Toddler Having Adenoids Removed

I would highly suggest trying chiropractic care. This is a very noninvasive form of care. Chiropractic deals with our central nervous system. Every message your brain sends out goes through the CNS. These nerves run down through the spine. When a bone in out of place, even by a fraction of a centimeter, it can cause interference with the nerves. Therefore the messages can not get through adequately. Many things can cause the bones to not be aligned properly, including birth and falls. This can cause numerous problems, one being ear infections. Before you give your child anymore drugs and definately before you allow them to remove a God given part of the body made to fight off infection, I would spend the time to find a chiropractor and have your child seen. If you are in the Raleigh area, I would highly recommend Donna Hedgepeth. She specializes in children and preganant women. Her phone number is ###-###-####. If you are not in that area, you could still call her and she may be able to help you find a well qualified chiropractor in your area. This is a decision you would never regret. Also if you have any other questions, I would be happy to help you. My husband is a chiroprator, but is not practicing at this time (He has been called into full time ministry and is attending divinity school). You can reach me by email ____@____.com or call me ###-###-####.

First DON"T DO IT!!! Before you even come close to making this decision, you need to research the adverse effects of this "routine" procedure.

Secondly, take your child to a chiropractor... a wellness chiro, not a pain/injury chiro, but one that specializes in health and wellness.

My kids haven't even had a simple cold since they've been on a consistant chiro schedule... I know this sounds crazy, but think about (or research) where your top vertebrae are located in conjunction with your eustation tubes...amazingly if your top vertebrae are putting presure on these tubes, you can imagine the problems it would cause especially in a child when their little tubes are so small. Also, think about how many falls kids have, how rough they play and how their upper necks may need a little attention after birth... it makes sense if you think about it...kids are the ones that need the chiro care the most! Then they grow up with an aligned back and don't have the back problems in the future.

I would suggest treating him with chiropractic, if you can find a good chiropractor in your area that is accustomed to treating children. My sister had bad ear infections as a teenager after she was thrown from a horse, and chiropractic cleared that up. Also, a child I babysat as an infant sounds exactly like your son -- he averaged about one ear infection every month for nearly his first year; his mom had him scheduled for tubes because that was what the pediatrician & ENT said would have to happen, but then I talked to her about chiropractic. She was skeptical, but decided to try this non-surgical route first. He had an ear infection when she started, and that was the last ear infection he ever got (he's 14 now). At first, she had to take him a couple of times a week, then once a month, and finally just on an "as needed" basis (like when he fell down stairs or otherwise hit his head or jolted his neck).

Hi B.,

Adenoid removal may help temporarily but will cause him difficulty in his adolescence and adulthood. EVERY body part is in the body for a reason. The doctors will even tell you that now. Adenoids and tonsils are to keep infection out of the body and to protect the vital organs like the heart....

My oldest daughter had terrible ear infections and urinary tract infections until we built her immune system. They all went away almost immediately after we took some simple steps around our home. I put her on an absorbable multivitamin. I took her to a chiropractor that understood the immune system. And we also detoxed our home. I can explain further if you like. Antibiotics break down the immune system and toxify the body. They were never meant to be used multiple times...they were created to save lives from life treatening illnesses.

Garlic is a natural antibiotic that is simply food. Melaleuca oil will heal an infection as well. I can tell you how to use both of these. There has not been an illness in our house for over 5 years and I have even had success with my 90 year old Dad's recent pneumonia without antibiotics. He is fine now.

I'm not a doctor; I'm a Mom who was abused by doctors as a child myself. I love feeling good and I wish my tonsils were still in my head!

God bless!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

My daughter had a set of tubes put in at 18 months of age. I became very disillusioned when she continued to have constant ear infections. One tube fell out pretty fast and then the ENT looked at her adenoids and said they were large. He wanted to put in a second set of tubes and take out her adenoids. Adenoids are part of the immune system, and I really did not want to remove them. So I happened to pick up a copy of 'Spontaneous Healing' by Dr. Weil and he recommended cutting out dairy and cranial osteopathy for ear infections.

