SHAVING tonsils and adenoids?! Is REMOVAL medieval??

octopus

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 7:45 am

ectomorph wrote:

I had strep throughout my early childhood until the doctor finally recommended a tonsillectomy.
When they took out my tonsils and adenoids, the adenoids were fine, but the tonsils were much larger than expected AND completely infected with strep, so it kept on reinfecting my throat every time it was treated. If they hadn't removed the whole tonsil it wouldn't have done anything.

it depends on the reason for removal. if the tonsils are so infected, they will do complete removal of the tonsils. but other than that, I thought today they shave for quicker recovery time.personally, I would be happy if the dr recommended shaving because it means he is on the up and up latest techniques.

miami85

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 8:23 am

amother wrote:

My dd has enlarged tonsils and adenoids. Went to see an ENT and he only recommends shaving both of them claiming that complete removal of both the tonsils and adenoids dates back to 1990's.

Also the reason he goes with shaving is that complete removal has risk of severe bleeding vs shaving which is less painful, and results are otherwise the same except for the fact that shaving has a 1% risk of regrowth. he claims he rather take 1% risk than the bleeding and pain.

I've never heard of that. Everyone I know had them removed.

Anyone here did shaving?

Would love to hear! Thanks

My son had them shaved a year ago with a reputable ENT. He said biggest risk of shaving is them growing back but that in all of his patients it happened in maybe the first 30 he did. Shaving seems to be the en vogue option because effective safer and quicker recovery. Also gives benefit that tonsils provide.

amother

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 8:25 am

My husband is an ENT. Another term for shaving the tonsils is "coblation". He uses a tool called a coblator which is gentler and less invasive that cutting out the tonsils.

http://www.arthrocareent.com/t.....moval

Either way the insurance pays the same rate so those of you who accused the doctor of trying to make money, you are wrong. He takes out tonsils when there are numerous infections in one year, like Frantic Frummie said. Or for sleep apnea.

And taking out tonsils pays at most under $300 so doctors don't do this surgery for the fun of it. And yes, bleeding does happen occasionally.

Fox

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 8:36 am

I'm assuming that the ENT is recommending the microdebrider method. I personally don't know anyone who has used this method.

But part of my ignorance stems from the fact that everyone in the frum community in Chicago who needs tonsil surgery goes to Dr. Michael Friedman, who developed the Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation (Coblation) technique.

I would strongly recommend finding an ENT who uses this technique, since it offers most of the advantages of the microdebrider without the drawback of possible re-growth.

ENTNet -- Fact Sheet on Tonsillectomy Procedures

amother

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 9:40 am

Fox wrote:

To the amother above whos' husband is a ENT. Would you mind asking your husband if he ever heard of this method?? Wondering whether or not it's conventional or alternative?? Thanks

marshmellow

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 11:48 am

They used to remove the tonsils quite regularly if someone had repeated bouts of tonsillitis that was serious.

Nowadays, they try to put it off for as long as possible because there is evidence that the tonsils improve the immune system, however I do know quite a few girls who have had their tonsils removed. Some people get tonsillitis again and again and it can be quite unpleasant and debilitating. If antibiotics don't work or it just keeps coming back then they will remove the tonsils as a last resort, because it's better that than to be ill all the time. Also, you can't be on antibiotics all the time it's not good.

Barbara

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 11:57 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

When DD was 5, she had her tonsils and adenoids completely removed. She'd had 5 strep infections in one year, and had missed tons of school. The doctor (one of the best on the West Coast) said that it was the only way to be sure that she'd be 100% OK. She's never had a single case of strep since then.

The day after her surgery, she wanted to go ride her bike around the courtyard and play with the other kids. The doctor's orders were for her to rest for a few days, but I had to nearly sit on her to make her stay in the house!

The only thing that sounded good to eat was corn chips. shock

I thought that she should only have yogurt and popsicles, so I called the doctor. He said that that was an old fashioned idea, and that she could eat whatever she wanted. The salt from the chips helped it heal faster, and the sharp edges didn't hurt her at all. After the first night, she never even needed the codeine/tylenol they sent home.

