Disclaimer: The following post outlines the writer’s family’s personal journey with a tonsillectomy. It is not intended to act as medical advice. As always, please consult your doctor with any questions about your health.
Late last year, I was concerned about my seven-year-old daughter’s bad breath and snoring. She was religiously flossing, brushing her teeth, and using children’s mouthwash, and we were still noticing that her breath was unpleasant. She was becoming self-conscious about it, so I asked our dentist. This prompted our dentist to give us a referral to a pediatric ear, nose, and throat specialist.
Our appointment was pretty basic. The doctor was very patient with my daughter, who was nervous about going. He looked in her mouth and at her tonsils. Then he examined her ears and asked us basic questions about her health history and daily habits. He asked a lot of questions about her activity level and her sleeping. Then he graded her tonsils. We were told her tonsils were a 3 on a 4-point scale. This meant they were enlarged, but not touching. They definitely could be causing her some trouble.
The doctor told us this could be the cause of her snoring and bad breath. He said her tonsils were cryptic, meaning that they had folds or holes that could cause food and bacteria to get stuck and grow. This can produce an unpleasant smell causing bad breath. After hearing this news, we made the decision to have the tonsils removed.
With everything I do, I do a lot of research. This is also the case when it comes to my family’s health.
I read a lot about tonsillectomies, recovery, and the pros and cons of having the surgery. I talked to a lot of parents whose children had the surgery and their experiences were vastly different. Overall, most parents said they would have the surgery again because the benefits outweighed the negatives.
My daughter was anxious about having surgery, as most kids (and adults) would be. I did my best to make sure she was feeling at ease as the procedure got closer. I answered questions the best I could using kid-friendly language. Our focus was on how much better she would feel once her tonsils were removed.
The weekend before her surgery, we went to the grocery store and stocked up on all the after-surgery things we thought she might like: popsicles, mashed potatoes, soup, and all other soft foods. We were told to avoid ice cream because dairy can create mucus, which can impede the healing process and irritate the throat. We also got her some new pajamas, a new book, and some quiet activities she could do while she was recovering.
On the day of the tonsillectomy surgery, she was scheduled early.
Our surgery center encouraged us to bring her in her pajamas. They also told us to bring a favorite stuffed animal for her to cuddle with after surgery. They also warned us that she might be scared and unpleasant upon waking up from surgery; every kid responds to anesthesia differently, so it’s hard to know what to expect.
When we were called back, they allowed both myself and her dad to go back in the pre-op room to sit with her until it was her turn. At this time, our doctor and anesthesiologist came back and went over the procedure and any other concerns we had.
Finally, it was our turn to head to the operating room.
Our surgery center allowed one of us to go back with her into the operating room. After talking to other parents, I have found that this isn’t the case everywhere. Some places allow it, some don’t. I had to put on a hospital gown and a surgical cap to go back with her but I think it made her more at ease heading into the operating room with me.
Once we got into the operating room, she laid on the table, they had her count backwards, and they put on the mask to give her the anesthetic. Before I knew it, she was out and I left to go to the waiting room. The procedure took about a half hour. We could monitor her progress on a board so we knew when she was out of surgery. By the time we got back to the recovery room, about an hour and a half had passed.
When she woke up, she was very scared and very sleepy.
She was crying and just wanted to be held. After a few minutes, she drank a little bit of water and tried to eat a popsicle. After about another half hour, they gave us the go-ahead to head home. All in all, we were at the surgery center for about three hours.
Once we got home, all she wanted to do was lay around. She eventually fell back asleep and slept for a few hours. When she woke up, it was time for her to take her medicine. For the rest of the day, she watched TV, ate very little, drank a little bit of fluids, and was pretty comfortable.
Over the next few days she was feeling pretty yucky but it was manageable. We thought we were out of the woods and she was on the mend, but day five hit and she was in a terrible amount of pain. After talking to our doctor and other parents, it seems that days 5-8 are the worst because the incision is healing. We found if we stayed on top of her medication and dosed it per doctor’s orders, she was much more comfortable. If we missed a dose or if she was late taking it, she was in pain.
While it took nearly two weeks before we were back to normal, I am glad we went through with the surgery.
My daughter is sleeping better, which I think is impacting her behaviorally. She is more focused and her demeanor is more pleasant, which I think is because of better sleep. As we head into “sick season” with the weather changing and being back in school, I am hopeful we will see fewer illnesses running through our house, such as strep throat–these illnesses tend to decrease if children get their tonsils removed. Only time will tell!