We cut back on the dairy. We lived in Oklahoma at the time and found a doctor that did cranial osteopathy - and it worked! Once that doctor found the right spot to gently manipulate on her head (which, I believe, allowed air to flow more freely into her ears and drainage to occur easier) she never had another ear infection and she is now 15 years old.

It is mostly D.O.s who do cranial osteopathy, but I don't believe there are any around here. Ours was an MD in Oklahoma, but that is very unusual. CranioSacral therapy is very similar and here is a website where you can search for a practitioner http://www.iahp.com/pages/search/index.php

Good luck!

Look up a natural healing all those antibotics not good ! Please search the web for help!

After tubes at 8 months, my son had his adenoids removed at 3 when he got another set of tubes. There was no recovery time afterwards, he was up eating and playing after the anesthesia wore off. The surgery did help, and it enabled him to get off antibiotics which we were on constantly. He was also able to breathe better at night when he slept. The number of ear infections decreased dramatically, too. The adenoids can become enlarged and block the drainage from the sinuses and ears, causing it to back up in the ears. My son is 10 now and we rarely have any trouble with his ears. There is a debate over the tonsils coming out, too, if you are going to take out the adenoids. My son still has his, and rarely gets throat infections. They were never enlarged so we left them alone. His infections now are mainly in the sinuses.

My adenoids were removed when I was ll and I never had any problems. I use to babysit a little boy who had trouble breathing and they took his out at 4. He is doing great too.

Get as many PROFESSIONAL opinions as possible and go with the consensus. 2 of our 4 kids had to have their tonsils removed and they 'routinely' took out their adenoids, also. This 'T&A' helped their overall health immensely, but they'd had chronic sore throats instead of ear infections, so it may not be comparable. Our 3 yr old grandson is being checked out to see if he needs either or both removed. He talks as if his throat is sore all the time -- kind of 'nasal' sounding (or as if his nose is stopped up). As far as I know, there are no adverse affects to having them removed barring any unforseen complications.

Sure hope you can get prompt and effective relief for the little guy!

My son had his adenoids removed about four years ago. He had trouble breathing at night. Many nights, he woke up coughing and choking. Ear infections reoccurred on a regular basis and he had the worst breath because everything would drain into the back of his throat and sit there. After the adenoids were removed, we were amazed at his progress. I can not recall him having an ear infection since then. He breathes so much better and his breath is normal. He still snores a little, but he isn't awake at night coughing and choking. I believe it was the best thing for him. Hope this helps.

I am actually surprised they didn't remove his adnoids when they put the tubes in his ears. My son had tubes put in his ears and his adnoids out when he was 20 mths old we haven't had any problems since then and he is 5. I would recommend having them take his adnoids and tonsils if they are going back in to do it. It will help reduce his risk of frequent infections.

Sorry, to hear you are having this trouble. My son had tubes in twice three years apart. After having his tonsils & adneoids removed we had no more problems. He's 19 now & hasn't have any antibiotics in the last 8 years. For us it worked.

A.

B.,
Having the adenoids removed can be very beneficial but any surgery can be risky, especially on an infant or toddler. Another thing to consider and take note of is whether your son is exposed to people who smoke. There is a connection between ear infections in very young children and smokers. Specifically, children of smokers tend to have an alarmingly higher rate of chronic ear infections. If this is the case with your son, consider removing him from the smoker's environment (or, if the culprit is you or your husband, you might want to look into quitting for your son's sake as children of smokers also tend to have a higher incidence of pneumonia and other respiratory problems as they grow up.) If your child's ENT has not asked you about this and it is a possible issue, you might want to consider asking him or her about it, or perhaps a second opinion or just postponing the adenoid surgery for a while to see if eliminating the cigarette factor improves your son's condition.

