tonsil/adenoid surgery??

[Shantimama]

I haven't been around for a long while - boy do I miss having a computer at home - mainly because of these boards!

I would really appreciate some input about my 2 and a half year old. She is very healthy, always been breastfed and eats a good diet. The problem is she snores like a rhinocerous and struggles to breathe all night long. She has only had one sore throat, but her tonsils are extremely large. In about 10 days we are going to see an Ear-Nose-Throat surgeon to check out the size of her adenoids. She is chronically fatigued because of her difficulty breathing in her sleep. She has dozens of periods of apnea every night and startles herself awake each time when she resumes breathing. If she naps during the day it takes her 3 hours to go to sleep at night because of the breathing disturbance. She can only fall asleep smoothly (even at the breast) if she is totally exhausted. She wakes by 4 a.m. every morning, still tired but rested enough that it takes her 1-2 hours to settle again and can only do so lying on my chest with me holding her firmly so that her startling only resumes her breathing and doesn't wake her up. Needless to say, I am worn out, too (I also have a 4 and 5 year old and we are homeschooling.)

Our GP said that having her tonsils and adenoids removed may be necessary. Sleep position makes no difference and it is already an allergy-prevention environment for her sister. Does anyone have any experience in this area? Any input would be appreciated! I won't be able to check back for another week or so.

Thanks a lot!

[the_ugly_spirit]

I would also take her to an allergist. Sometimes kids with sinus/ allergy problems snore a lot.
On a personal note, I had tonsils taken out (when I was 24, mind you), and it was the best thing I've ever done for myself. I had chronic strep throat that had turned into rhuematic fever. I haven't been sick a day since.
I'm not normally the person who jumps right into going to the hospital, but I would do this again in a heartbeat!
-W

[AmyG]

I had my adenoids (but not tonsils) removed when I was 8, and I wish my doctor had done it sooner. It made a huge difference in my life. I had chronic ear infections, which it sounds like your dd doesn't, but it also helped my snoring.

I don't generally like surgeries that aren't critically important, but this one is one that can do a world of good. I've seen it help people in dramatic ways. Sleep apnea will cause health problems, including asthma and acid reflux, not to mention extreme fatigue that can cause bad accidents when she's older. I'd probably get a second opinion and then do it if both docs agree.

[khrisday]

My son had his sdenoids removed a year ago when he also got ear tubes put in. It helped his breathing and allergies so much, and I am very happy that we did it. You can find a lot of kids books about going to the hospital for surgery, and most hospitals have a kid's hospital tour to help familiarize them with the hospital and what will happen to them. I know it's scarry, but I think the surgery will reallyhelp your child.

[CrunchyGranolaMom]

Talk with the specialist about referring for an overnight sleep study to check the severity of the apnea. I'm an RN, and it constantly amazes me how children are routinely recommended for surgery without doing this "gold standard" test, whereas an adult would NEVER be sent for surgery (or even a CPAP machine) without a sleep study.

We found out that, despite huge tonsils and adenoids, the sleep study did not show severe enough apnea to warrant our sending our daughter for a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. Your situation may be different (your child sounds more symptomatic), but at least you will go into the surgery with more full knowledge.

[snailmama]

removed

I had my tonsils and adnoids removed when I was 9 due to too many problems...
does your son eat any dairy?
do you eat dairy?
I think the whole thing is definately an allergy.
try taking him to a natropath.
good luck and hope things turn around for him.

[DeChRi]

I had problems like that through childhood, and finally had my adnoids, tonsils, and terminates(sp?) removed in my early teens. Made all the difference in the world.

[Sierra]

This is very interesting. Hope no one minds that i'm moving this over to Health and Healing.

Sierra

[mommy22]

Both of my children have had their tonsils and adnoids removed. One for apnea/enlarged tonsils and the other for re-occuring strep throat.

To make a long story short, no more sleep apnea and no more strep throat!

From what I know, the only reason tonsils/adnoids are removed these days are for apnea and re-occuring strep.

The surgery was a breeze, but the recovery is a bit difficult. It will take a full 7 days to recover, and day 4 or 5 is the worst. This is when the scar tissue is forming and is the most painful for the child.

So, if your child is waking frequently and trying to catch their breath and has enlarged tonsils, definetly consider surgery.

[~member~]

Just wanted to remind people here, that adenoids and tonsils are part of the immune system. They are lymphoid tissues and the first to fight off disease in the body. If they are removed, your body's first line of defense against infection is gone. (Research has shown that when removed, your child is at greater risk for Hodgkins Disease).

As for strep throat, it is quite rare. Almost all Dr.'s will call a sore throat 'strep'. The tests done for strep throat are also inaccurate, as the body always has strep!

