Tonsils and Adenoids Removed

My daughter used to snore and had sleep apnea from birth until she had her t&a taken out at 3 1/2.

The surgery was about 30 minutes and her recovery went great (once I got her home). I took her home from the hospital the day of the surgery, she slept for a few hours, woke up and asked for a grilled cheese sandwich lol. We actually went to the park for a couple hours the next day.

My suggestions would be;

1. do NOT let them give her a seditive before the surgery. The nurse told me after my daughter woke up that most kids become angry/violent from it (it would have been helpful to know that before I let them give it to her).

2. Explain to your daughter that she will wake up with an IV in her arm. I didn't think to do that and mine freaked when she woke up.

3. Insist that they let you back in the waiting area BEFORE they bring your daughter back there so you are the first one she see's when she gets up. They told me they would do that and didn't.

She will sleep so much better and you will both be happier after the surgery is done. Good luck.

K.:
My little boy had his tonsils/adenoids out in March 2008. It was the best thing we could do as he has not been sick at all this year. It is scary, but my experience was, I was with him until they had to take him back and then I went to the waiting room. I wasn't there long, about 20 minutes and the doc came out and talked to me to let me know things went ok. The longest wait for me was while he was in recovery. It really helps if you talk to your child and explain things to them. I did him. I also let him take his favorite stuffed animal with him and "Shark" also got his tonsils out that day. Be honest and let her know it will be painful at first, but it will be better soon and then she will not have the problems.

One thing I found that helped was I woke him and gave him his pain meds even when he was asleep. I also woke him every couple hours and had him take a little sip or two of water to keep his throat moist as it seemed to hurt more when he didn't drink and it got dry. I also used a cool mist humidifer in his room.

I can say my mom didn't have my tonsils out and now I am 44 and may have to get them out as I am starting to have problems with them like I did when I was younger. Much better to do it at a younger age.

If I can be of any help, please do not hesitate to e-mail me at ____@____.com luck!

As long as you follow the directions they give you, she should feel (and sleep) 100% better after the procedure. She's probably had a sore throat for so long that she's just 'used to it'. The youngest two of our 4 kids (now 21 and 23) had T&A -- the younger (girl) at about age 8, and the older (boy) at about 12. Our younger grandson (3) had his out this spring, and it made them all feel 'like new' again. It's not really scary unless you let yourself go wild thinking of what 'might happen' (but you can do that about anything -- driving down the road, falling asleep at night -- anything).

And I agree with another poster to keep her pain medicine in her system 'by the clock', not by her pain. I had a tooth pulled recently and if I waited til it started hurting, then it'd take another hour for the med to kick in. Better to keep the pain away (for us sissies, anyway! LOL)

Also, since she'll have antibiotics during (and maybe after) surgery, give her probiotic yogurt (or something similar) to restore the 'good' bacteria.

Pray for her to do well, for the doctors to be guided by God's Almighty hands, and go for it.

P.S. The ENT who took our kids' out recommended taking zinc & vitamin C for a couple weeks before the surgery, so they did. I think now they're saying that it doesn't make any difference, but I think it really does (for me, even now at age 51. If I feel myself taking a cold or sore throat, I use some zinc lozenges and it dispenses with it!)

Not sure if this will be helpful to you, but my 5 y/o nephew just had the same procedure over a month ago and did great. My sister was a wreck about it and had the same concerns as you and more. In the end it was the best thing for my nephew. He is breathing better, not snoring and less stuffy. He did great recovering and was talking the same day. By the 10th day of his recovery he was back to normal. Good luck with your decision. Just keep the future outcome in mind to help you get through. She'll have much less issues later on.

What your daughter has is fairly common. "My kids" (my patients at our therapy clinic)showed dramatic improvements after their surgeries (lack of oxygen at night was contributing to their low muscle tone or difficulties with eating or their energy levels). It's not a life threatening surgery and "my kids" recovered very quickly. God bless you.

