Dr Recommending My Toddlers Adenoids Be Removed

My son had chronic ear infections starting at about 3 mos and a set of tubes put in ( he was about 15 mos old.) Still chronic infections. Went to a pediatric ENT who suggested taking the tubes out and removing adenoids. He believed the tubes were infected and the adenoids were full of infection. He has had maybe 2-3 infections since then and will be 5 the end of the month! It was a great success. I just wished I had started with the pediatric ENT.

Blessings!
L.

The best thing we have ever done. Jack was 1000 times better imediately. They said whhen they suctioned him out after removing his adnoids, his entire sinus cavity was completely full and infected! And tubes will help with te ear infections as well.

My middle daughter had to have tubes placed in her ears at a year old. She was back to back ear infections. After waying all the options, I hated the fact that she was in so much pain and the thought of losing her hearing, more than anything else, the tubes fell out on their own and she has honestly been completely healthy since then, shes 13 now!! My youngest daughter was 3 yr old when she had a tosillectomy and an adenoidectomy this past December. She has been snoring, drooling (in sleep) since birth, breathing problems(was diagnosed with asthma) AND was also diagnosed with mild sleep apnea (she would stop breathing at night). I was told by the ENT and her pulmonologist that her tonsils and adnoids were enlarged, which was hindering her breathing, they unanimously suggested they be removed. My baby has a serious lisp and if you didn't know her you could not understand a word she said. I know of a similar case where my coworker was told that if she put off coming into the docter her daughter may have died because her breathing was almost 100% constricted, by her enlarged adenoids. None the less, the operation was really quite quick and simple, it took just a little bit longer cause she had her tonsils removed as well. She spent one night in the hospital, for observation because of her age, I slept in the bed with her. She was on pain meds, so she was out of it almost the entire rest of that day. But woke up the next morning and ate eggs and a lil sausage, lil oatmeal. It took about two days for her pain to subside, I chose to give her tylenol, but she fought me with the pain med. After that it was business as usual, she got a little tired easily for about the first week, she was suppose to be taking it easy anyway. Her breath was horrible, an expected side effect, for about 3 weeks or so. Her speech has greatly improved, and all is well.

My son had his adneoids removed when he was 26 months old. This was after his first set of tubes fell out AND we spent 7 days in the hospital with pneumonia that was an ear infection that travelled to his lungs. The first set of tubes fell out within 3 months of having them. We went to a different ENT the 2nd time, she said that the tubes fell out because the adneoids were so enlarged, that they were not allowing the ear to drain, this caused the tubes to be pressured out. Second surgery was great, tubes lasted until in 2nd grade. My son has been on allergy shots since 1st grade. After the 2nd surgery we had very, very few ear infections! I do know that some children's adneoids grow back. As a therapist, I would tell you that for the sake of your child's ability to hear and learn try to get this taken care of as soon as possible. Most of the kids I treat have a long history of ear infections and multiple rounds of antibiotics.

My son had his adenoids removed about 11 months ago for ear infections as well. He hasn't had an ear infection since. Also the procedure was pretty simple. He was actually up running around like his old self a few hours after the surgery.

I had tubes in my ears and aednoids out 25 years ago. It changed my life. I was only six, but I still remember how bad the ear infections hurt. I only wish they had taken my tonsils also, those still flare up from time to time and now I am too old to have them out without risk of major complications. Even 25 years ago it was day surgery and I was home that afternoon. We had tubes in my little ones ears when she was only 9 months and it was litterly minutes before they were done, I barely had time to go to the bathroom before they were handing her back to us. I say do it, it really does help!

My daughter had her tonsils/adenoids removed because of chronic strep... Every 6 weeks on the dot! It was miserable! Not going to lie to you, getting the surgery was miserable for the parents, but worth every worried thought we had in having it! She even ate nachos on her way home. i thought she was going to not be affected by surgery at all. It's when the scabs start falling off that it got painful for her... Still, we have NOT had one single case of even a cold since then! Worth it, completely! Just be prepared to be home with him/her for about 7-10 days and give them the pain meds the way they are prescribed even if you think she/he doesn't need it.

