snore at all!

Hi
my son had tubes and adnoids out when he was 2. they are both same day surgeries. Mine recovered enough to go back to daycare in a week's time. Hope your little guy does well.
S

My son had to go through this also at 18 months old. It was done at the childrens hospital early in the morning. The actual surgery last 30-40 minutes. This was to add a new set of tubes and remove the adenoids. He released and sent home within 2-3 hrs. At home the most difficult thing was to get him to keep drinking and taking fluids in. He did end up in the ER for dehydration 3 days later. But other than that he acted like he had a sore throat. However he has had only one ear infection since than and he is now 3yrs old.
Any surgery is scary of course but I am very glad I pushed for the help. Like I mentioned he was 18 months old at the time of surgery. Prior to that he had 19 ear infections and the first set of tubes did not help him at all. Within a couple days of having the adenoidectomy he was hearing better and speaking better. I am very glad it was done. I took the entire week off from work as recomended and because being a single mom it was only me that is there for him. However I would have been comfortable returning to work within 2 days.
Best of LUCK..