Tonsillectomy - Frisco,TX

Unless they are bothering him there does not seem to be a need to remove them. However, my son is 8 and just had his removed (we should have done it earlier) and his recovery was long and hard due to his older age. My opinion would be to avoid surgery unless there is a problem. If he starts to experience difficulties get it done right away. The younger the better as far as recovery time. Good luck to you.

I would ask WHY they want to remove them. Have them give you specific answers. My son is having tonsils and adenoid out 6/6 but it is because of complications from a peritonsillar abscess in March.

However, my son's tonsils have always been large as well and until March NEVER had a sore throat (he will be 5 in July).

After the PTA, our Pedi told us to watch for signs of sleep problems and breathing issues. I never saw them either (we ended up seeing the ENT because he kept getting sick), but the more questions the ENT asked the more we discovered he does have sleep issues. The ENT suggested that even though he doesn't snore badly the adenoid and/or tonsils being enlarged are contributing to his frequent waking up at night and sleep walking as he's not breathing well enough to fall into a deep sleep.

Don't let the doctors push you into a decision that you are not comfortable with. However, from what I understand, the tonsils and adenoid pretty much are not required for a healthy child after age 2. Just ask very pointed questions and see why they are suggesting this.

Good Luck!

If he hasn't had the symptoms yet and you don't feel comfortable with getting them removed, then don't. I am an adult who grew up with very large tonsils. I never had them removed. I do however pick up colds very easily and during the middle school years I got strep a lot. They might eventually give your son trouble, but then again, they might not. If it were me, I would research a bit more and maybe play the waiting game to see if he gets any of the "classic" symptoms. What were the reasons your ENT gave you for having them removed (besides the fact they are too big)?

We are getting our 3 yr old son's adenoids out in two weeks. He's got snoring/apnea-ish issues and he's constantly got a runny/snotty nose. We've tested him for allergies and he doesn't have any. Our pediatric ENT said his tonsils were not big, so we are leaving them in.

I understand where you are coming from (not wanting to put your son through something if he doesn't have to). I think the only positive thing I could think of in support of the tonsillectimy is that younger kids recover much quicker than older kids.

Good luck with your decision!!!

I have been told since my son was 2 to get them removed as well and I waited. I was told by 2 doctors to remove all and by one doctor to wait until he was 7-8 to see if he grew into them. Some kids do. My son still has not grown into them still and he is now 8.

We will see a specialist this summer to see what they suggest now.

My son does talk as if he is always clogged up and that is due to adnoids, also he snores very loud still and the breathing with his mouth is a concern as well.

I would wait until you knew for sure. If there is no issues to me I would wait, that is what I did. So now we we will figure it all out this year. It did not hurt my son to wait. I wanted to see if it was other issues we where dealing with or if he would outgrow it all.

Doctors and people say it takes longer to get better once they are older but Im unsure I beleive that since I knew 2 3 year olds who had there adnoids and tonsils removed and both had trouble afterwards. I think it is just a child to child and how well they fight infections.

Good Luck.

Hi S..

You've gotten a lot of good advice and thoughts. Just want to add my 0.2 cents worth. My daughter also had very large tonsils (I often wondered how on earth she could swallow food) and wasn't particularly bothered by them. She did snore some and got a cold about once a year, but since her father also snores a lot, I never considered it a problem.

However, I wanted them removed while she was young if there was any chance that they should be removed. I had mine removed at 34 and it was a nightmare for two weeks and I didn't want my child to go through that. We had her evaluated by an ENT several times and finally they thought they should be removed. We had the surgery about 6 months ago, shortly after she turned 6 yrs old. The doctor who performed the surgery told us after that they were much larger than they originally thought, that they would have been oversized for an adult and it was a good thing we did it.

She had pain that first day, but lots of pain medication. But the next day she was eating normally (I didn't eat for 2 weeks and ended up in the hospital again on IV fluids when I had mine done) and running around like nothing happened. She never snores now, hasn't been sick since, and her school work has improved because she is now sleeping so well at night. In the end, we were really glad we had it done and have no regrets.

So here is my story : I have large tonsils too. I remember when I was a kid, probably 10 or so, my parents gave me the option of having them removed. I would assume because of them being large and I snored a bit. I was scared at the thought of surgery so I did not have them removed. I never had issues with them until I was about 19. I started getting strep throat, and upper respiratory illnesses like phenomena, bronchitis and such. At least one major illness a year. Then with both of my pregnancies I got some really nasty white lumps in them. The doctors acted like they were normal, but I don't know anyone else who gets them. Now I am 36, have minor sleep apnea, get strep if anyone else in the house gets it, and I still get the nasty white lumps sometimes. I would love to have them removed, but now that I am older there is a much greater risk.

If the doctor ever suggests my kids need theirs removed, I won't hesitate to have it done. My second son had surgery when he was 1 and a half so I have been in the waiting room worried sick about my baby. I don't wish to go through that again, but I would. If I could turn back time, I would have mine taken out when I was young too. Do it now while he is young and it is safer. He will heal quickly and probably not remember it when he is older. He may not be having problems now, but probably will later in life, or the doctor would not be recommending removal.