Advice on Tonsilectomy

Keep giving her the pain med. even if you think she doesn't need it. They will recover quicker that way. And no one told us that!!

I had my tonsils out at age 2. I don't remember it a bit. I have always been prone to have frequent colds. I always wonder if that is because I don't have my adenoids, or just a weak immune system.
M.

All kids are different with the pain but my son had his out in December-age 3.5 and bounced back really quick. He did have issues coming out of the anthesia, and espically did not like the IV on his hand. They mainly sleep a lot the first day and the only challenge was trying to give him his meds orally. With painkillers and antibiotics both he started spitting everything out. It's not fun, but it is worth it, he rarley snores anymore, his constant colds have stopped, and he doesn't get gagged on his food. (his tonsils and adneoind were guiness book size large) Good luck and stock up on the popcicles

I just had a T&A a coupla months ago. I got Loritab so the first week was not as bad as the subsequent weeks. I also got some $5/apiece suckers that numb your throat....they were incredibly bitter but worked well. Try some of those if your ENT will prescribe them. My understanding is that children don't get anything for pain, however.

The thing that helped me the most was LOTS of water (I drank 6 liters a day) and LOTS of jello. However, I got scurvy because ALL I ate was jello so I would definitely recommend forcing down cold chicken broth like they recommend. The other thing that I started eating at first was pureed soups. Stay away from anything with a tomato base tho. The portabello mushroom was great. Cream of broc and cheese and cream of potato were great. I ate alot of applesauce but while it felt good cold, the acidity of it stung a bit. Also, yogurt burned too.

I couldn't eat ice cream or popsicles because the pain was multiplied intensely while my throat was "thawing out" once I was done. It had me crying.

Also, I stayed in bed the first week (mostly because of the Loritab) and ended up getting pneumonia. I'd let her stay in bed as much as she wants, but get her up 2-4 times a day for walks around the house.

She HAS to be propped up at all times while in bed and can't sleep lying down. My throat was swollen and would start to swell shut, then it took several weeks before my tongue learned to not fall into my throat, cutting off my airway.

Expect her to have THE MOST WRETCHED breath in the entire world for several weeks. It could knock over a mule. It's due to the rotting scabs.

I also got thrush due to the oral antibiotics. You may want to ask your ENT and see if there's a way to avoid that.

Expect her to have bad gas. One usually does after surgery. Part of it is passing the general anesthesia out of your body.

She will probably vomit at least once. My understanding is that children tend to vomit more....Perhaps you can get some phernergan suppositories? That would help her sleep alot too.

I also took tons of cherry Tylenol suspension after the Loritab ran out. DO NOT give her motrin or anything else. Tylenol;s the only thing you can take - everything else poses a hazard of bleeding.

One last thing: dairy thickens mucus and since one's throat has been sliced and diced, if you have any drainage it will be VERY difficult to get out. Not only will it be painful but your muscles have to be retrained so it can be kinda scary until that happens. For that reason I strongly suggest you not give her anything with dairy for awhile - including pudding.

I've been told repeatedly that children heal faster than adults and I certainly hope that's true for you. The kids at church I've talked to that have had this done have been 100% at 3 weeks. The first week was hell, the second week was worse (days 8-10 are especially bad), the beginning of the third week was bearable in terms of a normal schedule, and by then end of it they all felt like their normal selves. Most of them talked immediately after the surgery adn lived to regret it mightily the next day. Most of them were talking ok by the beginning of second week. Remember that those are the days with the highest risk for bleeding tho.

ON top of everything, there is INCREDIBLE ear pain for several weeks too. You go from feeling like you have a minor ear infection to a horrible ear infection, but it's all related to the surgery.

If I think of anything else I'll let you know! Good luck!

