Adnoid Surgery at 2.8?

I have 3 kids and so far 2 of them have had ear tubes. My daughter had hers in at 19 months. My first son had ear tubes put in at 10 months. My second son has his first ear infection now. When they put the tubes in it was quick only like 10 min. My daughter didn't get another ear infection till this past March or so. Shes 5 now. My son that had the ear tubes hasn't had another one yet. I don't know about the adenoid's though.

surgery at such a young age is very scary, I personally would be extremely hesitant to do it. Being a health counselor, my first reaction is: take out ALL dairy and any sugary foods. Since he has been on consistent antibiotics he definitely needs probiotics in supplement form (there are strains specifically for infants and young children) you can get this at any health food store. Secondly I would take him to a naturopathic doctor (or even a regular doctor can do this but naturopathy treats the whole person, not just the symptoms) to rule out food intolerance. Right off the bat it sounds like dairy, sugar and maybe even wheat. Believe me I counsel lots of folks with the same issues, my niece in fact almost had her adnoids removed before my sister look into her diet, she has serious intolerance to wheat. It is worth it to explore before going to surgery, good luck.

Hi! My son was 2 weeks shy of his 3rd birthday when he had his adenoids removed and 3rd set of tubes put in. The surgery is fairly fast, and I would say the worst part of it is the crying as they wake up from being put under. A few hours after I got him home, he was getting back to his usual self - wanting to eat, drink, and play. I will warn you - with the adenoid removal, his nose ran profusely with thick discharge for several days which is apparently normal. Keep alot of tissues handy! Once the discharge cleared up, his breathing at night became incredibly quiet. In 3 years, he had never slept that quietly. It was amazing! I don't know where your son will have his surgery, but we went to Children's in Boston, and they are GREAT! He's actually going back for his 4th set of tubes in February. Good luck!

R.,
I understand your concern.. Our son had his first set of tubes at 1 yr. we opted not to do the adenoids at that time. (knowing they could grow back,etc.) He had his second set of tubes at 4y, and we did his adenoids at that time. I can tell you now, that we wish we did the adenoids the first time around. This past surgery brought a world of difference. He has been so much healthier!!
It is a tough decision, I am aware. This is my experience. Hope it helps.
Good Luck, and good health to you and yours,.
M.

Our daughter had constant ear infections and was about to get tubes put in her ears - before a friend recommended a Chiropractor. Now 3 years later we have had one or two total infections - 90% less colds, runny noses - I couldn't believe how well it worked. It you are anxious - I think it is a great option and worth checking out before going down the surgery route. Not sure about Adnoids .. but your pediatric chiropractor might be able to comment. Each visit boosts their immune system - and we have noticed such an overall reduction in runny noses and she looks so much more healthy ! :)

Are you going to Mass Eye and Ear? My girlfriend 's daughter just had the same surgery in Nov. and it went wonderful-tonsils too! My husband also had ear surgery in Aug. there......brilliant staff!

Best of luck!

My friend's child had the tonsils and adenoids out about the same age - and she did great! She's not as sick all the time, and seemed much less agitated and behavioral (she was getting pretty unruly because she lacked in sleep so much for being sick all the time!). I have also worked with lots of patients who have had this done around age 3 and have done well. Prolonged use of antibiotics is really not a good thing - it can cause hearing loss, as well as resistance to the effect of antibiotics! You have every right to be nervous about surgery though - it's still surgery.... just ask lots of questions - no question is too small.

MY son had his adnoids and tube surgery when he was 2.5. He had ear infeciton ever 6 weeks and was on all the antibiotics you could think of. Since he has had his surgery he has been healthy. ( knock on wood =0.) It will be 2 years in may and has not had an ear infection.

Hi R. -

My daughter had her tonsils and adnoids out at 2 1/2. The adnoids werent that bad, it was the tonsils that were horrible. She also, like most of the other kids, had the enlarged tonsils and adnoids that were causing sleep apnea.

My daughter was actually up and eating a muffin in the hospital so they let her go home.

It was the best thing we ever did.

good luck!
L.

Hi R.. My son had his tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes in his ears all at the same time. It was 1 month before he turned 2. Like your son, he had chronic ear infections. I mean he wouldn't even be completely over one infection before another one started. The surgery went very well. He did stay overnight because of his age, but there were no complications at all. He was whiny of course and scared but by the time we came home the next day he was pretty much himself again. A little more cranky than usual and he ate less but the meds helped him sleep. He recovered better than my 5yr old who had his removed the month before. Good luck!

