My 3 Yr Old Is Having Her Tonsils and Adenoids Removed, Seeking Some Advice.

Hi C.,

My daughter will be 13 in June. She had her tonsils and adenoids taken out when she was 3 on Valentine's Day. She was talking just about an hour out of surgery. They gave her some meds to make her sleepy and did not give her an IV until she was out! Which was great for the both of us!

She did not cry or anything. You really could not tell that she just had the surgery. I was only 21 when she had this surgery, I was very scard for her. But, I just worried for nothing. But being a mom at any age, you worry.

I think your daughter will be just fine.

L.

My daughter had it when she was 8. She came out of surgery crying like a banshee, felt horrible, then she got sick in recovery, brought her home and she started having a panic attack in which case I called the ambulance, took her to the ER only to be told it was anxiety(thank goodness). Anways, she spent probably a good 2 days just miserable and crying and then started getting better, the bad breath is BAD, but that is a part of having them out. I really felt horrible at the time, but she hasnt missed school anymore due to continous strep, she sleeps better, and doesnt snore. Best thing we have done, although at the time I regretted it, seeing the pain she was in.

Best of luck
K.
www.teammona.com
To your health!!!!

Hi C.!
It's a hard decision isn't it?
My son had this surgery at the same age as yours ( about 9m ago).
We were told the biggest problems with the recovery was dehydration because the scabs get so uncomfortable. We did have to "force" our son to drink fluids (we made it a game). The other hard part was keeping him entertained and giving the meds for pain. They get scared of swallowing something when their mouth is so painful, and he just wanted to lay around so he needed activities to keep his mind off of the pain and limit TV time.

So we loaded up on educational movies, sticker books, free magazines (to cut out pics, or circle pics) new coloring books, etc. Made his recovery room our down stairs couch so we set it up fun (favorite sheets, all his animals,etc). we explained to his bro how to help take care of him (read to him, color with him, bring him toys,etc) and the same for visitors (we limited who came). Also load up on popsicles, slurpies (maybe get a fun cup) etc.
Also when she goes into surgery, I think they prefer they wear disposable underwear incase they get a little sick and you can change them easily. Load up and dress her in comfy easy to change clothes. She won't want to move or change and if she gets sick (vomit). Which b/f I forget, my kid didn't, but my neighbors vomitted on they way home so bring plastic bags (and again) easy to change clothes.
For the first week he stayed in his bed/couch and slept on and off. It was spring so we took him for comfy/easy walks just to get him out. After the second week if gets tough b/c you have to limit activity so the scabs don't open and they start to feel alot better and want to do more.

Our son's voice changed afterward, and they have stinky breath for awhile!!

Sorry if these thoughts are scattered...trying to put it together fast and I know I was really nervous too. I know some kids healed like my son did, and others who were back to themselves the next day!!!

Please feel free to email me with other questions!

My daughter was just three when she had t & a surgery. She was unable to eat solid food and also snored horribly. We had to get her to 20 lbs which we did. She had the surgery and it was unbelievable the change. She gained 10 lbs in 6 months and did really well. She was disoriented the first two days but once we brought her home from the hospital she was running around. Kids bounce back so fast. It was ice cream and yogurt the first week. She had so much more energy.

I was a nervous wreck for the surgery. There was nothing to worry about. Everything went well. It could not have gone better. I am sure you will see a great improvement in your daughter. She will be fine. The surgery was the best thing we could have done for her. All the best!

Well, with all of the response, everyone covered all of the details. So I'll just offer the encouragement. My daughter had hers out about a month before her 2nd birthday. All went well it turned out she was about 95% blocked so it was a good thing we did it. We stayed over night at Children's Memorial and what seemed to bother her the most was the nurses coming in to take her blood pressure. By morning she was trying to scream "no nurses". But she healed really quick and seemed to handle it far better than the older kids in there. They seemed to be nauseous, wasn't an issue for her. So hopefully she likes pop ices cause that seem to really help - they push that right away. So good luck and I think you'll find it goes much smoother than you would expect.

It is very important to keep drinking water. It helps the pain. If the throat gets too dry it hurts even more. Try some fun straws . Also you can ice her throat by putting an ice pack on and off every 10 minutes. In the morning her throat will be dry and painful so have some water ready to go. If she wakes in the night give her some water.

Stay away from milky drinks and citrus. Try to give her soft pasta when she is ready and jello,popsicles,mashed potatoes,etc.

It will seem as if she isn't improving and then around the 7 th day she will "turn the corner" and be considerably better and will get better quickly after that.Hope it goes well:)

My son had ear tubes, adenoids and tonsils removed at 20 months. Popsicles were a savior...push fluids and applesauce, pudding, etc. Also, surround yourself with a great support system. Kids are resilient, but it takes time and patience. More than I could muster myself. Good luck.

