My Son Has Been Referred to E N T

Both my daughters have had multiple sets of tubes by an ENT. My oldest has also had tonsils and adenoids taken out. It will be the best thing for him -

PS - the staff at Mary Bridge is wonderful, I work for Mary Bridge and have had nothing but positive things to say about the way my children have been treated!

My son Mason had a similar problem. also would vomit in his sleep,speech problems due to not being able to breathe properly. The doctors kept telling me to not worry about it.He would grow out of it, need less to say he never grew out it. It got really bad and he had reach 5 and it was still bad. Finally @ 6 years we found a great doctor who referred us to a E N T. Mason had to have his adenoids removed also. Can be a little scary with the complications that can happen. But would do it all over again. Mason still has a bit of speech but everything else has gone away

My nephew also had his tonsiles removed at a very young age. The younger the better i think. My son was 5 when he got his removed and it was really tramatic for him because he knew what was going on and he was scared. If the doctor is willing to do it at this age I would recommend it cause he is still young enough to not understand so he will be less likely to be scared.

I am a mom and a surgical nurse. I have participated in many T&A surgeries, even on kiddos as young as yours. It is a very quick procedure (sometimes finished in 20 minutes). There are many different techniques, but all are safe and effective. Mary Bridge is a wonderful hospital... I actually had my first nursing job there. I'm sure you and your son will be in good hands. There is, of course, some pain involved after surgery, but medications will keep him comfortable. It seems you child would benefit from this procedure, and hopefully soon get to start exploring the wonderful world of food!

Hi C.,

My now 12 year old son had eating and sleeping issues as an infant, we called him chain saw Cam, he slept so rough, his tonsils would get soooo big and all he would want was milk or more so juice, he also got ear infections, finally just before he turned 2 I agreed to let them take out his tonsils and put in tubes which really scared me. Anyway while they were in there they took out his atnoids as well which turned out to be 3 times larger than an adult males. It was a hard day for me but he hasn't really been sick since except the occasional cold but the best part was that he was able to sleep well and so acted like a rested child not cranky and within two weeks he was speaking in sentences and minding, which i hadn't even realized that his speech and hearing had been delayed. hope this helps

My son didn't have an eating problem, more of a breathing problem. We tried everything from the time he was about 12 months old. Nibulizers, steriod, humidifier, allergy medication etc. We FINALLY took him to a great doctor who noticed his tonsils and adenodes were enlarged. He referred us to an ENT specialist. He found out that all these years (he's 8 now) he has been suffering from Child Sleep Apnea due to his enlarged tonsils and adenoids. This is nothing to mess around with!!! If he continued the way he was going it could have lead to congestive heart failure as a child. We had his tonsils and adenoids removed and he is a totally different kids now!

Go see the ENT Doctor and see what they have to say but if they tell you that he needs his tonsils and/or adenoids removed I would do it immediately. I hope I didn't scare you ;-)

Mary Bridge is one of the best children's hospitals around. While it is normal to be worried for your child, the doctors there will take good care of him, and hopefully he will be happier soon!

My friend's son had his tonsils removed at 1 yr old because of sleep apnea. Like some others said, they usually don't do it on younger children unless there is a real problem. They will probably keep him overnight because he is so young. But my friend's son did fine and it did help.
It's nice to know that this does happen and you are not alone. My friend lives in Tacoma and I could connect you if you want. I noticed they are sending you to Mary Bridge. Are you in that area? I also belong to a really neat mom's group called MOPS that is in Lakewood if you are interested. You can email me off-group if you want.
God bless!
M.

These days they use growth hormones but I think when they hit teenage. Has bad side effects. Try to add veggies to her diet. You need to offer the same thing over and over until she actually starts eating it. Make a rule - she doesn't have to eat it, but has to try it. It might take an year before she starts eating one veggie. Put a small plate with the veggies on the table first while she is "waiting" for her dinner to come and give her choices but let her pick up only one that she will "try". Desert bribes also work sometimes. She needs to eat an veggie to get an ice-cream or something like that. Good luck!