My nine year old had her tonsils and adenoids removed this past March. Due to multiple times of strep throat. It was a very scary thing for us as well. I have to say this it was the best thing we could have done for her. She sleeps so much better now and the constant infections that she was suffering from is completely gone at this point. Her grades in school went up, even the teacher said she was like a totally different kid.

I did cry the entire day before the surgery because the kids were not at home. I was pretty scared as well.

The morning of her surgery I did my best not to cry because I knew it would scare her. I didn't cry until they were wheeling her away and she started crying. Once she started I let loose. I did make sure she didn't seem me crying. I turned away. It was a hard recovery for my little girl. But she is wonderful now. So just hang in there and you will see after the recovery period things will be fine. I would say you are the deciding factor in how long she is to be less active. I would keep her calm for longer than the doctor says. Use your best judgment as a mom. You know your child better than anyone. You make the final calls with that. Good luck I know that all will go well. God will be watching over you and your little girl. T.

Its actually a simple and fast surgery. My son had the same along with tubes in his ears at that age. He had very little pain afterwards and he can breath so much better afterwards

Hi

My friend 18 month old just had his adnoids out. He did great and it cleared up his sleep apnea. The tonsil will make it hurt lil more but better to it while there younger. I know its scary. I hope she has a speedy recovery.

K.,
I had my adenoids removed when I was four. So a few decades ago. I'm sure they have improved the technic since then. I remember as a young child hearing myself breath. I usually breath out of my mouth, so in the winters with the dry heat I would wake up with a sore throats. It was horriable. Removing my adenoids improved my breathing a ton. I had only wish that my parents had my tonsils removed as well. They thought that it would be too much since I was so small, and they hoped that just having my adenoids removed would be fine. Which it was until I've gotten older( I'm in the process of getting them removed now) They are so large that when I become sick I can feel the middle part rub up against the sides of my tonsils. I contract strip several times a year, have severve soar throats, loss my voice at least once a year. This past year I was on antibotics once every month from Sept until March. Usually a(zpack), once I took a shot(in the rear) very painful. I only did it becuase I wanted to feel better so that I could take care of my baby, and my hubby was out of town). Due to insurance company I have to have my doctor document it so that they will approve my surgery.

Although, it is hard to see your little one undergo a surgery, you are doing the best thing for her. You are saving her so much pain in the long run, plus she will breath easier and rest more peacefully. By the way my surgery is one of my earlist childhood memories but not because it was painful but because I had so many vistors in the hospital. That is the only thing that I remember. She will be fine.

Hi K.,

I had this surgery a few years ago and it made a WORLD of difference for me. My tonsils were "kissing tonsils"... I had a really bad case of strep and tonsillitis... and my tonsils never shrunk back in size. My doctors told me that kids heal MUCH faster from the surgery than adults do. I was off of work for a week (I'm a teacher as well, and planned it over a long break). The surgery itself was a breeze (I obviously don't remember anything). The first couple of days were pretty uncomfortable. I would just recommend that you be with her and while she's recovering, make sure she takes her pain medication regularly those first few days. If you let them lapse... it takes a while for them to kick in once they've worn off. Just follow all the doctors directions and you both should be fine (probably will be harder on mom than on her!). Good luck!! My heart goes out to you - it's not easy watching your babies be sick/uncomfortable.

Is she overweight? If so reaching and maintaining her ideal body weight would help at least as much as a T&A.
a T&A is a relatively simple surgery. I had mine out at 2 yo and don't remember a thing. However, I do get frequent colds, something that tonsils are supposed to help guard against. I often wonder if I would get so many if I still had my T&A's.
The most common complication from a T&A is the stomach ache, vomiting and tarry bm's caused by swallowing blood. By 5 yo she can understand the concept that swallowing blood causes tummy pain & vomiting and she should be instructed to spit it out rather than swallowing it.
Make sure she eats her green leafy vege's & pineapple (high in clotting factors) well beforehand as another, rarer but more dangerous complication is hemorrhage.

