Tonsils

I would suggest to get her tonsils out. My granddaughter
had lots of strep throat and other throat infections. She
got her tonsils out and has been so much better since then.

Hi L.,
Have them taken out while she is younger. I'm 41 and had mine out last month and believe me it was no picnic and it left me wishing my parents would have done it when I was little. Being older I ran into more complications as well.

Good Luck, M. V.
Melaleuca-The Wellness Company

Hi L. - my youngest son, Phillip, always had LARGE tonsils. When he was young he was always having sore throats, but no infections, so getting his tonsils out were never an option. Phillip is now almost 23, (a bio-medical engineer and starting med school next year) and had enough of the sore throats. He finally had his tonsils out last Spring break and it was a nightmare. I had to spend a couple nights with him (the older you are, the bigger the tonsils - the bigger the sore etc.) and he was very miserable and told me he wished I would had convinced the doctor when he was younger to remove them then. Good luck to you... I vote to have them removed... K.

I am 23 and had my tonsils removed at 17 after years of agony. This is because my mother did not want me to have the surgery. The longer you wait, the more complications that can happen. Since the surgery, I haven't had one sore throught, and my health has greatly improved. Get her tonsils and adnoids removed. Don't wait. She'll feel so much better!

My daughter had her tonsils and adnoids out at 2. She has not hardly even got sick since then and grew like a weed after she had them out. She is now 5 and still doing great. Never have regret it.

jo

Hi L..

This is my children made over. My daughter whom is 9 years old justhadhers removed on Thursday of last week for the same problems. She suffered snoring from the time she was little and then developed sleep apena last year. We watched her go through about a year of not having enough sleep and being cranky and tired. She had the enlarged tonsils also. I will tell you that the older they get the harder it is for recovery. As a parent I think that it is best for you to go ahead. I will tell you just in the short 8 days since my daughter had hers removed she is already sleeping more soundly at night. I will tell you also that we seemed to see the doctor often because of sore thorats. I would also recommend that your doctor take a look at her adnoids my daughters we enlarged and they thought that was the reason for her snoring and we had those removed when she was 1 years old. I think there are many people that will say do not have them removed but I will speak for some one that does not have them. I had mine removed when I was 5 years old and even as a adult with children that walk around with strep allot I never get it! Even when I was younger it was never my thorat as much as my ears. For your daughters sake I think you know what needs to be done and you have to stick with that! You are mom and knows what is best.

Hi L.,
I had a LOT of sore throats as a child. The doctors kept blowing my mom off about having my tonsils removed...saying things like 'if she has one more in the next month...' then I would be fine for a few months. Well, when I was 20, I finally went to a specialist and found out I had chronic tonsilitis and he suggested I get them out ASAP or I would be dealing with it the rest of my life. So, over Christmas break when I was a junior in college, I had them out. It was painful and took a few weeks to fully recover, but it was the best thing I could have done! I haven't had any sickness throat related since. (I am now 35.) Please don't wait...my mom feels so bad now about all those years I could have avoided being sick! Plus the recovery is so much easier with a child. I don't think you will regret it if you get them taken out. Good luck!!!

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out at age 2, my son had it done at age 3(and had surgery for being tongue tied at the same time.) BOTH had sleep apnea, my daughter would actually gag during the day from just crying hard. They both did well after the surgery and I have never regretted it. Sleep apnea can be dangerous so do not wait. My daughter actually had surgery the same week she saw the specialist, her tonsils were so big. This after our peditrician said she did not need the surgery but he would give me the referral to shut me up. Sometimes you can't see how big the tonsils are from just looking at the throat. Trust your gut and good luck.

Mom of a girl who just turned 6 and a boy age 7 1/2.