At 18 months old and a child that would not eat and woke a lot in the middle of the night we found out my sons tonsiles (sp?) and adnoids were huge too. We saw an awsome ENT doctor at Children's. A week after his 2nd birthday they were both removed. Because of his age he had to stay one night in the hospital. It was about 12 days of recovery, but my son did great and he sleeps fine now and eats better. I know he (the doctor) told us there was a higher risk of complications because he was so young, but we weighed those and thought the surgery was more important. I am glad we did it. People look at me in shock when I tell them and my parents were opposed to us doing it so young (I had mine out at 5 years old), but we researched the doctor and felt comfortable with the care at Children's. If he (your son) does have to get surgery try and have your husband stay home with you the first three to four days after. My son did way better then what I had read on the internet, but he did drain me. Also listen to their instructions in what they tell you to avoid to eat. Oh... and when you go to the ENT ask about his adnoids. From the x-ray my sons didn't look to bad, but I asked to sign the surgery paperwork by adding that the adnoids could be removed if they also looked bad. Glad I did because they were some of the biggest he had seen.

A.

You don't mention a history of illnesses. Has he had very many (more than other kids) sore throats, ear infections, etc? My daughter also has enormous tonsils and for a while while she was smaller they were talking about removing them because they made her snore and disturbed her sleep. But she eventually grew out of that problem. Her tonsils are still extremely big; just not quite big enough to cause obstruction problems. I think that occasionally an otherwise healthy kid has giant tonsils! If they are causing serious problems eating, sleeping, or breathing, they may need to go. Your comment that he gags trying to eat solid food indicates that they are a serious problem. Remember that tonsillectomies were once very common; practically routine. Hear what the ENT has to say.
good luck!
A.

C.,
My son had this same problem when he was about 2. Even though he did eat some solid food it wasn't enough to give him the calories that a child that age needs. He was also having some ear infections so he was on antibiodics often. After this went on for a few months we also went to a ENT and he suggested to have his tonsils out. He was the first doctor to tell us about the size of his tonsils. Our son had them out and within 2 days was a different kid. He wanted to eat more solid foods and just food in general and grew like a weed. He is now 30 and 6'6". I have absolutely no regrets other that I wish we had done it sooner.

Our 5 year old has had issues with ear infections and has been a terrible sleeper since the day she was born. She started seeing an ENT when she was under a year and she had tubes in her ears at about 18 months. She got tubes again and her adenoids out when she was 3 and we are still debating taking out her tonsils. Not the exactly the same issues as your little boy but my point being that I know how scary it can be to take your baby in for surgery - even a minor routine one like ear tubes or tonsils. I can tell you though that everything came out fine and the couple of hours of anxiety during the surgery was so worth it because it completely stopped her ear infections and helped her to sleep. Don't be scared. Go see the ENT and make sure that you are comfortable with him/her. If you are not happy with the ENT your doctor referred you to, our ENT is Dr Sie at Children's Hospital. She is wonderful and Children's Hospital has been amazing for our daughter. They are experts on how to handle everything for kids and they made us feel so comfortable and safe about everything. I am sure that everything will turn out fine and you are going to end up so relieved to have a happier healthier child.

C.,
My 18 year old son had his tonsils and part of his uvula(the dangely thing in the back of your thorat)removed last year to enlarge his throat. He had headaches for over 2.5 years and wasn't sleeping well. The ENT dr. said that his thoroat was small for his size. The surgery was very successful. His headaches are much better and his brother who shares his room says he doesn't snore any more. However he was very sore for over a week. The older the kids are the longer the recovery. If he really needs his tonsils out, do it now! The surgery took 10 minutes! We were in the hospital for about 3 hours, most of that was waiting. I know surgery can be stressful but the outcome is almost always good. A friend of mine went through 1.5 years of tonsilitis with her 6 year old daughter before her tonsils were removed. She recovered completely in less than 3 days. If it makes you more at ease get a second or even third opinion. Dr's can be wrong.
B.