My daughter had her tonsils & adenoids out 2 months after her 3rd birthday. Someone recommended to me that I order a book called, "Goodbye Tonsils" by Juliana Lee Hatkoff & Craig Hatkoff. This book was WONDERFUL for my daughter. So much so that I recommended that our ENT put it in their waiting room! =0) We read it a bazillion times before her surgery. However, I didn't tell Jenna about her surgery until about 3 days before because I didn't want her to feel anxious for weeks and weeks. We went over and over what would happen and how she was going to feel afterwards (I left out the adenoid part because I knew she wouldn't understand about those). The day before, she and I went to the grocery store and she got to pick out all of her own popsicles, jello, pudding, yogurt, soup, etc. She got a big kick out of that. =0) She got to take her favorite blanket and stuffed friend to the hospital with her. And we got there a few minutes early and she went to the gift shop and got to pick a special "surgery friend", too. She picked a pink stuffed piggy. She did fantastic. She kept referencing Juliana in her goodbye tonsils book. Like the gown, she said, "just like Juliana had to wear, Mommy"! We had the book with us at the hospital too. You really need to hop online and order it! I couldn't find it at any bookstores or even at our library. I ordered it from amazon.com. The book was like $7 but then I paid extra to have it shipped quickly. But,you still have a good amount of time before her surgery on May 1st. I'm telling you.......it's going to make a WORLD of difference for your daughter! I'll never forget Jenna being so excited about smelling foods. I don't think she could smell well before. She LOVED the smell of Dairy Queen! =0) It was wonderful. And she never snored or had an ear infection again........she's 4 1/2 now! Good luck to you and keep me posted! I'd love to hear if the book helps your daughter too!
***Oh, and I forgot to mention that she was only out of daycare for one full week. She bounced back incredibly well and it really wasn't near as bad as we thought. The hardest part was keeping her "low key" for the 7 days!***

It's not too bad. In the last 3 years both of my girls and I have had our tonsils removed.

Key #1 The first day is the easiest.
Key #2 Keep up the meds. Yes they do give pain meds for kids. And yes it helps. Not only does it help with pain but it usually was Tylenol w/Codine which also helped the swelling. Set a timer of the dose in the middle of the night. It's easier to wake them up for meds than it is so calm then down from the pain when the meds wear off.
Key #3 Stay away from dairy and noodles. Dairy causes phelm and noodles get caught on the scabs in the back of their throat.
Key #4 Fluids, Fluids, Fluids! If your daughter likes Gatorade or white grape juice keep it coming. During the worst pain I gave her a medicine dropper (2 teaspoons) of liquid every 10 minutes. She stayed hydrated.
Key #5 Let her get up and move around. Color, play board games, blocks, what ever she likes when she feels up to it. When she's tired she'll let you know. If you see that she's tired but fighting it turn the tv off and lay on the bed with her and read to her for a little while. They usally crash about 5-10 minutes into the story.
Key #6 Don't plan on getting anything done while your home. It won't get done.
Key #7 Give her a bell or something that makes noise. That way if your in another room she can "call" you without hurting her throat. I also made a 8x11 picture using clip art that had things like a potty, juice, ice cream, cuddle me, etc on it. That way when she "called" me she could tell me what she wanted without talking.

Now with all that said I can only tell you that my daughters were 6 and 11 when they had their surgery, and I was 34. I wish I had done it sooner for all of us. They recovered MUCH quicker than I did. The surgery made a huge differnce in how often each of us gets sick and how severely.

I pray that everything goes well for you and your daughter.

My son had his tonsils and adenoids taken out last year, just before he turned 3. The day of the surgery he slept most of the day, and wanted drinks and popsicles throughout the day, but not a lot at one time. By the next day, he was pretty much back to normal. His throat was a little sore for a couple of weeks and we tried to watch what he ate so he wasn't getting anything hard. It wasn't really that bad, he was running around and playing with his twin brother by the time we got home from the hospital. He took a few more naps for a few days but that was about the only difference. Good luck to you and your daughter, but mostly just enjoy the extra snuggle time, she'll be fine.

All 4 of my children have had their tonsils out, ranging in age from 2-6. My hubby has had his tonsils out since we've been married as well. The best thing we have found to deal with the pain is to make frozen iced tea popsicles. Tea has tanic acid in it which helps with the healing process. For all of my children and my hubby, days 4-6 were worst and they came AFTER the person who had the surgery was feeling better. Another piece of advice I can offer is to stay ahead with the pain meds. Whether it be over the counter or prescribed don't let the pain get too bad before you give the next (or first) dose.

Don't worry to much about the surgery, I had two children that had the surgery and they did real well, of course we promise them a new bike but it worked. Really at three years old they usually do real good. Just pray and let the Lord take care of her believe me he can take care of her.