WOW!!!! You sound like what we are going through. My daughter and son and the same age as your kids. My daughter has been having her ears bother her and it turns out each time to be something with her throat. In fact I took her in on Monday and the dr. thought by looking at her she definately had strep throat but it came back negative. So we are trying for the next week allergy medicine to see if that will help her out. So what I am going to suggest to you is that you check out and see if this is allergy related. That might be a better option than surgery. I have to take my son back in for his check up and at that time we are going to decided if she is better or not if not then we are probably going to have to go down that road of taking her tonsils out. As I understand that it could help out in the long run.

I hope that everything works out for you

Hi L.,
I have a 6yr old son and 3 1/2yr old daughter. Both have suffered from frequent strep infections. Our son had his tonsils & adenoids out last fall (he was 5 then) and our daughter had hers removed about 2 weeks ago. Overall our son has been in much better health since they were removed. The ENT said our daughter's tonsils were very large and when he removed the adenoids, he said they were extremely large as well. My husband and I debated on doing the surgery, but decided that the benefits far outweighed the risks. It's a long 10 days after the surgery-- trying to keep them hydrated, etc but overall we had no real problems. I know it is much more difficult to have the surgery when you are older, so if you think you may do it, I'd probably say go ahead and get it over with now while the recovery will probably be easier. I realize you aren't dealing with the strep infections, but it still seems like with enlarged tonsils, having them removed may be something you should really consider.
Best of luck!
C. Zink

Hi L.,
My son was sick very often until he was 6. We had 2 sets of ear tubes and constantly sick with colds and sore throats until we had his tonsils out. It all stopped! Tonsils are a filter and our doctor descibed it as a sponge that has too much bacteria. Instead of filtering it's just creating more problems. Maybe a second opinion and I would deffinately recommend it. He didn't eat for 6 days afterwards and I was worried because he was only drinking and eating popcicles, the doctor said one more day then bring him in. The next day he ate three meals. Ever since he is hardly sick at all. Good luck.

My nephew had a similar situation years ago. He is 15 1/2 now. My sister did chose the surgery and he was much happier afterward because he was not sick all the time. He was almost 5 at the time of the surgery. I don't know if he had the snoring issue. I hope this helps!

Hi L.!! I am a stay at home mom of 2 active boys. My oldest son Trey will be 6 in July and we just had his tonsils and adenoids out in the being of April. It was the best thing we have done. He would snore really loud and not sleep well. He was also breathing really hard, like he couldn't breathe through his nose. He was loud all the time. When the doctor was done with his surgery we found out that is tonsils and adenoids were huge!! So if it was up to me I would the surgery. The first few days after the surgery are hard I won't like but it is all worth it. He is sleeping much better and not breathing thought his mouth all the time. Good luck with whatever you decide.

L.,
we dealt with the same thing with our son only he was only 2 1/2, he had recurrent throat and ear infections. we were on antibiotics at least once a month. we was not eating and had high fevers. he also had tonsils that were almost touching. we saw an ent and she said they should be removed aloong with his adnoids. he was also a snorer and this helped. we kept him on antibiotics until surgery. he had a very quick recovery in the hospital one night and home the next day. you would of never known that he had surgery. he was up playing the day after, although we had to keep him down a little due to the chance of bleeding. we have only had maybe less than a half dozen sore throat that required meds since the removal and he is now 10. the best thing that we ever did. i am very glad that i faught my family practice doctor to get that referal. hope things go as well for your daughter. good luck. H.

Its been just over a month since I had my 5 year old tonsilles out. He never had strep either. He had continuous congestion, had already had adnoids removed and tubes in, and was needing tubes again. His sleep apnea--well I discribed as a 50-year old sleeping in my sons 5 year old bed. It was seriously that bad. The ENT looked at them and said if your good with it I'm ready to take them out. (Just one year ago, he stated that my son would have to go through a sleep study to get them out, I was against that!) Anyways, he has been wonderful...no antibiotics, no sore throats and no congestion or snooring since recovery period is past. :-D Yah. Its rough though. It took a good 2 weeks for him to recovery at 5 y/o. It's rough on child and parent, but so far, I think he was the greatest thing for him. :) (The only thing that has worked and stayed working for longer than a two weeks time. lol)

If she never got the full course of here antibiotic, it could have possibly been the same infection. She could have gotten better, and then it flared back up. On the other hand, I have had HUGE tonsils since childhood and every time I get a cold I end up with a terrible sore throat. My tonsils have developed "pits" and food gets stuck in them. My son got his out at 6 and it was the best thing we ever did. He's not even had a cold since. The tonsils job is to protect against infections but sometimes when they are enlarged, it actually draws infection to them.

