3yr old tonsils removed: Pros and Cons

[StarlightDicKenzie]

Can anyone help me decide what to do. The ENT has recommended that she has her tonsils and adenoids out as well as grommets inserted.

She mouth breaths and snores, compains of sore mouth but never appears unwell and never gets ear infections that I know of. She is however, a bit deaf.

I am alright with the grommets thing but a bit devestated by the rest. Can anyone point me to any information on the pros and cons or even put forward the arguements that I can consider or questions to ask the ENT.

Is there any alternative, - even if only available privately?

Many tia.

It is supposed to be much easier to have it done as a child than an adult. I had mine removed at 28 and it was horrendous. I ended up with gladular fever then post viral syndrome as well as various chest infections. Most of my friends had it done as a child and got over it quickly.

So I would ask why exactly they are recommending removing them and what problems they foresee in the future if they don't.

Try not to worry - ENT stuff is really common and routine these days.

does she have sleep apnoea? Here's a link about a recent study about the effects of that - it's often solved by T and A removal.

hth

I'll look at that sleep link but afaik her sleep is fine, although she does mouth breath, and snore.

That link is interesting. I don't think she has any behavioural problems although she is very bouncy and only has two states 'zonked out' or 'very awake and active', but I thought that was most 3 yr olds!?

My ds1 had his tonsils and adenoids out at 3 for sleep apnoea and the ent doc did list a whole load of things (including behaviour) that are affected by poor sleep (growth etc). I don't think he had behavioural issues either or nothing at any rate that I couldn't pinpoint as different from normal. The main difference post op was his appetite really - he was very skinny before and he plumped up (relatively anyway!).

The apnoeic episodes only happen at certain stages of sleep - with ds1 we mostly noticed it just after he'd gone to sleep but at other times of the night he wasn't that noisy.

Yeah, - dd is a bit petite. I stopped taking her for her weight to be measured with the HV because it was doing my head in. You can't force-feed a child.

I also have had quite a lot of unwelcome intervention from various agencies for a ds with SN so kept dd away from them as much as I could.

Perhaps I should get her weighed at some point. I do get my money's worth from her clothes but she also does appear very healthy.

Can it be linked to autoimmune issues?

Starlight - both of my boys had tonsiladenoidectomy and grommits at 3. For them there have been lots of pros and little in the way of cons. Both of them were much improved healthwise following the surgery and ds2 in particular was a changed child. He suffered very badly with lack of/poor sleep/night terrors, poor speech and behavioural issues all of which melted away in the months post op. ds1 came downstairs on the first evening after his op to tell me there was a strange noise in his room - it was the rain on the window.

dd was due to have hers done too but she has other health problems which put her at risk under GA so we decided against it in the end. Her hearing has improved but she still has tonsilitis occasionally even as a young adult.

My dd is awaiting her ENT appt following a hearing test that I had to have done before seeing the SALT. For a completely different reason I had to take her for some allergy testing and tge consultant immediately told me she had this it covers all the things you have mentions. She on a nose spray and antihistamines twice a day and in two weeks there has been an improvement. She might still end up with adinoids out and grommets in but at least these meds will give us a chance to fix it before then.

The thing LeonieDelt mentions is worthy of consideration. It was one of the reasons we didn't go ahead with dd's surgery as she has pulmonary issues and it's true that the tonsils are the first line of defence bugwise. That said neither of my boys have had chest or worsening throat issues following their surgery. And they're both pretty skinny I've never heard of the weight gain thing Leonie.

That's really interesting Leonie. Thanks, I'll have a read.

I can understand weight gain in the short term, both of mine had pretty poor appetites prior to surgery so being able to eat normally and taste properly was something of a revelation I think. My 'boys' are in their 20s now so some years post surgery.

Thanks all. Trying to work out if weight gain is due to being able to eat at last as she currently chokes on most things.

dd had tonsils and adenoids out aged 2, and nothing but pros as a result - not a single con!

She had sleep apnoea, mouth breathed, was tired....and was a changed little girl a few weeks post-op. Honestly, snoring is not good: less oxygen at night, tiring. I swear dd was beginning to drop back with development in various subtle ways - and has more than caught up since (now 5), being the most energetic, bright little bean in the family!

ENT tend not to recommend adenotonsillectomy lightly these days, for financial reasons if nothing else

ps she is not at all overweight now - but did start to choke on foods and lose weight before her op

Hi, My son had his tonsils lasered rather than removed.

His op was called a Tonsillotomy rather than a Tonsillectomy.

We had a really nice consultant at Lewisham called Dr Rachmanidou. Her website is

www.ent-matters.co.uk

It was her idea to have the tonsils lasered rather than taken out because there's no risk of bleeding after and the children recover really quickly. He came home after just a few hours and he was in no pain after.

Let me know if you want to know anything else.