I have zero faith in the medical community anymore, and less faith in any online resources spewing 'medical advice'. My 11yo son is going in for surgery soon, for removal of tonsils and adenoids. I know this is routine procedure nowadays so I am not at all worried, But I am curious, have any of you had this procedure done recently or know someone who has? Especially someone young. I had it done 30 years ago and I was too young to remember anything. I'm sure its much different today. Because of the surgery, he'll be out of school for a week but my hope is he'll be recovered enough in a few days. He's active and involved in sports and want to make sure he can resume his normal lifestyle in 4-5 days, but no idea what to expect in terms of recovery.
Any thoughts based on recent experiences greatly appreciated!
The question would be the risk benefit ration. Is your child suffering from sleep apnea and not getting good sleep because of the obstruction? Or is it chronic infections?
If it is for sleep apnea, I would recommend because good sleep is so very important. If because of chronic infections I would wonder about alternative or supplemental efforts (gargle with salt water at night, proper oral health ECT, before going to surgery?
Thank you for sharing. He sleeps well. Snores like crazy and it wakes him up. His breathing is "congested" (noticeably). I say "blow your nose" and nothing comes out. Also fighting an uphill battle with my wife. I had my tonsils removed in my early teens (years ago) and I've been incredibly healthy since. She never had tonsils removed and constantly gets sore throats, colds and infections. So she's 100% on board with this procedure. Since its fairly routine, I'm OK with it, but want him to recover quickly and just hoping he can get back to his normal lifestyle as quick as possible
If he snores like crazy and it wakes him up he doesn't sleep well - he probably doesn't get into REM sleep. Sleep Apnea is awful, and can lead to many other bad things like heart issues, strokes, immune deficiencies, diabetes, weight gain, brain fog, high blood pressure, and even death - basically sleep is vital. Is your son overweight? Most people with sleep apnea are, but not all. Some have physical issues that cause the airway to close, unrelated to weight, and can possibly be fixed with a surgery. Fortunately if your son is snoring it probably is not Central sleep apnea, but rather obstructive (possibly made worse by tonsils actually). Central is where you simply stop breathing and die. Sometimes your brain just doesn't make you breathe.
Ask his doctor about a sleep study. Fix that problem early for his sake. Do it as soon as you can get it approved. I never knew I was having sleep issues but when they did my first sleep study the test said I "woke up" 30+ times per hour, and at one point they almost stopped the test because I stopped breathing for over a minute (that was the central apnea). The people monitoring the test were coming into my room to get me to breathe when I just started again, and I don't remember anything about it. They told me they were getting scared though. I had multiple times where I stopped for 15-30 seconds as well.
Note - the tests usually have 2 parts. First is where they put all kinds of probes on you to monitor breathing, bp, pulse, brain waves, etc. but they don't put you on a CPAP. Midway through the night they wake you and put you on a CPAP machine with a facemask. That part is so they can see what settings help you to stop having apneas. Then they give the data and any recommendations to a sleep doctor to determine if you require treatment. You can have a home test, but I absolutely felt more comfortable at the sleep lab knowing they had the proper equipment and knew how to apply it. I could've done it wrong at home and never got properly diagnosed. YMMV.
I have both central and obstructive sleep apnea, and I finally got it under control after many years of suffering through a CPAP. I insisted on an AutoPAP, and then a new doc put me on a BIPAP and I actually have nights where my AHI (an important apnea number) is zero - under 5 is considered treated.
As for tonsils - I had mine taken out at 6yo. because I had Strep Throat so often I actually missed 19 days of school. I also had Scarlet Fever and was hospitalized. I haven't had Strep once since they were taken out. I remember eating popsicles and ice cream, but don't remember how long my recovery was.
Unrelated, but I had my appendix burst on the table in a Turkish OR when my base sent me in an ambulance - so that is gone as well.
Good luck. I don't want you to think I'm judging your son if he is overweight. I want him to get treatment if he has sleep apnea. Trust me - untreated apnea really sucks.
Greatly appreciate your reply. No, he's not overweight. Actually a bit thin for his age. I'd call him fit, plays a lot of sports and very active, which is why I'm hoping his recovery is as quick as possible and looking for any remedies to make that recovery quick, but realize its out of my hands. According to the docs, he doesn't have sleep apnea. Just excess tissue behind the nose causing a congested sound and snore, thus mainly breaths thru his mouth at night. The doc also says that post the surgery, he's likely to experience a growth/girth spurt which I'm kinda hoping does happen. And like you, when I had my tonsils removed in early teens i NEVER got sore throats or strep after so hoping thats his case too. Thx again for your thoughtful reply.
Good to hear. I hope I didn't scare you - if so I'm sorry. People tend to not think about sleep issues until actual damage has been done. Glad to hear the docs say he doesn't have sleep apnea.
Good response dec. Although my only experience with kids is recovery room right after surgery, they do amazingly well even in that short time after surgery. I agree that if a kiddo is snoring and a sleep study confirms they aren’t getting good rem, they probably should have a T&A if a reputable pediatric ENT has confirmed. Everyone needs good sleep. Especially our littles so they can grow properly both physically and mentally. I would also add that when the pediatric anesthesiologist chats with you prior to surgery, you ask about suctioning their stomach of any blood that may have dripped down from surgery, and that the post op RNs are aware of any signs of a post op bleed. Blood in the gastric system doesn’t sit well, and will be vomited back up fully, and forcefully.
Thank you very much for sharing. I like your suggestion about asking about stomach suctioning. Is that a common thing during such a procedure? I know when I had my tonsils out as a teenager I did cough up blood that evening (no vomit).
As for follow up care in the next couple of days when you take him home, he shouldn’t have any sharp food products like chips or popcorn that could irritate the throat or cause abrasions or rupture sutures. Frozen ice pops will be your friend, as long as they aren’t colored with red or purple food dye. It isn’t uncommon to have nausea after this procedure, so you don’t want food dyes that could be misidentified as blood.
Also, no dairy products. Don’t promise ice cream! The suction that your mouth creates to swallow dairy is too forceful on fresh sutures in the throat. Chicken noodle soup = perfect!
Ginger ale and clear fizzy liquids in small amounts help clean the pallet and help wash down any remaining food debris.
I pray he recovers quickly and is back to his normal active self without any complications :-)
Thank you so much for the info. Yea, we loaded up on ice cream, yogurt and pudding, but since all those are dairy, sounds like we should probably avoid them. Also have apple sauce, popsicles and fruit juices. I thank you again for your comments. Most appreciated.