Well I have 3 girls and 2 of them have had their tonsils out. The oldest was 4 when she had hers out and my middle daughter was 2. Both of them had easy recovery and have hardly been sick at all since they have been out. Also they have really cut down on the snoring. Our ENT told us that with sleep apnea that they really need to come out. I'm suprised that they didn't recomend it to you sooner. I hope this helps. I really dont see any reason to keep them in...plus it gets worse as an adult and they can cause more problems if you have them out as an adult. Recovery is so quick and easy for younger children.

Hello, I don't have any children yet (7 months pregnant with my first) but I did have my tonsils out as an adult. All my life I had cronic throat infections, strep throat, swollen glads etc. When I was about 6 or 7 my doctor wanted to take my tonsils out but my parents said no. The problems continued to palgue me my entire life until finally at the age of 24 I went to an ear, nose & throat specialist (now that I was an adult & could decide for myself) and my doctor said I desperately needed those tonsils out. So I had them removed at 24 years old and it was a very painful recovery. But after I recovered all my problems went away. In the 8 years since I had them removed I have had maybe one or two throat infections and never had strep again. It was a decision that I am glad I made and it greatly improved my life. I wish my parents would have done it when I was a child, it would have saved me years of pain and missed work, also it would have been a easier recovery as a child. If your daughter is suffering I would recommend you have the procedure done. Best of luck to you!

Hi L.,

I have lots of experience with tonsils. I had very large tonsils, but the doctor never felt their was a need to take them out. When I was 15 and getting braces, the dentists had me go back to the ENT to double check, because if you have braces on and need your tonsils out, they have to take your braces off, so they decided to take them out. I have had 3 children without pain meds and this was by far the most pain I have ever been in my entire life. I couldn't eat for 2 wks and a scab come off and had to be rushed to the hospital to stop the bleeding, it was horrible. My son, who is now seven, would sleep all the time. We would be in the car no more than 5-10 min. and he would be alseep. After taking him to the ENT, they said he had sleep apnea. He had his tonsils out when he was almost 5. The recovery was very fast, wanting to eat chips the same day! He now sleeps everynight and never falls asleep like he did before. Hope this helps!

R.

That happened to me when I was little. And for years and years I would get sick with strep throat, swollen glands, sore throats, inflamed tonsils, etc etc... it was awful! I finally had them removed when I was 20 and haven't had a throat problem since.

For your child, have them taken out...I wish my parents would have!

For the childs sake have them out if you have insurance to pay for it.It is a out patient procedure usually.Have the adnoids removed as well.That should not only help the snoring but also the sleep apnea. I was 17 when I had mine out , it was horrible,it was almost two weeks before I could eat real food. But watch her cause once mine came out I gained some major weight.A lot of insurance concider this surgery as elective now and may not cover it.

I would recommend having the ent take the tonsils out. My 7 yr. old had his tonsils taken out when he was 6 along with having tubes put in his ears, his adenoids were taken out and they did what they call a rotor-rooter on his sinuses. He no longer snores and he doesn't have all the sinus issues that he had before. There is never any guarantee with any surgery but it will help with the snoring and sleep apnea which can be deadly. I would do the surgery now instead of making her wait. The surgery is quick too. Everything my son had done to him only took 30 minutes for them to do. As many throat infections as she has had in such a short period of time I think it would probably benefit her to have them out. Good luck!
D.
I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4.