We have the same problem with our 3 year old. Her tonsils are HUGE. And they have been since about 1. The doctor says she is growing fine and is staying within her weight range. But she has started snoring when she is sick. We went to the doctor to do a sleep study, but were recommended to an ENT instead (just like you). Our appt isn't for another month, but I am looking forward to having her tonsils removed (if necessary) so that she might be less picky about eating. She has a hard time eating a lot of food (gags on things). Mostly she eats about 8 gogurts a day, some chicken and vegetables. We buy the V8 fusion for her to drink (has a full supply of vegetables and fruit in it). I cut her meat up small. Let me know how the ENT goes and we can exchange notes, concerns and accomplishments.

-H. - mom of 4

My son had his tonsils out at 5 years old & it was the best thing for him. He wasn't able to nurse well as a baby, choked on his food as a toddler, and constantly had colds. He had huge tonsils and adenoids & our ENT did a wonderful job removing them! Before doing the surgery, we were sent to a sleep center, where I spent the night with my son as he was hooked up with all sort of probes. When the tests came back, we discovered he was having several episodes of sleep apnea (stopping breathing) per hour. But children are not supposed to have any sleep apnea! My son did not snore, but he used to wake up twice a night just for a couple seconds every night & I'm wondering if that is when he was having the apnea??? Anyways, his tonsilectamy took care of everything & he is a very healthy boy who sleeps great! I know the surgery thing is not a thrilling idea for any parent, but my son was actually bouncing off the walls just a couple hours after his surgery and he did very well. They say that children under 5 do better with this surgery than older kids & adults. Just make sure you feel comfortable with your EMT. The first one we had was willing to do surgery on my son when he had a cold & I didn't feel comfortable with that, so we rescheduled and got a new EMT who I felt more comfortable with.

Hi... isn't being a mother great?! There is always something to worry about! My nephew is 7 and just had his tonsils out. I realize your little one is younger, but sometimes tonsils (and adenoids) are too big for the child. With antibiotics and other changes in our lives, both of these organs are no longer necessary. My 6 year old has been referred for his adenoids because he has had sinus infections since birth. I've been putting it off, but after reading your letter, I realize he doesn't eat much, either. And he gags easier. . .it's clearly time! Good luck with your little one.

i'm right there with you!

my son had always been a picky eater from the moment we started him on solid foods. my son snored ALL the time and had toncilitis and strep throat non-stop every winter. he was an ear infection king, too.

after 5 rounds of toncilitis when he was 5yo my gp suggested an ENT. when we went to see her she asked me first thing after seeing his toncils and adnoids, is he a picky eater? does he snore? does he get chronic ear infections? i couldn't believe they were all related. my gp had told me toncilitis and ear infections were not connected.

anyway, the ENT said that some kids' have such large toncils and adnoids that food actually hurts going down but since they have always experienced it they don't know how to verbalize it. needless to say, we had both the toncils and adnoids removed and with the exception of ONLY two colds and the stomach flu once my son has not been sick since. and he just turned 11!!

as far as your son's age goes, i bet the ENT will wait until he is 3yo. i remember her saying something about waiting until then. there would really be no reason to do it sooner unless his system becomes septic due to the infections.

good luck! K.

Dear C.:

Hi a bit about me I am mom to 3 grown young adults and grandma to 6 grandchildren my oldest daughter had MANY ear infections and finally at 18 months we had her first surgery. Surgerys continued about every 6 months on the 4th one the dr removed tonsils and she was fine after that. I wished he had removed them the first go around and maybe she wouldn't have had to endure so many surgerys. Trust the doctors to know what is best.

With prayers your new 'mama source friend'.

S.

Hi C.

My son saw an ENT when he was 12 months old for chronic, and unresponsive, ear infections. He had tubes put in when he was 14 months old. Since then, I have learned that many of the ailments of our children can be easily cured by chiropractics. Now, one must be careful when utilizing chiropractic care, especially with children...But once we took our oldest son (who was always sick) we cut back on medical costs substantially. If you want a referral for one who works a lot with children, just let me know. -E.

