My 3 Year Old Needs His Tonsils Removed

Same thing happened to my son! We had his out a week after his 4th birthday. His tonsils were so huge they almost touched each other across his throat. We tried a steroid series to shrink them. but as soon as we finished, they ballooned right back up again. He never had a fever or ear problems, but they were interfering with swallowing, and breathing while he slept.
He never had to stay overnight in the hospital (like I did when I had mine out at 5 yrs old). And he healed up quickly.
We were so glad we had them out when we did!

Yes it is very scary my 3 year old son just had his tonsils and adenoids removed almost a month ago and he feels so much better now and is eating everthing in sight. We did not realize how much it was affecting him until he had them removed. The first couple of days aren't too bad but around day 7-10 is a little rough when the scabs start coming off but we just kept making him drink and gave him Tylenol every four hours for two weeks and now he is doing wonderful. So I know it's hard but try not to worry too much so your son won't be scared, we just kept telling our son to say goodbye to his tonsils and he got to take his favorite toy with him which helped.

Dear A. M.

Think of his tonsils as something like his appendix. It is there for a reason to capture bacteria that should not enter into the sinus cavities, lymphatics and other cavities in his head.

If you speak with a young adult that has had them removed you will find out they are now suffering with other chronic health conditions that will last a lifetime.

They are doing their job by being swollen full of pus or bacteria. There are ways to resolve this problem without surgery.

The following is easy and worth a try before you start removing what his maker gave him to use.

1. Antisep+ Herbal - 12 OZ: Dilute it with item #2 and have him gargle 3 to 4 times a day and swallow if he will. You may have to teach him how to gargle. If he is not ready for this then he can swish the liquid throughout his mouth and swallow slowly. But gargling is best. http://ndinutraceuticals.com/product351.html

2. Argentum Elixir: 75% of this to 25% of the Antisep+ Herbal. http://ndinutraceuticals.com/product3.html

3. Inflammation Drops - 1 OZ: 5 drops in his mouth 3 to 4 times a day between meals. http://ndinutraceuticals.com/product31.html

4. Bio-Lymph Drops: 5 drops in the mouth 3 times a day. http://ndinutraceuticals.com/product126.html

Number 4 may not be necessary. Every child responds different and some don’t need this one.

You may be able to find more research at www.anatomystery.com
Click under “The Ultimate Decision” There is no perfect surgery.

Good Luck
Kim

My three year old niece just had her tonsils and adenoids out a few months ago. This surgery has come a long way and no longer requires the multiple day stays that we were seeing even a few years ago. She was fully recovered in just a few days...eating and sleeping better than she had in a year. The recovery has always been worse for older children/adults than the young ones. My younger brother had to get his out when he was in the Marine Corps...lol...talk about not having anyone to hold your hand.

My daughter has had two sets of tubes...a procedure essentially the same length...though the recoveries are slightly different. The worst part was her waking up from anesthesia the first time around. She was only a year old, teething at the time, and was completely inconsolable. I was told she'd be a little upset, but she was hysterical. When she got her second set earlier this year it all went smoother. I credit a lot of it to better nursing staff this time around and her being older.

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I don't think you'd be a normal mommy if you weren't freaking out a bit. =0) My daughter had her tonsils/adenoids removed the week she turned 3. She too, had to take one week to recover before she could go back to daycare. The hardest part with her was keeping her from not running around for that recovery week! The second day, she wanted to eat crunchy cheetos! The difference in her was amazing. She became a silent, sound sleeper and she could eat and smell like nothing before! It was fabulous!
My son just had his tonsils out (his adenoids were previously removed when he had tubes placed) July 16th. He turned 4 in June, so pretty close to your son's age. His surgery went fantastic as well. He, however, was a bit more grumpy than our daughter was. I'm convinced that they younger they have the surgery, the easier they recover. He also became a silent sound sleeper and definitely enjoys food more. =0) The most important thing is to trust your ENT. When you come home, give your child the pain medicine on schedule. However, we discovered that the tylenol with codeine made our son soooooooo super grumpy. Regular old Tylenol worked perfectly for him during those first few days of recovery. So, just read your little guy for signs. You'll know what to do. =0) I would do both surgeries over again in a heartbeat!