HI
My son had his tonsils and adenoids out at 20 months old. He did fine for a while and then the adenoids regrew. He had to have tubes put in and his adenoids taken out again at age 3.5
He didn't have a lot of ear infections until he started pre-school and then they never seemed to stop. He has only had the tubes for a few months now, but so far, so good! I hope this ends my sons endless rounds of antibiotics as well. He certainly seems happier and is sleeping better.

Well, I can only tell you what happened to me. I too had several ear infections as a child. It seemed like I was always on medicine of some sort. I was in 1st grade when I had my first operation to put tubes in. It settled down for a while but picked up again in 3rd grade. I went again for tubes and to have my adenoids out. Was good for awhile until 5th grade when we discovered that the adenoids had grown back. This is very rare. So I again went to surgery to remove them, my tonsils and tubes again. I have had no problems since. I'm 40 now. I watch how much water gets in my ears and now that I'm a mother I watch my daughter for problems. Thankfully she has had no problems yet. Definately talk with you dr about this. But my mother is glad she did it for me. Good luck!!

Fortunately I haven't had to experience this with either of my children, but I did just have my tonsils and adenoids removed a year ago. I have been prone to illness my entire life and since I've had the T&A it has just made a load of difference! If your child is on antibiotics regularly, I would highly suggest it. bc I was in the same situation as a child, I am now immune to most all antibiotics, save biaxin (new) and cipro....which you REALLY don't want your child immune to!

Good luck!

My now 6 year old, has a history similiar to your son's beginning around the same age. My son has seasonal allergies and as his eyes and nose would run, fluid would build up in his ears. He also was a very loud snorer. They removed his adnoids when they placed tubes in his ears and his snoring stopped immediately! I had to look down at him in my arms to make sure he was breathing while in recovery! He subsequently had tubes put in two more times when the old ones would fall out. The last tube placement was two summers ago and he has not had an infection since then. He goes swimming and even when his allergies act up, his ears are fine. I was well pleased with the results. Every time his tubes fell out (which they are supposed to, I learned), I was given the option of putting more in more so because of this allergies. The ear infections became more and more scarce and not as bad as in high fever and pain. Hope this helps!

Hi B.? Are you in the Raleigh area - who is your ENT? We went to Dr. Holmes. My daughter had to have 3 sets of tubes. With the 2nd set he recommended she have her adenoids removed and said that it was pretty routine to have the adenoids out if a child has to get a 2nd set of tubes. She had her first set for about 18 mos and was free of ear infections during that time. After they fell out, she started to get infections again. After the 2nd set of tubes, she was again free of infection, but that set of tubes only lasted about 9 mos. She got the 3rd set and only had those in for about 6-8 weeks before one fell out, but she was able to remain infection free after that. I didn't want my child to be dependent on antibiotics either, and the tubes definitely helped. She's almost 8 now and I can't remember the last time she was sick enough to need an antibiotic, let alone when the last ear infection was. Good luck!

L.

Hi B.,
my name is W.. Sounds just like us when my daughter was 3. This surgery will help, it did for us anyway. What made me so angry about the pediatritian was they just kept on giving my daughter antibotics, they never once suggested seeing a specialist. Too many antibiotics can be dangerous.
And smoking contributes to the infections as well.
Hope i helped.
W.

One of my kids had his adenoids removed when he was 4, and it helped tremendously! It cut WAY down on his snoring, too. Also, he was allergic to dairy and possibly gluten, so when we changed his diet, it helped as well.

My daughter is 7 and is having her adenoids removed next week. We have gotten a second opinion and I did lots of research on adenoid removal. It is a relatively easy procedure with quick recovery. If you trust your doctor and he performs a lot of these procedures on children I would do it. It sounds like he is being cautious by doing adenoids instead of both adenoids and tonsils together. Conservative is good!

When I taught preschool we had a child with constant ear infection, tubes first then the adenoids. After the adenoids his ear infections stopped. He did not get as many colds as the other children either. Good Luck!

