Son Having Tonsils and Adnoids Out Next Week

Hi J., have you considered taking him to a chiropractor? If putting surgery off a few months is an option, you might try a chiropractor and possibly avoid surgery all together. Good luck! I am sure this has been tough for you.

First off, everyone is different when it comes to pain and recovery. Having this procedure really isn't any big deal anymore. It is an out-patient procedure. My oldest had her tonsils and adnoids out and wanted to be babied. My husband had to carry her up the stairs because she was hurting. (After 2 days of this, I said enough and told her she could walk the surgery was in her throat. Then she was up and running since we didn't play into it anymore. My other daughter came home and said she wanted to eat pizza. I told her that probably won't be the smartest thing to eat because of the tomato sauce, but she WANTED IT. I warmed up 1 piece, she ate it fine and then ate 2 more pieces. You would have never known she had anything done.

My son had his out and it was the best thing we could have done. I had prepared myself for a long recovery because the nurses and doctors will scare you, but my son was eating a hamburger by the evening. The biggest thing you need to watch out for is making sure they drink, drink, drink. My son cried for awhile after the surgery, but I am sure he was more scared than anything. My son started drinking right away and it was clear sailing after that. As long as they keep fluids in them things will be a-ok. Their throat will hurt, but the more they drink the faster the recovery. He could not do any activity for a week, so that was hard. We just invested in some DVD's and watched them over and over!! Games are always good also. Good luck.

Have no fear! My daughter had her tonsils out last December (age 5) and she did great. She was sore of course for the first three days and drank lots of water and chicken broth. By the 4th day she wanted to play, but that is where you as the parent need to keep it to a minimum. When the scabs in their throat come off around 5-7 days is when the real pain kicks in. If your doctor perscribes tylenol with codine, use it! I was worried that she wasn't eating enough, but the doctor said as long as she kept fluids down she was good. My two year old had his adnoids out this spring and did about the same. I had to watch the crackers with him so the sharp corners did not poke his throught. I opted for softer things like nilla wafers and jello. Good luck with the sergery. Hope I helped.

Hi.

If you are concerned about it have you looked into other options? If ear infections are the problem, regular chiropractic adjustments can cure those....

One of my good friends had her daughters appointment set for the NEXT day (she already had tubes in once before...) and cancelled after talking with a natural path doctor. She has followed his suggestions and it's been about 2 years and her daughter is doing great.

She gets her adjusted whenever anything comes up and has some ear drops that she got in the organic/natural section of Cash Wise.

My son had his out right after he turned three. It made a huge difference in the quality of his sleep and he has been sick alot less (he is 6 now). He was (is) a very stubborn boy and refused to take any medication orally, including painkillers and the antibiotics they prescribed as a precaution. The doctor said infection is the main risk post-surgery and very few kids get infections. He was back to normal in about three days. I hope this helps.

My 7 year old just had his T&A surgery the beginning of November. It was literally a 15 minute procedure. He was fine and ready to go home in about an hour, but we had to spend the night at the hospital because he has sleep apnea.

My 5 year old (then 4) had his done back in June. His went the same way.

They are so easy these days there isn't anything to worry about. My boys were on restricted activity for 2 weeks where they weren't supposed to run around, but try to keep boys from doing that. They both were back to normal w/i a week after the scabs fell off.

These go much easier than they do for adults--kids are very resilient and heal quicker too.

The earlier they have their tonsils out the easier it is on them. Normally it is only 2-3 todays before they are up bouncing aroound like nothing happened. They normally give them a liquid anesthic to help the pain the first day along with cool things to eat and drink and then the 2nd day they are a lot better and the 3rd you couldn't tell there anything wrong with them. It is vry difficult for an adult to have them out and dangerous also. I wouldn't try and postpone it. Tyelnol for pain but usually they don't even know that. I know some people go for the homopathic way and it does work while they are young but this is a real serious medical condition that will redevelop when they are older (tried with oldest son) and now that he is in his 20's they are saying he doesn't have any further options that he has scar tissue built up on his tonsils so bad that it is now cutting off his airway. Of course, getting a 2nd opinion is always an option and get an excellent ENT Dr. opinion also. Good Luck!

