Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

What can kids eat after tonsilectomy?

30 replies

highlystrung · 17/05/2015 08:11

My dd (5) is having her adenoids and tonsils out on Thursday. I've had no info from the hospital on what she can eat afterwards and I don't know what to buy. Some sites say only soft food and others say crunchy to promote healing. I'm really confused!! And terrified, but that's another story

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

wannabestressfree · 17/05/2015 08:12

When my son had them done and gromits, adenoids etc they said eat normally. I did let him have lots of icecream and 'nice' bits though :)

Baddz · 17/05/2015 08:14

My son ate normally

Madamecastafiore · 17/05/2015 08:14

Normal stuff.

Madamecastafiore · 17/05/2015 08:15

Normal stuff.

Original poster

highlystrung · 17/05/2015 08:17

I've heard they make them eat crisps etc. Is that true? Yet all the American sites list crunchy foods on the 'must avoid at all costs' lists.

OP posts:

KatieNanna · 17/05/2015 08:18

I had icecream and crisps

twirlypoo · 17/05/2015 08:21

I had tonsils out as an adult and wasn't allowed home till Id eaten a sandwich the next day. Which was fine as I still had morphine. When I got home I lived for the next month on Yorkshire puddings soaked in gravy - this is poss not Nhs endorsed though

I remember mashed potato and banana stinging despite being soft - not sure if I'm unusual in that.

Also, try not to worry - I totally understand why you are, but it will be fine

MarionHaste · 17/05/2015 08:21

Agree with those saying normal food to promote healing. Avoid Ribena as if they vomit, which my DD did repeatedly, it can be confused with blood.

ThursdayLast · 17/05/2015 08:28

I enjoyed a lot of ice cream

But I also remember craving crunchy things like crisps - I think the wound gets itchy as it heals like any other. I could be talking bollix though.

Original poster

highlystrung · 17/05/2015 08:29

I haven't told her yet either. Dreading that bit. I wish she was just having adenoids done - as her main problems are ear related and occasional snoring. eNT said should take tonsils out too as they are big but I'm not convinced she needs it - esp as that's the riskiest part. Am paranoid about bleeding. We live 30mins from a hospital - can't see I'm going to sleep at all for two weeks. Argh!!

OP posts:

Baddz · 17/05/2015 08:33

I felt the same!
Day was fine
Do keep on top.of pain relief....every 3 hours day and night for the first few days

ItsADinosaur · 17/05/2015 09:22

Please prepare her as much as you can, do not surprise her on the day. You can find things online if the hospital aren't providing anything.

Normal diet is what's recommended now. We don't force feed them crisps! Bleeding is a risk but the risk reduces greatly as long as you encourage eating and drinking (little and often is fine) and regular pain relief. Stock up on calpol and nurofen, make sure you give it regularly for at least a week if not two. Any signs of fresh bleeding at home then go to your nearest A&E. However I'm sure she'll be fine.

Original poster

highlystrung · 17/05/2015 09:30

I'm not going to surprise her - will probably tell her today. I've bought a book by usborne which looked good. We are waiting to hear back from the surgeon as to whether she def needs tonsils as well as adenoids. I am against her having both done as I feel it's an unnecessary risk given what her symptoms are. Can't help feeling they would be more conservative in approach if having it done on the nhs (we are having it done privately). Though I may well be being an over paranoid mother. The doctor needs also to check one of her ears on case she has a condition that will need another, bigger op, afterwards to remove it. I want this one to be as straightforward as possible for her. Tbh I'm in bits at the moment.

OP posts:

AnotherStitchInTime · 17/05/2015 09:40

My then 2 year old had her T's and A's out last December. She ate biscuits, crisps, jelly, toast, ice lollies, and whatever normal food she would tolerate. With adequate pain relief it will be fine, just try to give the paracetamol or ibuprofen at least half an hour before main meals. Also around day 10 my dd had a peak in pain again, something to do with the scabs and healing, so don't worry if you have to reintroduce analgesia if you have mostly stopped needing it.

ItsADinosaur · 17/05/2015 09:58

There's a risk of bleeding from either. But that's why we say to encourage diet and take medicine regularly so the risk reduces as does the risk of infection. They generally have a feel of the ads to see how big they are, and if they're large they remove them. If her tonsils are large they can obstruct the airway and can cause snoring or sleep apnoea.

hellsbells99 · 17/05/2015 10:01

I was given cornflakes!