My daughter had hers removed last July (she was 3.5 years old). She didn't have any problems or infections; she just had visibly large tonsils and snored. They way they do it now, recovery is very good. The hardest part of recovery was keeping her indoors for 10 days and keeping her calm & relaxed for 4 days. She loved all the Jell-O and ice cream. She did seem to have more "sniffles" this winter but they told me to expect that (nothing major that reguired any medications). I would recommend doing it if it means improving your son's quality of life (it sure did my daughter's!)

Hope this helps you out a little! Blessings, H. =)

Hi, B..

My stepdaughter had both her tonsils and andenoids removed (T&A) and the surgery did wonders for her. It's always stressful when your child has any kind of surgery, but she recovered really quickly and hasn't had a problem for the last 6 years. Good luck!

L.

Both my girls had their adenoids out - one at 18 months and one at 2.5 years. In addition to helping with the ear infections, it made a huge difference in their sleep quality - no more snoring like a log! Ultimately they both ended up having tonsils removed as well, that seemed to be the culprit. The germs were just hanging out there and they could never get rid of them.

Good luck!

My son had his adenoids and tonsils removed at age 4 and it was the best thing we could have done for him. He had constant ear infections and his adenoids and tonsils were so inflamed all the time that he could not even formulate words that well. He couldn't say a sentence without taking short breaths, which caused him to stutter, and his speech wasn't clear, since he heard sounds muffled. Most importantly, he would stop breathing while he slept.

On our way home from the operation, my son discovered a new sense of sound and, though he was supposed to not talk, wouldn't stop talking. We had to do speech therapy to break him from some of his acquired bad habits, but your son is still young enough and he will probably not need it. Also, my son has not had an ear infection since the operation (knock on wood).

It's a tough decision, but it's also a very routine outpatient surgery. All the best to you.

Hi B.,
My daughter had her adnoids removed when she was 18 months as well. Her situation was a little different though. She would wake up in the middle of the night screaming and clawing. It would take some time to calm her down and get her back to sleep just to have it happen again in a hour or two. This went on for months until the ENT discovered she had enlarged adnoids that were blocking her air way when she was laying down and that was why she was so upset when she woke up. Once they were removed she began sleeping through the night. The only draw back was the consent nose bleeds afterwards. One doctor thought that maybe they scraped a little too much skin during the operation and therefore her skin dries and crackes easily. I would discuss this with your doctor and see what they say. My daughter is now 9 and we still have issues with this. I also have several friends that have this done to their children as well and all have had great results with eliminating ear infections. Good luck with the surgery.

B., both of my kids had this problem,my daughter seemed to have been born with an ear infection, my son to. had tubes in both kids twice my daughter 4 times, had both kids tonsils and adnoids removed did nothing to help. all the tubes did was give them hearing loss because the hole never heals they even went in and put a patch on the ear drum which didn't help. my son has a 40% hearing loss. now after all that when they got an ear infection the ear drum pops and it drains, if i only knew then what i know now . let the baby out grow the ear infections, most times they really don't need an antibiotic, my daughter was on so many antibiotics that she has thin enamal on her teeth and she is now 21 and has bad teeth. my son has no problems at 24 but hearing loss. if i had to do it over i'd have never had tubes in or tonsils and adnoids removed because it causes them alot more problems. if your dr. is worth anything he will wait to see if they'll out grow the ear infections but if you have insurance he'll do all these surguries. knowing the baby will out grow by 5 or 6 years. i hope this helps,please hold off because the adnoids will cause a sinus problem that last a life time.
please email me and let me know at ____@____.com

My son had his adenoids removed when he got his second set of tubes at age 26 months. The second set of tubes stayed in longer and he had few infections after getting them. He was much like your son - always on an antibiotic. He's 4 1/2 now and will still sometimes gets an ear infection, but not like when he was younger. I didn't notice any difference in recovery for him as compared to the first tube surgery either. The dr. told us he would look at the adenoids and make a decision on the spot about removing them. He told us they were infected on the day of the surgery, so out they came. Good luck!