Hi Lara,

I apologize in advance for my long response. As you will be able to tell, I feel very strongly about this topic. :)

Your daughter's experience reminds me of my own as a child. For me, winters consisted of monthly throat infections (tonsillitis and strep). My mother had similar problems as a child and still does, so she frequently asked the doctor to remove my tonsils. The family doctor recommended against forcing me through the trauma of surgery, and the problems continued until I was 9 or 10 years old. Then, my adenoids began to cause trouble for me as well. I had difficulty breathing through my nose and had a degree of hearing loss. After going to more than one ENT, my mother finally found one who agreed that my tonsils and adenoids should be removed. As another responder said was her experience, my tonsils were pitted and caught bits of food. Due to this, the infection was never completely gone, even with antibiotics.

The surgery took place during the summer after my 4th grade year of school. I won't deny that it was painful. The first night after the (outpatient) surgery was rough for me (and my family) and the next few days were tough. I could eat soft foods like mashed potatoes, but the gravy stung. Popsicles were soothing. I even remember trying some baby food fruit. I was old enough to understand that what I was experiencing was temporary and that it would help me to be sick less often.

The next school year, I went from missing an entire week of school on multiple occasions due to throat infections to not missing any days. I felt healthier. I had more energy. I could hear, chew with my mouth closed and stopped snoring (all problems from the adenoids). For me, surgery was a brief period of quite strong discomfort that was worth the benefits!

My recommendation to you is not to be intimidated by the idea of surgery for your daughter. Wait until you feel she is old enough to understand what is happening and communicate her needs to you during recovery. But for me, the "trauma" of persistent, recurring illnesses, constantly catching up at school, and taking multiple rounds of antibiotics each winter was significantly worse than the "trauma" of recovering from the surgery. I am thankful that my mother fought for my health.

Good luck,
K. C.

Spray her throat with CLEAR colloidal silver. It is anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal. DO NOT USE YELLOW colloidal silver as the particles are too large to work and may cause harm. We make our own and use it for *everything*. www.silvergen.com is where we got our machine. Note, the research on colloidal silver does not say it uses the yellow or the clear so the data is useless. It is like saying they tested water and found it to be harmful without telling you it was water straight out of the river. I used to ALWAYS be sick (teacher) until 8 yrs. ago I started using clear colloidal silver. I have not been sick - not even once - with a fever, cold, flu or anything! Cured chronic yeast infections, warts, ear infections, pink eye...as soon as I think I may have a symptom, I silver it up!

Hi L.,

When I read your story about your daughter, it was like reading about my daughter. She was sick a lot, snored very loudly, and was diagnosed with sleep apnea... and had never slept through the night. When she was a little over 3 we had her tonsils and adenoids removed. I'll not mince words when I say post op was ten days of pure hell. However, once she recovered from the surgery she started sleeping all night, no snoring at all, and just generally acted like she felt better... oh, and has only had a couple of minor little colds since (she's now 4 1/2)!!! It was the best thing we've done. It's funny because shortly after her surgery she started sleeping so quietly and I was used to such loud snoring that when I would check on her I would have to get right down in her face she was sleeping so quietly!! You should really think about having it done... plus the younger they are the easier it is on them.

p.s. If you have a relative (mother... sister... mother-in-law) that could come and stay with you and help if you have the surgery would be a huge help to you!!!

Best of luck!!!

My son went through this, if she has ANY form of an ear infection, have them culture the fluid in her ears. My son almost had his tonsils out a couple months ago, and the ENT that did his surgery changed his tubes and found the problem. An underlying case of pseudomonas, which is a TERRIBLE infection that can cause the enlarged tonsils as well. Hope this helps. Feel free to email me and I can talk more about it!

Dear L., I guess feedback coming from a 62 year old grandmother is kind of funny. I can only tell you my experience with my tonsils. As a child it seemed that I always had "tonsillitis". When ever I was sick it always seemed my tonsils were involed. At one point there was talk about taking them out but that didn't happen until I was 25 yrs. old and the mother of two children ages 3 and 1 yrs. old. There were complications during surgery and I was flat on my back for a week. Doctor's orders were that I was not to take care of my children that they were to be taken to a sitter by my husband when he left for work and he was to bring them home when he came home from work. I was in no shape to take care of them during that week. I would have to say it is much harder on an adult to have their tonsils taken out than it is on a child. I think the hardest part of a child's tonsils being taken out is the worrying the parents do. GOOD LUCK in what ever you decide to do.
S. C.