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed when she was around 1 1/2-2 (I can't remember now). She didn't have eating problems but had constant ear infections. I guess when they took the tonsils out they were amazed at how huge they were. She was herself running around and eating the same day after surgery. I swear she was on antibiotics for a good year. Good luck to you!

14 months seems a little young for this but I don't think too much out of the ordinary. I had my tonsils out when I was 13 years old, my oldest son when he was 6 years old and the youngest when he was about 6. If a child has this problem, they younger they are when the tonsils are removed, the easier it is on them. My children had no problems or after effects. All three of us had ear infections, tonsilities, etc. until they were removed and after that...nothing. The tonsils catch "bugs" and try to keep them from going to other parts of the body, as do the appendics. I've had my appendics removed too because they nearly burst. Don't know if this helped or not, but USUALLY it is no big deal to have them removed and they used to removed the adnoids as well. Good luck and I like you second docs opinion.

who are you seeing - We see Dr. Rone in the Baker Center - he is great! your son will most likely need his tonsils and adenoids removed.... My firs chil had this done at 18 months - it is the best thing ever - it will b ok!

I know several people who have had small children like your own in for a T&A (Tonsil & Adenoids sp?) removal. Their chief complaints were the same as yours and afterwards the kids are 200%.

A friend of mine just went through this with her 9 month old! She was having problems eating just like your son and they found out it was her tonsils. They told her that they will have to remove them.

Good luck and if you're in doubt, always get a second opinion! I just wanted to let you know that it can happen to little ones.

Hello,
My name is B. Jo I am 26 years old and I have 2 boys. They are 4 and 5 and they both have HUGE tonsils. My 4 year old's are especially big. They have both been to a specialist (who I really like) His name is Dr. Detar (I'm not sure on the spelling) he is in Post Falls. My youngest was only 2 when we went in and what he explained to me is that if there is something causing them to need to do the surgery (which it sounds like there is in your case) they will do it at an early age. He said with my son that I should watch him and if I notice anything that would warrant them being removed, such as sleep apnea, trouble swallowing, etc.. that we should have them removed immediately. He said that they like to wait until they are 3 years old to do the surgery if they can. He said it was not because they couldn't handle the surgery at 2, but that usually at about age 3 they start to understand that if you take a pain pill it will make your throat feel better. Any younger they don't want to let you put anything in their mouth, because it hurts. But that if we ended up having the surgery before he was three, that he may just have to stay at the hospital for a few days so they can give him IV pain medication. So I know that it is scarey to have your child go into surgery, I have had to endure that with my older son. But the way he explained it to me, it will hopefully be just fine. Good luck and take care.
B. Jo

Yes my best friends son had his tonsils removed when he was a toddler, it helped him immensly. And I had my tonsils removed as an Adult in August. I think it is much easier as a young child to have them removed, the recovery and healing time is faster when we are young. It took my bff's son about two weeks to fully recover and it took me about a month and a half to fully recover.

It is really a very simple surgery, and you child will have to be on a liquid diet and some pain meds. So he will probably sleep alot for the first few days to week after surgery. It will help him to sleep better and he will have a better appetite, because at this time he can't taste food very well because the tonsils are blocking his nose passages, and when we can't smell our foods that well we are not really tasting the true taste of the food. Also with them being large is throat passage is being blocked so maybe really small pieces of solids. Good luck

I would see an ENT. Dr Rone is right next to MaryBridge in the Baker Center. He is really good. I would also look into having a feeding evaluation performed at Marybridge to see if there are any other reasons that he may not be eating solids. He may have some problems with textures in his mouth or maybe he hasn't acquired the necessary skills to eat solids. A speech therapist could help you to determine this and could help you to help him start eating solids. I can't imagine that his tonsils alone would make it difficult to eat solids. Sometimes the occupational therapist will do a feeding evaluation. Just call Marybridge and tell them that you want a feeding evaluation. Sadly it will probably take a few months to get him in. Or you could call Birth to three developmental center in federal way and he could get a feeding evaluation there.

