Advice on Tonsilectomy/adnoidectomy for 5 Yr. Old.

Well, you already got lots of great advice, but my 5 year old son also had it done in October, due to sleep apnea and he is doing 100% better. Also, the best decision we ever made. I wish we had done it sooner. It's not easy when they first wake up and the first few days, but hang in there...it's worth it. Best of luck.

I just went thru this with my seven year old. He turned 7 March 24th and he had his surgery April 30th. Now that it is all over I can say he did wonderfully. It was not easy and there is a good bit of pain. My son too is real active and he's a big eater. He pretty much didn't feel like doing much but he was starving those first couple of days. They had him on codiene for the pain and it was just making him vomit.
We switched to children's tylenol and he at least kept liquids down. Lots of popsickles and clear liquids. My son Jax does not snore anymore and he was getting strep constantly before. He had already had mono. So I know we made the right decision but be prepared you may ask yourself in the first couple of days "why did I do this" He will do fine and feel better in the long run.

easy surgery, ours being 20 minutes at Pittsburgh Children's with Dr. Turner ENT. Easy recovery. I would not anticipate any problems unless you don't have ice cream or popsicles in the house.
They will help you with pain management.

Hi D.,
My son ws 3 at the time had that surgery. He did really well. The hospital was so kind to us and really was understanding. He even got to wear his own jammies because he wouldn't change into a gown. They ahve hime special books just for him. We were in Norristown at Montgomery Hospital. We saw the ENT in Lansdale on Cowpath RD. He had to have his out because his tonsils were so large and he snored so bad and had trouble swallowing. He was fine with the pain. He refused the meds. He is not a medicine taker so we let it go unless he was really bad. I think the only really bad day we had was right before the check up and the scabs fell off (this is what the dr said)he complained that day of a lot of pain. Other than that he was good. My son has always been a whiner so in his case it went extremely well. I wish we would have been able to give him the meds to ease some but he did not want it.
Have lots of JEllo on hand.
This surgery is so common now that it is not as bad as you think. You will be in my thoughts.
Good LUck.
J.

We did this 2 mos before my oldest's 3rd birthday. The hardest thing was her reaction to the anesthesia. We'd done tubes but this procedures uses a higher level of anesthesia which really upset her stomach. She started waking up & was really upset & unnerved. They brought me in to hold her immediately & once she calmed a bit, we went up to the recovery room. When she woke up, she said her stomach hurt which the drs had said would be normal to expect. The nurses gave me a bit of a hard time that she wasn't old enough to tell me but I was insistent that they give me something for it and they did. It was a huge help, she went to sleep again & when she woke up, she stole some of the turkey off my hoagie. We walked around, played some games, had a couple of popsicles & when our dr came by around 4 that afternoon, he said she was fine to go home so we did. She ate an egg roll that night.

My oldest had the sleep apnea as well & when we got this done, she slept through the night for the first time ever.

She was active & we just let her set the pace. I didn't take her out for races but if she wanted to ride her bike in the driveway, I let her. She didn't ask for any pain medication until about the 8th day which is when the dr had said would be the worst probably because it is really healing at that point & getting tight.

I was prepared for her to be lazy & want to watch movies, etc. I had had mine out at 17 & it was horrendous. She didn't at all. I had a busy 2 wks w/ her.

The hardest thing was keeping her hydrated. I swear the neighbors must have thought I was training her for frat games as I stood outside while she rode her bike in circles around me & passed a cup to her & chanted "Chug, Chug, Chug!"

Dear D.,

I had two children that went through this surgery at about the age of 5. They both fought drinking water or eating frozen pops immediately after surgery, because their throats hurt. At that point, I requested they be given a shot for pain and then made to drink and eat. Once they got their shots, they did fine.

Children are remarkable patients. They seemed to heal quickly as long as I kept them eating and drinking. You just don't want to have them let their throats get dry. The sinuses didn't seem to bother them, and having them cleaned out really helped their breathing.

In this day and age doctors do everything in their power NOT to take out the tonsils and adenoids. If your doctor is recommending this surgery, it is critical to alleviate the sleep apnea. Have faith in your doctor's opinion, and follow his instructions. Sleep apnea can cause so many other health problems that you don't want to have your child at risk.