Baddz · 17/05/2015 14:17

Well my son had it done on the NHS and had both T and A done at the same time.
They would not perform uneccessary surgery on a child (or anyone for that matter)
I think it's a case of you not wanting her to suffer - which it totally understandable.
It is a much easier op to get over as a child - my brother had to have an emergency tonsilectomy aged 22 and was very very ill.
I know other adults who did not have them out as children and ended up having the op as an adult and they all regretted not having them out as a child.
No op is pleasant but my Ds recovered much better than I imagined.
Good luck x

Original poster

highlystrung · 17/05/2015 14:32

Baadz you are right. I am scared of her suffering but I am also terrified out of proportion to the actual risk of her bleeding. This is not helped by the fact that my mum bled badly and needed transfusions etc after having hers out at 11 (though that was decades ago). I am a worrier but am driving myself nuts over this. I keep emailing the surgeon asking if she really needs he tonsils out - he keeps saying yes. He is probably dreading us coming in!!! Just told my daughter who was upset at first but cheered up no end when I showed her the new nighties, colouring books etc ive bought her. Now she's quite excited. I am dreading the op itself and the toe weeks til we are out of the bleeding risk time. And then she might need another op. It's horrible !!

OP posts:

Baddz · 17/05/2015 14:48

I do get it....Honestly.
I am also over 30 mins from a and e.
It's a worrying time, no doubt, but what I would say is that operating techniques are much, much better than since your mum had the op.
Also, they now use a technique which reduces the risk of bleeding....sorry I cant remember the name of it!
My son did bleed a tiny amount directly after the op but nothing at all at home.
The % of people who bleed is very small, and I would conjecture that those who bleed are older, and perhaps have other health issues too.

Baddz · 17/05/2015 14:50

I had all my wisdom teeth out at 22. I was in a lot of pain all the time.
In fact 5 out as I had another impacted one too.
I wasnt worried at all about the op until a work colleague told me when she had the op she had "died" on the table!
Well...thanks for that!!
Anyway, had the op (very nervous about it thanks to woman from work!) and it was fine.
I did bleed but not worryingly so.
I was in pain, but it was manageable with pain meds.
I am VERY glad I had it done!

Tokelau · 17/05/2015 15:02

DD had her tonsils and adenoids out when she was 6. She was in agony on the day of the operation, and was given morphine, and calmed down. We spent that night in hospital.

The next day she was absolutely fine - no complaints about a sore throat or anything, and to be honest she wasn't very good with pain as a rule. I'm sure she was a bit uncomfortable, but she didn't complain. We gave her custard, ice cream and yoghurt for a day or two, and then she just had normal food.

The worst thing was that she had to be off school for two weeks in case she picked up an infection, and we couldn't swim or do things with other kids, and she was so bored. She felt fine and wanted to go back to school!

There was a strange outcome - after having the operation she started suffering from hay fever, which she had never had before, and no one else in the family has it. I think it might have been hay fever that was making her tonsils swell and we all though she was having constant infections.

Baddz · 17/05/2015 15:05

Sounds like my Ds.
He was running around the ward the next morni after having toast for breakfast.

spaghettiarms1 · 17/05/2015 15:35

My 3 year old had tonsils & adenoids out and grommets put in a few weeks ago. Yes normal foods, particularly toast, biscuits, crisps and crackers. drinks of water were most important straight after the op.
Also, mash/pasta/chocolate can stick to the wound so we avoided that sort of thing.
Rough couple of weeks, especially at night, keep up paracetamol and ibuprofen.
Hope everything goes well (has been well worth it for my ds, huge improvement)

teejayem · 17/05/2015 15:42

I found cheese, chocolate, anything dairy really stuck to my throat and hurt. Also fruit juice stung like a bugger even though I remember really wanting it.

Original poster

highlystrung · 17/05/2015 16:32

Thanks all. Reassuring to read positive stories. Baddz my dd is supposed to be having it done with some new safer technique - where they dissolve the tonsils but leave some in, like a partial tonsillectomy. Her main issues are her ears. She has glue ear and can't have grommets so he's hoping this will help. She snores occasionally and has sleep apnoea when she does but it's not all the time by any stretch, and she doesn't get tonsilitis very often either. I wish she was just having adenoids out, but everyone says I'll regret it if we don't get tonsils done too and she needs it later on.
I'll just stock up on normal but nice foods and lots of drinks, calpol etc. Can't wait for it all to be over.

OP posts:

Flip

1 2