Hi Erica : )
My son went through this very surgery. He had Adenoids and Tonsils removed for chronic ear infections. He had awful snoring - which they said could lead to Apnea if it wasnt already as well - which is h*** o* the heart as you probably know. But wanted I am getting at is - we waited until he was six and that was a huge mistake. Because of his constant ear infections and fluid build up in his ears - he had hearing delay and it interfered in his learning - he actually didnt hear us through alot of his toddler years and we didnt even know it. He is in sixth grade and struggles to this day - he has improved by leaps and bounds - but it has been a HUGE struggle to get him caught up. I would say if you are hesitant get a second opinion, clearly it is a surgery, my newest baby just had a minor mouth procedure as well, and we as Moms are apprehensive - but keep the long term in mind if all of your opinions come back that it is indeed best to have it done. I can say from experience - we would have saved him alot of heartache and frustration if we had fixed his ears - which turned into hearing issues because of his infections - sooner. Also the surgery was five years ago and he has only had one ear infection since and he no longer presents as a sickly child.

Send me a msg if u have any questions and we will be praying for you

Our son had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and myringotomy with tube placement a year ago and he hasn't been sick at all in that time. He had sleep apnea and chronic ear infections prior to the surgery. Now he sleeps peacefully through the night and has not had one ear infection since. The recovery time is not fun - lasts about a week and a half. Have plenty of Pediasure, popsicles, pudding -soft foods on hand (stay away from red foods that may appear as and be confused for blood several days after the surgery). Good luck!

This is a very common thing to be removed - they are removed when people get their tonsils out. This will help with ear and throat infections such as Strep Throat when she's older. Although, I do know that getting a baby a chiropractic appointment can also help with ear infections as it is often a matter of something being out of alignment and creating pressure around the ear area. Find a good recommended chiro that deals regularly with infants and babies. The amount of pressure they use is very very light and not alarming. This seems worth a try to me over surgery. This has really helped a friend of mine with her 2nd baby.

At 7 months my daughter had already had 10 ear infections. At 9 months the ent put tubes in and removed her adnoids. She is now 10 and we have never had another ear infections or issue with her nasal cavaties. I know a lot of moms will be on both sides of the fence and everything is worth exploring. However, it was a true life saver for my family.

My grandson had a lot of ear infections when he was a baby.
Since he has been drinking Original Limu, he has not had one.
As long as he drinks it, he stays healthy.
www.discoverlimu.com/jcarden
Check out the website and let me know if I can help.
J.

Having adnoids taken out will definately help with ear infections and sinus infections. My daughter just had tubes and her adnoids taken out and now is fabulous. However, she will probably still need the allergy meds. But, at least you won't be at the doc all the time with your baby feeling horrible and being on and off antibiotics.

My son had his tubes put in at one and his adenoids and tonsils out at 2. He has not been sick since. My only advice is to ensure that she does not need her tonsils out also. The recovery time was not fun for the parents and one surgery is better than multiple. Best thing we ever did though.

Erica our little girl just had her tonsils and adenoids removed and I think that it has really helped her. The Dr. said over 72% of her breathing was blocked and her tonsils were 67% infected. (that is what the biopsy showed) we only knew this after the fact. She didn't have any problems, we went in for her 5 yr. check-up and her pedi said her tonsils looked way too big. So in my opinion if your child is having "problems" that have to do with with tonsils or adenoids I would surely check it out. Our ENT was Dr. Mehendale and he was awesome!!! Good luck, I know its a hard decision to make....

Both of my kids (a son who is 4 1/2 and a daughter that is 5 1/2/ had their tonsils, adnoids and ear tubes out last october. They have been great since. It was like a miracle. they were on prevenative meds for ten days or so after but thats it.

My daughter's adenoids were removed and she has done so much better since that time. I have a friend whose two boys, 5 and 3, both had their's removed and they have not had one infection since either. I think it is a wise thing to do.

Before you do anything, try taking your children to the chiropractor. There is one in Mansfield that has been adjusting children for years! My children have been adjusted since the day they were born, and we don't have problems with ear infections at all!!! You'd be amazed at what chiropractic can do for kids. It keeps them healthy and able to fight off sickness (when they do get sick) a lot better. Non only that, but going to a chiropractor is much better that using all of those medications and antibiotics they prescribe for your children. Chiropractic helps a child's body do what it was designed to do, and fight off the infection without the use of drugs. If you want more information, his website is www.myspineworks.com. His name is Dr. Josh Nelson. He is FANTASTIC!!!!!

