Comments on: Our 4 Year Old’s Experience with Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy, and myringotomy

By: Carla

Carla — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:55:07 +0000

Hi Chris!

THANK YOU for writing this blog!!! Your story and all of the others have helped me tremendously! I just got the call yesterday from my daughter’s ENT stating that her tonsils and adenoids need to be removed. I was actually numb trying to process everything. I could only think of all of the complications that could potentially come with this surgery. I started researching today and ran across this blog. I’m now feeling better about scheduling the surgery.

Will keep you posted!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:24:53 +0000

Hi Sara! Hang in there! I’m sure you and the family will do great! I’m glad the article helped so much!

By: Sara Saplis

Sara Saplis — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:28:25 +0000

This article was awesome! My daughter is scheduled for Firday for tonsils & adenoids. I am so nervous. She of course isn’t yet. The Doctor told her that hse could have all the junk food she wants for 7 days! She is six & keeps telling everyone that she is taking her tonsils out. I am a wreck. This really helped! Thanks again.

By: admin

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:39:40 +0000

Hey Michael. Thanks for the post, I’m sure others will find that helpful. It’s amazing how individual all these kids are. My son never had any stomach issues from the procedure or the meds. But then again, he’s really got a tough stomach and rarely gets sick. Thanks for sharing your story! -Chris

By: admin

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:38:20 +0000

You’re very welcome Keisha. I’m glad this post, and the comments / stories from other families has helped. I enjoyed writing it, but have enjoyed all the other stories more. Good Luck! -Chris

By: admin

admin — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:37:20 +0000

Hi. I’m so glad this has helped you. I can’t believe that the blog is over 2 years old now! I think it might actually be older than that. My son is now almost 7 years old. It has been really rewarding to watch the comments and threads grow, and to see how many folks have been helped, not just by me, but from the folks who have posted and commented after me. -Chris

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:20:09 +0000

In the beginning of my post above, I said I was looking for something, I was referring to information to help as our Son was throwing such fits. This thread was our best help and thank you for starting it.

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:17:32 +0000

I was looking for something in the middle of the night last night in a act of desperate measure. I wish I had found it before our 4 yr. old, Austin, had his surgery. Last night was day 3 going into day 4. Our son is sensitive and a bit dramatic and a clinger to his Mama mostly but he is also very tough. Post op. into recovery, I felt so bad for the little guy. He did very well pre-op and our staff was amazing as was our doctor.
Day 1-home, tired, watched t.v. middle of his “pain spectrum” after anesthesia then with ty/codeine, pain gone and he slept and as others in this thread made mention, right around hr. 4, he’d need more. Drank pretty well and ate very little but none the less, still ate.
Day2- same. A bit more pain but controllable. I would like to make note, we thought the “keeping him hydrated” part was just because he didn’t feel like drinking or swallowing as much, he might get dehydrated, as when the vomit. I believe now, the very biggest factor is it keeps the scabs moist. Any adult thread I have read, where the adults had their tonsils removed, almost unanimously, they said “drink, drink, drink!” followed by, “I can’t state this nearly enough”. The biggest reason is it is actually a sort of pain relief by keeping the SCABS hydrated.
So the hydration, with water mostly, even little sips, especially in the middle of the night when they are groggy and in pain, is an excellent way to help get them to sleep.
The other thing, the ty/codeine mix. I do agree that for the first 2 and into the third day, for the tolerant little people stomachs, it is good. Last night, in the middle of the night, we ended up switching to over the counter white tylenol (they say the red can make it hard to tell if there is blood) and it didn’t take AS MUCH of the pain away, but took the edge off and the biggest plus for us was his stomach virtually stopped hurting and he began eating near normal, unlike before, when he would fight us just to get the meds in him cause his stomach ached so bad.
Biggest point here is he was literally throwing tantrums and spitting up and throwing up from being overly worked up, that is how much he didn’t want the codeine tylenol meds. Also, when they get in an extreme state where it can REVERSE the progress by crying and vomiting and the extra excitement, it is a worthwhile exchange, at least in our Sons case, to not have stress from him “freaking out”. Once we switched to the OTC tylenol, his mood, diet and everything, including, going number 2, (which he hadn’t done until about 10 minutes ago. He told my Wife he had to go poop and that she had to be in there and yell at his poop to come out. It worked! But as background noise while writing this, then realizing she was yelling, I actually had to stop writing and ask her why she was yelling! Funny but a bit strange. OK, back to my story). My whole point with the number 2 thing is, I believe in our Sons case, the ty/codeine mix was preventing him from going and he just walked by, I asked him how he was feeling and there was such a look of relief on his face.
Day4-Above was the start of day4 and I am not sure, but by changing to OTC and his going number 2, we may have came to a fork in the road. He seems much better. I will ad to this thread the next couple of days but to review, DRINK, DRINK, DRINK, and if they are having issues with stomach pain and the fit throwing, I would recommend the switch to OTC tylenol, in the white or clear, as they call it, and see how it goes. Good luck and more to come!