Our 3 y.o. just had it done last month. It literally took 7-10 days for him to be back to normal. Make sure you keep up with the pain meds. We had vicodin for him. I set the timer to give it to him every four hours. That way the medicine doesn't wear off. I even kept it in the fridge so it would be cold. And they need the narcotic medicine pretty much for 7 days. Even though I hated the thought of narcotics in my baby. Let them sleep! I did the humidifier as well, so his throat wouldn't dry out. Even in the living room.
I'm thrilled that other children bounced back so well, but I think the majority are in a lot of pain from the tonsil surgery.
Now, he sleeps great, no snoring. Hasn't been sick yet, but hopefully that won't be too bad now either. It really makes a difference once they are healed. Listen to the doctors orders for sure!

My child never had her tonsils and adnoids out, however I had mine out twice once at 4 and again at 7 (they say if before 5 there is a chance they can grow back which mine did). Anyway from talking to people who did have theirs out as an adult I'd say a child fairs much better. What I remember is resting on sofa and eating lots of popsicles and ice cream (seems to soathe the throat). You didn't say how old your son is but I'd say stock up on movies and other things he can do (books and/or color books etc. and board games) whole resting and follow doctors orders for recovery and I'm sure he'll do fine. Just think what ever problems he is having (mine was constant bad earaches)will get better after the surgery and that will make it worth it. don't worry mom he'll be fine and come through better then you did as an adult.

Good luck.

Matt was 3 and Zach was 4 when they each had theirs done, and it went really well for each of them! They had some pain the first few days, but the doc gave us some medicine for that. they drank a lot of liquids that they liked, ate a lot of popsicles and sherbet and didn't seem to mind that too much. The biggest challenge was that if they didn't sip on stuff thru the nite their throats would get dry and then they would hurt worse, so i had to get up every little bit and get them to wake up enuf to drink a sip or two... It took bout a week and they were back to being themselves and they've both been healthier since!
Hope that helps! Good luck and God Bless!
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out when she was 3 almost 4 years old. Honestly, I was more nervous about it than she was! Everything went very smoothly and she was almost completely back to normal by the end of the day after her surgery. She even asked for mac-n-cheese instead of just ice-cream to eat a few hours after. Pretty much the only thing we had to worry about after surgery was her stinky breath and that was quite tolerable. She was a little sleepy for about a week to two weeks and not as active as before surgery, but after that she was back to her completely normal self. The doctors should explain everything even more when your there (that helped me a lot!).

both my kids had their tonsils out by time they were 7-what a huge relief-it was scarey-but just follow drs.orders-all should go well-my daughters tonsils were so infected-that surgery took longer-she had pus pockets deep into her throat-so they kept her overnite-with strong antibiotics iv-my son was in an out in 3 hours.no complications-except being hungry.hahaha....good luck

Merry Christmas J. to you and your family! I know you already got a lot of replies so I'll try to keep this short. My daughter had hers out at 10 and the older they are the harder it is. It only took 15 minutes and she had a bit longer recovery as she had a lot of pain afterwards and ended up vomitting alot of blood - normal but not fun for her or me. They gave her a nifty ice pack that ties around the neck--it was GREAT! Try to stock up on liquid "foods" and don't be surprised if nothing sounds good to your son -- it hurts to eat and drink but has to be done. About a week after the surgery once he's feeling better he'll cough up the scabs and he'll go back to being real sore for a couple of days -- prepare for that because you may miss a day of work - I did! Talk to your son now about what kinds of soft foods and drinks he likes and prepare for only liquids for at least 3-4 days. Make sure you store up your patience cause you'll need it---it's hard on them but a relief when there's no strep every month. My daughter didn't have it again until over a year later.

