We were told by an ENT specialist that my 4 year old daughter has larger than normal tonsils, and that it might best to have them out in the near future. He said around 5 is the best age (she turns 5 in September and will start kindergarten that month also). The doctor said she might grow into them or they might cause her more problems in the future. She doesn't have repeated infections, but I do think it affects her sleep. She wakes up almost every night. My question is should I wait and do it over the summer when she is closer to 5, or do it over Winter (February) or Spring (April) break? Also, if your child has had this procedure, how long was the recovery time? My thought is that she will end up miserable for 1-2 weeks over the summer (plus we are planning a trip to Disney at the end of August) when she wants to be outside. Or we could just do it over the week long break while she is in pre-k, and she could miss school if she needed more recovery time. We live in upstate NY so weather is still pretty bad in April. Also, if your child had this procedure, were you happy with the results? Why? Thanks for the advice!
do it soon. don't wait. I had mine out at 5 and all I remember was sherbert,soup and ice cream... and getting gifts from aunts and uncles.. i don't remember much else.. do it soon.. my sister in law keeps putting it off... she is now 30 and has horrible sore throats.. so have it done.. just go with a pediatric dr.!!! they are the b\est for kids.
My son has his tonsils out when he was 2 yrs 8 months (8/08)due to sleep apnea. Fortunately he did not have any complcations BUT the recovery was brutal- painful- crying, not eating well for a full 10 days. On top of that- he hated the taste of the liquid vicodin so that was a challenge getting his pain meds down.
He is 4+ now and sleeping well. I am now happy I had the surgery done. The memory is still vivid.
Hi! I would do it now as well. Both my boys had their tonsils and adenoids removed when they were 3/4 years old. Both snored VERY loudly previoulsy, had trouble eating, and had strep a lot. Now they are sleeping well and eating much better. My oldest bounced back very quickly where he at a large bowl of past that very night after the operation and the next day had a bagel! Went to school the day after. My youngest took a little longer but within a week was doing well. I am glad we did it when they were in preschool so they did not miss much. You will be glad you did it now since sleeping well is vital for doing well in school. We had it done at Yale and I would refer anyone to go there. Very good care and follow-up.
Good luck!
My daughter will be 5 at the end of April and we just had her tonsils out in October when she was 4 1/2. She had been suffering from chronic sore throats, never strep though, but chronic viral infections since she was 1. She had a high fever a couple times a month. Her tonsils were very swollen and when the doctor was in there he also took her adenoids out and said that they were almost completely blocking her airway. Let me tell you it was the BEST decision I have ever made. I'm not going to lie, she had a rougher than normal surgery as her right tonsil was swollen deep into her neck and due to bleeding on that side she required some stitches in her throat. She was more sore than the usual T&A patient. I would say it took her a good 10 days to fully recover but most kids will bounce back pretty quickly. Her's was just a little more invasive than most kids. By the end of October she was in tip top shape and hasn't been sick since. This is the kid who was sick ALL the time. Do it sooner than later and especially before she starts kindergarten. Good luck!
Hi M.! I was 19 when my tonsils were finally taken out & honestly the recovery wasn't too bad. I think I missed a week & a half of work, but I also nursed it too! As far as my daughter who was 9 when she had hers taken out - she had them taken out on a Tues & was back to school about 10 days later. The hardest thing, even with myself was the fear of swallowing anything but as long as your daughter takes the liquid pain medicine you should be good -I tried to give it to Samantha each time she was due for it because then it made drinking, eating & sleeping much easier. Sami had hers taken out a week after school started so there really wasn't much work to do during that time or when she got back (plus she was only in 3rd grade). It hasn't completely eliminated Sami's troubles she had prior (strep throat all of the time) but it kept it from going any further. Good luck!
You should do it now, don't wait. My son had the procedure when he was 3 and he got instant relief that very night. He had sleep apnea and it wasn't too bad unless he had a cold and then it was scary how often he stopped breathing. The procedure wasn't too bad he woke up very upset, disoriented and crying, but that night he slept great. Recovery was about 3 days but he woudln't take medicine because he would gag/vomit with any medicine (nothing to do with the surgery, he was always like that) so he toughed it out during recovery. It instantly changed his life for the better, I highly recommend it, don't wait.
We had our sons tonsils out 3 weeks before his 4th birthday. His were enlarged (as were his adenoids) and they were causing him to have sleep apnea. Actually, we had no idea this was even going on, until my husband took him camping, and was sleeping next to him. I couldnt believe when my husband told me that our son stops breathing in his sleep!!
I took him to the drs as soon as they returned, and that is when we discovered his tonsils were blocking his airway when he slept.
The procedure was quick, about 45 mins we had to wait while he was in surgery. I was, of course, scared out of my mind, but everything went well. And the staff at the surgical center was very accommodating to us.
We brought my sons lovie, his favorite blanket, and his own juice cup. I'm so glad we did, because we had to wait in recovery for hours, and those items relaxed him and made him so much more comfortable.
As far as the age goes, we were never told to wait until he was older. I think his case was severe enough, they wanted to take them out sooner, rather than later.
He spent about 24 hours on the couch watching TV. Then he was back to bouncing around, and wanting to eat. I couldnt believe how well he recovered. Having had my tonsils out in my 20s. His recovery was nothing compared to what I went through. Within 3-5 days we was totally back to normal. His sleeping improved, his mood improved, his appetite improved. I was nothing but pleased with the procedure.
Good luck!!
2 weeks is the recovery. I had then taken out at 25 it stoped all those bad bad sore throats but i was out 2 weeks 1 week very painful but that was 24 yrs ago they must have made some improvements in the healing by now.
good luck
M.,
My son had it done around 6 1/2 years old, during his February break and was ready just in time for school. He had his surgery that Monday (at the start of the vacation) and was ready to go back the very next Monday. My son also had his adnoids taken out at the same time as his tonsils - both of these caused him severe breathing problems including sleep apnea and bed-wetting, all of which have been resolved about 95-100% and to which we all live happier lives!
I was so very hesitant about letting him have such a surgery, but after the evaluations and the "sit downs" with the doctors and medical professionals both he and I were very comfortable and the follow up was extremely helpful as well. I am not sure where you are having your daughter's surgery, but my son had his at Yale University Hospital in CT, and they were wonderful! I will say this though, the 1st 2 days were extremely hard for my son but he was happy overall once he was back on his feet and he enjoyed his winter break in front of the video games and tv (which I don't let him do much of on a regular basis).
I think if you decide to do it in either February or April, it will be a lot better for everyone including your daughter, because its winter time and you are kind of already stuck in the house for the most part; it won't seem like she is "missing out" on any fun. Just make sure the time she is in the house, she has something to do at all times, whether its reading a book, doing puzzles or games, watching tv, playing video games or just plain sleeping. It will help keep her mind off the pain. OH and keep plenty of ice cream and jello around! Good Luck!
Do it now. My friends father is an ear, nose and throat Doctor and removed all of his kids tonsils when they were young. He unfortunately, had to remove mine when I was 30 (after repeat infections) and it was the horrible recovery. Apparently children bounce back overnight. As an adult, it's a terrible recovery. It took about 2 weeks and lots of pain medication.