My prayers will be with you on the 11th. God bless you.
M.

Most importantly is for you to stay calm. Same day procedure and depending on the child can be out within 2 hours of waking up. Slow and steady lots of fluids. They will actually give them mac n cheese or mashed potatoes within an hour. Don't wait too long with the pain meds cause yes once it really hits and usually the next day or 2 takes more then a dose to calm down. I let them sleep with me for the first 2/3 days and i kept the meds right by my bed and would wake them up to take it.

My 8 year old had both done and now no more snoring.

My daughter had her tonsils/adenoid removed when she was 4. It was the best decision we've ever made. Since then, her sleep and attitude has dramatically improved. The weirdest thing to get used to is how different her voice is now. It's very strange to hear a different voice come out of your child's mouth! I'll be honest: The recovery isn't easy -- the medicine tastes bad and the throat burns -- so expect to serve a lot of ice cream and soup. Stay on top of the painkillers, because once his throat hurts, getting him to take it is going to be harder. Also, be careful about restricting activity for awhile and checking his throat for bleeding.

All of this taken into account, the long-term payoffs are much greater than the short-term pain. Now my daughter is able to sleep through the night, never complains about sore throats and doesn't have deep circles under her eyes. Her body is so much stronger.

Best of luck, and I'll say a prayer for you and your son!

My 4yr old just had this same surgery done in April. I will be honest, he was in terrible pain for about a week. We had to force his pain meds in him. We got no sleep for the 1st 24hrs and I was worried about dehydration, but the Dr. told me that they pump him full of enough fluids the day of surgery to last him a day or two after. I wouldn't worry about him jumping around, he will not feel up to it at all. My best advice is keep the pain meds in him every 3hrs (even though they say every 4) The Pharm. said 3hrs was fine and if you let the pain start to come back you will have even more trouble getting him to take it cuz it burns going down the throat. It was a week and a half after before my little guy didn't need meds. Good luck. It is all worth it in the end. I know you'll both do fine.

My son had his removed just before he turned five and he's also the bouncing off the walls type (I threaten him with duct tape all the time). But let me tell you that once the surgery is done your son/daughter won't be bouncing for at least a week, maybe even two. When my son first came awake in the recovery unit of the hospital he was moaning and whimpering. If your child has a sleep object definatly bring it and try to encourage him/her to go back to sleep. Waking up from anesthesia is never fun and sleeping it off is the best way to wait for the effects to wear off. What ever you do don't let your child see you cry, be strong he/she will need that very much and it's the hardest thing to see your kid in so much pain and there isn't much you can do about it :(

The first few days are the roughest and the stink that'll come from his/her mouth is horrible, my doctor gave me a prescription for Tylenol with codeine for pain management but we didn't use very much of it because it made him feel ill. Regular children's Tylenol worked just fine for him and getting him to drink was VERY hard. Just try to encourage your child to drink/sleep as much as possible.

Hi D. - When my one son was almost 3 (he's almost 6 now) he had his tonsils removed because he had constant ear infections (here his tonsils were bad and causing all these problems). But just from the procedure itself, he just didn't want to be over excertive, he just wanted to relax and doze. They gave tylenol with codeine which helped with the pain and he didn't want to eat foods that would hurt...it honestly didn't take long before he was back to his normal self - and he has been ear infection free since! My other son had his tonsils removed when he was 6 (he is now 11) and was also laid back and hoarse for a few days - but also was the same way, he didn't want to do much (I guess their bodies basically help tell them to take it easy and when they are better) and also took pain relievers. He talked them into allowing him to keep his tonsils (which I thought they couldn't do anymore....) and still proudly brings them out to gross everyone out. THey made one heck of a show and tell item that year....The only difference from when I had mine done (in 3rd grade, back in 1983...not to date myself...) is that it is now considered a short procedure surgery and they go home a few hours later as long as they are fine. I had to stay overnight which I remember as being horrible. But I hope this helps you - it really isn't that bad anymore. It ended up being like a miracle cure for both of my boys! Good luck and maybe your son will get to keep his tonsils and gross everyone out!!!

