Been given the choice - tonsils out, yay or nay?

[bobkate]

I know there's another tonsils thread going at the mo but I didn't want to hijack.
Basically the consultant today has put the decision with us about whether to remove my DD's ( 3.5yrs ) tonsils and adenoids.
So - what she has...
Glue ear on and off
Disturbed sleep due to mouth breathing, snoring and v v mild sleep apnoea ( sp? )
Huge tonsils & therefore, according to consultant, huge adenoids.
Very nasally sounding and frequently snotty.
What she doesn't suffer with
eating problems, frequent sore throats ( yet ), is generally in pretty good health IMO.
The consultant said it is not an urgent case but that he thinks it would be beneficial to her. But that we can choose.
My gut instinct is saying do it now, she's young, not started school just yet, won't be frightened by the prospect as such as no concept of what an operation is, if we wait and she starts getting frequent tonsilitus then she'll have the pain of those, lots of antibiotics and an operation at the end anyway.
Has anyone else been given the choice and if so what did you decide?
I also can't help thinking if he thought it was totally unnecessary he would have said so....

do it while she little and you've got the option. Recovery gets worse the older you get, and I was talking to someone the other day whos gp was refusing to send her to hospital to talk about getting them out so if the consultant stops seeing her you might not have the option at all.

ENT consultant said this to us, ds2 persistent glue ear, dribbley, mouth breathing, snoring, no ear infections, no sore throats, in v good health
we declined, grommets is enough imo, tonsils is bigger op, greater (although small) risk of bleeding, overnight stay and longer recovery time, they are part of lymphatic system, we wanted to know why they were enlarged, consultant said it could be genetic or allergies, we've cut dairy and some things have improved (now 6years) we've not had any other testing, I didn't like the idea that if we took them out and he started to get sick because they were enlarged because they were doing some work,
I know there are lots of people who think they should come out, if you are unsure then I'd get second opinion before going through with it, like I said you can't undo it after

Can I also ask are you NHS or private?

NHS consultant incy - he said it would be a day op - no need for overnight stay. He also said that after the age of round about the liver ( I think it was the liver ) over the immune side of things. This was at the first meeting back in September so I'm hoping I remember that right. It was suggesting they're not needed in the same way they are when they are really little.
It's the bleeding risk that is the only thing that is making me consider not doing it I think. He said it was a small risk....DH not been able to take calls today so will mull it over with him later. My mum & auntie both say to get it done now whilst she's little enough to 'bounce' back quickly.

The other thread was mine, feel free to hijack if you want .

My friend's daughter had her tonsils out at around 3.5yo and it all went really well. The snoring and sleep apnea stopped immediately. It also helped her speech a lot. She was a bit sore for a week or so after, but they got given plenty of pain relief.

A lot of trusts are really cutting back on tonsillectomy ops at the moment for cost saving so the offer might not remain forever!

I've got an appointment for DS for next week to see the paediatric ENT at the local private hospital ( he also works at our local children's nhs hospital) so will see the lay of the land for us then. I think our issue is genetic as DH and ds2 also have huge tonsils. I have teeny ones. And I did read that they only seem to be necessary for the immune system in the first couple of years.

I suffered with tonsillitis on and off throughout my childhood and adolescence. Unfortunately, it wasn't the fashion to do tonsillectomies then.
At Uni I almost had to drop out because it was so bad and so regular.
In the end I had them out aged 21. Really wish it had been sooner!

Thanks earslaps ( love that name! ) and janet - that's interesting to hear they're cutting back. I too had mine out when I was older, 19, and it was bloody awful. My Dad too had to have his out as an adult and he really struggled with the recovery. I think I'm leaning more and more towards getting them done. It's great to hear earslaps that your friends daughter saw the benefits. It does seem, from extensive reading, that the benefits really do kick in as soon as it's done.

Well, based on my own experience i would say YAY for definite, but clearly that is based on experience of 1.
We have seen the most amazing transformation in my son since his came out at 3, and the operation and recovery for him were no where near as traumatic as perhaps we had anticipated.
I dont believe that ENT consultants offer these that often tbh so when they do there will be a reason imo.
However, you could ask to wait a few months and see how you feel then?