Hi I have a three year old little boy and he has had tubes put in his ears twice, i was like you scared to death for him to be put to sleep the first time was horrible because he was about 18 months and he really didnt know what was going on and when it was time for him to go back and be put to sleep they would not let me go and some big guy (a stranger to him none the less) came to take him and he screamed and reached for me and there was nothing I could do. I cried, of course but it didnt take very long. The second time I was determined to go back with him, or somehow not go through that again! well the guy that took him back this time came in and played with him and talked to him and he really helped! My little boy was a little more sure of everything. I had explained a little of what was going on and he did 100 times better, he knew I was gonna be right there waiting, and knowing the guy a little helped too! I also took his favorite blankie and they took it back with him! Good luck!
S.

hey K.!
I too was scared when they said that about my youngest. He snored soo loud. YOu could hear him down the hall. His grandparents even said it was too loud. The thought of him being put to sleep scared me. However Dr Klug said he would do fine. HIs tonsils were huge and you should be scared about the sleep apnea. My inlaws were concerned for that since my father in law is on a Zpack machine for his sleep apnea. We went to Lebonheur and he did great. He was 4 at that time and is 8 now. He never snores. Lots and lots of prayers! One thing a nurse did tell me that helped tons was make a batch of jello and put it into old ice tray container and let it sit in the refrig to firm up. After you add the jello go and put the pain medicine by a dropper into each square that way when they come home from the hospital you just pop one in their mouth and it goes straight down. That pain medicine is horrible. The taste is awful and you don't want them to be in pain because they won't drink and then they can dehydrate. That has happened to two of my friends children and they say the same thing. Their child wouldn't take the pain medicine and by time the pain got soo bad they wouldn't drink and had to go back to the hospital. I would just pop those jello pain squares in his mouth every 4-6 hours whatever the pain medicine said that way he never felt any pain. I also slept in his bedroom the first couple of nights to make sure he was ok. Hope this helps.

My daughter is 10 and she is scheduled to have her tonsils & adenoids removed on June 26th and I think I am more scared than she is. I am praying everything goes smooth. She has sleep apnea, she snores and breathes really loud and gets choked at night and the Docs say its because her tonsils are so big.If you want I will let you know how everything goes after next friday, that way you will know what to expect. Thank you, M. B

My son had that surgery as a 5 year old and his younger brother had another surgery. They both had great surgeons, the surgeries went well, and they were home quickly.

Pick your hospital carefully. My oldest son had surgery at Baptist and they took him away from me screaming and brought him back to me screaming. That happened 14 years ago. My younger son had surgery at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital about 13 years ago. They came in the room and gave him the medicine to make him sleepy. They played with him. He left me laughing. They took me into the recovery room and he woke up in my arms with me rocking him. Two very different experiences. Ask lots of questions about what will happen at the hospital and find out if they will let you be in the recovery room.

My son that had his tonsils out had a very tough time with food and drinks afterwards. Stock up on all your daughters favorite soft foods....ice cream, jello, yogurt, pudding, milk, juices. It will be a chore trying to get her to eat or drink anything because it hurts. Keep pushing the fluids and soft foods. My son lost 1/5 of his body weight because he would not eat. He looked like a concentration camp victim when he went back to kindergarten!

K., I am a mother of three and my oldest child was in the hospital for three days but luckily he did not have any kind of surgery but the whole thought of them being in the hospital is totally scary. Anyway, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed when I was three and that is the only memory I have at that age. It is a simple procedure and after the fact, your child will get to eat lots of popsicles and ice cream, jello and pudding. It is a scary thing but better to do it now than later as an adult when it takes longer to recover. My husband has sleep apnea and it is from his enlarged tonsils but he refuses to do anything about it. He never gets any sleep and is constantly waking up choking. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Dear K.,

Both my kids when they were 4 years old had their tonsils and adenoinds removed. Both had very large tonsils. My daughter it was more for the snoring and sleep apnea, and my son had sleep apnea also, but he also was getting sick, mostly strept throat or tonsilitis, one year it was about every 6 weeks he would get sick. But now both are sound sleepers and very healthy.