I had my tonsils and adenoids removed by major surgery when I was 5, and the only thing I remember was getting to eat all the lime sorbet I wanted, and getting a balloon to play with. Hardly traumatizing!

While I'm certainly not questioning your doctor's diagnosis and recommendations for your child, I do want to point out that repeated cases of strep do resolve themselves without surgery in many cases.

DS was the Strep King in kindergarten -- he had it 9 times. (The Strep Queen beat him; she had it 12 times.) The doctor did not recommend, and we did not consider, removing his tonsils. He's only had strep 2 or 3 times in the next 10 years. I'm pretty sure Strep Queen didn't have her tonsils removed, either.

AmericanIsraeli

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 1:18 pm

So here I am giving the Israeli point of view...
my daughter had her adenoids completely removed and partial tonsillectomy (shaving) when she was only a year and a half!
Adenoids were completely removed since they were huge (and stopped her breathing from her nose) and there was no risk of bleeding cuz no main artery there.
and we did a partial tonsillectomy because of sleep apnea and not strep. partial only since there are ALOT of bleeding stories and I know of someone that their 2 yr died from late diagnosed bleeding.
there is still a risk of touching the main artery even when shaving, thats why we stayed at hospital overnight then.
I have an amazing ENT (private or kupah) who works in Shaarei Tzedek if anyone wants recommendations.

amother

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 2:33 pm

My son had his adenoids removed in August. The tonsils were a game-day decision. Ultimately the doctor decided to leave them alone, but told me that if he felt they needed to be dealt with, he would shave rather than remove. Shaving tonsils is more common than complete removal these days, though never heard of that for adenoids. I was very happy with my doctor, Rickert at NYU.

amother

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 2:40 pm

I'm the 5:33 amother. Apparently tonsils really are painful. That's why my doctor did not want to remove them unless absolutely necessary (and he said mere enlargement is not enough to justify it). When he saw them up close during the surgery, he decided they were fine to leave alone. The adenoids, however, were even worse than we thought, so it was good they came out. It was not terribly painful- ds only needed Tylenol for a day.

miami85

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 6:39 pm

amother wrote:

I believe our ENT said that Adenoids were always shaved (though called removed) They then realized the same procedure could be used for Tonsils just as effectively

FranticFrummie

Thu, Dec 19 2013, 6:51 pm

DD must be a freak of nature then, because she bounced back the next day, and wanted to go out and play. After the first night, she didn't want any pain medicine, either.

When I had my tonsils out, I probably had a sore throat, but I don't remember being in any pain. Maybe my mom had me drugged up! Wink

I'm really surprised that children are getting tonsils out so young. Before now, I'd never heard of anyone below 4 getting the procedure done, and even 4 was extremely rare. Most doctors I know want to wait until the child is at least 5 or 6.

I can imagine having a toddler go through surgery would be a lot harder for recovery, because they can't reason why they don't feel good, and they're not as good at self soothing. I could distract DD with books or a puzzle, but you can't really do that with a screaming 3 year old. A couple years can make a HUGE difference in recovery, just from the psychological point of view.

greenfire

Mon, Dec 23 2013, 3:45 pm

Barbara wrote:

FranticFrummie wrote:

sonny boy had his tonsils out for the very same reason ... for about a year his body would break down with strep & 104° - 105° within a day of getting off medicine [watching a lethargic kid is pretty scary] ... he was kept on prophylactic drugs until his tonsils came out

strep went bye-bye Wave

gazingblue

Sun, Dec 29 2013, 9:14 pm

Can any of the posters that highly recommend their pediatric ent please give me some referrals? I've been doing some research for dd recently. Went to Dr. Jacqueline Jones (please let me know if you've used her and if so the results). Her recommendation was to remove adenoids, shave tonsils and put in tubes. I would like to get a second opinion and have been researching doctors. Any info would be greatly appreciated. TIA