My son is 2. He had his tonsils and adenoids out about 4 weeks ago. The first few days were very painful and he needed his pain medicine on schedule. The hard part was he would wake up crying in the morning because it hurt. After taking the medicine he would he eat and drink a little. Eating and drinking was also hard because he did not want to eat or drink. He stayed out of daycare for 2 weeks. By the middle of the second week he was starting to act like himself. He now eats better and does not snore at night while he is sleeping.

A little about me:
I have a wonderful 2 year and husband. I also work full time.

Before you take her to get her tonsils remove try letting her gaggle with mouth wash as often as possible and this should help.
I has the same problem with my daughter and when they told me she had to get her tonsils remove that was had for me to accept. I started using any antiseptic mouth wash and before the week was done I got result and as of today she is 8 years old and she never had that problem again.

H.

hi robbin. i had my toncils out when i was 11 too. it was painful, mostly my ears hurt. but it was not horrible. the pain medication really helped. my middle child had her toncils out at age 3. she did fine after we switched her pain med. from tylonal with codene to just tylonal.{it was making her sick to her stomache}. my youngest is 5 and she just had her toncils out on april 8. she did just fine. the trick is to give you child the pain med BEFORE it wears off. every 4 to 5 hrs. even at night wake them up and give it to them. i did this on the advice of my childs ent doctor. stop the pain before it starts so to speak. my daughter gets to go back to school on monday the 21st. she can't wait and niether can i. she is so bored at home.

Hi R.,

After reading your post it brought back some very painful memories. My son, who is now 8, had his tonsils taken out when he was 5. It was horrible!!! I feel really bad for your daughter. And you! It is very hard to see your child in so much pain. Garett ending up being put back in the hospital twice for dehydration. His throat was so sore he started refusing to drink at all. I have never seen someone so miserable in my life. I am not trying to scare you to death, I am sure I already have though, but if you do not have to do it, DON'T!!! Garett has still had just as many sore throats as he did before. Strep included. His pediatrician really did not want me to do it in the first place and instead of listening to him, I listened to his ENT. He had alot of sore throats and sinus problems so we opted to have them removed thinking it would help. But honestly, nothing changed. I really did feel bad about putting him through that. If you can I would really get another opinion and make sure it has to be done. If you go through with it, I wish you the best of luck. Just give her alot of kisses and hugs. Try to get her to drink as much as she can. Ice chips work well too. Let me know how it goes. I will keep her in my prayers.

S. Harvey
____@____.com

I went through this with my 17 year old last year, it is very painful for them, Keep plenty of ice pops (the ones in the plastic tubes) for her to munch on, and follow dr orders for her diet. Lauren said she would feel the thicker things (like yogurt) getting stuck on her stitches and it would almost gag her, so watch for that as well. I think it's gonna be harder with a 3 year old because she won't be able to communicate as clearly as a teenager. Good luck and just be there for her when she wants to cuddle!

i had mine out when i was 15 and let me tell you it HURT bad but my son had his adnoids out in Dec and he was fine he is 2 years old they say with tonsils and adenoids the younger you are the less it hurts hope everything goes well buy lots of ice cream

I had this procedure at age 4, and barely remember it. My advice is to have LOTS of popsicles (since she's 3, I would recommend the ones in the plastic for the smallest mess...they're really cheap at Walmart.) Basically, my mom made me feel like a little princess whenever I was sick, so I got to choose the movies I watched and give the orders. It made the pain seem, well, minimal. Depending on what the doctor tells you, ice cream or frozen yogurt would be good, too, and you could get the protein in, too. Of course, if you're a super health-conscious person, you could make your own popsicles and do smoothies. Remember, it's going to hurt to swallow for a while, so give soothing stuff. I'm sure the doc will have good advice, too.

My son had his out back in Sept. He did really well. We were told that the anesthesia (sp?)would make him combative when he was waking up. But it didn't. We stayed at the hospital for maybe 3 or 4 hours afterwards and then went home. As for foods.......everyone is going to want to bring over ice cream....but the dairy is so mucus forming (and who wants to hock up a lugee after surgery??), we were told to stay away from it. He ate lots of mashed pot, cream of wheat, and luckily for me my kid eats miso soups, lol. He only missed a week of school. Everyone recovers differently, but we had an easy time of it. Good luck and I hope it goes smoothly :)

I'm single mother of 2 children a boy 10 and a girl 3 they both went thru this something just last year done get not much pain the younger they are the better they so.........I went thru it at 15 and had a hard time but my kids done wonderful the boy had his done 12-06 and my girl had hers done 1-07 so the only thing was we stocked up on jello and ice cream and soup and ice pops and we act like we was having a party everyday don't worry god will be with you all........