I had the same surgery done when I was younger. Admittedly, I wasn't that young when mine was done (I was 7). However, as the years pass, I have seen that they are doing those type of surgeries younger and younger. However, I did see a girl that was about 2-2 1/2 go through the surgery at a day care center I worked at. She would have days where there would be a yellow discharge from her ears which I found odd as I didn't recall having that happen after my surgery. I also had to have my tonsils removed when my surgery was done because I was sick all the time as a child-tonsilitis and constant severe ear infections. What to expect for after care, I really don't recall anything except that the tubes fell out on their own. I still had ear infections after that but, aside from 2, they really weren't anywhere near as bad nor as frequent as they had been (to my understanding) as prior to the adnoid removal and tube inserting. With those 2 bad ear inffections, they talked about putting me back in for tubes again. However, the conditions they set had not been met. As an example, the first time they had talked about putting tubes in my ears again, I was in high school and had an ear infection for almost 3 months with no help or change on antibiotics. On the previous visit to finally getting better, I was told that if it didn't clear up by the next visit it was something they were going to do. The second time, I was in my early to mid 20's and had an ear infection so bad that I had blisters in my ears. At that point, I was told if I got any more they were going to put tubes in my ears again. Knock on wood, no ear infections since that one. So, the tubes should reduce the amount of ear infections your son gets but it may not necessarily completely get rid of them. Good luck to you both.

My son had his adenoids and tonsils out right after he turned 2. It was due to obstructive sleep apnea, so we really didn't have a choice in the matter. I am glad we did it because the changes in him were almost immediate. Aside from sleeping better, his speech increased at an amazing speed, his temperament improved and he had a growth spurt. If your child needs it done, I would recommend it. It may be affecting them in ways you don't even realize yet.

I do have to say though, that the first 2 weeks of recovery are very difficult. He couldn't eat very much and he was always hungry...he got tired of scrambled eggs, pancakes and even ice cream very quickly. But do your best to stock up on stuff he CAN have and just be prepared to wait it out. The benefits were definitely worth it for us!

C.

Hi!
Actually, there is little I can say that will make you less nervous--it is simply nerve-wracking to have your child under anesthesia!! That being said, it may reassure you to hear that both my daughters had adenoids/eartubes at a young age. Actually, my first was at 20 months old (which included tonsils) and my second was at 15 months old! I actually am glad we did it so young--they don't understand what is happening so their head doesn't get as involved with what is happening. They bounce back more quickly.

Best of luck--he'll be fine (YOU may have difficulty, but he won't)! ;)

My daughter had her tonsils & adnoids out on dec 29th 2008 she just turned two in november... She never had a problem with her ears but she had enlarged tonsils & adnoids which was causing her to have sleep apnea so her ENT suggested that they both be removed ASAP. I was very nervous about the surgery too, but believe that this was the best thing for her. Because of her age they kept her over one night in pediactric ICU. It took about two weeks for her to start feeling better from surgery so prepare yourself for a very cranky child. Although I think that tonsil recovery is a bit worse so your son will most likely recovery much quicker from surgery. Did his ENT suggest that he get his tonsils out too? When reseaching online about tonsils & adnoids I found that when a child only has one out they end up back in for surgery months later to remove the other. You might want to ask his ENT if there is any truth to that... I myself at 5 years old had tubes put in my ears 3 times. It wasn't until the 3 surgey that they decided to take my adnoids out and I was much better after that. So I believe that your doctor is right about having them both out.. I hope this helped you some.

well i dont have an experience with a young child but I myself when i was about 5 or 6 underwent this surgery. When I was younger I ALWAYS sounded like i had a stuffy nose when i talked, always had ear infections, snored (i guess). So I actually had tubes & my adnoids out.. i remember the 1st couple days after were rough feeling groggy, stuffy nose & just feeling weird. I dont really remember much else. I did have to have tubes a second time though... I still got a lot of ear infections. I know that as a child grows, the shape of the ear canal changes which in turn may help decrease ear infections by helping the fluid drain easier.

good luck to you, your son and your decision!

We are going through the same stuff now with our middle child who is now four.... The only thing I can suggest is to get a second opinion to make yourself feel better about what you might have to do (i.e; surgery). It's pretty straightforward with us.... Our kid is miserable, always sounds like she has a cold, snores and snorts at night, has ear infections at the drop of a hat, etc.... She will be going to kindergarten soon and needs to feel better. You have some time with your son before school so use it to find a doctor and hospital you are comfortable with if surgery is imminent. We love Children's in Boston, but people have raved about Mass Eye and Ear as well. Take care. I hope the little guy feels better!

Hi R.!
My daughter had the same thing. She would have an ear infection every two weeks. We had tubes put in her ears at 2.5 yrs old and her adnoids taken out and it was a miracle. She no longer had any ear infections and now that she is 5 the tubes have fallen out. The other part of her having tubes in her ears was a marked improvement in her hearing. She had a hearing test before the tubes and after. All the "gunk" in her ears was causing some hearing problems that were found in her test. After the tubes her hearing improved and she talked a lot more because she could hear more of what we said. It was pretty cool to see the change of a related problem that we had never even thought of. I know the thought of surgery is scary but the benfits were worth it.
She was groggy after the surgery but after a day or so she was back to her old self and better! Good Luck!

Hi R.,
My son was 4 when he had his adnoids taken out...the surgery was a breeze. He was in and out in just a few hours. He was bouncing around by that afternoon. He didn't have any pain at all. I didn't even have to give him as much as 1 dose of tylenol.
Of course you're nervous about it, any parent would be. I had gone out the day before and bought my son any type of soft food I could think of and he didn't even end up needed it.
Good luck...he'll be fine.