How likely is DD to get tonsillectomy??

[Theirmumxx]

My daughter is 7yo and is prone tonsillitis usually getting it once a year but quite badly.

however since December she has had it 4 times including one case where she has had to be treated in A&E.

she’s missed lots of school because of this and is very poorly each time with vomiting, temperatures 40+.

it’s affecting her teeth because of all the medicine so close together and everytime she feels a twinge in her throat she is panicking and obsessing that she’s getting tonsilitis again.

just got back from GP who has done a referral but said it might not be accepted?

can others share their experiences please?

Tonsils are there for a reason. Removing the tonsils means removing the first line of defence against infection. Don't have them removed, unless advised to do so.

Even if they’re making her so poorly so often?!

In my area its 8 times in a year to be accepted so I wouldn't hold out too much hope.

It's the infection making her poorly, not the tonsils.
Take the tonsils out and the infection will go elsewhere. Tonsillitis is not as shitty as bronchitis.

My son has his removed last year. His tonsils were permanently enlarged and encroached his uvula causing him swallowing and apnoea issues. He also had infections 6+ times a year.

Horrendous operation in terms of recovery but completely necessary for him due to the symptoms they caused. Not to be taken lightly IMO

I was meant to have my tonsils out as a child but my parents decided not to proceed and hoped I’d grow out of it. I continued to get tonsillitis every 6 weeks without fail, until I was 25 and finally had them removed. By the end, they were swollen constantly and I was needing steroids in a&e during bad flare ups. The operation was SO much worse as an adult - I wish I’d had mine out when my parents first had the referral.

My daughter had hers out and never once had tonsillitis 🤷‍♀️
She was having her adenoids removed and grommets inserted but the surgeon said because daughter had large for her size tonsils they would remove them at the same time to prevent problems later.

We were told that dd would have to have tonsillitis 7 times in a year before they would take them out. However, one particularly nasty bout involved a hospital stay for IV fluids and antibiotics because she couldn’t even swallow water and calpol they were that enlarged. This episode bypassed the ‘rule of 7’ and she had her tonsils removed 6 months later. Surgeon said dd’s tonsils were the most scarred she had seen in years.

Dd hasn’t looked back since . No more tonsillitis and time off school, plus she sleeps so much better and she doesn’t snore like a pig any more!

My daughter was already under a paediatric consultant for something else so it was much easier than I was expecting to get her tonsils out. That consultant wrote to the ENT consultant and told them that he wanted her to have a tonsillectomy and just under a year and a half later she had them out. No ENT doctor even looked at her tonsils before the day of her op! The referral to ENT was made in the February just before covid hit and she had them out in the July of 2021. In DDs case she had massive tonsils all the time that were just collecting debris and getting in the way and making her poorly with chest infections as well as tonsillitis. We certainly didn't have as many as 8 infections in a year (but she was only 5 when she had them out). She's a hale and hearty 7 year old now and we haven't had to have antibiotics for ages!

DD had hers removed recently - she had never had tonsillitis in her life before Christmas but then had constant episodes right up until April when she got them out. We were lucky to be able to go via our health insurance but referral and surgery criteria (7 cases in one year, or 4 cases per year for 2 consecutive years) is still the same as the NHS. All cases need to be well documented (so make sure the GP is always kept up to date, I had DD’s tortured) with appropriate treatment given each time for them to count

I had a my tonsils, adenoids and a bilateral myringotomy in the early 90s as a 3 year old. My mum tells me up to the operation I was very poorly very frequently.

However! I wish I'd never had it done. I'd most likely have grown out of it and it's caused me nothing but issues into adulthood. Frequent throat infections, various ENT problems, sinus infections. I'm convinced it's because I have no first line defence available anymore.

The threshold these days is quite high for tonsil removal and I think it's wise. A lot of kids grow out of frequent tonsillitis as they get older. Although I do sympathise! I don't recall tonsillitis as I was so young but I've had some awful infections over the years and it's bloody awful!

That will be rejected I'm afraid. It has to be 8+ times in a year, or less times but for several years in a row. This is for a reason though, as although this year has been bad she may go back to only having occasionally and then not at all as she gets older, and she will have avoided having an operation. If it's as bad again next year she will probably qualify.

My friends 18m old had it 11 times in 6 months, no sign of tonsillectomy, just abx after abx so far. She’s going private.

I had frequent tonsillitis as a teen & weirdly doc mentioned me being referred to ent, it stopped.

Came back in my early twenties with a vengeance & I had then out when I was 25. It was grim but I rarely have throat infections now & it didn't cause me any further issues

Both my DDs have had theirs out, as did I and DH when we were younger. The most recent operation was in March.

DD1 had extremely enlarged tonsils, the highest grade, and sleep apnea and even though the consultant said she needed them removed our primary care trust refused, they have a blanket “we don’t do tonsils” policy so we went private.

DD2 had tonsillitis more or less constantly since Christmas and was admitted to hospital with Quinsy. Even then she didn’t meet the NHS criteria we got a private referral and the consultant said one episode of Quinsy was one too many and agreed they should be removed. Again we used our private insurance and she had them out. If you have private insurance I would ask to be referred.

The consultant we saw said he had actually had a very heated debated with the head of our primary care trust and that their policy was nonsense and nothing but a money saving exercise.

None of us have ever experienced issues because we had them out. I had tonsillitis constantly as a child and young adult, it was the best decision.

We paid to go privately because of long wait times in our area but my daughter had hers removed aged 5. Hers were enlarged, rather then infections all the time, so they got rid of them and her adenoids at the same time as getting grommets inserted (ears were the problem but all all connected). She was eating the same evening as the day they removed, the recovery is much easier when they are younger, I would recommend going private in you can afford it.

This isn't true.

It depends on what your local rules are. Google your area and tonsillectomy and find the rules.

I nearly had them out at 7/8 after a solid year of tonsillitis but then they seemed to get better. I was plagued by tonsillitis during my teenage years, got them out at 16. I never had throat infections or bronchitis after.

DS also has recurrent tonsillitis, one Gp explained to me that once tonsils are enlarged it gives bacteria breeding places to grow and it makes you more vulnerable to repeated infections. DS gargles with cordosyll daily now and that seems to have helped. Also difflam throat spray first sign of infection.

Our (now nearly 12 year old) had his out when he was 4.5 together with his adenoids and grommets put in for glue ear at the same time. The tonsillitis was horrendous, we were at the stage of at least once every two months. We'd had so much sickness during his Reception year, we were on 7 sets when we saw the Dr who said I'll be honest, once he's had 8 I'll tell you it has to be 9, once he's had 9 I'll have to tell you it's 10, the NHS just don't want to do them if they can avoid it. We went private and it was the best thing we ever did. I appreciate it's not that simple for everyone, but if you can please do. I saw the final bill and it was around £700 for all the apts, operation, hospital stay overnight and follow up. It transformed his life, genuinely.