my son's having his tonsils removed!!!

[Choco]

my son's operation's scheduled for the end of this month, but at this point i'm still not sure if i made the right decision. some say that i'm putting my son's health at risk because he won't have his tonsils at frontline to fight germs...oh i feel terrible and i'm afraid i'm making the wrong decision!!

[Medea]

Hi Choco, my son (6) just had his out last week. (And his adenoids, too, because, like sittingbull's ds, he had obstructive sleep apnea.) Like you, I suffered a lot of doubtwas the hospital OK? had I done enough research?but actually I didn't worry about the immunity issue, and think you should put your mind at rest about that. Yes, some people "warned" me too about putting ds's health at risk, but interestingly it was never people with much medical knowledge! And think about all the people in our parents' generation who routinely had their tonsils out (well, that was definitely the case in America at least); how many of them have had a lifetime of hindered immunity? Not too many that I know of.

How old is your ds? My ds's operation went very welland we actually had a lovely time in the hospital together, reading books and playing gamesthough he does need to take quite a lot of painkillers now, even nearly a week after the operation. So be prepared for that--throat pain, ear pain etc. Why has tonsil removal been recommended for your ds?

[Choco]

thank you SittingBull and Medea, i feel much much better now! Medea, maybe you're right! the comments were mostly from ppl w/o much medical knowledge. My son's 6 and he's been having tonsilitis almost every month for the past 2 years! i don't know...i've heard some horrible stores about tonsils removal..the immunity is one of them and the other one is that the tonsils can actually grow back in some cases! but anyhow, after hearing both of your comments i feel alot better now. about the operation itself, was it really painful? what did he eat after the o/p? ice cream and lollies? and how many days were they able to eat "normal" food? anything in particular that i should remember to bring to the hospital? again thanks!

[Medea]

Well I guess tonsils can grow back, and adenoids too, but it doesn't happen often. And if he's having tonsilitis every 2 months. . .well then, Choco, your ds is pretty miserable. And this is very unusual, I admit, but my ds got a severe strept throat once that landed him in hospital with septicemia that was caught early luckily. So there can be some big downsides to leaving the tonsils in, too.

I agree with sittingbull about a portable dvd player. What I did was to take my laptop into hospital, which plays dvds. And you might want to get ds a little present to open before the operation (that's what my ds did. . .it helped make him less nervous) or after. His present was a dvd, which we then watched on the laptop. I also read to him loads--Harry Potter, which he really likes. And the hospital had some toys & games, but they were missing pieces. (So maybe you can bring his favorite game, if he has one.) Will he stay a night? Mine did; just happens to be the convention at the hospital that did the op.

It was all much less traumatic than Ior dsexpected it to be. Try not to worry.

[Choco]

thank you both of you for your advice! my son's op will be on Aug 31, just right before school starts! is his doctor overly optimistic or what? he says my son should be able to be in school in several days?! i've heard from others that it takes a week or 2 to be able to be back to school?

[eidsvold]

my dd1 had her tonsils and adenoids removed due to sleep apnoea and the change in her is amazing - rather than getting all gunked up in her sinus area etc, her head is able to drain. Her sleep and whole demeanour has improved out of sight. In fact since the surgery she has grown like mad and her behaviour is just so much better as she is not tired and gunky all the time.

she was 3 1/2 when she had the surgery - had an overnight stay due to her cardiac condition and sn BUT she recovered really well. See of you can get something called Painstop - brilliant pain reliever - has a daytime and a night time formula. I was able to buy it over the counter from the pharmacy.

Post surgery - lots of icy poles to start with then toast and cereal. Apparently that is better than ice cream and jelly etc as it helps prevent infection and so on. They lasered them off and so this help slough off the dead skin too.

[mumoftwoangels]

I found out a couple of days ago my daughter needs her tonsils removing. She has just turned 3. She has speach problems, she snores and doesn't sleep through most nights. I am assured that having these tonsils (and Addanoids) removed will help all of the above. We have had problems since she was a baby, so i am going ahead. I have been advised by my consultant to take her out of preschool for two weeks before the operation and keep her off for 2 weeks after!!!!
Good luck!
ps 1 was 19 when i had mine taken out and i am told the younger you are the easier the recovery, so that was another factor; rather do it now when she probably wont remember it.

[mumoftwoangels]

Forgot to add, the doctors don't but children in for surgery without thinking it is really necessary. So just remember why you think he needs it and how much better it will make him feel in the months after. Thats what i am doing. How calm i will be in the days before i don't know!
I hope it all goes well.

[mumoftwoangels]

Thanks Sittingbull the consultant but the fear of God in me when he said the waking was prob sleep apnea, i spent the next 2 nights sleeping next to her to check!
I wish i had known about mumsnet earlier it would have prob put my mind at rest through the months of screaming we had in place of talking. She chats a bit know although you sometimes have to speak her laungage to understand. Again though that is due to the tonsils and addanoids, effecting her hearing! But the pitch and volume of those screams, not hearing them was only a bonus!

[Medea]

Choco, I'm perplexed that the doctor thinks your ds should be ready for school "in a few days." We were told to keep our ds at home for 2 weeks. Trips to the park are OK, we were told, but not too much indoor exposure to other children because the risk of infection is higher after surgery. And it's been now a week after ds's op and he's still soreeven last night he woke up with bad ear painso I wouldn't think he'd have been ready for school by now. So maybe clarify that with the consultant. Also there's a tiny risk of bleeding in the 8-10 days period post-operatively, so I guess I'd want ds around, so I could monitor that. And by the way mumoftwoangels is right about doctors not liking to book children in for surgery unless it's necessary. In fact, that's why we've had to wait so long with ds. . .he was tried, first, on a cocktaiil of drugs to shrink the adenoids (which didn't work). . .and surgery was considered to be a last resort. Your boy is probably also in that "last resort" category if he's getting infections so often.

[Choco]

yes, you're right, op is the last resort. at first i was hoping that he would outgrow it and would get better as time goes by...but last year it's almost the same:tonsilitis every month or two. i guess i have no other choice but to go ahead with the op. the only thing i'm hoping is that after the op. he'll be tonsilitis free! (well i know that maybe he'll still get an occasional sore throat now and then but hope nothing like what he has now)

[Choco]

one more thing, should i let my son know more details of what to expect afterwards? like the throwing up blood and vomiting thing?

[Medea]

Choco, our consultant talked about all the risks in front of ds, which I found surprising and a little insensitve. My boy is switched on, a worrier, but also curious--and he asked me later to explain more fully about the bleeding etc that he heard the doctor mention. So I downplayed it, but didn't hide anything. I, personally, would not have mentioned it, though, if the doctor hadn't said all that in front of him.