Tonsils and adenoids - Feedback

[Wavesand26]

Hello all
I used Mumsnet a lot when I was researching the benefits of having my son's tonsils and adenoids removed and since he had his operation a couple of months ago now I thought it might be helpful to come back and write about our experience in case it helps others.

Our son is nearly three and we went to our initial consultation with the ENT consultant due to noticing that our son would pause breathing when sleeping (diagnosed in the consultation as obstructive sleep apnoea). He had also snored since being a tiny baby which we'd always found endearing until we found out that it really isn't healthy for a child to be snoring to such an extent. I will list the other general concerns we had about our son:

• recurrent tonsillitis, colds, sore throats. It started to seem like antibiotics weren't having an effect anymore. Everyone would tell us "oh it's normal to pick up constant bugs at nursery", but this was literally non stop, it felt like he was never free from a cold.
• constant runny nose - never had a break from it
• always tired, low energy, grumbly
• pale complexion and tired looking
• delayed speech and nasal sounding speech
• Poor behaviour; hitting, scratching

During our first appointment with the ENT consultant and surgeon we were advised to have our son's adenoids and tonsils removed and were told that there would be no benefit to waiting and seeing if things just improved for him naturally. We were nervous but we went ahead and booked him in for his surgery two months later.
At this point I should mention that we did have to go down the private route. The NHS route would have taken months/years and it might still not have been approved anyway due to their strict criteria. For anyone who is interested to know, the whole procedure cost us £3500 and they offer payment plans. We know that we are extremely fortunate to be able to go this route, but I would strongly advise anyone to look into it if they are concerned about their child because the payment plans are really flexible and, honestly, this decision has been LIFE CHANGING for our son.

We had read from other parents' experience that their child was totally different (for the better) post surgery. We hoped that this would be the case for our son and that he'd feel noticeably better but we didn't want to get our hopes up. But wow, the difference is incredible. This is why I have written this post.

I'll list the things we have noticed in our son:

• No longer snores AT ALL
• Has no runny nose at all
• Has tons more energy
• Is generally much happier and the low-level grumbling has just completely stopped, presumably because he feels better in himself!
• His speech has exploded!!! His pronunciation has drastically improved and he is picking up new words and phrases all the time
• Behaviour has improved. He is no longer lashing out all the time, he still does it occasionally but much less

Sorry for the long post, but having seen what an amazing difference this operation has made to my son's life, I feel so passionately about making other people aware who might not realise how much of an impact these horrible tonsils and enlarged adenoids can have on our children. I am so relieved and grateful that we went through with it, because he is 100% a happier child because of it, and it makes me feel so sad to think about how uncomfortable he must have been before he had it done.

I am more than happy to answer any questions here or privately.

Thank you for reading.

[Tangofantastic]

Thank you!
my DD is having her tonsils out in a few weeks after jumping onto urgent list after a spell in a&e a
month ago. she’s had recurrent tonsillitis for the last 12
months, I feel I’ve spent a year battling the gp to do something other than prescribe Penicillin as she’s missed
so much school, we’ve not been able
to get away as each time we’ve booked something she’s been poorly and we’ve had to cancel, etc. but now
i know they’re being taken out I’m freaking out which is silly I know.
i think a lot
of my worry stems from knowing a family friend who went in for a routine tonsillectomy and didn’t wake up from the anaesthesia ☹️☹️☹️Obviously very rare and hospital were found at fault but I’m having horrible dreams about it ☹️
i know it needs to happen as the poor kid is Poorly monthly with a cold
or sore throat or strep but I’m just….scared ☹️
any tips
would be so so welcome.
one specific question: I am out of annual leave for the year apart from 2 days I will take
on the day of the surgery and day after. Dr said she may get one as a day case
but prepare for staying overnight. Is it plausible I can work from home for her recovery 1-2 weeks as she’ll be lying low or is that very naive and it will be round the clock care? In Which case do you have any experience in asking for carer leave
from work? I’m a
single mum and very much on my
own so no one to step in to help care for
her, thank you and I’m so glad
to hear how positive it’s been for you ⭐️

[Wavesand26]

