Hunker's DS1 has recurrent tonsillitis - anybody else's child?

[hunkermunker]

he's on my lap so typing hard

he's had it three times in four months

bad - horrible pussy tonsils, swollen glands, fever the last two times, although not this time. He also vomits regularly with it - three times yesterday, four today.

Doctor prescribes antibiotics, and says the risk of a tonsilectomy greater than that of tonsillitis - they don't perform the op unless children have it between 6 and 12 times in a year.

what have your experiences of it been? anybody else's child had the op?

No advice/experience but just wanted to add my sympathies and hope ds1 gets better really quickly. Hope someone else can be of more use.

My sister has. When she was 19 she was hospitalised because it was so bad (she doesn't appear to feel pain easily so gets very ill before she notices). She still gets it 3-4 times a year.

She has always had very large tonsils anyway.

They told her after she was hospitalised that they wouldn't take them out as it was much worse as an adult (which she basically was). When she was a child it was because 'we don't do those anymore'.

Not sure if it will be much use as she is much older (23 now) and some of this happened quite a while ago.

She also had a lot of ear probs as a kid (glue ear and always prone to earache). I don't know if that was linked.

No advice but my friends DS had the op, for the same reason you gave. He had recurring tonsilitis over a 6 month period. he was about 6 /12 - 7 when he had his

This isn't directly related, but dd1 had 4 ear infections in the space of 1yr last year. Doc always prescribed AB, even on the occasion she didn't seem that poorly.

Got a bit fed up of her seemingly always being on ABs (also had a chest infection that year and was on AB). Took her to a homeopath against all my instincts (have always been more into conventional medicine).

To my amazement the infection cleared up and she hasn't been ill since, other than the odd cough or cold. The homeopathic treatment was early January this year.

Don't know if this is worth a shot for you and ds? Hope he feels better soon.

Thank you, CoV

ADM, I have similarly huge tonsils - I used to get it a lot when I was little, so really empathise with DS! Interesting about not taking them out of adults either!

Saltire, one doctor said they do it if they're still getting it at 6 or 7 and missing lots of school. He'll miss a lot of everything if he gets it every six weeks as he is atm though

NNB, v interesting - hadn't considered alternative therapies, but might look into that - don't like him on antibiotics so much

hunker - I think that was the deciding factor with my friends DS. he was missing about 2 weeks every 6-8 weeks. Yes he was off school for a while 92 weeks I think) after the op, but on the plus side, no more tonsilitis. how old is your DS?

Armadillo - my cousin had her tonisls out at the age of 35. She was off work for about 6 weeks afterwards, took her ages to recover

He obviously wasn't off for 92 weeks!. it should have been (2 weeks)

He's 3.7. I hope you mean (2 weeks and not 92 weeks

I used to get really fed up with dd being on round after round of AB. And negotiating with the doc to leave off a while (she is v.AB happy). It was when dd started to climb the AB 'ladder' i.e, moving fro Amoxicillin to Penicillin, I started to get concerned. And when one course didn't work so another was prescribed straight after...

I can't tell you how amazed I was by the response to the homeopathy... could of been a coincidence, of course, but she's been so well since. Wheras before a common cold would inevitably lead to an infection, now she shrugs it off easily

Hunker, I used to get it at least once a month when I was young, they finally removed them when I was 13, not too pleasant but not that bad either, though everytime anyone else gets something on their tonsils I now get it on ym chest
Have you been able to notice anything that makes it flare up?? Swimming really stuffed me up when I went.

LGJ passes DS1 a large bowl of icecream and gives him a huge hug.

My DS1 had it 11 times in 12 months. He was treated with antibiotics 6 times. As with your DS - terrible fevers, pussy tonsils, lack of appetetite, malaise. Just awful

He was referred to an ENT but didnt see him due to us moving.

When we moved to SA we immediately self referred to an ENT in the private system. His tonsils were whipped out the same week and we have never looked back.

