I need coping tips for after tonsillectomy

chaylizi

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 3:15 pm

My 6 year old dd is getting her tonsils out as soon as I can get a surgical date. Everyone tells me how hard it is, especially with younger children. So I'm looking for practical advice from all those BTDT mommies. TIA.

shoy18

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 3:33 pm

My 5 year old had them out, and he was totally fine. After he awoke from the anesthesia he was bit out of it and upset but after that he was fine. At dinner time he wanted to have chicken and he ate it just fine. I stayed away from sharp food or anything to crunchy for obvious reasons but he had almost no discomfort.

chaylizi

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 3:46 pm

onlyme wrote:

You may be told the age-old "Give the child ice cream", but please DON'T! It burns! Warm is a lot more soothing (soup is a good idea).
Other than that, sorry, no advice.

good to know!

ABC

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 3:48 pm

some doctors davka advise to give crunchy foods as it clears all the gook away better.

just be guided by what your child asks for. mine enjoyed being able to choose whatever he liked to eat for a couple of days, and didn't find crunchy foods a problem at all. the worst part was when he first woke up from the anaesthetic. recovery BH was fine.

skcomputer

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 4:28 pm

It was about 12 years ago for my daughter, and I don't remember any specific good or bad foods. However, the one thing I do remember is that she threw up coming out of anesthesia and the recovery room nurses said that was good to clear out the blood. After one and a half times they gave her an anti-nausea drug and she felt better. I think she was surprised by the nausea and that made her upset. The anti-nausea drug worked right away. I think they had juice and ices to serve in the recovery area.

Another hard thing to cope with was the overnight stay in the hospital. I stayed with her, but didn't get any sleep. They came in every hour or two to check on her. It was disorienting. Some hospital have prep classes for kids about surgery and overnights. We did that.

Once we were home, she was in bed for a few days and not much appetite. I don't recall a lot of pain, just discomfort.

gryp

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 4:37 pm

I don't know why they don't warn parents about what happens when a child comes out from the anesthesia. Be aware that children are very confused and cry and cry as if they're miserable. It's a normal reaction and trying to comfort them doesn't help much.

Thank G-d another parent warned me of this because no one else did and I would have wondered what on earth is wrong with my child otherwise.

Ashrei

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 4:49 pm

My husband just had his tonsils out. He really wishes he had them out when he was 5 or 6! It's much harder when you're an adult.

Anyway, his internet research said "no dairy at all." Ice cream included, of course.

Are the other children who had the operation on pain killers? Is that why they were able to eat anything right away? My husband was in a lot of discomfort for a while, but recovery is much harder when you're an adult.

And as an adult, after anesthesia, my husband described that he felt dizzy and a little disoriented. I guess that's what the children are going through, but are unable to articulate. He looked awful.

refuah shleima Smile

chaylizi

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 5:23 pm

skcomputer wrote:

Another hard thing to cope with was the overnight stay in the hospital. I stayed with her, but didn't get any sleep. They came in every hour or two to check on her. It was disorienting. Some hospital have prep classes for kids about surgery and overnights. We did that.

Now it's a same day surgery. Some mothers wish there would be nurses available for the first night, but they generally get discharged from recovery.

NativeMom

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 7:53 pm

I was going to suggest Popsicles, activities to distract them and keep her busy

My brother had his tonsils out when he was 3 and had to stay overnight because he had sleep apnea (which is why he had the tonsillectomy) they had a Nintendo and other games for him to play with and and endless supply of popsicles which can help keep them somewhat hydrated. Staying hydrated is important because dehydration can increase throat pain. Avoid anything acidic. Also maybe put a humidifier in her room to keep the air moist.

wwmom

Mon, Nov 09 2009, 9:51 pm

I still remember getting my tonsils out when I was about 10. I was in a lot of pain/discomfort/exaustion for the first whole week, and was out of school for 2 weeks, until I felt back to myself. I remember that the ices helped a lot, but the ice cream just casued phlegm. And I used a an entire box of tissues the first night I was home, caughing up phlegm, I hope I'm not getting your nervous, I just want you to be prepared, and that for some pple. recovery is not just a day or two. Hatzlocha!

RachelEve14

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 3:15 am

DD just had them out. She only wanted ice cream and I was told to avoid hot things for a while. Soft chicken was the first "real" food she ate after. It was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I had them out at 12 and I did just fine. Dd was back to herself in about a week. She went back to gan after 5 days or so.

amother

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 4:15 am

I had my adenoids removed at 12, so it's somewhat similar since they work through the throat to get there... anyway I basically suffered from a sore throat, and I was weak for a few days. I remember getting tons of guests which was a bit overwhelming, and yes they all brought me ice cream. I was happy since ice cream is my favorite food, but I don't think it soothed...
anyway good luck!

ABC

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 4:47 am

chaylizi wrote:

skcomputer wrote:

Now it's a same day surgery. Some mothers wish there would be nurses available for the first night, but they generally get discharged from recovery.

it's incredibly dangerous to be released home the same day. for the first couple of days there is a risk of bleeding which is very dangerous, and then the same high risk again at something like 10 days post op. don't know why the gap in between, but that's what our highly respected surgeon said.
I was told to watch very closely for any signs of bleeding afterwards and at the slightest thing to rush my child to the emergency room.

Tulip

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 2:02 pm

I had them removed when I was 17. Everyone is different and you'll see how your child feels.

1) Pain killers especially before eating.

2) Warm soft food. (soup-not spicy. Farina is very good.)

3) Encourage him to swallow even if it hurts a bit. It will speed up recovery. Some kids drool because they are afraid to swallow and then their throat gets dry and irritated.

good luck and Refuah Sheleima.

Koshermomma

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 5:43 pm

All three of mine had their tonsils out - the most important thing is to keep their throats wet. After a few days, it is easy for them to swallow, except for first thing in the morning, but the first couple of days it HURTS!!! I went to the dollar store before the surgery, and bought about 25 different things - it's easy when they are that young - and they had to take 10 sips of juice or ginger ale every hour, and then they got a present!! Worked very well........

chaylizi

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 7:25 pm

ABC wrote:

chaylizi wrote:

skcomputer wrote:

Now it's a same day surgery. Some mothers wish there would be nurses available for the first night, but they generally get discharged from recovery.

be that as it may, insurance has forced this to be an outpatient procedure (along with many other procedures that should be inpatient. appendectomy for one) the only exceptions are under 3, not drinking/urinating, or surgery late in the day (and even then, they don't admit them. they keep them in post op holding)

gold21

Tue, Nov 10 2009, 7:34 pm

good luck, chaylizi. im pretty nervous as we may need to operate on ds2 for adenoids. ive spoken to friends and done some research, and it seems like the general concencus is that a child waking from anesthesia is gonna be very upset and disoriented. you should be prepared for this, dont be surprised by abnormal behavior.