By: keisha

keisha — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:27:48 +0000

Thank You sooooo much for this blog. I stumbled upon it after googling stuff about adenoids removal. My 2yr old(will be 3 in a week) is supposed to have t/a surgery in like 1 1/2 mos. I have had sinus surgery & knew how much post op pain can be/ difficulty breathing/sleeping. So i am very nervous for my son. He too is a noisy eater. Snores at night especially when sick, which he frequently is. Started daycare at age 2. Since then he gets FREQUENT colds which turn into cough & green/yellow THICK mucus from his nose with congested cough. Been on antibiotics so much over the past year, his peds dr recommended an ENT consult because she(peds dr) wasn’t comfortable putting him on antibiotics again. Reading this helped ease some of my fears.

By: Becky

Becky — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 06:23:48 +0000

I LOVE reading all of these posts. It really helps. My five year old daughter (Meena) goes in for all 3 (tonsils, adenoids and tubes) in 3 days and I’m a little freaked out. She’s a very dramatic little girl with some separation anxiety issues when she goes to preschool and she tends to obsess about things and dreads the worst. She doesn’t yet know about the tonsils because originally it was just going to be for tubes, but the ENT has since recommended that the tonsils and adenoids come out. The hospital did a great “Pre-Op Adventure” that we went to last weekend that prepared her for what to expect, on kids’ terms. She’s kind of excited to go back and get the “bubble gum” flavor for the mask (they let the kids sniff all flavors and pick what they plan to get). The day before I”m going to take her shopping for special foods (her choice of whatever drinks, popsicles, ice cream, pudding, etc she wants) after I tell her about the tonsils and that her throat will hurt. I will also need to run out and get her a toy of some sort that she really wants. I really hope this helps!

I dread the coming out of anesthesia part. She will cry just because I’m not there and then of course she’ll be in pain, so this kills me. I know the nurses will try to comfort her, but I don’t want it to hurt her (crying/screaming with the freshly removed tonsils). I am just planning to get no sleep over the next week (maybe more) and I hope to comfort her best I can. I just hope she doesn’t refuse to drink. The dehydration possibility scares me too.

thanks, Chris, for this enormously helpful blog!!!

By: admin

admin — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 16:40:35 +0000

I’m glad the article helped you! I hope your procedure goes well. I think it would be ok to tell your Dr. that you’ve read the post-op experience can be improved by prescribing meds that have Codine and ask their opinion. If you have a preference for that, I think it’s ok to tell your Dr. and ask them what they think.

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:18:48 +0000

THANK YOU for writing this up. My just turned 3 year old is having an adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy Dec 30th. I’m terrified and this completely put my mind at ease. I pray they give her meds with codeine like you were blessed with. Hopefully ours goes as smoothly as yours!

By: admin

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:36:47 +0000

It is truly my pleasure! I’m so glad it was helpful! I hope you and your son are doing great! We’ll look forward to your updates!

By: admin

admin — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:35:12 +0000

Hi Tara,

I hope everything goes well. I’m really glad the article, and stories of the other parents and kids has helped. I have written a lot of articles and fooled around on the internet with all kinds of things, and this is by far the most rewarding thing I’ve done in a long time. It’s really great to read the stories of how it’s helped other families. Thanks so much for visiting, commenting and sharing your story!

By: Pankaj Bajaj

Pankaj Bajaj — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:50:34 +0000

Hi All,

Since I was helped so much by this chain of messages, I take it as an obligation to share my experience with our 4 year old son .. We are in Day 6 now.

Summary:

1. You would be surprised how strong the kids are when it comes to tolerating pain. Infact, parents can only make it worse by being too worried. If Parents are positive, the child is even more positive. So Rule 1 : You dont have to talk of the pain, you have to talk of the time when it will be over.

2. Different kids react differently to anaesthesia.. some get up shouting and kicking..others get up as if nothing happened.. neways all you can do is take it in the stride. Doctors will take care of making him comfortable.

3. Gift: It does wonders. In my experience, the more you talk about it before the surgery, more they anticipate it and look forward to the surgery. We told our son that doctors will take him for sleep, meantime papa will go and buy some gifts. When he gets up, he will see papa with a gift. Tell him what gift you will buy for him and make sure it is something he loves. We had a promise: His promise was to be brave when it hurts a little bit and my promise was to get him the gift.

