Tonsillectomy in 4 Year Old- a Scared Mother!

Had to laugh at the memory Lovemylittles brought back!! When my younger son had his adnoids out he had the WORST breath for several days (starting on about day 3). My 6 year old kept saying "he needs to brush his teeth"!! (BTW this is completely normal, it's the smell of the wound healing.

The symptoms sound right on track for having the tonsils out. I know it's scary, but you'll get through it.

M

My daughter had it done when she was nearly six. Best thing we ever did. She too made horrible noises while she slept and it really took a toll on her since she was not getting a good night's rest. What a difference after the surgery. So glad we did it.

My son was 5 when he had his tonsils and adenoids removed. The first couple of days were pretty easy, as long as we kept up on the meds and drinking enough water. The 3rd or 4th day he had a little set-back but nothing major. After 7 or 8 days he was good to go.
There is a horrible odor that starts day 2 or 3 ~ just beware.
I took my son grocery shopping and he picked out puddings, applesauce, ice-cream, etc. but what he really wanted after surgery was toast.
I understand how scary it is to have them have surgery at such a young age ~ but I must say it was the right decision for us. He started sleeping more soundly (he was snoring and made gurgling noises much like you desribed) and still doesn't get sick as often or as severe.
EDIT: the ENT that did our son's surgery was our 2nd opinion. The ENT that put his tubes in at 1.5 told us he would need his tonsils/adenoids out eventually.

We just did it over Winter Break -- my daughter is 10. I recommend you do it now. At 4, it's not too hard, but when they get older, it's a much bigger challenge.

My eldest had hers out at 4 years old too, so I can empathize. You will get anxious regardless of what I will tell you...that's just a mom thing.

Enlarged tonsils (my daughter's were rubbing) can obstruct the airway and can be a cause of sleep apnea. She was co-sleeping with us at that time and I noticed she would stop breathing for 10- 15 secs.

It can also make your kids prone to infections that can lead to pockets and tonsil stones (believe me you don't want that. you can see them in you tube).

If there are ever meds it would be temporary just to relieve the inflammation. Quite honestly, this would probably be harder on you than him. Tonsillectomy is generally minor in recovery for children and much more complicated in adults. I was told that my dd would be up and running by week. She was fine before that. Just baby him for a few days, cozy blanket, favorite toy, a popsicle..stay away from milk for a few days.

(((Hugs))) mama it will be ok

Ok, I have not read the responses from the other moms but here is my 2 cents. :) I am a FREAK about things. You can scan my own questions if you don't believe me. I am the person who reads the horror stories about things and assumes that will be me/my child, or who gets all worked up about a 0.01 percent chance of something bad happening. So when I was in your shoes a year ago I was a mess. My daughter had the same symptoms as your son and she had sleep apnea. I took her to have a sleep study done even though the ENT wanted to take her tonsils/adenoids purely on my observations and his examination. I took her sleep study results to the most highly recommended Pediatric ENT that I could find, hoping for a second opinion. I was looking for something or someone to tell me that the surgery didn't need to happen.

Much like you are right now.

However, what occurred was the opposite. When the ENT saw the sleep study results and examined her she said that her tonsils on the scale they use (0 being normal, 4 being you can't breathe at all), that hers were a 3. She told me that between the ages of 4-6 the tonsils undergo a growth period. Sometimes the body "grows into their size" and sometimes it does not. She interpreted the sleep study for me and explained some things regarding sleep apnea (which you don't say for sure that your son has but it is very likely if he has the noisy, open mouth breathing and snoring at this age). Btw, the sleep study, while providing me with confirmation of her need for surgery, is hell. It takes them over an hour, yes OVER an hour, just to stick all of the electrodes onto their head and face. There is a tubish thing in their nostrils and about 40 wires all over the place. They use a gluish stuff to attach the electrodes in the hair which is NOT fun to try to get out the next day. You have to go in at 8pm and your kid has to sit there for over an hour when they are so tired while they put all these things on. My extremely tolerant daughter was crying silently by the time they were done.