Britanny,
My son had a T & A at 20 months. His tonsild were enlarged and the ENT did not think it was necessary to wait until age 2. It did help him with easier breathing, less snoring and airway opening. The risk is that they will grow back. He is almost 10 now and the ENT doesn's think they grew back.
Take Care,
A.

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed last year when she was 3. There were no problems except I didn't make sure she took her pain meds on time and once she woke up screaming in pain and I had a hard time getting her to swallow the medicine. She had them out because they were so large that she was snoring and developing sleep apnea. They weren't infected just so large that she even had problems eating and breathing during the day. She didn't have ear infections but I breastfed her until she was 2 and that is supposed to help. Now she no longer snores or wheezes and eats better. I wish I could have mine out and maybe it would help with all of my sinus and respiratory problems, but they say for every year in age it takes that many days to recover. I'm 40 so it would take over a month.

My daughter had tubes, adenoids and tonsils done all at the same time when she was 7 years old. If had had known how well it was going to work I would never have left the hospital when she was born until they did it. We went from ear infections 2-6 times a years to 1 every year!

Since he is young I recommend making him a picture directory... that is small pictures on one sheet of paper of juice, blanket, cuddles, hugs, tv, etc. That way he can point to the picture to tell you what he wants and not try and talk. The first 3 days are a little rough then it's smooth sailing!

Hi B.:

I was in the same situation as your son when I was a kid (an ear infecion every 4-6 weeks). Unfortunately they waited a lot longer to do things back then. I had my adenoids removed and ear tubes put in when I was in first grade (I'm36 now), and never had another ear infection until I was 30. My tubes fell out about a year later when I was rough housing and fell and bumped my head. I have been told that The ENT told my parents that since I had my adenoids out too I should be fine - and was. I hope this helps!
Kathy

My nephew had his adenoids removed and it stopped the ear infections. He actually had so many ear infections as an infant that he lost 50 percent of his hearing. Now, this was 18 years ago, so the surgery is probably more advanced now. He had surgery similar to a tonsilectomy and he was fine afterwards, with only one problem. He did rupture the sutures at one point and have to be readmitted but they did not have to redo the surgery. I would recommend it if your son is having so many ear infections. Poor little guy! I know they are painful and stressful, my two year old used to get them frequently. The surgery is fairly simple (although I know it's your child so you are of course worried) and it will most likely "fix" his problem. Good luck, I'm sure it will work out fine.

My son had his tonsils and adenoids removed at age five, after tubes failed to solve his constant ear infections. We had tubes placed again during the surgery as well, as his ears were full of infected fluid as usual and his hearing was affected. He also had developed obstructive sleep apnea, from his adenoids being so huge (snored all night, and sounded like he was snoring during the day, and mouth breathed day and night...). His tonsils were also ginormous. He is like a different kid now, and almost never sick with anything. I had consulted a Naturopathic Physician before going the surgical route (he has hemophilia, so surgery is an ordeal), and I definitely think that a lot of her recommendations were useful. But, his problem was anatomical (boosting his immunity wasn't going to make his adenoids any smaller), so we finally decided to end the agony and do it. It was well worth it. You might give your child good probiotics to help boost immunity (and replace the good bacteria that have been killed off by all the antibiotics).

I had the same issues as a child. I had the surgery and have had only a handful since, and that has been 25 years. I remember always hurting before surgery but after, I had no problems.

