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Tonsillectomy to remove massive tonsils?

1 reply

SpringViolet · 10/09/2023 19:06

DS (21) has extremely large tonsils. Constantly remarked on since he was young by dentist. When he was 4, he was referred to ENT after a few bouts of tonsillitis who said he needed them out but they’d do it when he around 5/6 as he was a bit young. When I later asked for a referral, criteria was 3 infections with a year which he hasn’t had and hasn’t had any since.

He was diagnosed with asthma when he was 7 due to struggling to breathe with a respiratory virus but he was later taken off the asthma register as no further issues. I think this to do with his tonsils.

He takes a sharp intake of breath at the end of speaking a long sentence because it’s like he can’t get enough breath in, can get quite breathless with sport which has meant he has avoided it, has lots of saliva, is a very noisy swallower and sleeps very noisily with his mouth open. Also suffers from bad breath despite brushing twice a day, using mouthwash and regular dental checkups with no problems identified. This has lost him a girlfriend!

I doubt he would get a tonsillectomy on the NHS but we were considering going private next year. Bit concerned about risks at his age but I think it would be a massively beneficial thing for him and his life.

Has anyone else had experience of a tonsillectomy for massive tonsils?

OP posts:
clipclop5 · 11/09/2023 17:47

19 year old DD had hers out privately a few months ago, although it was for repeated tonsillitis episodes. It’s definitely worth getting a consult with an ENT surgeon if he feels that he’d benefit from tonsillectomy. Slightly concerned that he’s 21 and you’re saying that you want this for him, it has to be his decision only at the end of the day.

Risks aren’t increased due to age, it’s just a more painful recovery. DD wanted to cancel at one point due to the horror stories online of people saying they were in the worst pain of their lives and couldn’t eat/drink for weeks. In reality although the first few days were unpleasant and painful, as long as she took her pain medication, loads of fluids, used ice packs etc it was manageable. By 10 days she was fully recovered.

Even though she did everything right (ate and drank pretty much normally as per consultant’s instructions) she still managed to have a small bleed resulting in an A&E trip + overnight observation in hospital. It was only minor but due to where it is they take any bleeding at all very seriously. It’s certainly not an operation to take for granted, after that I know she was really nervous about it happening again but thankfully not!

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