Its not really that bad. I had mine out and i am 26. It was a long 2 weeks it seemed like before i could eat anything i wanted. My daughter got hers out also at the age of 7. She said her throat hurt kind of bad for the first couple days and ate alot of ice cream. It seemed at exactly 2 weeks she was back to her self again. It really isnt to bad, its like haveing a sore throat for 2 weeks. I hope this helps you. If you have any questions you can feel free to email me personally at ____@____.com

She will do just fine. My four year old had hers out plus tubes placed in back in December. They say "The younger your are..." and I believe it. They gave her pain meds and she was fine. The third and seventh day are the worse though. Just be prepared to lay there and cater to her. Good Luck. God bless you.

My son had his out at 2. He was running around the hospital 2 hours after the surgery, and by the next day he was asking for pancakes. We did not give him anything hard and was instructed to let him eat as he felt as long as it was soft and to keep him from over exertion and screaming for a couple of days til he healed and his scabs came off. most kids the younger they are do much better than older children. God bless and good luck.

My son Dillon had this same surgery when he was 4. The Day of the surgery he spent most of the rest of day sleeping. The second day however, he was in pain, but the next day was running around as if nothing had happened. My advice stock up on Popsicles/flavorice pops this helped him alot and made him feel very special since he got to eat popsicles all day. For Dillon the couple days of discomfort/pain was for the better good since he has not had an ear infection since. Dillon had three major surgery's before he was 6 and I can tell you that every surgery was harder on me then it was on him. It's hard on parents to think about what their child is going through and not really being able to do alot about it. My prayers and best wishes for a speedy recovery for you and your little one.
T.

I had mine out when I was 18 and it hurt bad. I had stitches. A few years ago, my sister had hers out and they used glue which helped her a lot. The first day hurt, but she was talking and eating the second day.

hi my little boy had his surgery 2 yrs ago when he was 6 and it WAS a VERY fast surgery, but seeing him lying there and the after math was very hard. It ended up not helping him as "miraculous" as the Dr. made it out to be. ( it was suppose to help him with his asthma--drainage) the adnoid part was not the biggie it was the tonsilectomy. taking the wk off will be a good idea. they told me he couldn't have any thing red to eat/drink, could not be active especially after day 5(once they start scabbing over could get hot and start coughing & could bleed) i know i'm not sounding very encouraging & i'm sorry a mother needs to be comforted more(i know) but for my son, the results were not worth the after effects but every child is different and the reason for your child having to have the surgery i'm sure is very different. i'm just speaking of my own 1 experience

Hi, I have had 2 kids have the t & a removal-aged 5 and 3 when they had them. The first couple of days were the worst, after that mine bounced right back. Make sure you have plenty of soft foods. Use the pain medicine, it really helps them. Mine laid on the couch, watched TV and slept alot. The Dr.'s had said it would take about 2 weeks for recovery but I think mine were better in about a week. Good luck, if you have any other ??'s, let me know.

L.

Hi R.,

My daughter (only child) just turned 2 and has to have her adenoids removed. I was not too thrilled about it, so I went to another doctor at one of the best hospitals in the area to get a second opinion. Two of them examined her and diagnosed the same. She was able to breathe with her mouth closed and was not a heavy breather. They advised me that her adenoids were not as bad as the ear, nose throat pediatrician told me. I have prayed about it and decided to wait. So I advise you to maybe get a second opinion and most importantly PRAY about it. Good Luck!!