Hi L.! I have a son who is now 11 and had his tonsils and adenoids removed at 6, and it was the best thing we could have done for him. He used to get chronic sinus infections, because the sinus cavity couldn't drain well. He was on Augmentin every 6-8 weeks, because the infections kept returning, and he had become resistent to the amoxycilin. Although he never had strep, he had recurrent sinus infections. He snored like a freight train and had slight apnea. I insisted that he had his tonsils and adenoids removed, they did it, and he has been a new kid ever since. He even said he was glad that he had it done, although during recovery, he wasn't very happy. A week of painful recovery is much easier on them than constant issues from the tonsils. His were so big, that they had a bit of problem getting the breathing tube down his throat before surgery! Do your daughter a favor and get it done. The recovery is tough, but just be sure to keep her drinking cold fluids and eating popsicles to keep her throat as moist as possible. You know how bad it hurts when your throat dries out with a sore throat, and this is even worse. Trust me, it was well worth it! Good luck!

I personally would have them taken out. I also have enlarged tonsils & have suffered & still suffer from frequent sore throats. I have heard that it is more painful to have them removed as you age, and it's harder to get done. I wish mine had been taken out a long time ago. I also work w/ sleep doctors & would highly reccomend her having her tonsils removed. It can't hurt anything & it may even stop the sleep apnea... which only worsens as you age. If you're really afraid of having them removed, then I would try finishing a whole course of antibiotics. That may be why she's having so many problems. It won't go away w/ out the whole 7-14 days of meds. So, maybe try that first then consider it. Good luck, and keep us posted!

Both of my girls had theirs out because of being enlarged. My oldest had them so big that one side was touching her uvula (the dangly thing in the back of your throat)! So, she only had half of her throat! Anyway, not only did that clear up a lot of her infections, etc. but she slept better because she was breathing better.

I would suggest getting them out if they are enlarged. You'll be amazed. They went from 4 or 5 dr visits a year to 1 every 2 or 3 years! It is easier for them when they are younger.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

My daughter had her tonsils and adnoids out this January due to infection in her adnoids. She is just 3 years old. She also had sleep apnea and loud snoring. The first day after the sugery was bad but it only took about 2 weeks for her to recover. For me it was worth it because the sleep apnea went away almost immediately and the snoring was gone after the swelling went down from the sugery. She still gets sore throats and runny nose but for me, I would do the sugery again. Good luck on your decision.

Hi L.!

I can honestly say if I was in your position, I would opt to have them out now. I actually know someone who died from complications after having tonsils removed as an adult out in Mentor 5 years ago. She was only 22 years old. My intention is not to scare you. However, it's one of those things that impacted my life and I will never forget it. Thus, if it were my son. He'd be having the surgery sooner than later.

I am sorry you've had to go through this. Just wanted to share my personal experience with throat infections. For as long as I can remember (age 18-current 38) I started getting sore throats that would not heal themselves.... several times a year. I would end up going to the campus dr or eventually urgent care (usually it got so severe so quickly I couldn't wait for the weekdays etc) and get antibiotics, and it would go away. For awhile. This plagued me until a couple years ago when my dr. finally handed me some samples of Allegra. (I had tried Claritin and some nasal sprays with no luck). It does the trick. At the first sign of scratchy throat - almost always caused from postnasal drip - I take an Allegra once a day for about 3 days. Then the soreness is gone!! I haven't had one get out of control since I started this. It sounds very similar with your daughter. The nasal congestion and sleep apnea are just so similar to my experience. Just had to share. Hope his helps. (BTW I still have my tonsils... but I certainly don't want to discourage you from getting them taken out either.)