My son had this done a few months ago. I was not real nervous because I work with the doctor who did the surgery. Anyway his surgery went better than I ever thought. I was told to expect he would sleep all day, not have an appetite, and would be less active for a week or so. UM not even close. He came back to his room after surgery and he laid with me on the bed for about an hour and then my husband came back with lunch for me and him and my son ended up eating half of my lunch. He didn't sleep while we were there at all he kept trying to get me to take him to the toy room. When we got home it was back to normal just like nothing ever happened. Great experience considering. But I had the greatest doctor.

My children have not had their tonsils or adenoids out, but our neighbors have had both have them removed in the past year. Their 3 year-old son had them removed last year, and he was playing within a few hours. Their daughter just had hers removed (she's 6) and is doing great. No complications for either.

But, I'd make sure you thoroughly check with the ENT regarding the procedure and possible complications.

Good luck!

Two of my boys had their tonsils and adnoids out....My oldest was 4 and everything went good....It took about a week for them to start to feel better and about two weeks to get back to normal..My second child was about 7 when he had his out....He did good until about a week into the healing...He started to bleed and he ended up having to go back to surgery and be cauterized again....It was pretty scary as a mom....I remember him standing over the sink with blood pouring out of his mouth..but all turned out well. He is also very asthmatic and has been on mantinence(steroids) since the age of 2 months, I think that might have something to do with him bleeding easily??? I don't know for sure just a thought..Don't worry things will work out. kids can handle things better than adults.

Hi J.,
My son was 4 when he had his out and he did great. The nurse said it's real easy when they are little as compared to the pain when your older. As far as complications we did not have any at all, accept he ate to many popsicles at the hospital and threw up on the way home ! The Doctor will tell you what to watch for if anything seems differant i'm sure. Try not to get worried, I know that is easier said then done, I was in your shoes a year ago and I got more worked up then I should have.
Good luck and you will see your child feeling much better afterwards!

My son had his out last year when he was 7. He was very painful for 7 to 10 days. He had horrible ear pain as well which can happen. He wasn't back to being active until about 10 to 12 days after surgery.
It really helped when we ran a humidifier for him so his throat wasn't as dry. Also encourage him to drink LOTS of fluids.
Hopefully your child will breeze right through it.

Hi J.,

Our daughter had this done when she was just a baby. She did just fine.

It was precious. She got to wear her jammies from home, they gave her a teddy bear to hold onto and gave her a ride in a little red wagon to the OR. They made us feel so comfortable, and when all was done, she was fine.

I will pray that your son's surgery to go smoothly!

Blessings,

J.

My son had his tonsils and adnoids removed this past August. He was 4 years old. He needed the procedure due to sleep apnea and a constant stream of boogers down his face. The surgery itself is very short. The recovery was rough. It was 10 days after the operation that he really was dependent on prescription pain killers. But, in those ten days when he was heavily medicated, he also had moments of riding his bike and playing with friends. All in all ~ it was worth it. I think it's easier to do when they're younger. Just make sure you have enough time off work that you can be there for him.

How old is he? The younger he is the more likely the recovery period will be shorter. My son had his done when he was 7. It was a very unpleasant experience, but worth it in the end. The doctor told us the recovery period was 9-12 days, and I thought my son would recover much quicker because he has always been a tough kid. He was in a lot of pain and didn't start to feel better until day 9 (just like the doctor said). My son almost ended up re-hospitalized from dehydration so stay on top of that. I followed him around with a spoon and cup of ice chips. You may need to experiment with what he will be able to eat. For some reason, my son rejected most of the soft foods (even popsicles), but literally lived on toaster waffles. Seemed strange to me, but that's what worked for him. Also, stay on top of the pain meds. It's harder to catch up if you get behind. Give them on a regular schedule, not just when he asks for them. Oh, we had no really serious complications, but he did have some bleeding and vomiting after surgery. He didn't spend the night in the hospital, but he was the last kid discharged out of all of the kids who had the procedure that morning. He probably should have spent the night in retrospect, but we had a nurse who was working one of her first shifts ever after graduation and she discharged him and didn't want to go through the paperwork to re-admit him. Then we had the near dehydration. Despite all of that, it was definitely a worthwhile procedure for him. Good luck!