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Original poster

recurrent tonsilitis: tonsilectomy or not?

61 replies

Choco · 19/06/2006 04:12

My 6 years old son has recurrent tonsilitis for the past 2 yrs. 10 episodes the first year and 6 the second year. ENT suggests a tonsillectomy but Paediatrician says to wait another year to see if it gets better. I've heard so much downsides of tonsillectomy, ex., since the tonsils act as soldiers fighting at frontline, having them removed means that the enemies will just go elsewhere such as the lung and the chest. or other stories such as having tonsils removed doesn't mean that you wont get tonsilitis because the tissues behind the tonsils can still get infected. I'm so confused!! what should I do? I don't want my son to go through a painful surgery but the outcome won't be beneficial at all!!! HELP!!!

OP posts:

mrsbang · 20/06/2006 08:48

Difficult question to answer as DS was only 3. He was in hospital just for the day, and the most traumatic part was the pre-surgery bit when he didn't want daddy to leave him (I was too much of a coward I'm afraid).

After the op he came round and ate a sandwich almost immediately and we were home for teatime. He had Calpol but did very very little crying and was his normal self very quickly.

mrsbang · 20/06/2006 08:50

I think a school-friend of my other sons had this op at 1/2 term in February. She's 8, I'll ask her mum and get back to you to let you know how she was (probably a closer "match" iykwim).

Original poster

Choco · 20/06/2006 13:52

Thank you mrsbang !! so comforting to hear that your son recovered so quickly! ha actually ate a sandwich!? my doctor told me after op is usually ice cream and jelly...you know cold and soft stuff...but a sandwich? if my son does get an operation, hopfully he do as fine as your son!!!

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GarfieldsGirl · 20/06/2006 14:37

choco - recovery for me was probably about 5-7 days before the really bad pain died down. It was the pain in my ears that I found really hard to deal with, but as I said I couldn't have painkillers. The 'infections' I get now are all viral so obviously no anti-biotics. I don't think the tonsils were the actual cause of my probs, as its still so regular, my glands are swollen badly today, and my throats hurting. So for your ds a tonsilectomy may hopefully have the right result. Hopefully it is true that its a lot less painful for LOs than adults.

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 20/06/2006 14:40

Ooo Choco - no soft stuff when mine had theirs out. Toast with crusts apparently good for removing the debris left after the op.

They bounced back really quickly - within a couple of days, althoug not allowed at pre-school for two weeks IIRC

Original poster

Choco · 20/06/2006 15:59

Saggarmakersbottomknocker - omg! , toast with crust? to get rid of the debris? haha...that's funny...didn't doctors tell you guys to stay away from hot and hard stuff for at least a coupla days? bc these food can get the cut bleeding again? they could actually swallow toast w/crust!!! i remember when i had my throat infected 2 yrs ago, it was so painful that even swallowing water hurt! was the idea, "toast with crust was good for removing the debris" your idea or the doctor's? :)

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Sugarmag · 20/06/2006 16:08

According to my dad (aka my paediatrician) i had my tonsils out after having 5-6 episodes a year for a couple of years and was "rarely sick after that".

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 20/06/2006 16:11

The docs Choco - not allowed home until the plate was cleared

LeahE · 20/06/2006 16:19

My mother had hers out as a teenager. A few years later the medical climate had changed and it was now trendy to not take them out -- a friend of hers fell foul of this new policy and had septicaemia and irreversible kidney damage by the time she got hers removed.

I had two or three episodes a year throughout childhood but seemed to grow out of it mid-teens and still have my tonsils. My sister was similar but hers got worse instead of better - eventually had her tonsils out in her late teens after having had more or less permanent tonsilitis for a year and two episodes of quinsy (one burst). She's been fine ever since. ISTR that her total recovery time was around two weeks, with a couple of days of properly painful.

What's the waiting list like? In your position I'd be inclined to leave it another year but wouldn't want to leave it longer than that unless there had been a significant improvement.

Original poster

Choco · 20/06/2006 16:34

Saggarmakersbottomknocker that sucks!!

your know what guys..i think i've kind of made up my mind...when we get to the top of the list, we'll go ahead with it. reading all your feed backs, most of you barely gets tonsilitis afterward, and from reading another conversation on tonsilitis, the older you have the op the more painful it gets. i don't want my son to blame me for not having it while he's still young...

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Original poster

Choco · 20/06/2006 16:37

LeahE, i'm not sure how far we're on the list...but i'll try to find out soon...probably not for antoher year or so..we may still have another year to observe...

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GarfieldsGirl · 20/06/2006 19:08

choco - re soft stuff. Don't give him that when he has the op. Toast, biscuits etc are far better and a lot easier to eat. They do help it to heal quicker. And also fizzy drinks help, they're easier to swallow than water or juice. I found that even a few weeks later I was struggling with soft food.

GarfieldsGirl · 20/06/2006 19:10

Oh and if you're lucky like I was, the waiting list will be really long, and they'll transfer ds to BUPA!

mrsbang · 20/06/2006 22:34

Spoke to friend tonight. Her DD didn't take kindly to the morphine but was generally ok. She said the toast etc helped. Was off school for a fortnight as per instructions but was offside 5/6 days.

Her advice (she was a nurse herself too)? If child is six, get it done sooner rather than later as they seem to get over it quicker. Was a 16 year old in when DD was in and he suffered far more.

Original poster

Choco · 21/06/2006 03:04

guys, i just don't get it..how come hard toast is actually easier to swallow??

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GarfieldsGirl · 21/06/2006 07:08

The reason I found soft things pinful to eat was mostly bescause they get stuck in the roof of your mouth more/in your teeth etc, and you have to use your tongue to get rid of it. Moving your tongue after the op is excruciatingly (sp?) painful. And I found the hard foods a lot easier to swallow too.

gigwig · 21/06/2006 10:31

My Dh just had his tonsils out, he is late 30s.- he is really suffering with the pain and getting over the general anasthetic. He is now on Day 7 since the operation. He though he'd be able to do things at home while off but he feels so bad he cant do anything, cant sleep much either. I'm hoping he will start feeling better soon....

Original poster

Choco · 21/06/2006 13:45

gigwag - day 7 and he's still in pain...what was his reason for the operaion? why waited til now?

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Original poster

Choco · 21/06/2006 13:54

thank you everybody!!!

thanks mrsbang for asking your friend for me.

i feel more comfortable with the operaion now with all of you giving me all these useful tips. i'm now more informd and can make the decision as an informed parent. i'll proabably go ahead with it unless he makes a vast improvement from now til the operation.

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gigwig · 21/06/2006 14:01

hi choco
actually he started snoring badly ...i sent him to the doctors, he was referred to the hospital who said having your tonsils out will stop the snoring. Have to say I feel very guilty he seems so bad now and in such pain and discomfort.

Original poster

Choco · 21/06/2006 14:15

don't worry gigwig, he feel better before you know it!! btw did he have toast too?

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gigwig · 21/06/2006 14:32

yes he did have toast. has been told to eat hard crunchy things as much as possible!

Original poster

Choco · 21/06/2006 14:36

ouch!!

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Original poster

Choco · 21/06/2006 14:36

ouch!!

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Original poster

Choco · 21/06/2006 14:38

so really no ice cream and jelly nowadays? my son has already been told by his dr. that there will be plenty of those when it's his turn to get the operation.

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