Hi Erica~My 3 year old son had the same allergies/ear infection issues starting at 5 months old (even though he was breast fed until he was 2 1/2). He had ear tubes at 1 and once those came out he continued having ear infections/allergies etc. Our pediatrician and ENT recommened his tonsils and adenoids come out & he needed a second set of ear tubes. The procedure was done in March (at Children's in downtown Dallas) and he has not been sick since. We spent one night in the hospital for observation because of his tonsils, however, if you just have the adinoids taken out the procedure will be done on an outpatient basis. Hope this helps. Good luck! K.

If you do this, make sure that they remove her tonsils as well. Been there, done that and my now 6 foot, 155 lb. 14 year old is going to have to have a tonsilectomy because they did not do it when they removed his adenoids and put tubes in for the second time at two. We requested it then, but the Doc didn't want to do it. The ear infections never went away and he gets sick now with ears, recurrent strep, and tonsilitis. And...new doc has finally referred him for the above mentioned surgery. Good luck!

I had mine removed when I was very young because I had chronic infections as well. After they were removed, I never had any problems again.

Erica,
Both of my kids have had to have tubes. My oldest had his first round of tubes at 22 months, and he had to have them redone, and have the adenoids removed two months before he turned 3. He has been a 100% better. He still has normal allergies that kids get, but other than that, we have not had one ear infection since the last surgery in january. He is still doing great. I would recommend you getting it done now, because we do not have to have the adenoids, and right now, the child will not remember later in life about the surgery. We remember 'pain' better as we get older. The adenoid/tubes in january was a little more intensive, then just getting the tubes, but once we got him back to 'his' room, and out of recovery, he was completely fine, and acted as if nothing had happened. Good luck!

This is a very common procedure and seems to work well.
When in doubt always get a second opinion.

My son had his adenoids out and tubes in his ears at 13 months. Before the surgery, he was always sick. About the time he'd get over an ear infection, he'd get a sinus infection or have both at the same time. He always had a drippy nose. After the surgery, no more sickness! This was in April and he hasn't been sick since.

Now, I will tell you that the recovery from the adenoids was a bit worse than I expected. He was very cranky and acted like his neck hurt. I called the ENT and he said some kids to have some pain in their neck and we just kept giving him Motrin. After about a week, he was a different kid. We are so glad we had the surgery.

Good luck!

Yes, we had our youngest who is now 5 removed at 2. He has sleep apnea & used to suffer from horrible asthma & allergies. He got much better. We had them out again around 4 with his tonsils - yes, they can grow back. I highly recommend it. My son was up and running around within hours. I didn't even need the pain medicine they gave me. Tylenol was enough for him. Our asthma attacks were cut down in 1/2 after we had his tonsils removed we are down to about once a year. Nasonex is all we used for a while, I don't even use that until fall anymore.

I say go for it.

Hi Erica, I would recommend that you get it done. My son had it done when he was 4 because of the same problems (chronic ear/sinus infections). After that-no sinus/ear infections at all. It helps tremendously.

I think its a good idea if it solves a long time problem. My neice has cystic fibrosis and had her adenoids removed at the age of 5 to help reduce infection and so far it has helped.
She had minimal pain afterwards, I don't remember her complaining much at all.

Good luck to you!

Hi Erica,

I have a 24 month old, that has been going thru the same misery as your daughter, and our ENT told us the same thing last week. I've decided to take an alternate route by using a Homeopathic Doctor before we do anything as drastic as an operation.

God Bless

My son was having issues from birth to 3 til we found a dr that wanted to put tubes in his ears. When he was doing pre op he told me there is a possiblity they will have to do the tubes/tonsils & adenoids. I approved and it was the best thing I could have done for my child. At that point he was 60% deaf because the infections had gotten so bad and the adenoids were so big it was causing him not to be able to sleep well also.
I recommend it!

I had my son's tonsils and adenoids out a year ago this Oct. and he hasn't been sick at all since he got them out. I would recommend it. He seems much happier now without all the stuffy nose and sore throats all the time.
Good Luck.

Hi Erica,

I had a very sick little boy - ear infections constantly, always on medicine. We had tubes and adnoids removed by the time he was 2 and I begged for tonsils as well - he was just so sick all the time. The ENT would nit take his tonsils out until after he turned 2 --- 1 month after he turned 2 we scheduled tonsils. My son is now a happy healthly 6 year old boy who has only had 1 ear infection since his surgery. We do take allergy medicine every night-but that is normal pretty much for anyone who lives in Texas. I am VERY Happy that I did the surgery -- I just wish it could have been 1 instead of 2. But he is fine!

