Toddler Tonsil/Adnoid Surgery - Page 2

[OnTheFence]

Ravin just so you know they do the tonsil and adnoid surgery differently now than they did when we were kids, even in the last ten years things have changed a great deal. I have never had either surgery, but my husband has and he talked in great detail about how it was done and its nothing like it was. In fact it only takes a few minutes to do now and the kids are only out like twenty minutes total. Our ENT said that average blood loss is a teaspoon and that he only has complications in 1 in ever 2000 he does. He also said that children who are under 5 have a much faster recovery rate than older children, and he said they recover much faster than adults. In fact teens and adults have the hardest recovery.

I would definitely get our baby checked out. You may want to try Early Intervention just for an evaluation. I know it differs from state to state but I know that EI here will pay for you to see specialists for diagnosis. They paid for all our hearing tests, audiology appts, etc. The only thing they don't pay for is corrective surgery, etc.

[kittyluver]

What kinda of tests to determine need for diagnosis?

m

[frolick16]

My ds had the operation when he was under two. He was diagnosed with a series of symptoms; weight loss, sleep apnea, constant drooling and SNORING! due to mouth breathing which also led to stinky breath. I struggled until we did a sleep study which found he stopped breathing 80xs in one night with periods of non breathing for over 15 seconds. His opening in the back of his throat was so small it made it uncomfortable for him to eat, hence the weight loss. After hearing that this could lead to growth problems and heart strain I said TAKE THEM OUT! Life was drastically different, baby was rested, mom too, he ate better and no more drooling.

[Sarasein]

My DD had surgery when she was 16 months. She had crossed eyes and they younger they are fixed, the better their vision is afterwards. I was lucky and she did not have to stay in the hospital. She was asleep most of the first day, only waking to nurse or eat a cracker. In the evening, she was feeling better and was trying to walk (with her eyes being fixed, she saw the world differently) and play a little. The next day, she was totaly back to normal and you could not tell she had surgery the day before, unless you saw her poor blood shot eyes.

[Vick]

I just wanted to update anyone who was interested. My ds had the surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids on May 6th. There are so many things to say about it. I was so glad that I insisted on holding him as he went under anesthesia. While it was very hard for me to watch, it brought him great comort and helped him be less scared. It was definitely the hardest day of my life. When he was brought back to us, within a couple of hours of sugery he was breathing better while he slept in my arms. After waking, he ate pretzels (!!) and drank a lot of juice and water. We watched lots of movies and played with some new toys and read books. That night he slept so deeply and for the first time in his life he didn't snore! Within a few days he was hearing better (getting rid of the enlarged adenoids enabled his ears to drain of excess fluid completely) and speaking clearer than ever before. He kept asking me what different sounds were! His balance is better and so he feeling more adventurous physically. His appetite is bigger. He sleeps less (this has been hard to get used to) but deeper and is far more rested than he has ever been. His dark circles are gone from under his eyes! He has grown noticeably in the past few weeks because he is finally getting that deep sleep which is so important for growth.

One of the best things we did was to surprise him with a (big!) giraffe (his favorite animal) puppet the morning we left for the hospital. The giraffe put on a gown, wore ID bracelets, and did everything that my son did. The nurses practiced every procedure on the giraffe before my son which contributed a lot to his comfort level.

Good luck to those going through this soon! feel free to cntact me for any more info. everything people say about kids bouncing back quickly is true!Within a week he was off all pain meds.

[Alkenny]

I'm glad everything went well, Vick! I'd been wondering about you/him. Thanks for the update!

[loopy76]

tonsils

I can't even believe all want the moms are saying, this helps me out so much. My 19 month goes in on monday for tons and adnoids removed. he tubes in back in June because of 6 year infections. He still wakes up two to three times a night. it drives me nuts. he is my fourth and we are expecting in april. I want to help him to get good sleep. we tried allergy meds and nothing, every night we do saline and plungings. and nothing. vaperizer and nothing. this kid needs a nose change!!!!!:he also doesn't talk very well. 4 words. he mumbles. hearing test ok though. but i need to sleep!!!! he snores like crazy and his breath is bad at night. you ladys are so helpful with the video and books to bring. i am a mess. my older son had it done when he was 2 and half hour later he was running around the hospital. but this is my little baby, i am so scared for him. you ladys are great to help eachother out. i needed to hear how hard it is but that it was worth it. do they really sleep better????????????????????? i need to know. hehhe i love him but 3 times a night is crazy.15 12 3 19months

[Bre123]

[I have a question regarding the tonsilectomy that removes most of the tonsil but leaves a small amount of tissue behind with the idea of having an easier recovery. Has anyone had this surgery that later had the tonsil tissue enlarge again? My son's Dr. did not recommend having this type of tonsilectomy because of the risk of a reoccurance of tonsilitis in the future. I certainly only want to have my son go through this surgery once in his life so I'm wondering what other's experiences have been. Thanks!

I actually have one other question, my son is scheduled for surgery in less than two weeks and has a congested cough right now. Any recommendations on how to deal with that?