Advice on Tonsilectomy

Get the tonsils out!! All 3 of mine had theirs removed by the time they were 4. Pediatricians said no - until one finally said that my son would choke to death because the opening in his throat was narrower than a pencil. After their tonsils were gone none of my children suffered from colds, strep throat, or ear infections again. My grown neice & nephew, as well as an adult friend, still have their tonsils. All 3 suffer from strep throat infections at least 4-6 times a year and now they are too old to have them removed. My 14 yr old step daughter just had hers removed after years of sore throats and constant ear infections - she hasn't had one yet and its been a year - the longest she's gone in her life without an infection.

J.

/my daughter had her tonsils and adenoids ou at 2 yrs. Was a bit traumatic due to the hospital stay (24 hrs) and the fact she had NO idea what was going on...but the Dr. was great. Did nothelp that my husband could not be there to help...having said that, my daughter's breathing is sooooo much better and she has not gotten nearly as many colds this year. Was worth it!

Good luck! S.

Hi M., My name is L.. I have a son who had huge tonsils. He was 6 when he had tham out. It has made a world of differance in our life. Before the tonsilectomy he was sick all the time with colds, ear infections, and he had strep throat constantly. He was also a snorer, and an open mouth breather like your daughter. He would choke on his food when he went to swallow. It really got to be bothersome for him. Finally his Primary Dr. set him up with a consult with Dr. Chaffe. This man took one look in his throat and said his tonsils caused a 90% blockage of his throat and they needed to come out. a month later he had them removed. He is now almost 10 and has not been sick a day since, not even a cold. The snoring stopped and he now breaths with his mouth closed. His speech even cleared up. Before the surgary you really had to focus on what he was saying to you cause he always sounded like he had a sock in his mouth. A few weeks after the surgary I was amazed at how much better I could understand him. The surgary itself was more nerve racking to me than him. He was excited that he was gonna get all the ice cream he wanted. I know that you are from around the same area as I am so hopefully you will also see Dr. Chaffe. He is an amazing Dr. If anything like this ever comes up with my daughter I will be taking her to see him. I have also seen him muyself for a ear problem I have. If there is anything I didn't cover that you would like to know please don't hesitate to ask.
L.

Hi M.,
I just read your request. And sheesh your daughter sounds exactly like my son did before his tonsillectomy. My son would snore and breathe through his nose , sleep with his mouth open and drool while sleeping. He'd wake up in the middle of the night etc... My son went to CHOB and seen an ENT. It didn't take her but one minute to look into his throat and tell me that his tonsills needed to go. They were so enlarged. That is why my son was snoring, drooling and waking up during the night. Keep in mind my son was not a toddler, my son was thirteen. But I've heard from many people even the doctor that the younger they are when they have a tonsillectomy the easier it is for them. It took my sona good two weeks before he was back to normal and yes it's very painful.

I have had my tonsils out for the same thing, only I waited until I was 28 to have it done, and it is far more painful I have heard than when you are under 10. Also my ex husband had sleep apnea and had to have his removed and would do it over again, it made all the problems go away. Also I would get really smelly breath because my tonsils would have big holes in them and catch food particles and start to smell..ugh!

Hi,

I have not personally gone through this, but my good friend has with her 2 year old. He sounds just like your little girl and he actually had his tonsils out the end of May..so he was barely two.

He had no problems and loved the fact he could eat all the pudding and ice pops he wanted!!!

Hope that helps a little. Good Luck.

My 7 yr old has her tonsils and adenoids taken out when she was 4. She snored loud and gagged in her sleep. Since she had them taken out she has not had any problems. It's a little scary because I got so used to hearing her snoring from her room at night. I find my self waking up to make sure she's still breathing. She is definitly sleeping better and not waking up tired any more. I wouldn't be too concerned about her age. It's a simple procedure and It doesn't take that long. Her surgery was scheduled for 7:00am and by 11:00am we were leaving. It took her two weeks to recover fully. The first week I gave her liquids and soft foods. The second week I slowly gave her regular foods. Hope this helps. Good Luck!!!!

Hi M.!

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed in March when she was 18 months old. She needed it. Not only was she a mouth breather, she had a little sleep apnea (especially worse with a cold or illness), huge tonsils and ear tubes. The ear tubes were actually done first hoping to "cure" the problem until she was over 2 and could have the surgery in our area - if she didn't grow out of it. We found out later her adenoids were HUGE also. We didn't even think of taking her to CHOP (Children's Hospital of Philly) until she got so bad that her ENT said he wouldn't wait to have it done in the Lehigh Valley area, take her to CHOP. We had an initial consultation appointment all set up with doctor's from CHOP when she had a virus and we had to bring her there early. We found out that the ENT's thought she was bad and would have done it right then and there if she didn't have that virus. Before we left the hospital 2 days later, she had her surgery date scheduled for 3 weeks later and all blood work done. We went home with oxygen in case the apnea got so bad - thank God she really didn't need it.