My son just had his tonsils and adenoids out in May...two months before his 4th birthday. He had similar sleep problems and amazingly, the snoring pretty much stopped a day or so later! My advice - make sure he gets his medication on a regular schedule and don't give the medication a chance to wear off...at least not for the first week. Keep him comfortable. Also keep him well hydrated. My son didn't want to do anything that required swallowing...and that included drinks, water ice, ice cream...you name it, he didn't want it!! They will tell you about the possibility of a bleeding risk - if it were to happen, it would happen about a week into the recovery. Keep your eye out for signs...BUT if you keep him hydrated and medicated, you should have no problems at all. We spent a few days at the hospital because he started bleeding...but it stopped on its own and didn't require any additional proceedures. I do believe that if we were able to get him to drink fluids, we would have had no problems. You never want to see your kids in pain, however knowing the good that came of it, if I could go back, I would do it again. Feel free to message me if you have any questions!

Wow! I was 13 when I had mine out, I was in the hospital for 1 or 2 days. Geese am I that old that it is now a 15 min outpatient operation? If it was my child I would be very concerned with that!

My son had his out right before his third birthday last February and I had mine removed about a month ago. He recovered much faster than I did. Wasn't something I really wanted to do to him but at least he won't have all the issues I had or any of the associated breathing problems. Just baby him after he gets it done; it'll help you feel better too. They are more resilient than you think!

My nephew (who willl be 3 in November) just had tubes put in his ears and his tonsils and adenoids removed. The surgery went very fast from what I've been told. He had to spend one night in the hospital but recovered great. Its almost been 3 weeks and even the second day after surgery he was acting like nothing happened my sister said. Sometimes at night he would complain about his throat hurting but thats all.

Go for it! we had the same reservations with our then 3 year old - too young, etc - but it was the best thing we could have done. He gained 8lbs and grew almost 2 inches the year following the removal - he could finally eat, sleep AND breathe...totally different child.

Good luck!

Our son had his out around the same age. He kept having mysterious fevers. The last time we took him in fir a mysterious fever our ped nurse practioner said his tonsils were touching and after questioning us a bit told us he had sleep epnea. The procedure itself is quick. We stayed at the surgery center for a few hours and took him home. We were told that really young kids can have a hard time coming out of anesethia but I don't remember it being bad for us. Recovery was short. Pain meds and quiet days for a few days and then it was difficult to keep him down. We had to keep him home from daycare for a week so and after that they had to do their best to keep him quiet for another week or so. Not easy when they are feeling so much better. Keep up with the pain meds for the first few days and again after about 7 days when the scab falls off. I would not hesitate to do it again for him.

Hi A.
My Sister's 3 yr old had his tonsils removed recently. he is so much better after the surgery.And believe me he was a champ during the healing period.
Make sure you explain him that he will have some eating fun like he can have tons of icecream after the surgery..make it fun for him rather than scaring him
the kids are much more easy to handle at this age since they don't have much preconception of the surgery etc
Also make sure you give him the pain medications on time. We missed giving it to my nephew once and then it was way too painful for him to sallow the medication later
overall don't freak out he will be just fine in few days but the relief he will get once its done is so much worth it
Good luck

Sorry this is so long, but I have LOTS of info on what to expect for you! Hope it helps!

Yep, tonsil and adenoidectomies are fast surgeries any more. My son was just barely 2 when he got his out (he had PFAPA-a disease that causes swollen tonsils-and so we really didn't have a choice on waiting). They did a newer procedure-i think it used sound waves instead of cautery to remove his tonsils-and I insisted they take his adenoids at the same time so we didn't risk another surgery in the future-and he was out of surgery in about 20-30 mins. I was not allowed to go back with him as he went to sleep, so I just gave him a big hug and told him I would see him in a little bit and the nurse took him back. From a medical standpoint, please don't make a big deal of it around your son because at 3 they understand so much more than we give the credit for so if you seem worried and cry, then they will be worried and anxious too (I barely held on until they closed the door behind him and then I cried, but I tried to be brave when he was in the room). Try to explain to him that he's gonna have to go back with someone, but that you will see him in a few minutes. Afterwards, be aware that when you get back to him, he will be screaming and crying as he comes out of surgery, which they want him to do-helps him get rid of the anesthesia faster! They will probably release you only after he drinks a bit so they make sure he can swallow so really push the juice and stuff (and straws are fine if you help him-or bring a sippy cup with you). The nurse told me it was important to keep offering cold drinks all day, but don't be alarmed if he doesn't want to drink much that day. We had a few toys for him after surgery but all he really wanted was to be held. I would also bring really easy PJs with a shirt that buttons up to make it easier to get him dressed after the surgery.