3. Day 2 is difficult in the sense that child has real problem swallowing. At one point we were ready to take him back to Hospital as he was not swallowing even the liquids including medicine. Just before we were ready to go, he drank a glass full of juice so be prepared and anticipate it.

4. Medicine: Codeine does wonders and makes your child feel better immediately. My sense is it is too strong. Within 5 mnts the pain is gone and the child goes to sleep. I personally prefer giving it not more than 2 times in a day. During daytime we prefer giving just the Tylenol. But I would suggest that from Day 3 to Day 5, give him only codeine.. these are really painful days for the child.

5. Keep the room well lighted and tell him lots of stories.

6. Keep encouraging him and appreciate him for being so brave. Tell him you are there to help and based on the bravery he has shown he will get well sooner.

Will share more as the days pass.

Thanks All!! Take care.

By: Pankaj Bajaj

Pankaj Bajaj — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:19:23 +0000

Hi Chris,

Even before I took my 4 year son for Surgery, I knew nothing would help me more than this article.

Our son has been recovering exactly as you described. He is in day 5 and I am glad the difficult part is almost over.

Thanks again……..This is the kind of information parents look for and I found it nowhere other than here.

By: Tara

Tara — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 17:05:21 +0000

Hi again.
We saw the ENT. Jake goes in on the 16th,so a week from tomorrow for his surgery. They spared him the exam to see if his adenoids need to come out so they will scope him while under anesthesia and will take them if they are enlarged. He said he will be surprised if they aren’t.

We are going shopping next weekend for a gift for him. I’m not telling him much about the surgery. It’s just my feeling that it will cause him much stress worrying about it so he know’s he’s going to sleep,will wake up with a pretty bad sore throat and we will have a present for him when he’s ready for it. He’s excited about the gift:)

By: Tara

Tara — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:35:52 +0000

I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to have found this article/site.
OUr Jakey has had trouble w/snoring and terrible mouth breathing. He has a wonderful vocabulary,but @ 4 years old his pronunciation is terrible and recently has gotten worse. I finally asked him to let me see in his mouth and his tonsils are so enlarged,w/o being sick,that they touch. Our doc said they have to come out b/c if he got sick we’b probably end up in the er w/breathing problems. He referred us to an ent,appt next week and then we’ll schedule the surgery.
I am so glad to have gotten to read all about everyone’s expriences. It’s such a helpless feeling when you hear your child had to go through this,but reading others experiences makes it feel less scary to me. I know not to go to the OR and let my husband go as I will cry so that’s good to know. I will make sure he is prescribed good meds also. I will check back with a surger date asap.
Thanks again for taking the time to do this and for keeping up and supporting everyone for so long.

By: wendy

wendy — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:35:15 +0000

Update: We are on day 10 after having tonsils, adenoids and tube replacement...can't believe we've survived this long. SO many things that we were not prepared for and surprisingly never mentioned by anyone in prior blogs. 1.) Waking up from the anesthesia was probably the worst thing I've experienced. Of course the nurse kept telling us "this isnt her, its the anesthesia" and "she's not going to remember a thing". Well we sure do and it was horrific. 2.) My daughter used a binky at naps/at night and we were told only after the surgery that under no circumstances could she have it for at least 10 days. No straws, sippy cups or binks. Although we are binkless now which is nice, it would have been nice to know prior to the surgery to prepare her for it. 3.) Pain meds. Everyone is spot on when they recommend staying with the pain meds every 4 hours. However no mention of what to do when your child won't take it and you have to force it in their mouth and they spit it out in your face/eyes and it burns like heck! Just be prepared with a wet washcloth near by. 4.) Our daughter was a great sleeper...bath, three books and bed. Now after her books, she has horrendous tantrums and we're afraid she's going to hurt herself she's so out of control. We realize that this is going to make her so much better in the long run however, i think the more parents are prepared, the better for everyone. Best of luck to everyone!