The surgery itself is very fast. They will have a little discomfort for about a week, but for most kids very mild. Compared to some of my friends, my kids recovery was worse, and even so it wasn't so bad. My best advise is to try to have them drink, drink, drink as much as they can and that really helps the healing process.

But all in all don't worrry, the outcome is worth the worry!!!

Good luck, feel free to write me for questions before or after the appointment. I will give you my number if you like.

K.

Both my boys had their tonsils and adenoids out in early elementary school. They both had strep all the time and after surgery they were so much healthier. It is always scary for anyone to be put to sleep but she will do fine. Recovery is not bad at all. A good time to eat lots of popsicles and ice cream. My boys are now 15 and 19. Wishing you both the best.

My daughter had the EXACT same situation at age 5: snoring, apnea, all caused by her huge tonsils. She also was sick a lot. She caught strep 3 times in kindergarten and I was told the tonsils may have been a contributing factor. We found a wonderful ENT who performed the traditional tonsil/adenoid surgery. It was very scary for me but I had a lot of respect and trust for our doctor. He was wonderful with small children and he and his hospital staff had nothing but patience and time for this worried mom and my daughter. So my advice is make sure you like the ENT - visit more than one, get recommendations from friends. And be prepared for the post surgery, too. It was very difficult to see my young child is so much pain and that aspect of the process caught me by surprise. I thought once I got her home we were over the worst. The first 24 hours will be difficult. The brightside, however, is my daughter is now 13 and has been a restful sleeper and incredibly healthy ever since this surgery so I absolutely recommend it. Hope this helps!

Surgery at this age is usually harder and more stressful on the parent than on the child. Your a great mom for being concerned! I didn't have my tonsils removed until I was 17, I wish they could have been removed earlier. It will be better for her in the longrun and she shouldn't get as sick as often as she would if you leave them in.

Hello K.,

My suggestion would be to explore alternatives as well. Visit this site www.dherbs.com. It is very insightful.

Peace,

R.

Kinda late becaue I am running behind at reading my Mamasource email but I hope you read this. I went through this very same thing last Christmas with my 4 yr old son. My husband was deployed to Iraq. At my son's 4 yr old well child check up I had asked about his snoring. He had done it since he was an infant and my husband had asked me many times to mention it to the doc. So I did. He told me it was possible that he was experiencing sleep apnea because he had a small slit to breath through. His tonsils and adnoids had all but shut his throat tight. He also told me they only get bigger. Adnoids keep growing. He said one good case of strep throat and he could stop breathing. The boy has neve slept a whole 8 hour night since he has been born. He would wake up frequently. I went to an ears nose and throat doc and then it was to surgery the next day. It was on Dec 10th. I was scared because I was by myself while he was back having the surgery done. When it was over I felt even worse because he was small and could not tell me what he needed. He was throwing up a lot and crying very hard. He acted like he was having trouble breathing. The nurses assured me he was fine and he needed to learn to swallow the thick saliva that he was experiencing and sip something. He drank some tea. He was restricted from eating foods like crackers and pretzels for a month but was eating mac n cheese and cut up hot dog the next day. He ate lots of chicken soup and of course pudding and ice cream. It was very scarey for my husband because he was so far away and could only listen to him cry on the phone because his voice was gone for about a week. Then it was a real high pitch voice and very nasal sounding. It has been 7 months ago and you would never know it. He sleeps better and has been in perfect health. Even though it is scarey it is a scarier thought thinking they could die from a closed throat.

Hey K.!

