recurrent tonsillitis

[Chell]

My six year old son has been suffering with tonsilitis for two years.he has had 12 bouts of it this year, and 30 days off school.he always gets conjunctvitis with it.my doctor will not refer him to a consultant as he says there is too much risk in removing them.what should i do?should i push it or hope he grows out of it?HELP!!

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I think Echinacea is meant to be very good for tonsilitis etc. Its easily available in Boots etc but you'd need to check with chemist re. its suitability for children. I remember reading an article (in the Telegraph I think?) where they asked paediatricians what (if any) alternative medicine they would use on their own children and a couple of them both said this. I use it myself to ward off colds/sore throats etc and its very good, but as I say I don't know about child use.

Wow - 12 bouts! That is a lot. What is the concerns about the risks - I thought it was routine for a child to have them removed? I had problems with my tonsils but didn't start till I was 15 and was told I was too old to have them out as an adult. Apparently there is more problem with scarring the older you are. Why not get a second opinion.

I have fortunately grown out of it but I am aged 35 now!

Chell, here's a page from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) that gives guidelines for tonsillectomy as well as some additional info. It does seem that your son should probably have them removed.

www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/fulltext/34/section6.html

The relevant bits are sections 6.3 and 6.4. Don't know if it'll help, but you might try reading it and then approaching your doctor with the info. My son just had grommits put in, a lot less painful than a tonsillectomy, but he still needed to a general anesthetic. The idea that there's too much risk in removing tonsils is ridiculous under normal circumstances. It's one of the most common operations in children in the western world. There is always a risk with putting anyone under, but it's minimal and the operation itself is straightforward.

Good luck. If you'd like the name of a good ENT guy, let me know.

Oops, should have included this in the original message. Here's a patient information leaflet:
www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/fulltext/34/annex3.html

Another set of guidelines which mention referral to a consultant:
www.prodigy.nhs.uk/guidance/crs/Sore%20throat-acute.htm
See the "Refer or Investigate" subsection under "Acute Sore Throat"

And, if you've got time, you can download the NHS referral guidelines (these tell when people should be referred to a consultant). This document is in PDF format, but does recommend that your son be seen by a specialist. It's an NHS document, might be worth taking into the doctor.
www.nice.org.uk/nice-web/pdf/NICE_GP_Referral_cues_4.pdf
The relevant guidelines are on page 25.

Good luck.

12 bouts and you haven't been referred, good grief, I'd ask to see an ENT Specialist now, please take my advise, I had problems like this when I was small and eventually I had to have my tonsils removed as they were poisoning my liver etc. I don't mean to scare you, but please ask you GP to refer you now, poor wee soul must be suffering and you as well Chell. I would ask to be referred, good luck.

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thank you everyone, for your response.i dont think i was expecting one.robinw and Jj, you both offered interesting information, i am going to our doctor in the morning as the poor boy has come down with it again. i will keep you posted on his progress.thanks again, chell

Thanks as well. My 7-year old has just been diagnosed with tonsilitis - his first bout. He has had hearing problems, nearly had to wear grommets. From the little I know, it seems ther could be a link between this and tonsilitis.

Anyway, he has been given antibiotics and has about 5 days to recover becasue all being well, he's due to go to his grandparents in Devon for a summer holiday next week. Fingers crossed!

Chell, how did it go today? I took my son in yesterday because he has some infected mosquito bites on his bum (YUCKY and painful) and it turns out he has an inflamed tonsil, too.. his first. It's not bothering him, but quite a coincidence, eh?

My son has got raging tonsillitis as well. He's been really unwell, very very high temperature that I couldn't even bring down with calpol and ibuprofen alternated. He has also had a red rash all over his trunk, that has now shrunk back to just on his neck and chest - anyone else experienced the rash with the tonsils? Hoping he gets better as we're due to fly to NY for a hol on Tuesday.

Paula 1, my son has no red rash as yet. Latest news is he's slowly getting better. He developed the illness on Monday, and started a course of antibiotics on Tuesady morning. Still high temperatures and sickness at times but hopefully he's on the mend. Hope your son is feeling a little better, too.