Anyway, back to sleep apnea. If you do not treat obstructive sleep apnea (which occurs with the jumbo tonsils) at a very young age (they say before age 8), it can actually TURN into central sleep apnea which is something that originates in the brain and can not be solved with tonsillectomy. Your son could be forced to wear a CPAP machine for life.

The mouth breathing causes a narrowed palate. We waited until my daughter was 6 1/2 to address all of this and now she is facing palate expansion for 2+ years just to have room for her teeth :(

The quality of sleep that your son is getting is not up to par for what he needs. This can cause ADD and other behavioral issues as well as difficulties in school. My daughter cried all of the time and even went through periods of what seemed like depression that have completely disappeared since she started getting good sleep.

Ok, so the surgery itself... no one in my family has ever had surgery or anesthesia so this was a doozy for me. My daughter woke up from the surgery very upset. She was not combative but was very scared and not very cooperative (very unlike her). Once I was there with her and calmed her down she was fine but you could tell that she was super "drugged up" from the anesthesia. It made ME cry (not in front of her of course) because it freaked me out. Big time. We got her to drink liquids and she seemed to be doing ok so we were allowed to go home. I watched her like a hawk the first couple of days, terrified she was going to stop breathing or something. But of course, she didn't. :)

First and second day she had only mild-moderate pain and she seemed to be doing so well that we felt super lucky. The third day she was suddenly in a LOT of pain despite being on Lortab which is basically vicodin. The fourth day the pain was mild again and by the fifth she was in so little pain that I didn't even give her any medicine. I read all of these horror stories online about bleeding etc and I was terrified... they said the pain might come back at around 2 weeks when the scabs fell off but it never did. I cannot stress enough that they key to a good recovery is to keep the throat wet. I will say it again, KEEP THE THROAT WET. That means put your son in bed with you and every single time you or he stirs, grab the water and have him take a sip. Have him take sips constantly throughout the day. It will make all of the difference in the world and reduce the risk of complications.

Having the surgery was the best decision I have ever made. 2 days after the procedure, even with swelling, she was sleeping with her mouth closed and using her nose and I almost cried. She no longer has the "nasal" sound to her voice and she doesn't breathe out of her mouth while awake or asleep. She was so much more emotionally stable and didn't get super tired around 6pm anymore.

I am so sorry this is so long. I just saw your post and really felt the need to give you my own experience. If you want to PM me please feel free to do so. I know it is so scary, but you will not regret doing it for a single second.

Robyn

ETA - When the ENT came out of the operating room she said that her lower tonsils (the part that you can't see when you look in the mouth) were so enlarged that it was a wonder she could even breathe at all. She said her airway was only about half an inch wide. Yikes!!! :/ So I am SO glad we went through with it.

I know exactly how you are feeling. Our son is now 13 years old. He had his tonsils/adenoids removed when he was 3. Oh my goodness I was so worried about it. But...I had faith in the doctor and the knowledge that it is very easy procedure that is done all the time. Helping our son be happy and comfortable helped also...amid my nervousness. He got a special Care Bear to hold during surgery and recovery. Together we picked out soft,yummy foods to eat during recovery. We picked out some new movies to watch while snuggled up on the couch..he watched...I slept after being wound up but putting on a brave face the days leading up to surgery.

Our son's tonsils were practically touching. It made it hard to get into a deep sleep at night. He would wake up at the same time each night right as his body went into deep sleep. He also gagged easily on apple skins and other small food items when eating because of the limited space in his throat.

He was a trooper surgery day and during recover. In fact he loves to hear us tell stories of the day's events. We actually told the doctor we wanted our money back because he told us our son would sleep and be kind of sluggish and quiet the first couple days of recovery and we'd have to encourage our son to eat and drink. Well...when we brought our boy home he was talking it up as if he didn't just have a scalpel in his throat..and asked to eat pizza. Huh?? Where was all this quiet time we were promised!!??!!

All joking aside, we were so grateful it went well and we had our happy,chatterbox back.