I understand that you are worried about this. My son will probably be going through the same surgery as well soon. It hasn't been decided for sure as of yet though. I went throuh it when I was nine, a nice bit older. The best piece of advice I can give about this is to not make it too big of a deal. Let your daughter help you pick out popsicles, some ice cream (or low fat frozen yogurt) and other cold, soft substances. Jello is also ok. I think (if I remember correctly) that the doctor said that I could drink broth, but I really wanted cold stuff because it eased the soreness in my throat the best.

My mom had fun with it. I had mine taken out the second week of summer vacation, so I didn't have a lot to worry about as far as school or anything. She got me a small chalk board, and we made puzzles to figure out what I was asking for until I started talking again.

The more you seem to worry about it, the worse your daughter will remember it as a major and scary deal. If you have a nonchalant and caring attitude mixed in with a bit of creativity, the surgery won't have a huge impact on her memories as a big scary, traumatic event.

Good luck, and I hope everything turns out well. Let us all know how it goes though.

Thanks,

M.

My daughter also had her tonsils and adenoids removed when she was 5- I know how you feel! The hospital staff was great- they gave her a little stuffed monkey to go with her into surgery, dressed her in a cute hospital gown and all of her pre-meds were in liquid form so she just had to drink them. Once she got sleepy they did the IV so she wasn't really aware of it. She did have a little trouble coming out of anesthesia, but they let me climb into the hospital bed with her and hold her as she was on her way to recovery. It passed quickly and although she was uncomfortable, keeping up with her pain meds was key. They gave us hydrocodone and for that first night I thought she'd be OK missing her dose instead of waking her but she woke up painful so from there on I gave it to her every 4 hours as prescribed. We also had lidocaine lollipops but those didn't work out for us. She did stay home from school for 2 days but by the 3rd she wanted to go back. She made it almost all day before I had to go get her. By the 5th day, she was fine. We gave her lots of soft foods- mashed potatoes (cooled), applesauce, pudding although we stayed away from anything too spicy or acidic. All in all it helped her a ton- she sleeps much better and no more snoring :) I hope this helps a bit- and good luck!

My daughter had this done in second grade. She had kissing tonsils and was sick all the time.

The surgery was very smooth. I would have to say that day 2 & 3 are the hardest. There is a lot of swelling in there and it made my daughters ear drums hurt.

I made a 8 x 11 sheet of clip art so that she could ask for things without talking. potty, hugs, sleep, ice cream, etc. I also gave her a bell to ring if I was in the other room.

To help the pain give the meds every 4-6 hours as directed. DO NOT wait until they start to cry, the crying will flare up the swelling in their throat. Set an alarm in the middle if the night for the night meds.

If I would have known how well this was going to help her I would have had it done when she was 2!

Hi K., my business partner just went through this surgery with her 2 year old. If you want, I can see if she will e-mail you her experience.
D..

Hi K.,

I completely understand how hard it is to make this decision. My son had "kissing tonsils" as well and we started looking into having them taken out when he was three. At that point the doctor thought he was too young and may grow into them. He was snoring, waking up at night and had a poor appetite. When he was 5 he had strep throat for almost 2 months straight. The antibiotics couldn't touch the infection. At that point the Pediatrician and the ENT thought it was necessary to take them out. He had both his tonsils and his adenoids out a week after he turned 6. He is now 7 and he is a completely different child! He sleeps very soundly and he has a great appetite. His demeaner overall has improved drastically. I think he felt bad all along and just didn't know any different. Looking back, taking the tonsils and adenoids out was absolutely the right decision. It was a rough week after surgery, but it was well worth it!

We had this done about a year ago for my then five year old son. He had the same issues as your daughter, plus constant ear infections, had started wetting the bed (from the poor sleep at night - he's only recently stopped that), and he was mouth breathing all day as well, which sounded like he was snoring all day (when he was awake). I tried eliminating milk, taking him to a naturopathic doctor, etc. But there's just not much to be done when the adenoids and tonsils are just way too big. After the surgery, the ENT said that his adenoids were huge - no wonder he couldn't breathe. He had snored even as an infant.

