Tonsil and adenoid removal

[Elfranko]

Hi, I'm just looking for any experience with tonsil removal.
MY little one is 3 now and between the age of newborn and 2 she had tonsillitis 5 times. Her tonsils are huge on any given day anyway. I was the same I had mine removed at 14 after years of suffering with tonsillitis.
She also has sleep apnea she snores so loud and has done since new born she is such a heavy breather even when shes awake. She doesnt have problems sleeping and goes the other way if anything as she is such a deep sleeper she refuses to wake up in the mornings. She does have the issue where she stops breathing for several seconds when asleep. If shes ever in bed with me sometimes I wake up and if I cant hear her snoring I check on her and shes not breathing I touch her and she gasps it's pretty scary actually.

She went to a specialist last year and within 5 minutes he had signed her off for her tonsils and adenoids removed but said he would advise to wait until after she was 3. I was convinced this was the way to go but she hasnt had tonsillitis since and its been about 10 months now.

The main thing that is putting me off is apart from having tonsillitis shes never been sick. Never thrown up in her life, never caught a bug even when the whole family and I mean several houses were struck with norovirus she escaped it. I know the tonsils are a first line of defence. Could the huge tonsils be protecting her from bugs.

Has anyone got any experience with sleep apnea if she doesnt get them removed could this get worse?

Hubby has tonsillitis countless times but they will NOT remove them he is not over weight very healthy and doesnt drink or smoke and to many peoples surprise suffers with bad sleep apnea resulting in him wearing a machine at night to help him sleep if he forgets he suffers with dry throat heartburn and constantly getting up for the loo he wishes they would remove them and it's awful to see someone you love suffer with tonsillitis all the time.
I cant and wouldn't tell you what to do for your child as its your decision always speaking from experience its effects many day to day activities if he doesn't sleep well.
I hope that you get the advise you need and do what Is best for your child X

I forgot to mention hes had this problem since he was a baby even spent xmas as a child in hospital with tonsillitis still they didn't remove them he had passed out with the pain. Please don't let this scare you as awful as it sounds!

I'm in a similar position but we're still going for the operation. My son has had so many courses of antibiotics due to his tonsils that I feel they don't work much any more. He's had a 6 month break of tonsillitis as it stands but he started with this at about 5 months old. We aren't having adenoids too and we have been warned that it might mean any tonsillitis becomes a chest infection but as his birth mother and all her siblings had then removed at various ages, I don't think he's going to be the type to grow out of it.

It’s a difficult decision to make - we had DS (5) tonsils removed this summer at the end of year R. For him it was slightly different - he grew out of the apnoea (the initial issue) but developed chronic tonsillitis (every 6-8 weeks for over a year). He had had a few bouts as a baby but nowhere near as many. For us, the decider was the time the usual antibiotics didn’t work and we ended up in a&e for steroids. The over 3 thing is just about them being big enough to make the operation easier, though I think 5 was a good age for us. Recovery was ok, we had some issue with bleeding but we were unlucky. Now it seems like a distant memory, and he no longer snores and is thriving

Thanks for the replies. I do think I was lucky to get them out at 14 and remember every occasion was ruined by tonsillitis before that. I dont want it to be the same for my little one. Just a big decision to make. However since I wrote this message this morning. She has come down with a temp this afternoon. So if it's another bout of tonsillitis that will be the decision made for me

There is usually a strict criteria about when to remove tonsils. Having tonsillitis one time after another in a short space of time; having quinsy which is when the tonsils are so large and inflamed they almost touch.
I had mine out aged four.

My son had tonsils removed when he was fourteen or fifteen, he'd had quinsies and that was worrying.

A lot of people say don't have them removed too young because when they are infected, it stops lower respiratory infections but it does depend on the individual.

I never had any problems, at least not of that nature, after my tonsils and adenoids were removed. My son was also better but it's far more painful when your're older, you hardly notice it when you're little.

Yes TBF, although GP was saying about the increased respiratory infections, the ENT specialist said it's a load of crap and tonsillitis is too awful to have instead of a chest infection. He was also concerned about overuse of antibiotics,time off school and risk of sepsis from a bad infection at the wrong time. However,NHS guidelines would still point towards waiting it out. He said the guidelines are written by GPs and not ENT specialists.

Our son lost a lot of weight due to food aversion linked to his tonsils and adenoids (long story!). He was also permanently exhausted from the sleep apnoea...as were we, because the oxygen monitor would regularly go off in the night.

Having his tonsils and adenoids removed at 3 was the best thing we ever did for him. It really was life changing.

I think it also depends on if there are other signs that the tonsils are a problem. Our DC got theirs out at 2. They weren't ill at all. They puffed and wheezed a bit when active. They would not eat things that were hard/crunchy or hot (any heat in milk was an issue too). Plus the sleep apnoea. The GP took one look and reached for the referral pad. The specialist said they were the most enlarged that they had seen (and he was in his 70s).

However, my DC never had 'tonsillitis'. Weird.

Good luck whichever way you go.

PS Our DC hates, absolutely hates jelly to this day!

My 5yo has his tonsils out in July this year. He had sleep apnea and never had tonsillitis. His tonsils were huge and the surgeon said there was some scarring on them which I found surprising as he'd never ever even complained about having a sore throat.

The operation has been life changing for him, he falls asleep more easily, he is obviously well rested when he wakes in the morning, he's not as tired through the day and he's a lot less highly strung between 4-6pm! The op was no problem for him and he recovered very easily, he was amazing.

I don't regret having it done but since school started in sept he has had no end of coughs and colds, including a cough he just can't seem to shake off despite an inhaler and a dose of antibiotics. I can't help but think it could be because of the lack of tonsils and I'm hoping it could just be a coincidence and it might just take some time for his body to get used to not having them.

@JessicaPeach It really could be just acclimating to the viruses at school too. Even in secondary school it seems that this time of year the viruses are rampant after everyone is bringing back new ones.

I noticed a massive change in my child after the op. Slept better and less tired, ate a wider range of food and most of all stopped panting when active. Have never noticed that they have had any problems without the tonsils and adenoids compared to their friends. But of course, every DC is different so that does not mean anything at all.

Yes I thought that too @Winesalot probably just a coincidence. He's never had a cough before now though, the giant tonsils probably were helping him out in that sense. Hopefully if it is down to his tonsils he'll get used to it soon enough. Reception was the year of the ears and tonsils, I don't want year 1 to be the year of the lungs 🤣

I hope it is the year of good health from here on for him @JessicaPeach.