I made sure I had popsicles, pudding, applesauce, juice, mashed potatoes, other soft cold/warm things (they say to try not to give milk products because it makes lots of mucus and increases coughing, but truly the only thing my son wanted was ice cold Pediasure so I called my ENT and they said to go ahead and give it). My son also really liked the Safety Pops suckers. Put down some towels on your couch to help catch the sticky drool and crumbs.

There will be a TON of drool the first few days because at first they can't feel the back of their throat due to the numbing stuff and then later because it hurts.

Keep on top of the pain meds around the clock, especially days 3-10. I was told that my son should start feeling better day 5 so I thought. I would take him down to just Tylenol on day 5 and stop doing around the clock with the codeine on day 3...how wrong was I?!? At first I thought he was just milking the attention, but after spending hours with him crying, I finally called the doctor on day 7 and the doc said because he was so young, he probably was still in lots of pain and to start up the codeine again. I felt awful for letting him suffer all those days (I was given paperwork from the ENT on the surgery, but never told that it was geared for kids 5-12). Also the pain meds sting going down so I would give my son a sip or bite of something cold to help numb a little before giving him the medicine. If your son doesn't take meds well currently, it may take 2 of you to get them down-one to lay him back and one to squirt it in-luckily, my son takes medicine really well but even we struggled a bit with the stinging. The cold definitely helped though. Do not be surprised if you have to use the codeine through day 10-14 and do not be surprised if you still need to alternate Tylenol and Motrin day 15-21-with a young kid, it's reasonable for recovery to take up to 3 weeks.

Make sure you have lots for him to do on the first few days on the couch-lots of movies/tv shows, puzzles, books, toys, coloring books-and be prepared to just sit on the couch with him the first few days-the first day he will probably just sleep and watch movies on your lap (mine did around the clock) and the next few to just try to keep him quiet!

Anyway, if I think of anything else I will write you. I did google "tonsillectomy in 2 year old" and "tonsillectomy in toddler" found some good resources including a really good blog by a mom (Type A Mama-should be one of the 1st links if you google "tonsillectomy in toddler") with a 3 year old who got his tonsils out and it had lots of good info. I highly recommend you finding it and reading through it. I was so impressed I actually printed it out and took it to the ENT and told him he should hand it out to moms with kids under 5. Oh, and even with all the pain and sleepless nights and worry, I would definitely do it again because my son has been "cured" from PFAPA now for almost a year thanks to the surgery! Good luck and feel free to message if you have more questions or need more ideas after it happens.

Please make sure they biopsy the tonsils - they are part of the lympatic system, and my concern from your message is the comment about the night sweats and the fatigue (waking-up tired). 95% of lymph node swelling is the body's natural reaction to infection, and chances are, that's what's happening with your son. But, please insist on a biopsy.

As for having the tonsils removed, our neighbor's son had tonsils/adenoids both out last year at age 3. He was outside playing that afternoon and had no residual recovery time needed.

A coworker's husband just had his tonsils out and will need 2 weeks to recover. It's much easier for children than adults - like chicken pox.

Good luck - I'd be very comfortable having the ENT perform the procedure. Our daughter had tubes twice by her 2nd birthday. While it's scary as the parent, they do remarkably well as children.

My son was also 3 years old when they removed his very large tonsils and was also suffering from sleep apnea. First, the really great news - the very next day made a difference. Sleep depervation takes a hard toll on everyone, especially the little guys. In a heartbeat, I would go thru the surgery again. It is scary for everyone involved, but it goes very quick. Make it an adventure - all the way to putting on the hospital gown. They should let you carry him in and lay him down on the table and hold him until he is asleep. It will take a couple of hours for him to come out of it. We bought our son an oversized stuffed animal to sleep with him (and he has to have it every night) and that had him focus on other things besides his mouth hurting. Fingers crossed, chin up and keep smiling!