My son had to have the exact same surgery when he was 3&1/2 years old. His throat was super sore for 1 week. We could not get him to eat anything for 2 days. He even refused ice cream! We had to put a big bath towel over his pillow because he would let the saliva build up in his mouth so he would not have to swallow. You will have to force Nicole to drink fluids so the back of her throat does not get dry. My husband and I took turns staying home with my son for the first week. The second week I think he stayed in the sick children's daycare for 2 days. He is now a healthy, happy & hyper 6 year old who does not even remember the pain. Just remember to be extra sweet & comforting to Nicole. She will bounce back quickly as children tend to do! :)

My son had his tonils and adenoids taken out when he was 4. It's actually less painful for younger kids than it is as you get older. Just make sure you have something icy for her to suck on for the drive home like a slushy, ice water...And try to keep her from talking too much. Keeping my son from talking too much was actually the biggest challenge since he ws hearing his voice for the first time. She will actually recover quite quickly. Hope that helps.

Dear R.,

I am surprised your ped is suggesting this at 3, since most discourage it until at least 5, preferably 6. It must really be needed.

Most tonsillectomies today are done with laser, which means much less pain than in the 'old days,' and almost no bleeding. Most children are feeling fine in one or two days. The younger the child, the faster the healing.

Now, back when I had mine done, yes, it hurt bad the first several days; I chewed Aspergum and ate ice and ice cream (your little girl may like that idea!). The worst thing to me was that feeling of something loose in the back of the throat during healing. That, of course, was the scab tissue coming off. Gross!!!!

Wishing you and your little Nicole the best.

Blessings.

p.s. I LOVE the ice tea pop idea!!!

I think the younger the child, the better. Two of ours had their tonsils out (at ages 8 and 12) and my husband & both of his siblings did, also. Our 2 both fared MUCH better AFTER the surgery than they had before. Do ask what you should do if there's any bleeding after the surgery. We didn't have the problem but know someone who did, severely. I'd recommend sherbet afterward unless it's too sour.

I had my tonsils out when I was 7 (30+ years ago...smile) but I don't remember the pain, I remember the ICE CREAM I was going to get. I ate baby food because that was smooth going down my throat, I remember that. Now my oldest daughter and youngest daughter had their tonsils out, my oldest wanted pizza 2 days after the surgery....don't try that, that did not go well. My youngest had the hardest time, she was in pain, would not eat for at least 3 days, they gave her some liquid pain medicine to numb the throat so she could swallow. We were in the hospital for 2 1/2 days ( I was so ready to leave) because they wanted her to at least eat and go to the bathroom #2 if she could. The surgery went excellent I will tell you that. It was in no time that they were done and she was up back in her room again. Most of these surgeries are a one day thing, in in the morning, out by the afternoon, no overnight stays. Hope this helps you.

Hi R.,
My youngest daughter had her tonsils and adenoids taken out last year when she was also 3. She did great. She was in a little pain for a few days but nothing pain releiver and ice cream didn't cover. I also had mine taken out when I was about 12. And yes it did hurt, but according to my daughters doctor, things have changed so much since then that the way they do the surgery now is much more advanced then they did it back then. Recovery time is much shorter. I totally understand your concern, my middle daughter who is 9, has to have her's taken out next week. The doctors also told me that the younger you are, the easier it is, because the tonsils are so much smaller and easier to remove. I wish you all the best, I am sure things will go fine. Just give her lots of popsicles, ice cream and jello. Go light on the juices, lots of them contain acids which will burn. My daughter loved ice water and milk. Hope this helps. Please let us know how everything goes.

Hi R.,

My son was 3 years and 3 months old when he had his tonsils and adenoids out. No one in my family had theirs taken out before either. I'll be honest with you, it was a very hard recovery, but manageable. Recovery days 1-3 are not that hard, but just as my son's ENT told me, days 4-10 were much harder. Once the scabs be in forming where there tonsils once were, the pain gets worse since it is much harder to swallow. It was hard for my son to sleep through the night due to the pain. I would give him Tylenol or Motrin every 3 to 4 hours even during the night when he would awake so we all could get some sleep. We did a lot of reading to distract him from the pain. We also bought new toys and did not show them to him until during the recovery time at home so he could concentrate on something "new" to take his mind off of the pain. I'm sure you have been told that they must stick to a soft diet for I believe 2 weeks following surgery. But rest assured, it will get better and you will make it through it. My son snored terribly before the surgery and was always a restless sleeper because his tonsils and adenoids were so large they prevented him from breathing at his best. It has been almost a year since his surgery and he sleeps wonderfully now. Once the recovery was over (approx. 10 days) his sleeping instantly improved. Good luck! It will be challenging, but worth it in the end.