By: cynthia

cynthia — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:38:45 +0000

thanks for the insite my two yr old got tubes in his ear at 20 months and now has to go in for his tonsils and anneiods in feb due to them being enlarged and never going down and some sleep issuses when he had his tubes it was a horrible experience they took him from me ide awake which scared him then when he woke up we werent there so that scared him the nurse came and got my husband to walk with them to recovery and wouldnt let him touch our son so he was even more upset so much so that i had to come back to recovery also im hoping that dosent happen again since my insurance hasnt changed we have to go to the same hospital again we will see the surgery doesnt scare me the dang nurses do i think im going to ask them to sedatie him before they take him this time any suggetsions

By: wendy

wendy — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 02:40:54 +0000

My 26 month old daughter is undergoing the trifecta (adenioids, tonsils and new tubes) on tuesday and of course I’m a nervous wreck. So glad to have come across this blog. At 34 weeks pregnant, I’m already an emotional mess and was touched by each and every story on here. This has helped me tremendously in knowing there is life after living with tonilitis/double ear infections for the past year. I dont know that anything can prepare you for the heartache of watching your child go through something like this, but I can tell you that I am much more comfortable with the decision after reading these stories. If I learned anything at all it is to keep up with the pain meds. I will definiley post our experience and pray that all goes well on tuesday!

By: admin

admin — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:06:55 +0000

Hey Angie,

Looks like it’s been a while since the procedure. How did things turn out? I would think you are all on the mend by now. Is there any update you can share with us?

I would have to agree with you that your situation sounds pretty unusual, I’d say your completely within reason to be concerned.

Let us know how things turned out…

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:13:55 +0000

I forgot to mention….he plays and runs around like normal…doesn’t act in pain at all.

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:12:53 +0000

Hi All-

My son (20 months) had an adenoidectomy with myringotomy 10 days ago. I am concerned because he will not talk. He got the surgery due to hearing issues and the fact this is speech was delayed. He was making simply sounds and at a 1 year olds speech level. Now he just keeps his lips together and hums/points to things. He also will not swallow his saliva, but will eat and drink. I’ve spoke to a number of doctors/nurses and all have said that it is very unusual, especially since he did not have his tonsils removed, but none can give me any answers. The last ENT nurse I spoke with said that it is probably psychological and just post traumatic stress. This doesn’t sound right to me… Others have chimed in that he probably just hears himself differently and doesn’t like it. I think if this was the case, he would be over it by now. Has anyone else experienced their children not talking afterwards? Again, he didn’t have his tonsils removed so he would not have the sore throat associated with that. His pediatrician also checked for infection and didn’t see anything. I guess as parents we just had the expectation that he would wake up taking up a storm. It’s very frustrating that he is about 85% less verbal that he was before the surgery. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

By: admin

admin — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:31:59 +0000

Hi Cailin,

We didn’t travel after Matthew’s surgery, but I can say that 4 weeks after the procedure he was pretty much back to himself. I can’t say whether or not that means he was healed enough to travel on an airplane or not. I imagine that with all the delicate tubes and connections in the ear it might be worth taking to the Dr. about.

By: Cailin

Cailin — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:39:58 +0000

Hi,

I have just been to see the consultant today who assessed our daughter, aged 7 and has said that there is no alternative to surgery! – her tonsils have been inflammed for about 8months and just in the last nine weeks has had 4 antibiotics!!!!
He said that he had a spot available on 29th August – however, we are on a longhaul flight at the end of September and I dont know if she would be recovered enough – 4weeks and 3days post op – incase of bleeding etc etc.
now that I am home, I am wondering if I have done the right thing – now it will mean, she will not get her tonsillectomy until mid-late October!
Any advise???
Anyone else travel as soon after surgery – an 11hour flight followed by a 2hr flight and staying away for 2weeks before the same flights home.

Thanks a million,

So worried!!!

By: Elaine Jones

Elaine Jones — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:06:25 +0000

Loritab seems to be the drug of choice1

Seems your little fella did well compared to my grandaughter (also 4) This is her 5th day post op…..she has spiked a fever and has had to return twice for IV fluids. Although she wants to eat and drink, she is having a problem! We almost have to force her to eat and drink! She is already so tiny…is hyper and she must have a metabolism like a rabbit…when she is able to eat, she can out eat me but doesn’t seem to gain an ounce!

I hate seeing her like this or any child for that matter. Glad your boy had more good days than not and thnaks for a great article!

By: Jenn W

Jenn W — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 12:42:49 +0000

Today is day 3 and Jonah is doing much better than he was he day we brought him home. After the last post, I started giving him his medicine (Lortab) religiously every 3 hours and, since then, he has been acting like his normal self, just a little more tired. The only other issue we had was that he started saying he was itchy all over. At first I thought it was a side effect of the pain medication but then the doctor suggested that it was probably the antibiotic (amoxicillin). He told me to take him off it for a day to see if the itching stopped. It seems to be working so I guess he will switch him to another one today. He has been eating really well and now drinking doesn't seem to bother him so much. The most amazing thing is that is is now such a peaceful sleeper! He used to toss & turn all night long because his breathing wasn't very good. Now, he just stays in the same place & breathes through his nose so quietly. I am sure he will be getting much better quality of sleep. I am so glad we did this now. Good luck to others that will be going down this path soon! Jenn Wilson

By: Jenn W

Jenn W — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 23:27:49 +0000

Well, Jonah just got home from the hospital today and he does not want to swallow anything, including his own saliva. He drank the required amount at the hospital (because we told him he could go home if he did) but he has hardly drank anything since we’ve been home. We have tried to explain to him that he will have to go back to the hospital if he won’t swallow but he just cries & spits most of it out. I am hoping that this is just because his most recent dose of medicine hasn’t kicked in yet but I have put a call into the doctor just in case. Hopefully, things will get better soon.