He also has hemophilia, so any sort of surgery is a big hairy deal for him, so they kept him in the hospital an extra day, and we had to give him clotting factor at home through a pic line that went from his arm into his chest for weeks... So that was a lot more to deal with than you will have to. Immediately after surgery when he was recovering, I felt pretty bad for him and almost regretted having had it done, because he was so miserable. That lasted only a day or so, and since then his quality of life has improved dramatically, and it is soooo much better to have this done as a child than an adult (the recovery is much more difficult when older). He's like a new kid. He has hardly been sick since, the ear infections stopped, the snoring/apnea stopped, he has more energy, doesn't mouth breathe, etc. My little brother had all the same issues, only no one ever recommended the surgery for him - I don't know why. So, he wet the bed until he was probably 12, had ear infections into adulthood, and still has nasal congestion and stuff. I wonder if it's all because he never had that done.

Anyway, it can be tough to make the difficult decisions, but if she truly is suffering, she'll be better off. Do it in the summer when she won't be missing school, and you can be home with her. Also, when they say they'll have bad breath for a while, that is an understatement. It smells like something died in there, but it's normal.

Hi K.,
My son had the exact same thing when he was six. They told me to get ice cream and movies to watch as he lies on the couch for a few days. Not my son! He had the surgery in the morning and by noon was outside riding his bike. Don't worry, she'll do fine.

K.,

It's okay to be terrified. There can be many complications from anesthesia itself much less having surgery. Make sure you are comfortable with your ENT's experience first and foremost with removing tonsils and adenoids. My son had his removed at 18 months old. He had severe sleep apnea and chronic tonsilitis. Because of his age the ENT (who is a specialist) sent us to another specialist to approve the removal of the tonsils because he was so young. They don't recommend tonsil removal until at least 2 years old. Needless to say that specialist evaluated him and said he needed to have his tonsils removed because they were so huge he couldn't breath and in fact would stop breathing several times a night for a few seconds at a time. I didn't know what was worse - the fact that he wasn't breathing or the fact that he had to go through this surgery. I will tell you in my opinion no surgery is minor when they are that little. With that said, if your doctor does the surgery correctly there should be no complications. It's just going to be rough for your little for about a week. The worse day is about 3-5 days after surgery when the surgery area starts to scab over. It's very difficult for them to eat. Make sure you have plenty of soft foods like yogurt, ice cream, pudding, jello, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese. My son did very well the first day thru 3 day. After that it was awful for him. Make sure you get a prescription for pain medicine and rotate it with ibuprofen around the clock. Do not let the pain medicine wear off until you know your daughter is not going to be hurting (around the 5-6th day). Also, be watchful of bleeding the first day or two. If you see that she is bleeding get her to the hospital quickly for evaluation. The tonsils are very close to the carotid artery and when removed the artery can be nicked which can cause excessive bleeding. They kept my son in the hospital to keep a watch on that but I think they did it because he was so young. I'm not sure they will do that for a 5 year old. Don't be alarmed about the possibility of the carotid artery being nicked. It doesn't happen often and the chances are slim that it will happen to her. But being aware of it is what you need to know about. Again, I think for me the fact that my son wasn't breathing at night just terrified me as much as the idea of surgery. I hope all goes well and that she has a successful recovery.

I'm sure that your doctor has referred you to a good surgeon. There is no need for worry just prayer. I had my daughter's done at age 6. She was herself in a couple of days. My husband had his done a week later and it took him 2 weeks to recover. Her throat will be sore for a few days and you just give her a lot of liquids and soft foods. She will be fine.

God bless.

My daughter is 19 months and we just had her adenoids removed and she got tubes placed in her ears. Her tonsils are larger but the ENT did not want to remove them because she is so young. I was scarred when I thought about this being surgery and when we first got to the hospital. This is going to be harder on you then on your daughter. The surgery was quick and after a few hours my daughter was running around and back to her normal self. The only thing I think with her tonsils being removed is that she will have a sore throat and can only have liquids, popsicles, and ice cream. My daughter now falls asleep on her own when we had to rock her to sleep prior to the surgery and sleeps throughout the night. She can now breathe so much better. This will make things a lot easier for you and your child. Hope it helps!!!