Hi, C.. I have been through this twice. Once with my oldest daughter and once with my youngest. My oldest daughter was almost 6 when we did this and it was a very positive experience. She did have an infection about a week after the surgery, though, that was marked by a high fever with halucinations, so watch for that. My second daughter had an emergency tonsillectomy when she was 3 and that was a little harder, because we weren't prepared. With my first daughter, she went in and toured the hospital, saw a video about what would happen and all of that. With the emergency one, she had to have a CAT scan and then was taken for surgery. We had it done in McHenry Hospital and they were fabulous. I was able to go back with her while the anesthesiologist put her under. I would be very vocal and ask for anything that you want to happen. The worst they can say is no and you know your child better than they do.
They then came and got my husband and I when she was done and we waited for her in her room. She was very cranky and rude to the nurses, which was unlike her at home. They would ask her to do something and she would say no. They would want to check her and she would fight them. All kids react differently to the anesthesia. The hardest part for us, after we got her home, was the eating. She did not want to eat anything for weeks after the surgery. She loved popsicles before and wouldn't touch them afterward. She had never liked pudding or yogurt and things like that. I think I was doing a happy dance the day she finally ate some scrambled eggs. She would beg for things like pretzels. I was like "Trust me, you would not be happy!" Anyway, both girls have fewer illnesses and sleep better at night. I hope it goes well for you. Good Luck! : )

Both of my boys had theirs removed young. One was 4 and one was 3. First, you will be amazed how much better they are afterwards. A few tips:
Lot of ice-cream, popsicles, pudding or safety suckers.
Remember if she is combative when she first wakes up she will be fine. This is not uncommon.
My oldest had issues with the codiene they gave him. I kept having to force the medicine down him - I thought it hurt to swallow. then he told me he didn't like it, do I tried to give it to him with sugar, juice ect. We finally figured out he didn't like the effects of the drug - it wasn't the taste. We gave hime regular tylenol and he was fine... Bottom line, listen to her and she will help you give her what she needs. They are just so smart!

Hi, my son had this surgery just 5 months ago. I would say the worst part was when he was trying to wake up from the anthesia. He was SUPER strong and just didn't realize what was happening. He wanted to keep trying to stand up but couldn't... then he was hitting me then eventually I had to call his grandfather in (my dad) who my son just adores and grandpa was able to lift him and hold him but not before my son ripped out his IV. YIKES!
So be prepared.. but once we got him to recovery and he ate a popsicle he seemed to calm down
good luck. :)

Hi C.,
As many of the other moms, I've been through this twice. It's usually harder on us than on them! If you are looking for a great book to read together before her surgery, try Going to the Hospital. It is written just for kids of this age and is a wonderful way to talk about what to expect. It is an Usborne Book and you can view/order it here: www.GetUsborneBooksNow.com or at this specific link: http://www.ubah.com/ecommerce/results.asp?sid=V1838&g...

One other bit of advice--DON'T try to comfort her ahead of time by telling her she can eat all the ice cream she wants afterwards. Although my daughter came through the surgery just fine (and if I had known the difference it would make for her I'd have done it sooner rather than holding off a year!), she wanted nothing at all other than ice chips. As a 12 year old now, she still will occassionally comment on how she was told about the ice cream she could have and how that wan't fair since her throat her so bad so didn't even want any.

K.

Hello i have good news, when my son was 3 he had his removed. It was really easy he was fine after and really liked having ice cream and jello all he wanted. He was ready to eat real food the next day and even though he couldnt he was still back to being a normal 3 year old playing and seemed like nothing ever happened. The day he had it done though he slept the most of the day after he got home. I sugest get her something from the gift shop while she is in surgery and make sure to have cool stuff like pop sickles jello and ice cream at home. You will be shocked it is easier when they are so little...Good luck and i hope this helps....

One of my twins has the same thing at 3. They're pretty resilient, more than we are, I think. That said, I'd offer a couple of thoughts: I don't know where you're having the surgery, but strongly encourage/beg/insist that they get you into the recovery area before your daughter wakes up. Twice (in another surgery too) they didn't call until mine was already awake and totally freaked out. They're really disoriented by the anesthetic, so it's just a freaky experience for them. In any case, he was so panicked, he ripped out his iv, which was disgusting and then we had to get another inserted while he was screaming and thrashing. We could have avoided it if I'd been there when he awoke. Second, after you get home, do everything you can to get fluids into her, even by the dropperful. My guy is super stubborn and completely refused to drink anything at all. He actually said he's rather go back to the hospital for another iv, which we ended up doing when he got dehydrated. My friend had good luck with juice through a dropper though.
Good luck - even with all this, my guy was himself within a couple of days.