R.,

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out at the age of three. The only advice I have for you is make sure you see the nurses wash their hands before and after they touch her. My daughter got roto virus when she was three and we spent 3 days in the hospital because of dehyration from throwing up and diaherra. But just keep offering liquids to her and don't force her to eat until she is ready. Just offer her popiscles and ice cream for a couple of days. i hope this helps.

It will be just find my son had it done at that same age.
I made it worse than it really was.
Just have cool things to eat like ice cream, popcicile's,good kid stuff.
Good Luck and God bless

Hi R.-
My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out the summer after kindergarten (and I had mine out when I was a teenager). Worst pain of your child's life? Probably not. Childbirth was definitely worse. But I will be honest with you-- the first couple days after her surgery, particularly the first day after, are pretty hard. She will be in a lot of pain and it will be tough to get her to eat/ drink. But it does get better. And within a year, my daughter (who is now 7) had no memory at all of the pain, just the balloons, etc. she got from friends and family afterward. You will want at least a week to take care of her. But once she turns the corner at about day 5 or 6, it gets really substantially better and the only thing you have to worry about is her being more tired than usual. Oh, also one other thing that surprised me-- her voice will be very odd, much higher, for at least a few weeks. But don't worry-- it does go back to normal. Good luck-- it seems hard the first few days, but it really does get better and it has made my daughter so much healthier!

R.

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out when she had just turned 4 -- my biggest advice: keep the medicine in her every 4 hours (that was what we had to do). I slept on her trundle bed and woke her up every 4 hours and gave the medicine to her so it stayed in her system. She ended up doing great!!!! Only problem we had was in the beginning, when she came out of surgery and coming off the anesthesia -- but after we got her home and kept the medicine in her -- she did very good.
Good movies and good soup/soft mac & cheese helped too!

Kids kick back really quick! My son had 1/2 his adnoids taken out and ear tubes put in. My advice would be to make sure you keep her on pain medicine for at least a couple of days. Even if she doesn't seem like she is in pain at the 4 or 6 hour mark give her something. No red or grape popsicles (can look like blood if vomits) and get some soft foods. Applesauce, yogurt, etc.

It is well worth having it done. It is less painful for a young person than an older one. My two kids had them out, plus my 8 year old grandson had them out last summer. Don't forget that they will talk nasal for a few months after(it will return to normal), but they will have less sore throats after the surgery. Best wishes hon!
S....the best grandma of Kyler

I am a rn who takes care of kids who have their tonsils and adenoids out. They, in general, do much better than adults who has the same procedure. Just make sure and keep her medicated as prescribed and make her drink!!! Even if she doesn't want to that is very important in her healing process. The average healing time is one week. If she is used to having sore throats, this will just be a step up from that pain. She will do fine, just keep her drinking fluids and give her medicine.
Good luck!!!!

Hey R.,
I have heard so many times that getting them out early (younger) is so much better then later and I have to agree.
Mine were taken at 22 and I would gladly have to deliver another baby then go through that. It won't be a walk in the park with her at 3, but it will not be as bad as later on. You'll also notice that she'll actually be healthier from now on. I haven't had as many illnesses etc since having them out. So there are lots of positives to the one week or so recovery time for (you and) your daughter. Lots of ice cream like they say, and jell-o.
Best of luck!

I still have my tonsils, but my adenoids were taken when I was 5 or 6. I remember that there was pain, but I had my mommy,(LOL) and it was great! I got so much attention and soft foods and ice cream. I was in heaven. I remember that I was spoiled with love and felt cherished...great memories to me this day. You shouldn't have any problems. Let me know how it goes!

PS~If your child has never snored, they might start...I never snored a day until my adenoids were taken out...just thought I would let you know!!! I didn't admit that either! HAHAHA!