Jenn Wilson

By: Jenn W

Jenn W — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 18:04:36 +0000

Hello-

My 4 year old son, Jonah, will be having his tonsils & adenoids out on Thursday, June 11th. I was a little worried about the pain he would experience post-surgery but this web site prepared me so that at least I now know what to expect. Thank you for sharing your experiences… I will have to come back in a few weeks to share ours.

Take care,

Jenn Wilson

By: Melinda B

Melinda B — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:50:08 +0000

Hey there. My 4 year old (about to be 5 in August) Dakota, is going to have a Tonsillectomy and an adnoidectomy on Tuesday, June 9th. His surgery is scheduled for 8am. I’m so nervous but this helped out a lot. I was worried that he would be in incrediable pain and stuff and the ride home and how he would react and everything. But, thank you for writing this. It helped, a lot! Hope your son is doing great!

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sat, 30 May 2009 18:29:58 +0000

My 2 year old daughter had this done on Thursday and I was prepared more so or not because I have been following this blog for a few months. I will say that on day 3 I am noticing that close to the 4 hour mark for meds you can notice her pain. We also spent a day and a half in the hospital because of her age….I will say that this is stressful for the parents and scary for the kids! Thanks everyone!

By: admin

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:25:58 +0000

I really cant tell you how much I have enjoyed reading all the responses to this article. I enjoyed writing it, but not nearly as much as I enjoyed reading how it has helped so many folks. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to comment and leave your own stories. It’s great to see folks helping other folks make their way through life’s up and downs and deal with what live hands you.

By: Maria

Maria — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 04:38:51 +0000

Thank you for your stories. I am in Australia and my 3.5 year old son just had his tonsils out a week ago on tuesday 7th april. Your description was the only one I could find that helped me understand what we would go through before the operation - I cried as I read it but it helped me get readu for what would happen. All the subsequent posts from other people also are very helpful and were worth reading prior to the operation. Our story mirrors those already listed here. We very anxiously entered into the procedure after having our son suffer bouts of ear and tonsil infections every month for about 2 years. We had the operation booked for a year ago but pulled out at the last minute due to our concerns. He has had so many antibiotics his teeth are becoming discoloured. Day 1: operation at about 8.30am. Dr said his tonsils were chronically infected and when they came out the dr squeezed them and pus came out. We felt so relieved that those tonsils were now out and clearly the operation was very much needed. Our boy slept for about 5 hours after the operation, then woke and ate vegemite sandwiches, custard, yoghurt and got his gift for being so brave. They left the hydration fluid drip in until about 7pm and they saw him eating and drinking well. I stayed overnight with him in the hospital which is fairly standard practice here in australia. He slept through that first night, cannot say the same thing for mum! Day 2: checked out of hospital. at home, he seems ok, lots of DVDs and TV. We decided to use paracetamol without the codeine to avoid the constipation, he seemed to do okay on that every 6 hours. Wakes crying in the morning. mornings are the most painful but settles quickly with a drink of water and paracetamol. Started the antibiotics today too. Day 3: he is still tired and weak, pain more noticeable, not wanting to eat or dring much, really had to work hard to get the water into him, i gave him some hydralyte in the end due to our concern about his low fluid intake on this day. Day 4: wakes at 1am and vomits, little white bits come up - we hope it is not the scab! We think is becasue we tried him on the paracetamol plus codeine for the first time before bed to help the pain. No more of this for us!! Back to plain panadol and had no more problems with vomiting. complains of sore throat. Day 5: he is still not much into eating or drinking. Although he will eat Macdonalds burger bun and fries. Our doctor said let them eat what ever they feel like. This was one of our hardest days. Complains of sore throat. Day 6: a bit brighter today. playing for short periods and still lots of TV and quiet activies like story books. Day 7: he slept all the night through last night, yay. he is looking brighter but has bags under his eyes - poor thing. This is the first night we did not wake him for a 6 hourly dose of paracetamol and he slept to 4.30am which was good. Gave him some paracetamol then and he went back to sleep. Day 8: (today) playing well, much brighter. actually asks for the TV to be turned off which is a sure sign he has way too much of that! plays with puzzles and animals - making an animal safari. Singing and dancing along to scooby doo. still fussy with food but drinking much more. says he feels better. he has lost about half a kilogram in weight. we plan to send him back to preschool on day 16, which we think he will be very for by then. Have shared our story too, hopefully assists other parents with kids undergoing this surgery. It is such a worrying and stressful thing to have your child undergo a surgery. Goodluck

