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Recurrent tonsillitis

35 replies

Losingplot · 09/05/2024 13:14

DD7 has it for the third time in three months. Not sure if it’s viral or bacterial this time but she’s been swabbed & we’ve been given antibiotics. Asked for an ENT referral but was told they can’t do much at this stage as it’s not bad enough for surgery. Would you try to see a private ENT now? Or wait & hope it’s ok & try again for an ENT if she gets it again? Or something else?

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
ForRoseExpert · 14/05/2024 13:59

Twelve8Ts · 13/05/2024 22:01

I was told recently by 2 different people that they have stopped removing tonsils in children with recurrent tonsillitis because they found that any infections were stopping at the tonsils, and once removed infections were moving further down the body making it more dangerous. One friend didn’t actually believe her GP so she asked a doctor from back home (she’s originally from another country) and was told the exact same thing. Another friend said the only way her son could get it done was privately.

Very strange advice, considering that the experts from the Great Ormond Street Children Hospital say: ''In many children, the tonsils become repeatedly infected with bacteria and viruses, which make them swell and become painful. Removing your child's tonsils and adenoids will solve these problems.'' https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/conditions-and-treatments/procedures-and-treatments/your-child-having-his-or-her-tonsils-andor-adenoids-removed/ Again it's all very strange how NHS just updated their website to tell the public how ''It's very rare that someone needs to have their tonsils taken out.''- I am sure these words didn't exist there before March 2024, I am almost sure they updated this page to now tell the parents this is now rare https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/tonsillitis/

Mayo Clinic: ''a tonsillectomy is usually performed for sleep-disordered breathing but may still be a treatment when tonsillitis occurs frequently or doesn't respond to other treatments.'' repeated infections (tonsillitis) are not normal in America, so why would they be normal in the UK? https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/tonsillectomy/about/pac-20395141

Great Ormond Str Hosp: ''Tonsillectomy is a clinically effective and cost-effective procedure when performed for appropriate indications.'' So why would a GP say the opposite? And why did NHS update their page to change a common procedure into a rare one during a health care crisis? How very strange....

Plus, NIH: ''Children's tonsils are major sites of prolonged SARS-CoV-2 infection'', so if no tonsillectomies anymore, the least they can do is to protect British children with covid vaccines against covid infections, knowing very well how it affects the tonsils,following the standard medical advice in any other civilized country who wouldn't happily expose all children to repeated infections with a novel virus for which uk has no treatments, not even tests and no prevention, despite the vaccines being used everywhere else. UK considers it's not 'cost-effective' to protect its children. Now I assume it's not cost-effective to treat them either. So all that's left is to normalize disease https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37737615/

If NHS 'reassures' us that tonsillectomies are rare, how about repeated tonsillitis- is this rare? It would be reassuring if they told us the incidence of repeated tonsillitis is rare, not that the treatment is rare. The fact that they say 'tonsillectomies are rare' means nothing to a parent of a sick child. If you want to reassure a parent, a real doctor would use the reduction in episodes of sickness, not the reduction in treatments- this is how medicine actually works, by reducing disease, not treatments!

https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/conditions-and-treatments/procedures-and-treatments/your-child-having-his-or-her-tonsils-andor-adenoids-removed

ForRoseExpert · 14/05/2024 21:24

Twelve8Ts · 14/05/2024 12:28

@goldenretrievermum5 I would hope that if one of my kids kept getting it then we’d have the option to remove them too. But unfortunately it doesn’t appear to be an option on the NHS now! I really suffered when I was young and had them out. No further problems. And getting it as an adult sounds awful. It’s such a shame that it’s so difficult to request now.

NHS has a duty of care toward children, especially towards children, in other countries they are considered precious, not a burden for the health care system. Thye should not be allowed to re-write medicine in order to make it fit a broken system. This is why they have a constitution. When is the last time you heard them telling the public they are broken? Never? So, in their own eyes they are doing fine. If they are doing fine, why would they reduce access to healthcare for children?

BrittanyJaber · 20/02/2025 08:06

Yes, there are other options. I had tubes put in my ears, and my adenoids taken out when I was a baby but they for søme reason didn't take my tonsils which is weird bc they usually did all three of those procedures in one big surgery bck then (1991). Anyway I ended up having chronic tonsillitis my whole life growing up until I was 14 years old bc my primary Dr was convinced tht "vital organ" tht yewr body cøuld not live w out, and refused to give me a referral for a ENT even though I was in his dr's office w tonsils so swollen, I couldn't swallow my food or drink. And ths wasn't just like during flu season or an outbreak of something contagious going around, I was in his office every three, four months at least, and he still refused to give me the referral it was becoming so ridiculous, and out of control tht one of his receptionist who knew, and saw wht I was going through actually forged his signature, and gave me the ENT referral herself when I was leaving the office one time bc she was so sick of seeing me continuously go through ths. I was 14 by ths time, and was told several times by the Dr's tht they only typically perform tonsillectomy's for baby's if needed bc the older you get the more dangerous tht surgery becomes for søme reason in which turned out to be true bc they accidentally nicked an artery in my throat during the surgery, and swallowed so much blood before they realized, and had it cauterized tht I ended up pucking, and throwing up all tht blood I swallowed a week later. In spite of all tht though it was still incredibly worth it bc I can't remember the last time I've been seriously sick w a throat since then so if yewr daughter's situation is anythng like mine don't give up on talking to different Dr's, and getting her the referral she needs just do yewr homework, get second opinions, and find a Dr yew trust.

Iloveeverycat · 20/02/2025 08:33

Sorry if anyone has said this did you throw away the tooth brush each time.

BrittanyJaber · 20/02/2025 12:13

No ma'am. Unfortunately I was nvr told to do tht..

Natsku · 20/02/2025 12:23

minipie · 14/05/2024 12:39

Are there any other issues that might point to a tonsillectomy eg snoring and tiredness even when not ill (possible sign of sleep apnoea)

Unlike pp I do think private ENTs will perform tonsillectomy at a lower “bar” than on the NHS. Sad to say this but I believe the NHS criteria are based partly on budget restrictions, so only the worst cases are treated, not purely medical evidence.

This was the basis for my DD's tonsillectomy - her sleep was affected. Then when they removed them they found signs of chronic infection in the adenoids (also removed)

She still gets ill a lot with sore throats though, been off all week with one this week, but not as bad as when she had tonsils.

BrittanyJaber · 20/02/2025 13:39

I'm not sure about any other signs or symptoms, ør conditions tht are related to needing a tonsillectomy other than how painful it was, and how swollen my tonsils would get. Which of course affected my sleep, and made everything miserable until the swelling went down, and was feeling better but to be honest I'm not sure on yewe question...😶

BrittanyJaber · 20/02/2025 15:57

Yes ma'am I would. Get as many second opinions as yew can before yew decide wht to do but I wish yew all the luck on finding out wht yew can, and need to do for yewr daughter, and I will pray for to get through ths, and will eventually find some relief..

Ichangedmynameonce · 20/02/2025 16:00

My DS had recurrent tonsillitis and did have surgery on NHS to remove tonsils and adenoids which was revolutionary for him.
However, GP told us that he needed 7 bouts in a year to receive an ENT referral (this was 2012). Good luck

BrittanyJaber · 21/02/2025 23:58

That's ridiculøus in my øpiniøn.. I wish yew luck on finding out who, and wht yew need to get yewr daughter some real help, and will keep y'all in my thoughts, and prayers.. Gøød Vibes sent nøw.. ☺️

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