Adenoidectomy - what to expect

[ginginger]

My son is due to have his adenoids out next week. I don't know what to expect. Will he have a lot of pain afterwards? We have an hours drive home, will he need someone next to him in the car? Foods? Sleep?

The admin staff who called to arrange the date said he needs 2 weeks off school to avoid infection. Is this common?

Also what things might cause the operation to not take place? There is 'slapped cheek' going around at the moment and I'm worried about this or anything else stopping it going ahead. We have been on a waiting list for a very long.

It will be sore but often isn't as sore as having tonsils out. Two weeks off school is standard due to infection risk.

Stock up on calpol and nurofen. You should give it regularly when you get home for at least a week, sometimes longer. If you have any fresh bleeding at home you'll need to go to your local a&e to get it seen as it can be a sign of infection.

Are you staying overnight? Ads don't always tend to these days. Take pyjamas, any comforters and entertainment.

Let him eat, drink and sleep as normal. He'll be able to eat and drink when he gets back to the ward but don't be surprised if he wants to have a sleep first. The nurses will give regular pain relief. Theatre can take an hour or so. Ignore the surgeons if they tell you half an hour as they never include recovery time. You'll be able to see him off to sleep then you should be able to be taken back when he wakes up. Do you not have to go to some pre admission about what to expect? Prepare him as much as you can too.

My 4 year old had his out recently and was back at nursery within a week. He had calpol for 3 days afterwards but didn't seem to be in any pain and ate normally.

The only thing that happened which they didn't warn us about was that there was a really strong smell of burnt flesh coming from his mouth for a couple weeks after. He wasn't bothered but other people noticed for a while. Apparently it's normal so don't worry if you smell it...

Thanks for the replies.

Apparently a nurse is going to call and ask a few pre op questions.

My son hasn't asked many questions about it, in fact he's very excited 😬 he doesn't have a clue really. I don't want to worry him so I'm only answering when he asks. He knew we would be getting the appointment soon so told me not to tell him when it is until the actual day as he knows he won't sleep due to excitement! He's looking forward to finally wearing his new Star Wars pj's and slippers. He has no experience of hospitals so it will be a steep learning curve.

My son was excited too, and the staff were great. The only upsetting bit is when they give them the initial drug to make them sleepy - it can make them a little distressed for a few seconds before they fall asleep. It's so quick though. My son ate 4 ham sandwiches within half hour of waking up and didn't even remember what has happened. Best of luck (and enjoy the fact that he won't get anywhere near as many coughs and colds afterwards!

DD1 who is 3 had tonsils and adenoids out a month ago (and grommets in). She was really groggy when she woke up from the anesthetic for an hour or so. Then the nurse asked if she wanted anything to eat and she said "yes please toast and milk" and sat up and wolfed it all down. And that was her really!

We kept on top of pain medication as instructed. We were told 7- 10 days or something, but she was fine after 6 or so. She was kept away from playgroup etc for two weeks as recommended.

The only thing was tiredness. She needed a daytime nap for the first few days (which she hasn't needed for a few months) and was quite sedate for most of the two weeks. She would play intensely for a couple of hours then be exhausted. The first week we certainly watched quite a bit of tv. By the end of that week she was more Normal, but you could see in her mood she was still quite tired.

I would just prepare for a snugglier child, order a DVD or two. He will be fine I am sure. My DD cried on the evening after the operation as she "hadn't had her operation" she didn't notice the anaesthetic going in and had no pain so didn't believe it had happened!