The ENT here was horrified at the mess she found. The tonsillar bed was so damaged from recurrent infection he has to have regular appointments (once a year) to check for regrowth.

I had this prob as a teenager so your DS has my sympathis, but I didnt want them taken out. I took antibiotics to clear it eventually but agree they are not ideal, esp not for a small person like him.
Didnt know about homeopathy then but would def look into this for your DS, it can be amazingly effective and is certainlky kinder on the body than either major antiobiotics or having toncils removed (which I gather is not often recommended now).
Poor lamb....

hunker - my dss both had a tonsilectomy. The eldest only had tonsilitis a couple of times but they were massive and he had repeated ear infections. ds2 had more tonsilitis and sleep apnoea also his speech was badly affected. They were both 3, ds2 only just. For them it was the best thing I ever did.

dd suffered similarly but to a lesser extent. We were referred but she didn't have hers out. She has health problems that increase her risk under GA. She grew out of it eventually.

It's obviously a family trait for us - dh was very young when he had his removed; I supposed to have had mine out at 16 but I bottled it

He was 3yrs7 months when they were removed btw.

In and out of hospital same day. He barely even complained after the first slice of toast (an hour or two after he got back to the ward).

Dejags

How are you and how are things ?

Your poor DS. My DSS, who's now 14, had his tonsils out when he was nine - he'd had tonsillitis more or less all that winter with frequent bouts in previous years. He recovered very quickly and hasn't had any probems since. I wish someone had taken mine out when I was a child, I was miserably ill every year, but our GPs always said that I would grow out of it - which I did, but not until I was well into my 20s.

Both my eldest dd's had tonsils, adenoids removed and grommets inserted aged 3.

They were so much better for it.

Shame is that was a decade ago and GP's do seem to prefer to make kids really suffer before they do anything these days...

DD3 spent a night in hospital last month due to tonsillitus so bad combined with a blocked nose, that she couldn't breath!

Very well thanks LGJ? How are you?

Fine thanks, I was just a bit concerned because the last thread I saw from you was deleted at your request.

Hope you are well.

Thanks again, all - SO nice to talk to people who have had similar experiences (and always nice for DS1 to get hugs and ice cream, LGJ!).

DS1 gets recurrent nosebleeds, as did I. Hmm - would that be linked? What do adenoids do, anyway?! I know they're often removed at the same time as tonsils (and I read "Boy" by Roald Dahl and know how his were removed - open wide, sharp knife, snick, snick, a shocking amount of inside of head fell into a bowl ).

DS1 has perked up a bit - he's had some Disprol (may I recommend that above Calpol for people who want non-bright-pink paracetamol for their children?!) and one lot of ABs (which ARE bright pink - he's having Cefalexin which are what worked both times before.

He's otherwise a very well child - farm child complexion, charges about, has an excellent appetite, etc - but this poleaxes him

He's had some "nice soft chicken" and some pitta bread (his comfort food!) and I'm going to give him a bit of smoothie. He's also had a few mouthfuls of expressed breastmilk. Actually, that's probably why he feels better

hunker I had recurrent tonsilitis as a child
They refused to take mine out as I was also prone to bronchitis and they said better the tonsil remain than risk worse infections ???

I ended up with a quinsy (hideous complication of tonsilitis) and nearly died, yet they still refused

If I ever show a dr my tonsils, they jumpy back and shriek, they are so large and pitted and I always get sore throats, although now I mention it I've not had tonsilitis so much in the last 5 yrs (I'm 37)

my own opinion would be to have them out tbh...

hope your ds gets well soon, tis awful

ds2 gets nosebleeds hunker - got them before he had tonsil/adenoids out and is no different now.

I have them alot too - had the joys of tampax thrust up my nose and cauterisation. Oh the joys

Hunker where did you get hold of Disprol and what colour is it (presuming not hideously pink)?!

can I 2nd the how is dejags as well (sorry hunker)