Good luck!
L.

I would say that the decision is your but my husband just had his tonsils and adenoids removed at 31 and the recovery has been miserable for him. He should have had it done as a child b/c he had the same problems as your daughter. As he has gotten older his symptoms have become worse to the point he could hardly breathe and definitely couldn’t sleep and was always on medication for allergies. Also, if he had gotten the procedure done as a child the recovery would not be 3 weeks and as difficult as it has been. Every doctor we have seen in says, “Too bad you didn't get this done as a child b/c you wouldn't remember a thing and you would have been over this in a week instead of 3!” No mother wants to see their child in pain or sick all the time and my advice would be to stop her suffering now to avoid a lifetime of sickness. I only hope that the rest of my husband’s life is filled with easy breathing and toss and turn free nights of restful sleep! We have not seen the benefits yet b/c he just had it done about a week ago, but everyone we spoke with that had it done has just done amazing. They tell us about being off allergy medication and breathing and sleeping wonderfully! Good luck and God Bless.

All my kids have had their adenoids removed. No big deal at all. My youngest just had them removed and had tubes put in and it was fine. Just a little crabby for 2 days and bad breath for a week or so.

I 2nd the woman recommending you do it for the sake of child's hearing. My son lost his hearing (temporary) due to ear infections and had to have speech therapy.

Everyone I have ever talked to about the adenoid surgery has been VERY happy with the results. Please make sure, if they are removing the adenoids, that they are putting ear tubes in at the same time.

We had tubes inserted and adenoids removed when our ds was 18 mos. and it was the best thing ever. Since then, he just turned 3 last week, he has had one ear infection and way less congestion etc. It has been great and very little pain, he had a bout with pain immediately following the procedure but by the time he fully woke and knew what was going on his first words were "I ont a no-nut"-he had never had a donut before then but he knew he wanted one then! LOL Just way your pros and cons and do what YOU think is best for your little girl.

I had my adenoids removed as a child along with my tonsils because of reoccuring, severe earaches. I missed much of my 1st grade year because of the earaches. Since I had them removed, I've had 1 earache when I was a teenager. I'm 38 now. I think you should do what you consider best, but it sure helped me.

my daughter had her tonsils and adenoids taken out when she was barey 2 years old and she hardly ever got sick any more. It was the best thing we could have done. I'm sure your daughter will be just fine. You are a good mom for being so concerned and asking others' opinions.

Hello!

If you are needing a second opinion you can try Dr. J.R. Williams with Southwestern Medical Center. He is top notch. I hope all goes well and I am sure you will make the right decision. Just remember that too many ear infections can affect your hearing.

I was freaked out as well when it was recommended. My doc explained that it is better to do this than take antibiotics regularly because he might build up a resistance to an antibiotics. It was super easy and stopped the ear infections. Do it! J.

Erica .. my daughter had her adenoids removed when she was 4. Up to that time she had had chronic ear infections and her hearing according to an audiologist had been reduced to about 10% of normal. After the surgery, she NEVER had another ear infection and her hearing was back to normal. She kept asking why everyone was shouting at her. I don't like doing surgery unneccesarily either however this one proved to be just what she needed to take care of her problem.

My son had them removed when he was about 2 1/2, he also had tubes put in at the same time. The ear infections stopped right away, he has only had one or two since and he is now 6. Before that he literally spent 6 months on back to back antibiotics for ear infections. He still has allergy problems though, removing his adenoids didn't help. The surgery is very quick and he was up and about that afternoon, he went to daycare 2 days later. I don't regret, the only thing I regret is not insisting on doing something sooner. The ENT doctor said his ears were 99% blocked which accounted for his poor speech at the time, but he made up for that quick.

Have you tried taking her off of all dairy products?

Dairy sensitivities and allergies are a leading cause of ear infections and can make allergic reactions stronger to any other irritants.

It would be nice if you could avoid surgery by simply making a dietary change. And it doesn't hurt anything to try.

my daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out at 18 months of age, i would totally do it again! she has been very healthy since!

