Adenoid Removal

[Sleeplessmamma]

Hi! My 3.5 year old is going to see an ENT doc at the end of May due to my concern over her adenoids (lots of issues; always sounding nasally, recurring chronic sinus infections, choking on mucas and waking nearly every night, constantly tired and affecting wanting to learn to do things).

I'm curious on anyone's experience on how they check adenoids. I now they can't be seen by the eye and either a camera at the end of a tube or an xray. My concern is them wanting to use the tube as that will be so traumatic for her (she has strong fear of any sprays going near her nose) and wondered do they tend to check via xray for that young a child?

Thanks in advance!

DD2 had her adenoids removed in June 2022. She was 6 when we went to the drs. It was diagnosed through a camera up her nose. She absolutely hated anyone touching her nose (would never pick it or blow it) so I was amazed when she let the dr do it. You could see it on a screen which she liked and she wanted me to film it so we could show her dad!

@WhatHaveIDone21 wow that's amazing. Not sure my 3.5 year old would be that chill about it. If you dont mind me asking, did they make the decision to take out purely on size of adenoids? Or did other factors have to contribute.

We had a sleep study done on my then 2 year old due to sounding nasally, snoring and recurrent very frequent wake ups through the night.

It was noted that his tonsils weren't enlarged and so the ENT dr suggested he had enlarged adenoids and wanted to remove them.

We didn't go ahead with it and everything cleared itself up within 6 months despite 1.5 years of waking up every 20 minutes with him!

Now I'm questioning how they could have come to such a conclusion without actually seeing them 🤔

My son had a sleep study done.

The difference in him after he had them removed was incredible.

It was mainly the size. Her adenoids covered more than half the space she had. She was constantly blocked up and it was really bad when she had a cold. The dr did ask us to try a spray for a month to see if that made any difference but it didn't so she had them removed.

I used to moan at her to blow her nose but the dr said that actually it would have been really difficult to do it with her adenoids blocking so much.

Yea I wondered if a sleep study would be suggested. Only issue with that is she is a horrendous sleeper anyway, so anything attached to her to monitor she wouldn't sleep. She's had a nonsense top cough for 4 months (I think due to sinus drip rather than asthma as she's been trialling a brown inhaler that's not made much difference) that wakes her up multiple times a night nearly every night.

I'm convinced it's something adenoid, I was just wondering, and dreading haha, what they will most likely use to check as I know an xray isn't ideal but less invasive and traumatic for my little sensitive one.

Non stop coughing I meant, not nonsense (which is what my sentence sounded like!).

I didn't know an X Ray was an option to be honest. The dr just said that's what we needed to do. It was amazing to see and she did cope surprisingly well.

I evidently waited far too long to get my DS's removed. He was 9. Completely changed everything for him. Dr I remember slightly tutting I hadn't done anything about his symptoms ( constant sniffing, runny nose, ear aches after pretty much any swimming sooner.) Incredible difference and he is now a big 17 year old who neither sniffs nor gets ear infections.

@GeorginaLS we've had one ear infection and first term at nursery when she colds she went a bit deaf. But since she got strep a at beginning of Feb, she hasn't had cold just constant runny nose, painful sinus and a cough without a cold for 4 months. Also now wetting bed overnight, lost a butnof weight as getting her to eat (which is such a battle normally) is harder as she either is tired from waking during the night or she gives up die to nose obviously blocked. Feel like long term her little milestones will take much longer to tick off the list as when's she's not well from all these symptoms she doesn't want to do anything for herself

The consultant looked and could clearly see that his adenoids were very enlarged... but looking at other's responses I am questioning whether further investigation should have been done! But he's currently on a waiting list for them to be removed.

He's 5 his sleep is terrible, wakes himself constantly, extremely loud snoring and what sounds like stopping breathing before almost choking and waking up. We're now close to looking at getting it done privately as the waiting list where we are has now dragged on for over a year, the consultant said pre Covid it would have been done within a matter of months!

I wish I had not delayed so long for my DS, I felt v guilty that I should have had it done about 4 years earlier. "PLEASE STOP SNIFFING AND BLOW YOUR NOSE." EEEK. But all fine now and he has forgiven me.

@boymum9 eeek that is a long time. Whereabouts do you live? We live in Newcastle. My little one I don't think has sleep apnea but she does choke on the mucas and wakes up and in general wakes every night. Since I don't sleep with her, she may have it I just don't know?