Adenoid and tonsils removal - does it help?

[NeatMauveScroller]

My 3.5 yo (4 in April) has had the go ahead from a consultant to have his adenoids and tonsils removed. This is based on his chronic dribbling, frequent sinus infections (and foul smelling snot), loud snoring and spluttering when sleeping. We're really pleased as we hope it will improve his overall wellness and reduce all these infections that make him so tired and under the weather. But could anyone share their experience of their little ones having this procedure, and whether having the adenoids and/or tonsils removed actually made a difference to your child's health and happiness?

Hello my youngest had his out at about aged 7.
He was a dreadful snorer and had frequent ear infections. They gave him a sleep monitor for a week and after the readings were in said that the op it would help as his levels weren't great at night.
We were seen very quickly ( but I honestly think that was down to the fact he had recently finished cancer treatment, rather than the urgency of the op)
His snoring is much better now and no more ear infections.
He was pretty much fine afterwards, I think day 5 post op is when they feel a bit rubbish but more or less back to normal after 10 days.

I was forced to wait until 13/14 to have my tonsils removed. From being a toddler I had tonsillitis 9+ times a year by the time I had them removed I was having 1-2 weeks off school each time I got tonsillitis and I got it every school holiday too and sometimes needing a second course of antibiotics.
I was a terrible snorer and unfortunately still am, they didn't take the adenoids out, I don't know why not - possibly because they are meant to get smaller if she. In the 20s year since having them removed I have had tonsillitis twice and my school attendance increased dramatically. I would have struggled to get the grades I did in my GCSEs if I had continued to miss as much school as I was doing.

Yes my now 15 year old had her tonsils and adenoids removed at 4, she was always unwell before , had lost weight , would choke on food a lot and during sleep would snore so loudly and had sleep apnea. She was a different child afterwards , much healthier , slept better ; have never heard her snore since . When I look back on videos I also can’t believe how nasal her voice sounded before , didn’t realise at the time. So so glad she had it done and I don’t even remember much of her recovery so it can’t have been too bad, good luck!

loud snoring and spluttering when sleeping.

The spluttering is sleep apnea where his adenoids or tonsils are covering his airways. My DD had her adenoids removed first which helped with the foul smelling snot but not with the sleep apnea. Having her tonsils out a year later sorted it and she doesn't really snore anymore (had it done 20yrs ago). At least yours is getting them both done at the same time. Word of warning though, dont offer fruit or fruit juice until the throat has healed properly.

EDIT - Agree with pp. Appetite and general health improved a lot.

It was life changing for my daughter at 3

Yes, my daughter had it done at three and it completely changed her life, which sounds like I'm exaggerating but I'm genuinely not.

@Pixiedust1234 that's good about the foul smelling snot! Thanks a lot about the fruit juice warning, I can imagine that would really inflame the site. Thanks for sharing.

@ObliviousCoalmine that is wonderful to hear that she benefitted so much from it. Would you mind sharing what some of the benefits were? I'm so keen to find out what I can!

That's awesome, you must have been so relieved!! Did you feel that her overall health improved?

Was life changing for my daughter. Constant ear infections, glue ear, obstructive sleep apnea and general failure to thrive. Within 3 weeks of the op she had gained weight, height and had a sparkle back in her eyes. She looked like a different child. A healthy one.

Her tonsils did actually grow back (!!) but thankfully, the prior issues never have returned, 6 years later.

It was a traumatic couple of week whilst her throat and adenoid site healed, in terms of pain and worry, but it was the best thing we could have done, zero regrets. Good luck

It was life changing for my son when he had this done at 4.5. His sleep improved so much, and he grew at an enormous rate in the 4 months after. His speech changed (we hadn’t really noticed that as an issue, but it was much improved after and in hindsight he was quite nasally). He also became much more active - we realised that he couldn’t run around as much as his peers before the operation.

Yes! 1000% For my son it has been truly life changing. He had grommets and adenoids done and he's not been sick since. He's 6 months post op. Honestly the difference in him is night and day. The best decision we could make. From being unwell every week for month and after month he's got his childhood back, can hear, smell and finally talk. If you have that opportunity take it!
I hope your little one is okay.

My son had it done at 3 1/2yrs old. Was mouth breathing, snoring, sleep apnea, repeat ear infections, hear loss, delayed speech due to loss of hearing etc.

Mine had his out, mostly for the sleep apnoea and spluttering.
He was so much better after the op.
Be prepared that his voice will go up higher, that really weirded us out albeit briefly.

My son had his out age 5. He had endless viral tonsillitis, was constantly chocking on food, had to drink to swallow anything, and had what they said was a speech delay. He also had sleep apnea symptoms.

The change after the operation was like night and day. He could eat better. He wasn't choking anymore. He hasn't had tonsillitis once since, and his speech improved within weeks. The one thing we found funny was that he started asking what smells where, which made us realise how badly his nose had actually been affected.

Before she had the op she was always ill; she'd had tonsillitis (and subsequent antibiotics) 9 times in 18 months. Constantly had a cold/runny nose/mucussy cough. She snored loudly and had sleep apnea to the extent that I slept next to her/with her on top of me for three years, every night, because she'd stop breathing and wake up choking. She vomited a lot, presumably from all the mucus she was swallowing. She didn't eat much and was quite skinny.

She was missing swimming lessons and nursery all the time and was seeing other children less due to being ill.

I had to consistently take her to the dr every single time she was ill to prove that I wasn't making it up, they kept saying to try and wait until she was 7 because they tend to naturally shrink around that age but I absolutely wasn't going to risk her missing huge chunks of school on the off chance that they'd shrink.

Once they were out she slept properly, no apnea, doesn't snore, no vomit, her voice changed (for the better) and she's very rarely ever ill (shes 13 now). She grew a lot after the op, ate more and was a much happier child.

This was exactly my experience with my dc. It was and has been truly life changing for him.

My son had it done age 3 (now 17) and has never looked back. Best thing for him. Wish you all the best x

I had this op at the same age and my mum said it was like changing for me. I
My appetite improved and my general health.

I remember being in hospital and getting ice cream. I don't remember and discomfort at all after the op and I was discharged after 3 days (1974)

Thank you to everyone who has commented, I can literally hear the relief in your comments about your kids feeling better. It's really made me feel more positive about the procedure that's to come. Let's get these adenoids gone!!

@NeatMauveScroller hi op, have you gone through the procedure yet?
We have the ent on Friday about potentially removing adenoids and I think I'm going to push for it as we're on our 4th ear infection in 6 weeks.

Please push and push as hard as you can. My son had 12 ear infections in under 9 months age 2-3years old to a point they were back to back. He also had 60 decibel hearing loss so had major speech delay. Nhs fobbed us off for weeks and months with empty promises of surgery for grommets and adenoids. After finally being told he'd have to wait another 12-18 months for surgery we fundraised and went private as we couldn't see him suffer anymore.
Don't take no for an answer. Best of luck.