C., we have had lots of experience with ENT docs with our 3.5 year old son. When he was 14 months, he had ear tubes put in (after 6 ear infections that year). Then right after he turned two, we had his tonsils and adenoids removed. As you mentioned, he had huge tonsils that were only going to cause problems as he grew up. The recovery from the tonsilectomy was a bit bumpy for the first two days, only because he didn't at all like the medicated cough syrup that he needed to take. But after the week or so of recovery, things have been great for him.

My feeling is, if you're going to have to do it, the earlier the better. Makes recovery easier on everyone. Also, if his tonsils are that big, they will only sit back there and collect bacteria, probably causing him more illnesses. Hope this was helpful. Good luck!! W.

BEWARE, please, my son at seven was referred to an ENT and they did some horrible things to him even to the point of surgery, then discovered he had some unknown in his sinus area, and four months later we had an appointment at Children's Hospital in Seattle and immedietly he was scheduled for another surgery there and found out he had a cancer tumor, growing very fast and we had to stay for the next five months ...SO, just beware, if you have to take your child to Childrens and get another opinion. the ENT misdiagnosed my son and could have caused his death. my son is ten now and doing great.. but, I have learned the hard way, and you are young, he is your child, ask lots of questions, make them do a CT scan, etc.. they have to do as you ask.. good luck,.. D. The cancer was Burkitt's Lymphoma,.. the ENT, said it was the largest adnoid they had ever seen, that was the misdiagnosis.. and your doctor said the largest tonsils.. um.. yeah, hope you get another opinion..do your research..

Hi C.,
My name is A. Swift and i live out of The Dalles- up Eightmile on a ranch.
Several years ago my daughter's little guy had a terrible time eating, no desire to eat and as a result was very small, low immune and lots of allergies.
She got him on a very good nutritional powder that ould be mixed with any liquid and we pretty quickly saw some pretty big improvements.
Now several years later at 7 1/2 he is very healthy with an active boy love of eating!Allergies are gone and he has a great immune system!
If you are interested in finding out more, glad to share or introduce you to her.
Let me know! A. ###-###-####

Hi C.!

My son had his adnoids out when he was about 1 1/2, and did great. Up to that point he was having mild sleep apnea and had snot running down his face constantly. The surgery went fine and his symptoms cleared immediately. I would absolutely recommend getting them removed, and I'd recommend Dr. Johnson if you are able to get to him. His office is on south River Road. LOVED him. He was great with my son and my son felt comfortable with him. Good luck!

C.: I as a small child was sick all the time with my Tonsels. At age 9 The Doc. and my parents FINALLY put me into the hospital and I have them NO more. Mine were VERY VERY bad. Make the choice and get them OUT,. The little Guy will do much better. Believe me, he won't be a sick and some of the other kids with sore throats. As one who has been there, I am SO glad I had mine out. It doesn't really hurt. He may have a sore throat for a couple of days but should be better and will start eating the Normal food items. Right now His little throat is so swellen, Believe me , it HURTS to eat normal food. Been there. If at all possible as the opption, GET THEM PULLED, okay. Good luck. G.

I have heard of this. A good friend of mines son always barfed at the most minuscule things and would get upset (like all kids do) and would throw up. Finally they saw a doctor who saw immediately that his tonsils were ginormous and are going to remove them. It is a relief for them, just unfortunate that it took getting a new doctor and 4 years to figure it out.
It is a good thing you know now, not 3 more years of this. It will be FINE. Promise.

Hi C.,

I know that this is very scary for a mom especially a first mom because I went through this with my son. He not only had to have his tonsiles removed but his adenoids. But what a huge difference it has made in his breathing. When I took him in and they wheeled him into surgery I went back to his room and sat on his bed and started crying. Literally ten minutes later the doctor was there hugging me saying everything went smoothly and he is in the recovery and I can go see him. We had a wonderful ENT doc who has also put tubes in my son's ears. I will be praying for you and your son as well as the physician who will be performing the surgery. This is will turn out to be a blessing, you will be amazed at how much better he can breath. You may want to inquire about his adenoids also. This could also be adding to the his breathing difficulty. Good Luck sweetie.