My daughter had her adenoids removed with her second ear tubes when she was 2 1/2 and her tonsils out when she was 3 1/2. Both were out patient surgeries and I got to hold her when she went in to recovery. With tonsils she was sore for a couple of days and only ate popcicles. She had two other surgeries also when she was 4 and 8 and did well. My daughter and son are grown now and I have a six month old grandson who had open heart surgery at 3 months and is doing well. J.

My now 8 year old daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed when she was 5 years old. It is about a 20 minute procedure and totally routine. The recovery was not as bad for my girl as everyone says. I STRONGLY recommend you give her a washcloth to carry around the first day. (not that she walked around that much...she basically sat on the couch and slept). My daugther used that to spit into so she wouldn't have to swallow as much and it made a HUGE difference! Also, don't force her to drink and eat if she's not ready. My daughter ate and drank nothing the 1st 24 hours, but then felt better the 2nd day ( I think she got used to the pain a little bit) and was able to take a popsicle and some water. They will not dehydrate in 24 hours so it's ok! They say 10 days to fully recover, but my daughter was basically back to her old self in 5 to 7 days. Hope this helps. Please let me know how it goes. I'll be praying for you! It is definitely more stressful on mom then the child!!!!!

My son was in the 1st grade when he had his tonsils removed, he is now 16. The hardest part is keeping them "down" during the recovery. No running or jumping, could cause bleeding. When my sons was done, they also said nothing red, like kool aide or pop cicles. No ice cream or milk based products. Have a TV with lots of favorite movies, cartoons, video games, to help pass the time during recovery.

We just dealt with that on "Good Friday". My daughter is 8 and had strep 3 times back to back. It seemed like every time she finished her antibiotic she would develop strep all over again. They removed her adenoids due to her continious sinus drainage. (Tis the season)...
We are so glad we chose to go ahead and get this over with. Dr. Malenbaum said that when he removed her left tonsil it was still infected. She had groves in them that apparently were not being treated well with the antibiotics. Just be sure that you have a variety of stuff for home when you guys get back home to keep her hydrated. My daughter did really well with driking lots of ice water when she came home. When she was starving to death she ate "soupy grits". (Sounds nasty but it filled her up). Do not let the pain medicine wear off for the 1st day b/c. if you do the child will not feel like sipping anything. Including their medicine. My daughter ran a low grade fever for 3 days prior to surgery but the tylenol made her pain and fever better. Anesthesia was a breeze. They allowed me to walk my child to OR she climbed up on the table and was out as soon as that mask hit her face. It will be the best thing for her if she has mininmal space between her tonsils and for her apnea. Good Luck...

Hi K.,
You've received very wise and experienced responses. My only recommendation is for you to seek the opinions of three different ENTs.
Read up on the subject and find out what new techniques might be available. I'm not suggesting that you go with the "latest", but talking to different ENTs and reading about the procedure might give you some choices that you wouldn't otherwise be aware of.
By the way, mine were removed in the 1950's when I was 4 years old.
Good luck!

While I know the surgery scares you, it is for the best. I had mine removed at her age and it really helped me. Look at it this way, you can now have an even bigger excuse to give her all the ice cream she wants & you can have some too.

THIS IS EXACTLY HOW MY DAUGHTER IS NOW.. she has had swollen tonsils for nearly 2 months and this is the second time so far in about 4 months. We went to a ear, nose, throat specialist and they said she needed to have a reoccurring (or over a 6 month period, have it 3 times.) My childs doctor is not very helpful, they keep giving her the strep test, how many times can it be positive before they actually do something? Can we just ask for surgery? It is scary, but I am tired of her being sick.. 2 months with swollen tonsils and has snored most of her life!?! It is ridiculous!