By: Misty

Misty — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:34:28 +0000

Thank you for sharing your experience with everyone. We went to the ENT today and he said that my 2 year old has to have his tonsils and adenoids out. I am worried but reading your experience helps ease my fears a little bit. Thank you again for giving your insight.

By: jennifer

jennifer — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:27:11 +0000

THanks for your accounts of your experience. My 4 year old daughter is going in for pre-op this week and surgery on Good Friday… I am such a nervous wreck already but reading what you went trough helped

By: Jill

Jill — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:59:45 +0000

Our 3 year old Daughter soon to be 4 (in May) just had her tonsils and adenoids removed on Wednesday. The Dr. told us her tonsils were the size of golf balls. She was diagnosed with obstructive airway because of how huge her tonsils were. I have to say that so far things have not been to bad I’m amazed how she seems to be handling the pain. We give her the pain medication first thing in the morning then every 4 hours we give her tylenol then at bed time the pain medication. That seems to be working so far for her. The Dr. called me the day after her surgery to see how she was doing and I said to him did you even take her tonsils out? She seems to be in a great mood. Today is Friday and I think she may have hit a curve in the road – she woke up saying her throat hurt her really bad we gave her more pain medication and tried to get her to eat some applesauce and she didn’t eat like she has been eating for us. She seems to be just laying around and not herself. I called the Dr. and he explained to me that she may have a good day and the next day could be a bad day and it’s kind of like a roller coaster with the recovery period for tonsils. I hope this is the only time that she has a bad day it’s not fun seeing her not herself = (

By: Holly

Holly — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 20:23:47 +0000

Well it has been four days since the surgery and my guy is incredible. He rarely complains and when he does it’s over as soon as the medicine gets taken. He was back to his old self the very next day. I look in his eyes and he still looks worn out but he is happy as ever and way better than I could even imagine. I was a little younger, a few months from my fourth birthday and I was miserable. I guess the medication is much better these days It was hard, especially with our other son having surgery the same day, and the pain the poor child was in coming out of surgery back in the recovery area is something that is enternally branded in my brain. And my recommendation, look in your childs mouth every morning and night. It’s like a train wreck, it’s so gross but you just have to peek, plus you should be keenly aware of their healing process. Good luck!

By: admin

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 00:09:59 +0000

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all the great comments and posts. I’m so glad this post has been so helpful for so many folks!

Holly, I know it’s tough. How old were you when you had your tonsils removed? Everything I had read online before we did the procedure on our 4 year old indicated that the recovery and just general discomfort is much much worse the older you are.

Our son Matthew really didn’t have any trouble with it at all, and if you ask him about it today, he really doesn’t think it was any big deal at all. It will be interesting to see what sort of memory (if any) he has about it when he’s older.

Sharon. Our older son is mildly annoyed by noises and stuff like that. There are some restaurants that we have to be cautious about going to because he’ll complain about it being too loud. He gets it from his mother She’ll often become overwhelmed by too much “sensory stimulation.” I.E. me talking to her, the phone ringing, the kids screaming, the washing machine beeping, the doorbell ringing, the tv on in the background. She’ll literally just about put her hands over her head and just say “I CAN”T TAKE IT!” For me it’s pretty easy to just ignore all that noise.

But our older son Nick is very much the same way. If there is too much noise he just doesn’t like it. We took him bowling once with the neighbors and for a while ge had a good time but shortly after we started bowling he just had enough and said it was too noisy and wanted to leave. It’s interesting that he rarely says “It’s too loud” he’ll alway say “It’s too noisy” which I think is different, and important. I think it’s the number of different noises that are going on at the same time, more than having something to do with the volume of the noises.

Anyway, good luck everyone. I hope everything goes really well for you and your families!

