Removal of Tonsils

Hi N.
usually around age 4 is when they will remove the tonsils- an exception would be if it was life threatening. I would not have my child's removed before age 4. but, Dr. knows what is best for children.
good luck and blessings

well I had mine removed at age 11 and it took me over a month to recover but my niece had hers removed at age 2 1/2 had she bounced right back she wanted to run around that same day we practically had to hold her down just so she could rest....so in my opinion i would say the younger then better! good Luck!

Wow...you have had some strongly given advice on the matter...and not one of the "my kids had it done at this age" really answers your actual question.

So....having said that...

I am under the impression that you would not be writing this request unless a doctor is telling you that your son will need to have his tonsils and/or adnoids removed.

So, going with that. I get the impression you are worried about a surgery like this on a child as young as your son, especially considering the whole general anesthesia thing, recovery time, etc.

I was nine and had to have my tonsils and adnoids out because I kept getting infections that caused the tonsils to swell and had some sleep apnea due to overlarge adnoids that would "fall" and block my air passages until I "shook myself awake" in order to breathe. Which meant very little real sleep for me.

Now...back when I had them done it required an over night stay in the hospital and back then parents were not allowed to stay overnight with the kid. It was very scary and traumatizing experience...however....recovery time was fine.

When my oldest child (the only one of 3 to need the surgery so far) was 3 years old she scared me one night when I awake to find her not breathing...turns out she had the same adnoidal problem that I had...

I thoroughly questioned the doctor about the procedure as I did not want my daughter's experience to be the same.

The procedure is done either as an outpatient through a hospital or through a special ENT clinic. My daughter went through a clinic. She was given general anesthesia to be asleep for it.

When she came to and the procedure was complete (no complications) she was groggy and disoriented by they told me to go ahead and take her home.

I was given a list of what to expect (but remembered most of it from my experiences) for the next day or so. She would be very tired most of the day from the anesthesia, and may or may not throw up blood (she did...most will, it is impossible to prevent all of it in this surgery from slipping down the troat into the stomach). And her throat was sore and froggy.

We made sure she got lots of easy liquid type food the first day and soft food the next two or three days to allow healing time. After that she ate normal...

The only difficult thing aside from the sad sad looks we got from her being in some discomfort and not really understanding why, was that it was difficult to get her to stop talking "through her nose" which is a common occurrence because it alleviates some of the pain...

having said all that... I had it at nine at a time when it was similar to major surgery in that I had to be in the hospital for a day or two and such. However; I think the older they are the more scary it is due to understanding what is going on more fully. My daughter having it at 3 yo was a blessing in disguise...she was too young to remember much about it other than talking weird for a few days. and young enough to recover quickly from it...

The older someone is, the harder it is to bounce back quickly...so if your son is looking at long term issues due to problematic tonsils, I highly suggest having it done in the next year or two rather than waiting...

However, if he is not suffering from a problem at this time or they feel that he could grow out of it, I would absolutely wait and see what happens...You don't want to put him through an unnecessary surgery for something that could be a very temporary issue...

Good Luck in making your choice. And don't let ANYONE on here or in your family/friends circle judge you for what you feel is the best decision for your son... ;-)

My son had his tonsils, adnoids and tubes placed in his ears at the age of 3. I am glad I got it done at that age because the problems were fixed and it did end up interefering with scholl attendance as he got older. My best friends son had his removed at the age of 2 and healed really well and has not had any more probelms. Really I guess it depends on the severity of his sickness. But I hope this helps. Please let me know if there is anything else that I can do for you. Good Luck and God bless...

Tonsils are good (they actually help fight infection) and you shouldn't anticipate having them removed until they cause issues. With that said, IF you can find a doc to take them out (it's not the norm anymore) it'll probably be after 5 or 6.

My daughter was 2 and she had her tonsils and adnoids out at the same time. I think this is the best time to have them removed due to them being so young, and esp if he has been having strep and sore throats alot. Let me tell you it has worked wonders and I think it was one of the best things that I could have done for her. Good luck!

My daughter used to snore and have throat issues. At age 3 or 4 we went to the ENT and he told us that many kids that have enlarged tonsils and adnoids actually grow into them.(Hers were a size 3 on the chart that measures them from a 1 to 4.) He started her on a daily disolvable Claritin which actually helped reduce the swelling of them and within 2 years the snoring and throat issues were gone with no need for surgery. Just wanted to let you know about that option if the thought of surgery is too scary for you. It most definitely was for me!!

