Tonsillectomy 4.4 year old

[Letstalkaboutitnow]

Hi all

I booked my child for a tonsillectomy through NHS today. The operation will be in less than 2 weeks. We were on the waiting list for 1 year exactly.
I am soo scared! I don’t know what to do. Im scared because of the sedation and the allergies my child has. Also, the bleeding afterwards. I can’t stop thinking about it. And although the private ENT specialist that we go to, thinks we should go for it, I am still scared.
My girl will be 4.4 years at the time of the operation, please can you share some reassurance? She just started school and we have to deal with this too.
It’s a lot for one anxious momma ;(
Thank you

My son had a tonsillectomy just after he turned 4. They kept him in overnight just to be sure of no bleeding which is standard I think. I stayed with him - slept in the hospital bed with him.

It was very straightforward, by 8am the next morning he was eating toast and playing on the little park next to the hospital. He was a bit sore the first couple of days but manageable.

Worst part was watching him be put under (done in my arms). When he came round he was very distressed but more a reaction to the anaesthetic. He can be funny just waking up from sleep so that might be why. But again really child focused, they brought me into recovery suite and got me to get in bed with him as he came round so the first thing he saw was me.

I'm glad we did it, for him it was due to sleep apnoea. He's now 10 and absolutely fine. Yes bleeding is a risk but they know that and keep a close eye, my understanding is it's a small risk.

Good luck!

Thank you So much!
My friend told me, they left the same day after the OP, but I would prefer to stay there if possible, for at least a night. I don’t know if i can watch my child being sedated, probably her dad would do it, but I might decide otherwise on the day, if this option is given to us. Being next to your child when they wake up sounds like a very good idea- I haven’t thought of it. Just because my friend’s story was totally different. They were not with their child throughout the process and waited outside the whole time.

My daughter had tonsillectomy day after her 4th birthday. It was the best decision that we have ever agreed to !
She was a tiny,sickly child who had constant sores around her mouth from dribbling rather than swallowing saliva,poor appetite and was on bottom centile.
The difference in her was absolutely phenomenal in a short space of time.
Good luck she will bounce back so quickly and thrive.X

Most tonsillectomy’s are done as a day case now ( no overnight stay anymore) unless needed post op or for past medical history.

You could ask but be aware many are in day case units where there is no bed overnight. Also bleeding can ( not often) occur many days after the surgery IF it happens. So staying in hospital overnight isn’t really needed. Most children are better off at home with home comforts.

My child has had it. Again the worst part is them being put under. It’s horrendous. But that is the worst bit and the staff were so great whilst I was a crying mess. When he came round he would a bit upset and sick but soon came around. The recovery went well. Best of luck

My son had a tonsillectomy last year. He did have some complications afterwards but the team were great.

We did quite a lot to prepare him for the op, there’s a video on YouTube (will try to find it) that we watched a few times and it talked you through what happens when you get to the hospital, how you go under, what it’s like to wake up. When he was going under he started doing deep breaths because of what he’d learned on the video. The anaesthetist was impressed!

My son had sleep apnea and that was the reason for having his tonsils out. He was kept in overnight, they told us they usually monitor overnight when it’s related to sleep apnea. He also got morphine for the first 3 days. It’s been the best thing for him, even though he was poorly afterwards. The trick is to stay on top of pain relief - even when you think they might not need it. And to keep eating.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=va8pDylZSkA

Also, they didn’t let us in the recovery room until he had started to wake up. Once he did, they let us straight in. He was distressed but that’s to be expected. When we stayed overnight, we stayed in the same bed, I had a camp bed set up, but because he was sore it was easy to comfort him in the same bed.

And when they go under, it’s a strange upsetting feeling - my son went under quickly with the mask because he knew what to do after watching the video. They gave us the option to use the mask or put the cannula in his hand. We asked to try to mask first and it worked well.