Toddlers: 24 Months+
Adenoid/tonsil removal
Hi ladies,
I don't normally post on this board but I was hoping to hear some opinions on this. DD turned 3 in November and has always snored since she was an infant, she also always sounds congested especially when she's eating or drinking. We brought her to an ENT for a few separate visits and he recommended adenoid removal and tubes because of fluid build up. We went for a 2nd opinion and that ENT also recommended tonsils because the tonsils and adenoids go hand in hand. I know the adenoid and tube surgery is fairly easy, but I hear the tonsils is a very rough recovery. Looking for any experiences/opinions. Thank you!
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Re: Adenoid/tonsil removal
My son is 20 months old...he will having his adenoids and tonsils removed due to obstructive sleep apnea. He has never slept through the night and I knew as a mom something was wrong so I pushed for a sleep study. It came back positive for obstructive sleep apnea. We have seen 3 different ENT's. 2 out of the 3 suggest removing both adenoids and tonsils. What you might want to research is "intracapsular tonsillectomy" which is where they remove about 90-95% of the tonsils but leave a little so the recovery time is much less for the little ones. If your child is not having recurrent strep infections this might be a good way to go. Good luck in your decision!
While we haven't gone through it yet, we have scheduled the tonsil and adenoid surgery, which will happen in three weeks. We've talked with a lot of parents who have had the experience. It seems as though it depends on the child and is very mixed. However, for the most part, I am only hearing positive comments that they are glad they did it and would do it again. One even said after the tonsil and adenoid removal, their child was running around within two days.
We decided to do both the tonsils and adenoids. The reason is exactly what the second ENT said - that they do go hand in hand and are connected. Also, the older the child gets, the more difficult the surgery is for them. Why wait a few years to see if the issues will go away, is what we thought? Just do it now when DD can recoup faster and not have to worry about doing one now and one later.
I had my adenoids removed when I was in high school and could finally breathe through my nose. However, my parents decided not to do the tonsils and I do still have issues with my breathing, throat when I get sick, etc....I sometimes wonder if it would be better if my tonsils were gone too. That being said, it's not been horrible enough for me to do anything about either.
Good luck with your decision!