My son had his tonsils out when he was 3. I was told that he would be in a lot of pain and that we would have to stay in the hospital overnight. Turns out that kids are very different with surgeries that adults. He was up and wanting to eat within 5 hours of his surgery. The doctor had to release us from the hospital early and my son was back at pre-school within 4-5 days. Hint: (The worse pain for my son was at night- so I would anticipate it and give the pain meds an hour or so after dinner before the pain got too bad) Good luck with everything and I hope your child recovers as quickly as mine did! :)

My daughter had the same procedure at 3 years old, and drank 4 cups of apple juice as soon as she woke after surgery. The pain was worse the second say (saturday) but the pain medicine worked great, she went back to preschool that Tuesday(on her own request), because she was playing and running around normal all day on Monday! I think that your husband's pain was so intense b/c of age, I had mine out at 24(!) and it was very painful. My best advise would be to force any type of her favorite liquids as soon as possible, which is what the doctors reccomend, our worse problem was getting enough juice quickly from the nurses b/c that seemed to be the thing that most soothed her. She did have a light bruised look around the eyes that concerned me but, quickly went away(a day or 2).

R.,
I had my tonsils out when I was like in the first grade and I remember this being painful. Ice packs on my neck was very helpful- this being the only way that I could sleep. I also remember not being able to talk much at the beginning. So, I would suggest that before the surgery that you'll (you and your daugther) make a communication board of all the things she might want to ask for when she comes home.like popsicles, blankets, ice, special animals etc... Just something simple that you could do with photos, drawing or clip art from the computer. That might help to prepare her and it will be a fun way for you'll to talk about things and let her get involved plus she might actually be willing to use it once she gets home if she made it herself. :) Just an idea. Oh and one more thing. My life was soooo much better after I got this done. I truly remember feeling good like a new person because I wasn't sick all the time. I also became a really good eater after I had my tonsils out:) Hard decision but a good one. Good luck - V.

They say it can be pretty painful depending on how bad hers are. Also she is at a good age for it though. She will heal in no time, just do everything the doctor tells you. Who is taking them out. I am a peds nurse just curious if i have heard from any of his work. I have to have mine out and I am 26 So It would be harder for be. Good Luck Jennifer

R.:

My daughter was 2 almost 3 when she had the same surgery. It went very well and she did great. The younger they are the better they handle it. The main thing to remember is hydration and make sure she has plenty of liquids. If she does not eat for a couple of days, don't be alarmed, she will eventually "venture" back into solids. Icees were her favorite thing. My son was 13 when he had his tonsils removed and it was a whole different world with him. He was miserable. I hope everything goes well!

My son had tonsils and adnoids out and ear tubes put in a year ago. He was 2 1/2. It was worse than I had expected. He was in a lot of pain and the pain medication they give tastes bad and burns when they swallow it. We had to pin him down sometimes to give it to him. I used a syringe and began diluting it with water and that helped. We also gave it to him on schedule, not as needed. If we waited until he started to hurt, it was bad. After the first week, things started to get better. Our situation was more difficult because we had a 5 month old that nursed every couple of hours. Both children wanted me and me only. If she is your only and you are taking off of work, it probably won't be as bad.
Good luck.

Hi R.,

Keep lots of popsicles on hand. Also be vigilant & obey Dr's orders...usually 10 day recovery. You want the site to heal completely with no setbacks.

D. M. Focht

"Shaklee -Creating Healthier Lives & Environment"

visit: www.Shaklee.net/Focht

______________________________________________

Fifteen years ago my son had that procedure done. He was 4. About 6 hours after the surgery, he was up running around dragging his IV pole with him. His surgery was in the afternoon and could have gone home but for safety sake they kept him over night. He was a different child - all for the good. Yes, he ate soft foods for 1 day, but otherwise was better than ever. I believe the sore throats and ear aches were much worse than the surgery. He was free from pain, calm, quiet, and happy. The younger you are the easier it is to have this done. Remember this is being done because there is a problem.

My daughter had hers out at the same age she did fine. She watched The Fox and Hound so many times I still cringe if she wants to watch it now. She stayed in the hospital over night and slept pretty good. Just try to get her to drink as much as possible. Let her eat what ever she wants. Alot of soft stuff.

Good Luck,
T.