Hi C.,
My now 6 1/2 year old was 2 months premature, and spent 25 days in the NICU due to Apnea.. had a few years of constant breathing issues, runny nose constantly, ear infections, etc..allergies, you name it.. The specialists finally removed her tonsils and adenoids right before she turned 3, we spent the night at Children's so they could observe her for the Sleep Apnea.. but by morning she was great! The recovery was much better than I expected.. sore throat for just a couple of days..
But the best part is for the past 3 years now, she has barely ever been sick. And when she is, she recovers so much faster. It is easier for her to eat, we don't hear her snoring all night long.. she gets a good night sleep.
We kept saying we should have forced the surgery sooner..
Don't stress, you are doing the right thing. Only negative, is if you can, don't be in the room when they put her under, that was horrible for me to watch her eyes roll back.. I left the room sobbing, she of course does not remember it at all..
Good luck and God Bless!
D.

C., my son had his adenoids removed and tubes put in both ears last year. The hardest part is trying to keep your little one from being too active so that they can heal. I took my son to a lot of children's plays during that week - we both enjoyed them and he was was relaxing at the same time. Check Lincolnshire Marriott Theatre and St. Pat's Children's programs. Good luck and God Bless

My son had the surgery when he was 5 and he did so much better that I thought he would. The night after surgery he was "starving' and begging for "real" food so we gave him some mashed potatoes. We had been told liquids for 24 hrs. He really only needed the Tylenol w/ codeine for 24 hours and then we got by with just regular Tylenol. She will definitely c/o pain the most in the morning so be prepared for mornings to be rough for the first several days. It was hard to get him sedated before the surgery ( he had several doses of oral Versed before they could get his IV started)It was a little scary for me because he was hallucinating and I hated seeing him that way. I work at the hospital where he had the surgery so I was able to go in the recovery room and holding area. Everything was so much better than I expected.

My 3 year old daughter just had ear tubes and her adnoids removed. She did just fine. I would definitley explain to your child what is going to happen before, during, and after surgery. We also highlighted that after her surgery she would be able to eat "ice cream, yogurt, pudding, pop sicles, etc..." for a whole day after surgery. I would also request that you be with her immediately when your child wakes up from surgery. My daughter woke up before I made it into the recovery room and was very upset that I wasn't there. My daughter spent about 2 hrs at the hospital after surgery. By the time we got home, she was acting like nothing had happened. She didn't take any of her pain meds or even tylenol and barely skipped a beat. The biggest challenge was keeping her "sedentary" for a couple days after surgery :) Good luck!

Hi C.,
I'm a pediatric nurse at Children's that works in outpatient surgery and I know that the surgery is scary for you...she will do great. Kids heal so much faster; stock up on soft/mushy foods in the house for her post-op. If she was snoring before you won't notice a difference for a couple of weeks post-op because she will be swollen. I hope all goes well with her surgery!
C. E

Hi, C.! I'd venture to say a lot of us in our late 50's as I am had what was called a T&A when we were pretty young. I was 5. I used to be sick a lot before then, but getting rid of the tonsils seemed to correct a lot of things. I remember even that long ago being told I could have all kinds of ice cream. Of course, I'm sure the procedure and treatments are different, probably much better. Good luck to you and the little one.
S.

My daughter had this same surgery this past Thursday. Not sure if you are having the surgery at a Childrens Hospital, but I would find out if they have someone who comes in and talks to your daughter about all the things she will see and show her the different things that will be on her, for example mask, I.V. etc...this helped put my daughter at ease. She had her surgery at Childrens Memorial and everyone is trained to work with Children so they do a really wonderful job.
When you get home just offer lots of TLC. My daughter is just watching TV and sleeping. She really has no energy to do much else.
Lastly, my daugher has been having fevers which is worrisome to me, but her doctor insists is not a huge deal.
Best of luck, it is better to do it now than later as kids really are amazing and resilient.

My son is 21 months and had his removed 2 months ago. It went fine! He freaked out when the nurse took him away from me for surgery...when he woke up he had a really hard time coming out of the anastesia- he cried for about 40 minutes- they told me that is normal. Then he finally went back to sleep- shen he finally woke up again we took him home. He slept for most of the day...2 days later he was back to himself again. It was worth it. He does not get sick as much and he breaths better.

My son at 2 years old had his adnoids removed. He had been having speech issues, sleeping issues, constant night time coughing, that I was concerned with and after many various evaluations, we took him to a ped. ENT. Who made the final conclusion, that his adnoids were blocking 90% of his nasal passage. After much stress about having him have/not have surgery, I was 9 months pregnant with my daughter at the time, We decided to do it. It was a great decision on our part. By the time my daughter was born (two weeks later) My son who didn't even string two words together before surgery, was talking in complete sentences and sleeping geart, with no more coughing. It was stressful to go through but was worth it in the end. We had a fantastic surgen, who I can't say enough great things about.
Good Luck with it all.
K.