My daughter had hers removed in Feb of 07. She did so well. Once she woke up and came back from lala land she was all about asking those nurses for all the free water ice she could get her hands on. Her pain was almost gone within a day or so after. She slept alot the day of the surgery. Of course we followed the diet closely and she was out of school for almost 2 weeks. Mostly due to snow. She also lost a little bit of weight, but that came back quickly after she started eating normally again. I hope that your experience goes as well as ours did. I will be thinking of you. Good luck. If you have any questions you can email me at ____@____.com

As a pediatric nurse, I cared for many, many children who had their tonsils removed.Usually the first few days, they really don't feel like doing anything. Keep him/her in their pjs if that makes them think they are "sick" and may help to keep them still. Have plenty of games, drawing materials, etc. that they can do in quiet mode. Make sure they get enough clear fluids to drink (drinks that you can see through), but no soda unless you make it flat. Not a good idea to give them anything red. If they vomit, sometimes it will be difficult to determine if there is blood if the child has been drinking red juice. Hold on the milk & ice cream substances until some of the junk in their throat clears up. Make their favorite jello. No hot foods (like hot soup)--- serve it lukewarm. Also, NO STRAWS. The hot fluids and straws can dislodge the clot in the back of the throat. Remember there may be some bleeding, or even vomiting of bloody material after surgery, so don't freak out. You will receive instructions before you leave the hospital. Each doctor may have their own ideas.Hope this helps a little.

My son had tubes, tonsils and adnoids removed on wednesday march 24, 2010. The whole procedure lasted 55 minutes. He was given 3 medications...acetemitaphin with codeine, amoxicillin, and ear drops...the ear drops are for the tubes that are in (4 drops in each ear 2x's a day), amoxicillin for the antibiotic and the acetemitaphin with codeine for the pain and to relax him. THings take time. His throat still hurts and nose is still draining. Hope all is well

We had this done to our daughter when she was 7. It is daunting. I will tell you one mistake we made when we got home. I kept asking our daughter if her throat hurt, I thought the longer she went without the pain meds the better she would be...plus she didn't like to take any kind of medicine. DONT DO THAT! Give the pain meds as soon as you get home and give them on the schedule that the doctor gives you. It is easier to prevent the pain than it is to get rid of it once it starts. When her we did give her the pain meds they were not as effective and she didn't want to drink anything or eat anything (I had lots of different jello's made, ice cream, lots of soups and broths ready to go) and almost became dehydrated...which would have ment a return to the hospital for an IV. Also the recovery time was a lot longer than I thought....when the Dr says it takes three full weeks to recover he isn't kidding! But the relief they experience sleeping without the snoring, the aphena, and the constant round of "colds" is just about instant!! It is really amazing. I noticed a difference right away when we went to her in the recovery room!! Make sure to go on the pre-surgury tour, don't cry when he goes in (at least where he can see you!), and be smiling when he wakes!! Good luck & best wishes!!!

My daughter had her surgery on March 1 of 2007 at the age of 13. She was pretty much in and out the first day. The Dr gave her tylenol w\ codine an antibiotic and magic swizzle its a mix of numbing stuff she loved it the first 2 days she really didn't need it all her pain hit on day 3 she was miserible. The best word of advice is keep all meds in the fridge even if they dont need it the cold is soothing. push fluids we used her favorite drinks and a blender lots of ice. and she loved string cheese. some one mentioned the smell its horrid as a matter of fact one of the first things I said to her was your breath is nasty and her reply was well you should taste it. Let your child work at his own pace but try not to let him over do it for a few days.good luck

My middle son had this done 2 years ago when he was 6. He also had sleeping problems that included apnea and severe snoring. His surgery went very well! For his recovery he was in some pain, but really doesn't complain about pain so he was harder to assess at that time. I made a face scale with 10 faces that went from smily to sad. I had him point to the face that matched how he felt and gave him the pain meds based on that scale. AS far as not jumping or running....I was a bad Mommy and let him play a good amount of video games and movies. It went that he could watch as much Nick as he wanted. He is a very active child and it really did help keep him still. I had tried different flavors of jello leading up to his surgery so I knew what he liked and made that in mass. I also gave him italian ice to eat to help soothe his throat. He was very sleepy from teh anesthesia the first day but after that he was a bit more energetic. I was very happy afterwards because he was eating very little for a few months before his surgery. He has always been small for his age, but he started to eat and grow after his surgery. Good luck and I hope that this info helped a bit :)