I was just in your shoes last month! My son is 2/12, and had tubes in when he was 10 months old. One tube fell out in October, as it should have, and the other wasn't coming out on it's own (but that was the good ear). My son did great after the tubes and hadn't had an ear infection in a year and a half! However, about a year after the tubes his nose started running non-stop!!! Since September he had the runny nose and started gaggging (especially at night). We would go in at night and give him drinks and make sure he was elevated and he was on all different kinds of allergy meds=( He had a chest x-ray, and was even put on an inhaler...nothing was working!!! It wasn't until January that he got his first ear infection. I imediately told the dr. I was not messing around anymore and wanted to go to an ENT! The ENT did an x-ray and showed me his adenoids were twice the size they should be. All the drainage had nowhere to go, but out his nose and in his ears=(

He had his adenoids out, one tube (in the ear that has all the ear infections) put back in, and the other tube taken out and patched. He has never had any problems with that ear! This was all done about a month ago and I have a NEW LITTLE BOY=) The surgery is harder on us than it is on them. It was amazing how quickly he recovered. We were there in recovery for 45 minutes with him and went home. He took a big nap that afternoon and when he woke up you would have never known he had surgery that day. He was eating and drinking, but would say it hurt every now and then. It seemed to be when the drainage would go over that spot. That only lasted two days.

He is now sleeping without coughing, no runny nose, and doesn't drink so much all day since he doesn't have to only breath through his mouth! This surgery was the answer for us. I pray it is the answer for your little one too=) If you are here in Franklin, we went to Dr. Huber at Vanderbilt Medical Group and couldn't have been happier with him and the surgery center. It was so much better than having to go to a hospital like we did when he had the tubes put in. Sorry for the long note...if you have any other questions about the surgery etc. please feel free to send me an email! Hope you get some answers soon so your son can feel better soon and be free of the antibiotics=)

B.:
we just had tonsils and adenoids removed a year ago this month. Austin (age 7 at time of operation) didn't have as many ear infections as he did strep throat and tonsilitis. Since he has had them removed, he has not been sick or on antibiotics. The only time he has been sick is when he picked up the virus of vomiting and diarrhea at school. I can't believe the change as he would have trouble every couple of months. It really did help.

Good luck. I hope all turns out well.
A.

B.,

My daughter had the sam MO as a baby as well as inflamed tonsils. She had both tonsils and adnoids removed at 2. She was infection free after that AND we all have warm memories (yes, really) about her/our experience in the hospital. I hope you have a similar experience. --H.

Hi B.. Sorry I didn't have time to read through all the responses, but I wanted to tell you what my daughter's doctor told us...she first got ear tubes at 6 months old and another set at 18 months old (first set fell out by then). Her ENT mentioned removing part of her adenoids when he was putting in her 2nd set of ear tubes. He warned us, though, that it may affect her speech. Since he didn't think it was absolutely necessary at that point, I told him to wait. Who knows whether we'll have it done this fall (assuming her second set of tubes falls out as quickly as the first)...Good luck!

~M.

Both my grandsons who are aged 9 and 4 had tubes put in their ears when they were toddlers. Josh who is 9 had his adnoids taken out a year after getting his tubes. He still has tubes in his ears and has constant ear infections. Drake has tubes still and he hasnt had his adnoids removed and he still has constant infections. With both boys the infection runs out of their ears. They both have been on antibodics and ear drops to many times to count. The meds arent clearing up the infections. I dont want to scare you but both boys have some hearing loss. I think my daughter is going to change ents and see if they can do something for the boys before the infections get so bad that they lose their hearing completely. The one they see dont seem to care if they get better or not. They have been seeing him for about 4 years now.
Good luck to you and your son.

my son had tubes put in and adenoids removed same visit, back in January. he recovered quick and so far, so good! it's helped him sleep better, too. I've never had my tonsils out, adenoids out, or tubes put in and I've had terrible problems my whole life with fluid behind the eardrum, tonsilitis, sinus problems... some say it's not such a good idea, but I'm glad Dr.s are more willing to do it nowadays b/c it would've save me a lot of ear infections/tonsil problems if my Dr. wouldn't have fought my parents on getting this stuff done 15 years ago! good luck, I hope all goes well!!

My great-nephew had both his tonsils and adenoids removed when he was just a little boy. He is now 15 and has never had any more problems with ear infections, etc.