Chris

By: Holly

Holly — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:57:18 +0000

Sharon, I just read your post. My son had tubes at the age of 2 and shortly there after began complaining about little noises like bubble gum popping and bubble wrap. I was told by the ENT that this can be a side effect from the many ear issues he has had and that it will only improve with time. We had our son in occupational therapy for several months as they said he had “Sensory Processing Disorder” but the therapy did not seem to help at all. We try to eliminate situations that could cause a flare up; no bubble gum, fireworks, bubble wrap, etc. and if we aren’t in the position to remove him from the situation, he is able to cover his ears and bury his head. I hope that information is of help to you, it can be quite scary. I knew my son had some major issues when he refused to go outside because the neighbor boy was playing an innocent game of golf. Just know that it takes lots of time and nurturing to help the child through it.

By: Holly

Holly — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:52:23 +0000

Thanks so much for your blog. My four year old son is having the exact procedure done, though he’s getting the ear tubes, and even though he’s had two minor surgeries in the past I have been beyond nervous about this particular one (probably doesn’t help that his baby brother is getting tubes tomorrow, too!!). I had my tonsils removed as a child and still remember the pain and just toiled over the decision to put my own son through that. I am glad you made the point about giving your son his medicine every four hours. I am going to do the same and hope my little guy does as well as yours. Thanks again!

By: Sharon

Sharon — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:20:01 +0000

Thanks for posting about your experiences. I am actually searching for real life experiences to learn how to help a student since getting tubes in his ears and his adenoids removed. I am his special needs aide.

He is 7 years old and it has been just over 2 weeks (15 days) and though the itching is messing with him he has another problem. He says his ears hurt but then complains it is to loud. I am wondering if anyone had issues helping them adjust to hearing so many sounds and much louder now? When I put a set of earphones on him at school to block out some of the sounds he said his ears were not hurting anymore. He cant focus worth a flip now because of too much audio stimulation.

He had seen a Dr that believed he was just misbehaving and ignoring his parents for years. They finally got a referal to an ENT specialist and they said he has a 25 decible hearing loss before surgery. Also that he was probably in serious pain all that time.

So now the issue I have at school and am desperately looking for answers to is how do you help them transition? This is overwhelming to the poor little guy. He is unable to do much of anything because the sounds around him bother him to much and he just keeps saying it is “to loud”. Any ideas from anyone that had a child that had this issue?

By: Jessica

Jessica — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 02:34:00 +0000

“I believe children are much more capable of handling stuff that adults give them credit for.”

I believe that 100%.

I can’t believe they let you watch him go under. Our hospital would not for that very reason you experienced. WEIRD!

Day 5 (yesterday) was also our worst recovery day. We are no Day 7 now.

thewelchfamily.blogspot.com to see what we are going thru day 7 post surgery of our 4.75 year old daughter Hana

By: admin

admin — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 21:22:04 +0000

I’m glad reading the article helped. I enjoyed reading it and I enjoy even more reading that it’s helping folks like you!

It’s been a good long while now since our son had the surgeries, and I can still say without a doubt that having the procedure was the right thing to do. Our Son Matthew sleeps much better, he’s less prone to ear infection and sore throat. All in all, the two weeks or so that it takes to recover are well worth the long-term pay off.

Good Luck! I hope everything turns out well for your and your family!

Chris

By: jennifer

jennifer — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 02:01:06 +0000

Hi,
I just read your article and it makes me feel better about the decision to have my 2 year olds tonsils and adenoids removed. It seemed that it went fairly well for you and your family and I hope it’s the same for mine. I’m definetly nervous about my daughter being put to sleep, but in the long run I think this surgery will benefit her for a better, more restful time!

By: admin

admin — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:17:42 +0000

Hey There,

Sounds like things are pretty tough at your house these days. I’m sorry to hear that. I think you’re probably in the middle of what’s the more difficult part of the recovery.

My only suggestion is to make sure you give the prescribed medication on the schedule, even if your child seems to be feeling or doing ok. One thing our Dr. told us was that some of these pain meds require a few scheduled doses to sort of “build up” in their system to be fully effective. I think one of the reasons that our recovery was relatively non-problematic was that we were very diligent about making our son take his prescription medications on-time every-time. Even when he didn’t think he needed it.

I don’t remember what day it was, but whatever night it was that we didn’t give the medicine, we paid for it!

Hopefully thinkgs are going better today for you.

Chris

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:08:43 +0000

Thank you for your answer. Today is day 5 not counting the actual surgery day and he’s having quite a time with pain and crankies. He keeps saying his throat hurts and he’ll eat in the morning and by late afternoon, hardly eating and hardly drinking. I think I’ll call the Dr. on Monday and see if there is something else I can do for him, unless you have any suggestions. I feel so badly for him, and am TOTALLY burnt out because all he wants is Mommy, not Daddy, so I haven’t slept in nights it seems and I’m feeling like new mum all over again!
Thanks again for your help!