I am so glad we went through with the surgery. He doesn't snore at night, or wake up every night at 1am...so he is much better rested. He doesn't gag on foods like he used to also. I am serious..it was instantaneous....no more snoring or waking up because he got too little oxygen. It was wide open in there!!!

Now on the flip side. I got my tonsils out when I was 17 years old...and it was the worst pain I have ever endured. Excruciating!! But that is what they say about the age difference. It is much easier on small,and younger tissue. (So save him from pain later in life.)

Good luck and best wishes!

Don't know about tonsils, but my 3yo just had tubes in and adenoids out. The hardest part for my dd was recovery from the anesthesia. The recovery took about an hour. She was a little under the weather for the remainder of the day and normal after that. I was told that it would take a couple extra days to recover if the tonsils were removed (which wasn't being recommended to us, even though two doctors commented on how large they were).

All in all, it should be a fairly quick and easy surgery and a relatively easy recovery. Good luck!

I would go ahead and have them removed. I have extra large tonsils and every single doctor I see asks about them and comments. They all have said if I ever get tonsilitis I need to see a doctor asap as they will swell and I would have a hard time breathing. I have been blessed in that it hasn't happened yet. But really - the surgery is so much easier on a child than a teenager or adult.

Usually, removal is the best option. My best friend's little girl just had this in November. It was a very quick same day procedure. She was told recovery was 10 days. Day 3 & 4 were rough and she was totally back to normal at day 9. Good Luck!

Glad you decided to go ahead with the tonsilectomy. My nephew lives with me and he had one at age 6 and it was best thing we could have done. No more snoring at night,breathing better, no more ear infections and sinus infections, etc. He was able to take a stuffed animal into surgery with him and that really helped. I also was told by someone on here to even wake him up and give him pain med and not to let it wear off and he would not be in so much pain. Really worked. Hospital gave us a thing to put ice in and he held that to neck also. I thought he would be able to eat pudding, etc, but he did not want it, only popcicles for 2 days. Good luck and prayers your way.

Updated

Glad you decided to go ahead with the tonsilectomy. My nephew lives with me and he had one at age 6 and it was best thing we could have done. No more snoring at night,breathing better, no more ear infections and sinus infections, etc. He was able to take a stuffed animal into surgery with him and that really helped. I also was told by someone on here to even wake him up and give him pain med and not to let it wear off and he would not be in so much pain. Really worked. Hospital gave us a thing to put ice in and he held that to neck also. I thought he would be able to eat pudding, etc, but he did not want it, only popcicles for 2 days. Good luck and prayers your way.

I would consider getting a second opinion. Tonsillectomy is one of the most frequently performed surgeries in the US and many sources say it is over-performed.

My cousin's son had his tonsils removed a few weeks ago and insisted she take him to his preschool the very next day. Kids resiliency is amazing:).

My son had his adenoids shaved down when he was almost 3 y/o. He was supposed to have his tonsils out too, however, I was so nervous that I think at the last minute the surgeon decided to be as conservative as possible. He continued to have problems with sleep - loud snoring, frequent waking, thrashing around in his sleep. He now had is tonsils out this past October (he is now 4 y/o) - what a difference - he sleeps so much more soundly and you could hear a pin drop in his room. I so wish we had done it earlier. We had a "partial encapsulated tonsillectomy" done - it is a different type of surgery where they leave a very small portion so that this is less bleeding and quicker recovery time. He did fabulous!! He just took tylenol and advil for pain afterwards and didn't even need them after about 2 days. He never cried or complained at all. He had the surgery done a Nemours Children's Hospital - you may want to see if any children's hospitals do this type of procedure near you - I think the recovery from it is a lot easier. Either way, you will be glad you had the procedure done if it is disrupting your boy's sleep. Good luck - PM me with any questions that I can help with.

My parents had it done on me when I was that age - pushing 40 years ago! They would get infected from any little thing - and ended up almost bursting my eardrum! I was in the hospital for a week for them to get the infection down enough that they could do the surgery! I would imagine that T&A has come a long way since way back then!!

Do it now as I've always heard it is much easier on young ones than when you get older!