The way you've worded your request, it seems that you have not consulted a doctor. This is not elective surgery. You do it when the doctor says it needs to be done, and you'll know when the child has had several bouts with his throat. Stop worrying about something that may never happen. I have 4 children and only 1 had to have tonsils removed. My husband was past 30 when his had to come out and I'm past 70 and still have mine. I have 8 grown grandchildren and none of them have ever had to have theirs removed...so stop worrying. When and if the time comes follow your doctor's instructions. After all, that's what you're paying him for.

everything I've heard says that the younger the easier on the child.

Go with what the doctor advises. My son was 3, and sailed through the surgery.

Hi N.-

I don't know what the best age is, but my son had his removed when he was 6 and I wish we had done it sooner. I don't know what signs you are seeing that your son may need it done, but our son had strep throat several times a year prior to the surgery and snored like crazy! We also had some behavior problems which we attributed to his Asperger's however prior to the surgery our ENT told us that it may be due to lack of sleep from the snoring and possible apnea so we may see some improvement afterwards. After he had completely healed from the surgery we did notice a marked improvement in his behavior. He has only had strep once since the surgery and his snoring has completely stopped.

Good luck,
K.

i would wait till he was a bit older so he could tell you exactly what was going on. at 2 they can tell you alot but some of your questions might go miss understood. then again i would not wait too long so it will be something in the past for him. nothing tramatic. about 4.

My son had a T and A at almost 2 1/2 years. He was having frequent strep infections and once he had the tonsils removed they stopped. We had to stay in the hospital overnight because he was under 3 and were concerned about bleeding and recovery from the anesthesia. He did fine but was pleading with us to take him home. Our doctor had said to keep him from crying after the surgery because the stress of the crying could cause the scar tissue to open up and bleed. Bleeding post surgery is a big concern especially in little ones. I'm glad we had the surgery done but I wish we had been able to do it as an outpatient.

Good Luck,
H.

Is your doctor recommending tonsil removal? I would consult with your doctor. Unless there is some medical reason that indicates a need for removal, I wouldn't do it. This is surgery requiring general anesthesia, which has its risks. I am 35 and still have my tonsils. It is not standard procedure to remove them these days. My daughter had bad ear infections and has had two sets of tubes and her adenoids removed, but she still has her tonsils. So unless your doctor is suggesting this there is no need to do it at all. And if your doctor does recommend this procedure, then you need to consult with him/her about the best time to have it done.

Most ENTs will not do it before the child is 3. They like to wait to see if all the stuff clears up by itself. My oldest was 1 more tonsilitis bout from removal. That bout never happend. That was when he was 2.5 and now he is almost 12.

They will put in tubes and remove adenoids.

An ENT will tell you when/ if they need to be removed. Insurance companies have very strict guidelines on when they will pay for surgery. Try to do something other than the guidelines and you'll find yourself with a horrendous medical bill.
For one of my boys, we could not have tubes put in until AFTER the 4th middle ear infection that responded to antibiotics in an 18 month period of time.

If you are not at an ENT's office yet for recurrent or chronic infections, you are fortunate and should enjoy that blessing.

The younger the better, the older they get it is more painful and not as safe. My daughter had hers done at 14 and it was terrible, yet it was the best thing I have ever done she is never sick anymore, she would have ear and tonsil in fections every other month no kidding. I wish I would had done it alot younger. i had mine done when I was 4 and funny part about it i dont even remember it. My brother in law had his done when he was in his late 30's and we thought he was going to die. The younger the better. Do it. Do it. It will be the best thing you ever did for your kid when it come down to him being sick, hell my doctor suggested it and i didnt hesitate to do it, my daughter was in at 6:00am and out by 12:00, they kept her a little longer then usual but she was fine.

Please contact me first.

My daughter never had many ear infections or throat/sinus infections. She had her tonsils removed when she was 5. Her problem was that she snored with bouts of apnea (not breathing). We had to go thru a sleep study which showed that once an hour she had an apnea episode. We had her tonsils and adnoids removed. She breathes fine now and no more snoring. Just a note: snoring does not mean your child has apnea. Watch them to see if they stop breathing periodically while sleeping; a lot of times they also do the gasping for air thing that is very noticeable.

Hi N.~

We had our sons tonsils out at 31/2. It was the best thing we ever did! He never had throat problems again. At age 9 he got step once. He is now 11. He always had drainage due to allergies. They also took the adnoids. We had the proceedure done in an outpt. surgery hospital. He went in at 6:30 am and was home by 9:30 am. I would suggest a children's hopital and then have him stay one night just in case. Everything went well for us but you may feel better with a hospital stay.

Hi N.,

My oldest son had a T&A when he was 2. He made it through everything so wonderfully. We are so happy that we had it done when we did. My son had obstructive sleep apnea. After the surgery, he slept great and was a happier child. God bless your son as you go through this. If you have any questions about the tonsilectomy, let me know and I'll tell you about our experience.