Paula1, does your son have strep throat? If he does then it might be scarlet fever (strep throat plus a rash). It's treated the same way-- clears up with antibiotics. He might peel though after the rash goes down.

My husband mentioned tonight that a British coworker of his said that you don't have "strep throat" here. Don't know if you call it something different or if he's that out of touch. In the US, "strep throat" is the name for a throat infection caused by the group A streptococci bacteria. A diagnosis is made either by doing a culture or a rapid strep test (both require swabbing the throat to get a sample).

Jj, no we don't 'have' strep throat here, (of course we do, they just don't call it that) and they almost never do a swab of the throat. I do actually think it may have been scarlet fever. He is so much better now since the antibiotics though. Thanks.

Sheesh, I jinxed myself. My son just spent the weekend in the hospital with, you guessed it, a *@&! strep infection in his throat and a rash all over his body.

The paed said he'd like to redo the throat swab 7 days after his last dose of antibiotics because sometimes the bacteria lingered around making a person a carrier and more likely to get another bout. ? I think that's correct, I was very happy he was letting us go and a bit sleep deprived at the time. He did ask if he had tonsillitis often and said after that 5-6 bouts in a year you start thinking about doing a tonsillectomy.

Chell, how's your son?

hello, i have just been reading about some of your kids having scarlet fever, well Josh had the same, and his skin peeled really badly afterwards. tha good news is he is being seen by a consultant on the 22nd of this month.i made a really big fuss after going to the end of year parents evening and the teacher said he was very bright but his schooling had suffered because of the time off. apparently the consultant likes the tonsills to crossing over so the child can barely swallow before he will remove them, a little extreme dont you think!anyway we will have to wait and see what he says when he sees josh and his school report and attendance record. fingers crossed something gets done, i cant bare the thought of another two years of the same!!

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RobinW, Thanks for picking up on my query, and for the useful info on Xylitol. I will try the toothpaste, and if that doesn't go down too well, I will look for the gum. I believe there's a discussion on Xylitol on another board, so I'll have a trawl.

My then 7 yo DD was diagnosed with strep throat here in the UK. She'd been admitted to hospital with a query over appendicitis, they did a throat swab and hey presto! The symptoms had manifested as stomach pains rather than throat pain. She had antibiotics which soon cleared it up, but not until she had given it to me. I was in agony and felt so ill, it was horrible.

Chell, how did the doctor's visit go today? I hope it went well. Please let me know.

The vitamins my son started taking contain xylitol! The brand is Sanatogen and my husband got them at Boots. I was so excited when I read the ingredients list.

hello Jj, well yes it went well (i think!). The docotr took one look at josh and his tonsills and said they had to come out. At least i was doing the right thing by pushing to see a consultant after having such a negative response from my GP. the sad thing is that the waiting list is about a year long, so i am thinking of going private, i dont think we could cope with another winter with his tonsills. I was slightly put of the idea when the doctor went through the complications with me, but i know that he wouldnt have made the decision lightly, especially as the op costs so much. At least there is light at the end of the tunnel. Josh is nervous already at the thought of having an operation, i have alot of preperation to do with him. I am going to look for the vitamins you were talking about, something to give him a boost during the winter months, and he has to be clear of infection for the op.
How is your son getting on Jj? will check back in a week, chellx

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Chell, glad to hear that things are progressing! The waiting list sounds awful, though. If you do go private and the doctor is booked for a while, as well as making an appointment, ask to be put on the waiting list. That way if someone else cancels for some reason, you might get that appointment. Be super nice to the secretary and explain why you'd like the earliest possible. Of course, you have to be good to go when they call, but if your schedule can handle it, it's worth a try.

My son is strep free! He's got a cold, but just the usual cough and runny nose. My goal is to get him completely healthy before the baby arrives in a bit over 4 weeks. I found the Sensodyne toothpaste-- thanks Batters for the info on that and the description. They had it at Sainsburys. To me, Tutti Frutti toothpaste sounds horrible, but he was thrilled!

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