By: admin

admin — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:23:03 +0000

He sure did. I can’t remember how long it lasted, but that’s a very common symptom and nothing to be concerned about. It’s not something fun to think about, but I think basically the odor is a result of the scabbing.

We did the prescription meds for like the first four to seven days.

I hope it does well for you and your son!

By: Bonnie

Bonnie — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:38:39 +0000

Dear Admin;
Our son is 2 and is on his 3rd day after surgery for adenoidectomy and tubes for his ears.
The first 2 days he was almost like nothing happned and was doing fabulous with over the counter pain meds. Today, his breath is HORRIBLE and isn’t eating well, or drinking. I have a prescription pain med. and from the sounds of it, I will be waking him tonight to give it to him. Mornings are horrible as the OTC meds have long worn off and he is suffering badly. Did your son have really bad breath?

By: Kim

Kim — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 14:43:31 +0000

I eventually lost count, but Jordyn threw up probably about 8 times total on day 2. About 5:30 she woke up from a nap feeling much better. I realized I hadn’t given her her mid-day dose of the antibiotic, and when I read the bottle it said the side effects were nausea and vomiting. Wanting to avoid this, I called the on-call doctor and told him what had happened. He told me the Amoxicillin was more for pain relief than anything else and it would be ok if I didn’t give it to her, that it wouldn’t cause or allow any infections or anything like that. Phew! I asked Jordyn if she wanted some Tylenol to help her throat feel better and she said it didn’t hurt. She ate a few bites of a few different things, drank some water and some milk, and looked like she was feeling a lot better. She took a bath around 11 pm and went to bed while watching a movie.

Day 3: Jordyn didn’t wake up (or at least she didn’t wake me up) until about 6:45 am. I know her throat has been hurting her, especially when she’ll only take a couple bites of her most favorite foods in the world. She is still refusing to have any Tylenol though. I think she’s afraid it’ll make her vomit like the Lortab did. She’s almost back to her normal self though, and drinking plenty of fluids. If she doesn’t want the Tylenol, I figured it’s best not to force it on her. I don’t know how bad it really hurts but she seems to be dealing with it just fine. She’s not crying or screaming about the pain and she’s been laughing and playing. This little kid is just amazing.

Jordyn fell asleep on the floor of the living room around 4:30 pm. Her sleep schedule has obviously gotten a little messed up, so I tried to wake her up at 6:45 pm and that’s when she complained of a headache. After quite a bit of pleading, I got her to finally take some Tylenol, and she fell right back asleep.

Day 4: Well, going to bed at 4:30 in the afternoon on day 3, I shouldn’t have been surprised when Jordyn got up at 2 am. She asked for some mac and cheese, which I gave her and then went back to bed. When she woke me up again at 6:30, I noticed that she’d barely touched it. She asked for some milk though, and she’s had 2 cups so far. She has talked about eating pancakes later, but I still think she’s avoiding having to eat because her throat hurts. She did sing this morning for the first time since her surgery, which is a great sign. This kid normally sings from sunrise to sundown. I always said if she doesn’t become a famous singer I’d be surprised.

Day 5: I know her throat still hurts but we really have to bribe her to get her to take any Tylenol. I got her a pizza and she ate 4 or 5 bites and said she was done. The only thing she really wants right now is milk.

Day 6: Just more of the same. Taking it pretty easy around the house.

Day 7: Every time Jordyn wakes up in the morning or from a nap, she’s extremely cranky, and many times she actually cries. When I ask why she’s crying, she tells me she doesn’t know. I can only assume her throat still hurts. This morning she told me a headache though, so it was a good excuse to get her to take some Tylenol. We have her post-op doctor’s appointment today at 2:15, so we’re hoping for a clean bill of health.

We had a trip planned to New Jersey a week after her surgery, so that morning we went for her post-surgery check up. The Dr said she was healing just fine, but when I told him about our trip he was a little worried when I said we’d be out playing in the snow because he said there was still a risk of bleeding and the dry cold air might affect her adversely. Once we got there (a day and a half later–we drove), there was no way I could keep her inside with all that beautiful snow just calling her name. Against Dr’s orders, we sledded, made snowmen and had snowball fights every day for the next week, with no ill effects.

Day 10 seemed to be the magic number for Jordyn. That’s when she started eating again and running around, singing, jumping and playing like her normal self. However, she still woke up once a night screaming for the next couple nights. I don’t know if she was in pain or having a nightmare or what, because she was so groggy when I went in her room, she didn’t know what was going on either. I just told her to lay down and go back to sleep and she was fine after that.