The size of your tonsils and adenoids is mute. Dr.'s use it as a way to justify surgery. Before considering surgery or antibiotics, look at nutrition and allergies. Those are the two biggest reasons people have problems with sore throats and swollen glands. Especially dairy.

Surgery should only be done if the tonsils or adenoids are cancerous.

[3boysmom]

My nephew had the same problems as your child - he was always sleep-deprived ( dark circles under eyes, cranky, unable to fully concentrate, moody) from the apnea. By his third birthday it was apparent that he had not really grown since age two and was lagging developmentally. All from lack of meaningful sleep. He had his tonsils and adenoids removed and the change has been so drastic! No snoring, no apnea, tons of marvelous sleep and his growth/development/happiness have all gotten back to normal. He's doing great! I know my sister and her family have never regretted the surgery, just wish they'd done it sooner.

[STACEY IANNESSA]

My son is 3 1/2 years old. His tonsils touch each other and has snoring and sleep apnea (stops breathing for more then 20 seconds at a time) but no ear infections and no pain except always tired (sounds like yours). The ENT scheduled him for surgery to remove both tonsils and adnoids. I was very concerned as these are very important for first defense against infections, so I researched.

My son is in Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique (NAET) treatments to permanently remove his allergies. He no longer has to have surgery.

Ellen Cutler, D.C has a book "Winning the War against Immune Disorders & Allergies" that will provide information.

We are in San Diego and treaments are $50 each visit - well worth it.

[CrunchyGranolaMom]

We also used NAET to help our daughter and were very pleased with the results!

[shematrix]

my dd had a T and A done at 3 years of age. she snored, woke gasping for breathe, etc.

after the surgery and recovery period she was fine. i would go the surgery route again, with no regrets.

tm2

[CrunchyGranolaMom]

Not to be too much of a naysayer here, but I'm a pediatric RN and when I looked into this subject last year, I found some really fascinating research that showed that parents' subjective assessments of how their child was after the T & A surgery had very little correlation to how the child actually performed on the sleep apnea overnight study. So it seems that children can *sound* much better and appear to be sleeping better, but the objective data (at least in the few studies that have been done) doesn't really back up the subjective feelings parents report.

I'd be interested to know if any of the parents who did have the surgery done had their child go for a sleep apnea study either before or after. Many doctors don't prescribe them, so it would be interesting to see if anyone here had one.

[shematrix]

We did not have a sleep study done. Her problem wasn't a sleep disorder it was enlarged adenoids.

After the surgery, her ENT told us she had 'noids the size of an adult. They were huge.

tm2
nak

[STACEY IANNESSA]

YOUR DAUGHTERS PROBLEM MAY HAVE GONE AWAY WITH SURGERY BUT WOULDNT IT BE NICE TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CURED WITH NO SURGERY AND LEAVING ALL HER IMPORTANT DEFENSE MECHANISMS IN PLACE?

[EnviroBecca]

When I was 7, I had a sore throat but downplayed it to my parents because it was summer and I thought they might not let me go swimming. After a couple of weeks, it turned into a huge infection with high fever, hallucinations, vomiting, and all kinds of nasty stuff. This permanently damaged my tonsils. However, it was 1980 and tonsillectomies were no longer in fashion.

I had strep throat (not just testing positive for the bacteria, but incapacitating fever and dizziness and aching and throat so swollen I couldn't eat solids) 2-6 times a year for the next 12 years. There were two years when I missed >25% of school days. When I was 18, I got mononeucleosis, and my throat swelled to the point that I couldn't swallow liquids and had trouble breathing. I dropped to 99 pounds, and I am 5'8". The only reason I wasn't hospitalized was my parents' fear of secondary infection. At that point, the dr. agreed the tonsils needed to come out, but it couldn't happen until the swelling went most of the way down. That took 14 months.

I had my tonsils removed 10 years ago last month. Since then, I've been sick (not counting colds too minor to keep me home from work) exactly 5 times. It's true that every illness I've had has gone into my lungs and had me coughing up gunk for a couple of weeks, which never happened to that extent before my surgery. But I haven't had strep once, and it is so wonderful to be sick only once in a while instead of every few weeks!!!

I don't know anything about apnea. But for recurrent strep with problematic tonsil swelling, I think tonsillectomy may be the way to go.

[STACEY IANNESSA]

It's not that surgery is never the answer. Hey I scheduled my son for it. But if there are other means that cure the problem, then why not go for it. Allergies are real and do cause tonsil problems - get ride of allergies and live healthy. It worked for my son - he did not have to have the surgery and no longer has apnea.