M., after her surgery she was a totally different toddler! The first night was rough because everything was still swollen. The next morning she was given a round of steriods to reduce the swelling and that night I slept in a regular room with her to make sure she was breathing because NOTHING was heard. It was wild. Everyone said she'd improve drastically but in no way did I think it would be over night. The first night she was in ICU. We were told earlier she would be so that she would get the care she needed and also to monitor her because of her age, sleep apnea, etc. By the way, 5 hours after the surgery she was eating chicken nuggets, french fries and KETCHUP!! Yes, ketchup! the nurse couldn't believe it but said, kids know what they want so if she can eat it, give it to her.

I've also been told that as kids get older the harder it is on them for recovery (meaning they are in more pain after). My biggest advice is to DEFINITELY go to a children's hospital if you can. The care, attention and love that she got was incredible. They also do this all the time so they are VERY experienced.

I was told that the risk factor was more for those kids under 2, however, that's at the local hospital NOT Children's hospital where the surgery is routine and done on infants as young as 6 months old. I did extensive research and went for a second opinion while waiting to go back to the original ENT. I'm glad I did that and he recommended the doctor's he trained with at CHOP. It was worth it and as scary as it was - I would do it again if I had to. She is a totally different child. I had my tonsils removed at 18 months also and hear it is hereditary.

Almost all kids do leave the hospital that day and it takes about 2-3 weeks to fully recover. CHOP gave us all this paperwork and a booklet that explained everything. I can tell you that it was going to take us about 3 months to get in to see the doctor's at CHOP before we had to take her to the emergency room so if you can, I'd suggest making the appointment now.

If you'd like to know more (as if this isn't long enough - hehe) then please feel free to email me.

Good luck!
S.

My son has been going through the same thing, except his tonsils gave him signs of sleep appnea ( i cant spell) he would stop breatheing in the middle of the night, well any way he is only 6 and he just had his removed the only trouble i am having is him getting back on solid food... any way he sleeps through the whole night perfectly and no more snoring or gasping for air.. I think it is wonderful that he can get the sleep he needs and look forward to him not getting as sick as he use to with strep throat and sinus infection, which were pretty much continues throgh the yrs, as long as you have that referelle letter i know a doctor that is wonderful in manchester.. the hospitial staff was great and the doctor is very tender hearted. It took less then an hour for the sergury.. and it is very scarey when your child comes out of anasthisa (forgive the spelling) because the are confuse but keep in mind it is a wonderful thing because you know your child will be a lil more healthy and we all know that when our children sleep that is the most important because thats when there minds and bodies grow.. The doctors name is Dr Zimmerman he does the sergury at the elliot one day center here is the phone number and goodluck dear..1-###-###-####

My daughter was 5 when she had her tonsils and adnoids removed....very happy we did it!!! She had sleep apnea and never had a good nights sleep and she snored very loud! Now, she doesn't snore at all and gets a good nights rest.....she behavior has even improve because she gets so much more rest! I had never made the connect of the way she was behaving and her lack of sleep until we did something about it. It was a couple of tough weeks after surgery, but she is better for it today!

M.,
Our daughter was 3 when she had this proceedure was done. It was the best thing we ever did! She had had so many reaccuring strep throats, mouth breathing,delayed speech, drooling, and many ear infections and we were unsure about putting her thru it but glad we did. She did alway sleep through the night surprisingly.

She is now almost 10 and to this day has never been sick a day other than an occasional viral. When the Dr was done with the opperation he said he could squeeze out the adnoids and tonsils with the infection. They were so swollen she just couldn't breath and it was stress on her heart.

I don't want to disolusion you. The recovery was extremly easy except for the night we needed to stay in the hospital because of her age. She is a very stubborn child. Most times it is her way only. She refused to only eat saltines in the hospital and not to drink anything. They refused to releast her until she drank or took a icee. That lasted for 3 days and then we went home with an IV that we had a visiting nurse teach us how to change. Thank goodness our daughter came to her senses in a day or two before I had to change it because I was a nervious wreck thinking about it.

I would not consider this the normal response of a child, infact I would think water ice would feel good! Once she took that first sip she hit a turning point and everything was fine. No screaming when the scabs came off. She was out playing within days.

Good luck. It's a hard nerve wracking choice but it worked for us.

Dear M.,
Please do it, at least the consult, your life could be just waiting around the corner. I have never been a believer in taking anything out of the body that was put there for a reason, but.........
My son who was 2 on Memorial Day had been snoring since birth, during nursing and although sleeping through the night, he would need a 4 hour nap during the day, and still wake up crying, he hardly ate solids and although thriving he was very slim!
We saw a Pulmonologist first, they tend to be less 'chop happy' and then we were refered to an ENT, she was great! Tonsils/Adnoids taken on June 6th, very traumatic for mom and dad, he sailed through it like it was a nap, within two days he was eating everything in sight and within a month he had gained 5 lbs. He is still sleeping through the night but only a short nap during the day (I miss that extra time:)
It has changed my life and his for the better!
Keep us posted,
T.