My daughter had hers out when she was 2. Tonsils and Adenoids and tubes in her ears as well. She was on the couch for about a day then she was up and about pretty quickly. Kids at that age are much more resilient than at 11 and remember, girls generally have a higher tolerance for pain than boys. Your husband remembers his apin so much because of his age and eleven year old boys are wusses.

my son had his tonsils out at 4 and the best advice someone gave me was to make a batch of jello and spoon it into a ice tray making up about 8 little squares then I took his pain medicine that taste so HORRIBLE. THe nurse even said most kids wont' even taste it and I put whatever it called like a 1/2 tsp into every jello square. I put it into the refrig to let set and every 4 or 6 hours whenever he was suppose to take the pain medicine I just popped the jello jiggler in his mouth and he really couldn't taste the pain medicine.
The problem is they get to where they don't drink and then it is so sore and they get dehydrated. Two of my friends children had to go back into the hospital because they wouldn't drink anything or take their medicine.
You may also want to ask for the compound promethazine they can put it on their wrist like a cream incase of vomitting occurs. I know Walgreens pharmacy can get it.
After 3 days my son was ok I still kept him in and out of preschool for a full week. My husband slept with him the first night and I slept with him the second night just to make sure he was ok.
His surgery was done at Lebonhuer Childrens hospital downtown and it was outpatient. We didn't want him sleeping alone the first two nights since we didn't know what to expect.
He was definately back to himself the second week.
Again just push the liquids even if the child doesn't think their thristy.
Hope this helps!

R.,

My two daughters each had tonsilectomies when they were quite old (16) and each thought it would be a lark. In each case, they were nauseated, debilitated, and in pain when they came out of the anesthesia. We stayed with them overnight and checked them out of the hospital as soon as we could. They both had had a succession of sore throats, the proximal reason for the surgery, but I didn't notice that they had fewer ones afterwards.

Sorry to have to tell you this,

J.

my son had adenoids out at 4 and tonsils out at 6. Day 1 is no walk in the park but he was basically back to normal by Day 3. The worst part (with the adenoids) was that the doc wanted him to be mellow for like 2 weeks and he was climbing the walls by Day 2.

Some of this advice is pretty frightening! I guess everyone has different experiences. I was so worried when my 6-year old had his tonsils out, and it really wasn't as bad for him as I thought it would be. The first 24 hours is the worst. The pain medicine did seem to work for him though. He ate the usual recommended foods (liquids, soft stuff like yogurt, pudding, applesauce.) I had tried to research before-hand like you. Most of what people warned about was to NOT let him have regular hard foods too soon. (even when he seems ready) The worst complications come from reopening the wounds. Just take it gradually. Everyone is right about the foul breath. (UGH!!!) But your daughter will be fine, and it seems like the younger they are, the quicker the healing!

My son had his tonsils taken out when he was 2. He had tubes put in his ears, his adnoids taken out, and his sinus' cleaned at the same time.
Within 30 of his surgery he was up and running. He walked with us to the nurses station to get books to read while waiting to go home.
The popsickles (?) and ice cream were just an added bonus for him!

It didn't phase him much! Hope your daughter does this well.

I had mine out when I was young (sometime between 4 and 6 years old). I remember it being the worst sore throat I ever had - very sore, talking w/ whisper, hurt to swallow, etc. I lived on Popsicles and jello. I only stayed overnight at the hospital, and this was about 25 years ago. I bet with all of the advances in medicine, it might be outpatient now, maybe w/ lasers or something to cauterize at the same time. No doubt that her throat will still be quite sore - it is surgery afterall, but the procedure itself probably won't be nearly as bad as you might imagine. I'm not a doctor, so don't hold this to be the absolute truth, of course. I have to say that I have never had strep throat since then (that was what led to the tonsillectomy), and I'm pretty happy about that. :) Best wishes on a pleasant surgery and speedy recovery.

My son had a tonsilectomy, adnoidectomy, and tubes when he was about the same age. He was pretty unhappy for the first couple of days, but after that he felt much better and it was hard to keep him still. It is important to make sure that they aren't very active for the first few days after the operation, so you will want to make sure that you have a plethora of quiet activities to do with her..puzzles, books, craft kits, games etc. Also of course popcicles and puddings...soft foods to munch on.

Good Luck!

First off everyone is different, but men at any age are babies so you can't go by that. My daughter had surgery on her neck, lymphnodes were swollen and had to be removed, she was 4 and we could barely keep her still. She will probably be just fine, and you will probably be worse than her. Good Luck

.

A friend's son who is 3 just has his removed. The procedure was an out patient procedure, and he was back to being happy within a week. There have been advances in the procedure since your husband underwent his surgery. The pain and recovery are now minimized, compared to the experience years ago. Talk with your doctor about what to expect- and what has changed from 20 + years ago.