@Tangofantastic

Thank you!
my DD is having her tonsils out in a few weeks after jumping onto urgent list after a spell in a&e a
month ago. she’s had recurrent tonsillitis for the last 12
months, I feel I’ve spent a year battling the gp to do something other than prescribe Penicillin as she’s missed
so much school, we’ve not been able
to get away as each time we’ve booked something she’s been poorly and we’ve had to cancel, etc. but now
i know they’re being taken out I’m freaking out which is silly I know.
i think a lot
of my worry stems from knowing a family friend who went in for a routine tonsillectomy and didn’t wake up from the anaesthesia ☹️☹️☹️Obviously very rare and hospital were found at fault but I’m having horrible dreams about it ☹️
i know it needs to happen as the poor kid is Poorly monthly with a cold
or sore throat or strep but I’m just….scared ☹️
any tips
would be so so welcome.
one specific question: I am out of annual leave for the year apart from 2 days I will take
on the day of the surgery and day after. Dr said she may get one as a day case
but prepare for staying overnight. Is it plausible I can work from home for her recovery 1-2 weeks as she’ll be lying low or is that very naive and it will be round the clock care? In Which case do you have any experience in asking for carer leave
from work? I’m a
single mum and very much on my
own so no one to step in to help care for
her, thank you and I’m so glad
to hear how positive it’s been for you ⭐️

I'm really sorry to hear about your family member. That is a tragic thing to happen and like you said extremely rare. It is understandable to be nervous about the anaesthetic but what made me feel better is to remember that anaesthetists do this day in day out and are incredibly highly trained in what they do. They have one of the most important jobs of anybody in the medical profession. I've dealt with three anaesthetists over the last few years and each one of them has been incredibly reassuring and professional and I trusted them all completely.

You've got to focus on the bigger picture, your DD is miserable and unwell every month; that is no quality of life! What you're doing for her is giving her the chance to feel better and be happy. And I promise, from what I've experience with my son it will be life changing for her.

On the day of the op your daughter will have to fast a few hours before the op. My son couldn't eat after 7:30am and his op was at 230. This was the part I dreaded the most because he loves his food. So I got us both up early, went to Macdonalds that opens at 6:30 and we ordered and ate everything possible on the breakfast menu until he had to stop at 730. He did so well and didn't complain for food right up until going into theatre.

Once my son had been taken into theatre my husband and I went for a walk and a cup of tea and after half an hour he was out of the operation. The first hour after the operation it was tough because the anaesthetic made him go a bit doolally (they all do apparently). But then just like a sudden lightbulb switching on, he was all of a sudden his normal happy self and he was wolfing macaroni cheese and pizza just 90 minutes after the operation!! We left the hospital at 7pm that night.

Recovery wise he just wanted to watch TV but he wasn't upset or anything. He was eating pretty normally as long as we kept up his pain medication. I think it would have been plausible to work from home but it depends what you do - if you can take breaks from work to get her food and drinks and give her pain meds then you should be fine. Just remember you will be up once or twice in the night to give pain meds as you don't want to let it get out of her system (it was just paracetemol and ibuprofen). The only other thing too is that after the first week my son was climbing the walls so we ventured out to outdoor places for the second half of his 'quarantine' (he had to stay away from people for two weeks to avoid catching any viruses).
If you need to request leave from work I'm afraid I can't help there as I'm self employed. But maybe the GP could help with that? I'm not sure.

I hope my reply has helped!

[Tangofantastic]

Thank you so so much, this is beyond helpful and reassuring.
really appreciate the heads up about her being a bit odd after anaesthesia- I had a scare with her last year when she was very poorly with a bad infection and while we were in a&e being assessed she suddenly became confused and couldn’t remember names or her school and it was utterly terrifying. she recovered but it’s left me bruised As it reminded me of my mum when she had a stroke and got her words muddled up and forgot the right terms for things ☹️So had you not warned me it’s normal I think I’d have lost my Cool completely if she woke up seeming odd. thank you so so much xx

[abbs1]

OP, I agree 1000%! My DS 3 1/2 just had his adenoids out and grommets put in due to constant repeat double ear infections, hearing loss, major speech delay, weight loss from being constantly unwell, snoring, and sleep apnea.
The change in him is just amazing! He's gained over 1kg in weight post surgery already from eating so much food as he can finally taste it, smell it and is trying new foods, no more snoring or sleep apnea, his full hearing has returned and he's picking up new words everyday. He's full of energy and not tired anymore. Also lashing out a lot less as he can hear things properly and communicate. His complexion is so much more healthy. Before he was pale and dark circles round his eyes but he looks healthy and filled out now.

Honestly anyone thinking of helping your child please persevere with it. It was a long 18 month slog and we ended up having to go private in the end as the NHS just kept saying none of his issues were ENT related. 🤦‍♀️ The private consultant told me his ears were awful and full of fluid and his adenoids were massive and needed to come out ASAP.

The relief its done and I've got my little boy back is the best. My best advice is don't let anyone fob you off and keep asking and question everything to get your kids the help they need.