My son was almost 2 when we had the tubes put in his ears and the adenoids taken out and after that, POOF! No more chronic ear infections (we went through one after another for about 8 months before that) and we were SO relieved! I would say that it is very common and nothing to worry about, but watching them take your child away from you into the operating room is HARD! You need to know too that they will fight the anestesia when they come out of it - that's normal as well. GOOD LUCK!

I would recommend you do it. My son also had chronic ear infections from birth (he's 3 1/2), we first had tubes put in when he was 14 months old and then had to do it again when he was 25 months old, only this time the doctor took out hes adnoids. He still gets an ear infection every so often (caused by allergies) but not nearly as much and the tubes stayed in longer. During the first surgery I was a basket case but the second one I was only half a basket case. But I am glad we did it. Of course if you take their adnoids out this young our doctor told us that there was a chance they would grow back, but he is better and only has had two ear infections this year and he can hear so he is finally talking and really learning new words every day. The decision is up to you but it was the best decision we ever made. Hope all goes well! God Bless Ya'll!

I know it's a tough decision, but it's got to be made.
I suffered from chronic ear infections and tonsillitis growing up. My parents finally made the decision to have my tonsils & adnoids removed when I was a sophmore in high school. Since then, I can count on one hand the number of ear infections and sore throats that I have had (I'm 45). I still have allergy problems and sinus drainage, but the ear infections are gone.
I know a lot of people that have had tubes put in their kids ears to help with ear infections.
God Bless,
Frances

I didn't read what others advised, but here is my two cents.

My now 15 year old son was constantly sick with either ear infections, sinus infections, strep, etc from the time he was young. Doctors repeatedly recommended we have his tonsils and adenoids removed. My husband and I agreed that was stupid because we didn't believe in unecessary surgery.

We waited until he was 12 and our trusted long time doctor had a strong conversation with us. We relented, and he had the surgery. He had a very tough time with it, hemmorhaged (sp?)etc because he was "older" when he had the surgery...BUT since then, he has literally NOT been sick - even once. In almost 4 years. It is incredible, and we both have said we feel horrible for not taking the advice much sooner. It is MUCH easier the younger they are.

Good luck to you!! I wish you the best.

Our doctor recommended having our sons adnoids removed when he was about the same age. He had already had 2 sets of tubes. There was a big change afterwards but not enough. we still ended up having 1 other set of tubes and his tonsils removed. all the procedures were dones seperately because at the time of the adnoid removal, his tonsils were fine and teh doctor did not want to remove something that was doing its job. But, he started getting chronic strep throat. He did tolerated most of the procedures well. There was a slight issue with anesthia on the tonsilectomy but the hospital staff was very helpful. I can't remember the meds after surgery...I'm thinking liquid tylenol and hydrocodone but not completly sure about that. The younger the better. Also, since he has gotten older, he has been diagnosed with severe allergies and seasonal asthma. By removing the adnoids and tonsils at the earlier age, they have been able to start an agressive treatment for his allergies. GOOD LUCK!!!

I have had two of my three boys adnoids removed. The surbery went well and the boys are doing great. It has helped the allergies in this house a lot. The boys had this done as late as 10 years ago. We still take some seasonal medicines, but not as much antiboitics. Good Luck

Ditto what most people have said..Have them removed while they are young. Not only can it effect hearing, it can effect speech. My neice had issues with them when she was young and it was effecting her speech since she was having issues breathing and talking at the same time. After she had them done, her speech was SO much better. She also stopped snoring! : )
Good luck with whatever you decide!

I cannot recommend enough that you take your daughter to see a chiropractor. Their treatments, in most cases, can alleviate all the symptoms you said your daughter has...without surgery! We see Dr. Wendy Baxter at Baxter Family Chiro on Brown in Arlington!

Good Luck!

It's a very common procedure. My son had it done. No pain, no recovery time really. It's unnerving having your child sedated, but it's best for them in the long run. My son is on his third set of tubes plus adenoids removed. He's sooo much healthier with the tubes and minus the adenoids. The fact that it's a common procedure, done a lot, helped me. The payoff is huge.

When my daughter was 2 she had tubes in her ears and still got ear infections. The ENT told me he didn't feel the adenoids removed. The second time she had tubes, this ENT suggested removing her adenoids...We did and she didn't have an ear infection since.

M.

Has your daughter had her tubes taken out? I wasn't clear about that. That worked for us. Just curious, but I am sure the doctor is giving you a good recommendation.