Hi there! Just thought I'd share our tonsil story for you as you make your decision. I'm 35, and had my tonsils removed when I was about 5 due to constant high fevers and sore throats. I'm so glad my mom did that for me. Fast forward to my kids (9 yo boy, 7 yo boy, 3 yo twin girls) and 3 of my 4 have theirs out too (tonsils and adnoids). My oldest had his out at 7 years when he had 5 cases of strep in one winter. My second oldest was almost 6 when we had his removed due to extreme snoring and apnea. My 3 year old just had her out 9 days ago because of the snoring and apnea, and when she had a case of strep earlier this year, the tonsils swelled shut and we had to head to the hosptial for a steriod to open them up. My other 3 year old will probably have hers out too for the snoring and apnea. Anyway - the tonsils we just had removed from my daughter were much larger than originally thought, and he said they kinda fell apart when he took them out because of the infection they pretty much constantly had. All the kids have definately benefited - no more strep for my oldest, and much better sleeping and appetite for the rest. It isn't necessarily easy at times during the short term recovery, but long term, it is really worth it. Good luck!

We just had our daughters tonsils removed 2 weeks ago. She is 3 1/2. She had very large tonsils which caused snoring and sleep apnea as well. I was concerned but after lots of research and discovering the tonsils really have no job anymore and removing them can only help with symptoms not become more problematic we decided to have them removed along with her adenoids. She healed well and is sleeping much better. Hope this helps,

Dearest L.,

Our son, now 10 years of age, had a lot of the same problems at your daughters age - with the exception that he did have several cases of "strep". He did the snoring, high temps, ... instead of the long oral anti-biotics, we started opting for the injections. These of course were not as pleasant to endure while it happened but, it worked faster and we didn't have any problem with worrying about him not getting the full treatment. We opted to get our son's tonsils and adnoids taken out at about your daughters age. He wasn't all that great waking up from the operation but, actually he did wonderful. The very day he had the surgery, he was wanting to eat Doritoes! He has had great success from the surgery. He has gotten sore throats here and there but, nothing like we were going through. He doesn't really remember it too much now either. Good luck!!!!

Hi L.,
I would recommend getting them removed. I had mine removed at the age of 22 and that was awful. They were the size of golf balls. Especially with her having snoring and sleep apnea. Eventually your body starts getting immune to the antibiotics, which in my case I was getting strep every month. The recovery time will be alot less with her being so young. A really good ENT specialist over in Beechmont, Dr. Wood I hope this helps...N.

My daughter had her tonsils out when she turned 3. They removed her tonsils as well as her adenoids, which were blocking over half of her air passageway. She too snored all the time and the surgery completely eliminated that. Chances are that your child will have tonsil difficulties throughout their life. It's so much easier for a child to bounce back from the surgery than an adult. We only stayed in the recovery room for about 30 minutes and then were released to go home. She was quiet for a couple days, but really didn't complain. In fact, she wanted shrimp as soon as we got home! :)

I suffered from frequent bouts of tonsilitis as a child and teenager. At the time it was not general practice to remove them. Now as an adult I have a lot of sinus issues that I feel is connected somehow to my throat and my tonsils. If I could have chosen myself I would have had them out no questions asked. I sometimes toy with the idea of doing it now but I have three children and I don't like the idea of a difficult recovery. Speaking purely from personal experience, I would have them out and save your daughter a lot of health isuues in the future.

I would have them out now. My daughter had her tonsils out in high school (she didn't start having problems until she was a junior and they caused her to miss a lot of school. It is worth it to do it when they are young.

P. R

I recommend trying chiropractic adjustments, unless you feel that the need for surgery is imminent (sp?). I know it sounds weird, but adjusting the spine has solved multiple problems for many people, including ENT-type problems. If you decide to try this, be sure to go to a chiro who believes in holistic health, not one who is mainly used to just backaches, accident injuries, etc. And no, I don't have any interest in any chiro, and I don't work for one :)

If they're that bad, just do it.