M.

I know all about HUGE tonsils! My nephew who is now 8 yrs old, has recently had his tonsils removed. It was long time coming, believe me. I help my sister care for my two nephews. She is a wife of a long-haul trucker, so she is alone much of the time. My nephew Logan has struggled with big tonsils since he was a year old. At first when he would sleep and snore, we thought it was cute. As he grew older the snoring intensified. To the point, that we had to split him and his brother into seperate rooms, just so the older one could get sleep. He was living with a constant sinus infection, ear infections, runny nose. He had been seen several times by his pediatrican, and the consensus was that they would have to come out. He was not sleeping through the night, because they were so big, that he would go to sleep, but during the night he would wake himself up because he would stop breathing. We realized what was going on when he would fall asleep in class. At the Ear, Nose, & Throat clinic we were told that they had never seen tonsils the size of Logan's, and they wanted to schedule them out. (That was a process) my sister didn't have insurance on the boys, and the procedure runs about $3,600. And they wanted all the money before the surgery could even be scheduled. Well a year later and a battle over getting them to do it, with only partial payment, we finally got them out. The doctor that did the surgery said that his tonsils were so big that they had almost completely closed off his throat, which would compensate for the breathing issues he was having. He had all the same symptoms your little one has. Once they came out it was like a whole new kid. He sleeps through the night, the snoring is pretty much stopped, we are working to try and retrain him to breath through his nose and not his mouth. (he actually did that for so long that he drolled very bad). It can be very scary to think of your child going through a surgery like that. Yet for the most part they are same day surgeries. But, I would think it would be better doing this now then later, and living with what we went through for 7 years. I had my tonsils out at 3. It could be that his tonsils are so big, that it hurts to eat foods. Swallowing could be a problem. I hope this has helped somewhat. Best Wishes & Prayers!!
H.

Hi C., I went through the same thing with my son which is 9 years old now. When he was younger we notice that he snored very loud and a couple of times every night he would stop breathing. I took him to his doctor and he also referred us to an E N T. That was the best thing we did for him. The doctor took a look at his tonsils and said we have to remove them. His tonsils were touching each other. That's how big they were. He was 5 years old when they removed his tonsils and now he does not snore any more and sleeps through the night with no problems. I regret not finding out earlier. I strongly recommand that you take the baby now that he's only 1, then to wait and his condition could get worse. I wish you lots of luck and pray that your baby gets well soon.

I'm a 33 year old mom of 2 wonderful kids. My girl is 17 and my little boy is 9. I work full time and live in the Kent Hill area.
Cindy S.

My husband did... he turned out fine...just make sure to check all your options, first.

yes I have heard of this and it is completly ok and if they are as swollen as you say they could be more harm in the future also my daughter also goes to Mary bridge for a number of reasons and they are excellent out there your child will be in very good hands and very well looked after

Chances are very good that they will remove his tonsils. Keeping them in is very dangerous because when he relaxes to go to sleep, the tonsils at least partially obstruct his airway. Once they are gone, he will sleep better, eat better, and you will probably even notice an improvement in attitude. The risks of the surgery are very small. The biggest risk is bleeding, and that is more common in older patients. Being so young, he will likely recover very quickly. Just research your hospital options and choose a good children's hospital that not only lets you, but encourages you to stay 24/7.

Try to relax, it is a very common surgery and the benefits will be HUGE!

You may not be into this, but I have heard that acupuncture can work really well to tame a sensitive gag reflex... in case you still have problems after surgery.

C., I'm so sorry for your pain. I have never heard of that before. Is there anyone you know to consult with. Maybe a pastor or someone who is close to you that has some wisdom. I know one's things for sure I would be doing Alot of praying. Something is deffinately wrong if your son is 14 months old and not eating solids. They should of been looking into the problem months ago. Seattle's Chidren Hospital. Or Find a chidren's hospital, and get a second opinion, Definately get a second opinion. I hope you find the help you need. S. B.