Anyone know much about tonsillitis?

[Ginger]

hi there, i'm just wondering if anyone has dealt with tonsillitis with their children. ds1 has had tonsillitis twice only- but his tonsils look enlarged. i took him to the gp and she has graded one side of his tonsils as grade III and the other grade IV. does anyone know what this means?
i have an appointment to see an ENT next friday but I'm wondering if i should even bother, seeing as he has only had it twice. i have been told they need to have it 6 times a year for an ENT to actually do anything. is this true? because if so, then i feel that i am wasting my time in going to the appointment at all.
can anyone shed any light on this?
tia

[Olive]

its normal for kids to have large tonsils but if his are really large then its worth having them checked out! id still go, at least it will put your mind at ease

[MamaPan]

I would still go - if your gp thinks it is worthwhile then maybe it is... i dont know much about the grading...
Are you hoping the ENT will take them out??? (if so it isnt alweays a matter of how many times they have had it but also size and other issues i think)
DS2 also has large tonsils (never had tonsilitis) - dr mentioned it can affect sleep etc.

[~Kim~]

Depends which ENT you see. When I worked at the Kids hospital different ENT had different criteria for whipping them out.
I've never heard of a grading system.
When DD was 18is months old over a period of 5 months she had 4 separate severe cases. No-one ever mentioned getting them out.

[Junglemum]

A friends little girl had hers out due to their size. She didn't get tonsillitis regularly, but it was effecting her breathing and resulting in poor sleep. This left her girl with behavioral issues due to the lack of sleep. They had no idea it was the tonsils causing it until they were removed, she started getting quality sleep and suddenly was a different girl. Not that your man has any kind of behavioural issues, but it would be good to know he is getting enough oxygen. :-) You should go to the ENT.

[Ginger]

ok. i'm going. ds2 being babysat, all organised thanks

[luna moth]

I'm glad you're going. It took me ages to even get an ENT appt, your doc wouldn't make one if she didn't think it was worthwhile.

I had tonsillitis 5 times in one year, and then 9 times the next (9 times before March) and the doctor only gave me a referral when I threatened to take them out myself.

[Olive]

how did you go hun?

[Ginger]

i am actually really embarrassed that i ever started this thread. i took him to the appointment on friday and he has been classed as category 2 and is on the waiting list for a tonsillectomy. he is really unwell again today and i think it might be tonsillitis

[Mak]

I had my tonsils out at 30 after 6 years of really bad health - mostly because the general consensus is that you no longer have them out and that is from many a GP's perspective. It was only after getting a great GP who referred me to an ENT on a whim that I got sorted. Well done for checking it out I reckon. xx

[Olive]

why you embarrassed hun??