Tonsils are immune system organs, they swell when they are working overtime (like in the case of an infection, or severe allergies). Removal of the tonsils won't get rid of the problem!

I would seriously consider taking your daughter to an alternative practitioner who can give advice on diet (milk products increased mucus production and cause generalized inflammation, so that might be a factor, as well as other food sensitivity or allergy issues). And, take her to a chiropractor who is experienced with children. Chiropractic care balances out the nervous system, and will help to address whatever underlying issue is there, since the immune system is controlled by and closely linked to the nervous system.

-M.

HELLO, MY SON WHO IS ABOUT TO TURN 19,HAD HIS TONSILS AND ADNOIDS REMOVED. HE HAD SEVERE SNORING PROBLEMS AND HEARING PROBLEMS, WE DID NOT KNOW OF THE HEARING PROBLEM UNTIL WE HAD HIM TESTED FOR A PHYSICAL. WHEN THESE THINGS WERE TAKEN OUT HE WAS MUCH BETTER. MY SON WAS 6YRS OLD WHEN THESE THINGS WERE DONE!

M.,
I wish they had taken my tonsils out at 4. After many many years of strep throat, alergies, sore throats they finally took mine out at 39!! Because of my age and complications I was back in the hospital 3 times. I was out from work for 4 weeks! My son had his out at 10 and he recovered in a week.
I know it's very scary to have your little one go through that, but I wouldn't hesitate. I have a 2 year old and would have no problem with the procedure being done on him at 4.

All three of my children have had both their tonsils and adenoids taken out. My oldest had her adenoids out at two years old and her tonsils at 4 years old. She snored a lot, had a long history of strep throat and upper respitory problems. She has asthma and allergies like your daugther. My only regret with her was that I didn't push my ENT to do both the first time.

My youngest had both tonsils and adenoids out in February. He is 2 years old. He could not breath if his mouth was closed and had severe sleep apnea. He also drooled all the time. After the surgery, he finally began sleeping the night through and no longer cries in his sleep.

My middle daugther, who is 4 years old, had both out in July. She had speech problems, sleep apnea, mouth breathing and bad breath. Within 24 hours of the surgery, she was speaking beautifully. SHe had never tried to engage anyone in a conversation and now she doesn't stop talking. Our family and friends all amazed at that difference in her. The bad breath has cleared up, she is sleeping soundly during the night and she is no longer a mouth breather.

The complications we ran into were:

1. My oldest daugther did fine with the adenoids and we expected the same with the tonsils. She refused to drink for several days and ended up dehydrating. I blame myself for not giving her the pain medication every 4 hours. I was concerned because it had condeine in it so I waited until she was in pain, this was not a good idea. By the time I realized that this, she was readmitted to the hospital. My son and other daughter got the pain meds every 4 hours around the clock for the first week and then I slowly increased the time between doses.

2. My yonugest son hemorraged 6 days after the surgery. He was readmitted to stop the bleeding. Evidently, he and my middle child both have a blood disorder that we did not know about.

3. My middle daugther developed a fever of 103.5 but that was remedied easily with a change of antibiotics.

My recommendation to you would be to have a neck x-ray of your daugther's adenoids before going to the ENT. My pediatrician ordered it for each of my children because she thought that we would waste the first appointment if we didn't have the films and the ENT wanted them and she was concerned the ENT wouldn't check the adenoids. Sound strange but my sister's ENT did her daugther's tonsils without even looking at the adenoids.

Second, if you are going to have the surgery get a complete family history from both sides. Ask a lot of probing questions. Even if someone was never given a diagnosis but had an on-going problem, you need to know about it. My brother-in-law hemorraged several times after surgeries and dental work but was never tested for the blood disorder my kids have, that information may have made a big difference in what we went through with my son.

Third, if you don't already have an ENT I would recommend making sure he/she is a pediatric doctor and associated with a pediatric hospital. When my son had complications, we called CHOP and told them we were bringing him in. When we walked into the ER, they were ready and knew exactly what to do. My son was ready for surgery before the ENT even examined him. The time saved may have made the difference in him not needing a blood transfusion.

Even with the complications, I think of the procedure as a gift to them. They can all breath without struggling. They can all sleep at night without waking up gasping for breath. They are all happier because they are healthy and well rested.

If you have any questions that I can help you with, please let me know.

Actually, I was a child who went through the same thing. Go the route that your doctor suggested because once my tonsils were taken out, all of the symptoms, ear infections, and illnesses went away.

My daughter also was a snorer. So loud she could wake the entire neighborhood. She had her tonsils and adnoids removed when she was about 4 1/2. I wanted it done before she started school to avoid any embarassment for her. Her snoring has gotten better...she still snores a little but she does not stop breathing as she did before. Good luck to you and your daughter.