Did you ever regret removing your child’s tonsils & or adeno

FranticFrummie

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 8:32 am

DD had non stop, drug resistant strep for over a year before we got her tonsils out. All of her PANDAS type behaviors disappeared within 36 hours. Her recovery was so fast it was unbelievable.

After the first night she refused all pain medication. In the morning she was craving corn chips! I called the doctor and asked him if I should keep her on ices and yogurt, and he said that was an old-fashioned concept. If she chews carefully she can eat anything she likes.

B'H, now that DD's tonsils are gone, she has a cast iron immune system, and nothing seems to touch her (bli ayin hara).

I think that doctors are much better at taking them out now, than they were when I was a kid. I remember being 6, and being in pain, barely able to swallow soft foods for a few days.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 9:21 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks everyone for sharing!

So did anyone see an increase in other upper respiratory infections or allergies as article linked in page 1?

The article is based on data taken from more than a million children. And it was looked at when they were already well into adulthood. Just saying. Does the doctor who said he hasn’t seen it have better data to refute that article? Because I’ve seen a few other ones that corroborate it.
ETA one obvious limitation of the study is that even though they say they tried their best to control for confounding factors, all these kids that had their tonsils and adenoids removed were probably already having more respiratory issues than the control population to begin with, so it would make sense that that would follow them into adulthood, and it’s not the removal that actually caused this increase.
The other thing is that enlarged tonsils and adenoids are obviously not a good thing, and the alternative to removing them shouldn’t be doing nothing. But I think exploring other options is warranted, given these findings.

amother

Antiquewhite

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 9:24 am

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

Seen a few other what? A few other articles?

amother

Diamond

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 9:31 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Thanks everyone for sharing!

So did anyone see an increase in other upper respiratory infections or allergies as article linked in page 1?

I haven’t read the article, but my son suffered less from his seasonal allergies once his tonsils and adenoids were removed.

amother

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 9:47 am

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

I don’t think she has “data” to prove it- it was more like the kids she’s seen that needed their tonsils removed for various reasons did not have greater risk or more frequent uri.
So yes, anecdotal to institution and children she has seen.
We can get more anecdotal “data” from moms here Smile

amother

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 9:20 pm

jofred wrote:

no. do not regret. did for two kids. rough recovery for both of them, but good in the long run it seems

Tell me about the recovery please. Dr. Makes it sound like so easy- Tylenol, Motrin & shuin...

amother

Whitewash

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 10:02 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Tell me about the recovery please. Dr. Makes it sound like so easy- Tylenol, Motrin & shuin...

My DD had them out at age 4. It was very hard for about one week, especially the first 3 days. To see your child in a lot of pain. Popsicles, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, jello, etc but child will likely not eat much. Keep them on Tylenol and Motrin around the clock
We had an ice pack in a big sock (so it wasn't too cold) that really helped her, she would hold it on her neck. Probably largely psychological but it really helped.

We got lots of new games and toys to keep her busy while she was out of playgroup for the week. That really helped keep her mind off things. I would play with her in my bed and then we took naps together.

Then, for the next 1 to 2 years or so, her throat would hurt more than usual if she screamed and cried hysterically (like with a full blown tantrum). The ice pack thing worked for that too. She learned not to scream that way or suffer the consequences. (I guess everyone's throat hurts when they scream at the top of their lungs, so I'm not sure if this was more than typical)

amother

Mustard

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 11:07 pm

I had this done for 3 kids. (my husband and I both have huge tonsils, so yeah...)
first 2 were just under 3 years old. Their recovery lasted a week, and wasn't horrendous. Last time I did it was for a 5.5 year old. that was done just 2.5 weeks ago. recovery was much harder. Doctor recommended waking him for pain medication so it never wears off-even at night. We did that for the first 3 days, and it was manageable and he was able to stay hydrated on sorbet. Once we let it run out once, he regressed. Ended up getting dehydrated at 1 week post op, which caused him to start bleeding. Was told he'll need to go back to OR to stop it, but BH it stopped on it's own.
After that I put him back on the narcotics for 3 days, to make sure he able to drink enough.
He was back in school 11 days after surgery and is almost fully recovered by now BH.

with my first 2, I saw a major improvement in many areas. Sleep apnea, strep, ear infections, respiratory illnesses, all cut down really alot.

amother

Jean

Wed, Jul 14 2021, 11:17 pm

I had my sons tonsils and adenoids removed when he was about 2. He was severely underweight and had hearing issues. I couldn’t get him to take Tylenol-codeine after the surgery and he seemed fine and not in much pain at all. Within. Few months he doubled his weight (!!) and was such an energetic toddler that when he was too wild we teased that we should put his tonsils back!! Don’t regret it for a second.

amother

Snow

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 1:56 am

3 of my kids had tubes, 2 adenoidectomys, 1 tonsillectomy. (For the first child, we got a second opinion when told surgery was needed - preferred the second doctor so continued with him)

Do not regret it. My kids do not get upper respiratory infections....in fact I can't remember the last time any of them missed school due to illness.

They are doing really well in school (they can hear!) BH

The surgery was day case (UK) with no issues or trauma during recovery. BH

Chana Miriam S

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 7:14 am

amother [ Magenta ] wrote:

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaotolaryngology/fullarticle/2683621

This is what’s making me exhaust all other options first

This study is not something that is enough to make a decision on. It’s full of estimates and modelling rather than actual data. Also it’s ONE study. N may equal Over a million but in.terms of real knowledge, it’s still just one study. It’s the first to do it this way and there are no comparable results. To have this mean anything, more studies would have to be done in this way, and even then, they’d be suspect because of all the modelling..

I believe that reading a headline or abstract is not enough to assess quality of a study and panicking because one study says something is not really a valid way to assess. Do you actually understand the statistics? Do you understand all the language? Is it reproducible? You feel me? Read and understand twenty papers on the topic and see if there’s anything to be alarmed about.

Kiwi13

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 7:27 am

If the child’s doctor says it’s necessary, why would you regret it? My SN son had an ENT eval (for something else), and one of the things we were told was not to have his adenoids removed because they are structurally supporting his soft palate. That’s obviously an uncommon situation, but the fact is, the path forward on any medical thing depends on the doctors’ recommendations for each child.

amother

Thu, Jul 15 2021, 9:04 am

Kiwi13 wrote:

It’s a bit of a soft area in our situation. Ultimately it will depend on a sleep study and laryngoscopy.