Two kids in for Tonsillectomy

Has anyone got any advice for me for the coming weeks? I have a 2.5 year old and almost 5 year old both going in for surgery. They are both having a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy and the 2.5 year old is also getting grommets.

Anyone been through any of these before? What is the recovery period like? How long before they are feeling like running around again? What type of things helped them get through the first stages of pain? I have spoken to the Dr about these things but thought some advice from other parents who have been through the situation might also be helpful.

Cheers,

My DD1 had a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy & grommits in November last year.

You will be able to go in with them while they go under the anaesthetic, but I will warn you it was distressing for me. I was 5 months pregnant as well, so a bit emotional.
When she was going under she looked terrified & was trying to get to me, but they were holding her & it felt so wrong. They had to take me out.
Sorry, I don't wanna scare you, just wish I had've known what I was in for.

It took about 30 - 40 minutes. I cried the whole time she was in there. Damn preggie hormones!

There was a kid in recovery & another wheeled out while she was in there & they were both sleeping it off. They were pretty doped up I think & real sleepy.
I think DD had a bad reaction to something coz she was crying & wouldn't sit still after.

After about 30 minutes we went up to the ward. She was still a bit antsy that after noon. They offered her lemonade ice blocks. The other kids were sucking on them, but DD only had a little bit. Just lots of water.

The next morning she was feeling much better, but still felt a bit off. I think after about day 2 or 3 she was more herself, but they shouldn't do any running around or anything full on for 2 weeks after.

No school or exercise. The grommits have to be kept dry for 12 months after. We used vasoline & cotton buds for showers.
She went swimming with that & a swimming cap a few times, but got an infection 2 or 3 times, so she had to miss out.

The difference in her sleeping was instant. It took me a few weeks to get used to it coz I couldn't hear her breathing. & she had trouble sleeping coz she COULD hear the others in the room breathing!

She didn't really eat til the next morning. When she was told she wasn't allowed home til she ate something.

Just make sure you have lots for them to do. Colouring in books, reading books. A video game if they have one. They wil be sleepy for a few hours after, but they will be looking for things to do later on.

Buy some Pain Stop. Its a strong pain realief for kids. Its not very nice though. Stock up on yoghurt, custard, spaghetti, tinned peaches & those sorts of things. Soft foods. They can't have normal foods & can't eat anything hot for 2 weeks after.

Good luck. Hope that helps.

Sorry to jump in but I just wanted to say thanks for posting your experience bjrose. My DS is going in Tuesday morning for this procedure and I am really nervous. I know a bit more about what to expect. Just quick question. Did you go to recovery with your DD or did you have to wait until they wheeled her back to the ward to see her?

Sorry Sorka for hijacking your thread

Yes I went into recovery.
I had to wait a little while. You usually wait til they wake up, but she was awake coming out, so I think it was about 10 minutes after she came out I went in.
They aren't usually awake, but there is a chance he could be. It might be one in a million chance, but it could happen.
I had to sit there for 10 - 15 minutes listening to her screaming out for me. I had to wait though.

The hardest thing is to hold it together, but you have to.
Don't let them see you cry. If they think its something that happens to everyone (which it kinda is) they won't stress about it.

To this day I haven't let Jaz hear how hard it was on me.

I also went through members of the family who had been through it so she had other people to ask about it. DH is the only one out of us who's had surgery for a hernia, so when you haven't been there before yourself it is a bit scary.

& I did tell her that it would hurt after. But that she would get ice cream & ice blocks!
I told her that it will be scary & that it will hurt, but that she'd be able to hear better after & her throat wouldn't get so sore when she gets sick.

Good luck you guys. Be strong!

My son had to have these procedures done as well and the experience was awful-for me anyway. They gave him a pre med prior and that was amusing as he was clearly halucinating and seeing two of things. I had bought him a new teddy that morning and the theatre staff let him take it in with him. It was only a small private hospital so i wasnt able to stay there while they put him to sleep. They wheeled him away and he was more than happy at age 4;bye mum-see you soon,go get a coffee and can you buy me a freddo?
I laughed. Then about an hour and a half later,the recovery nuse came out and said Mrs S,we want to know if you can come into recovery with us as we cant settle Caleb. I said of course. Then she said be prepared though the first thing you hear when you go through those doors are him screaming. The minute the doors opened i heard him and lost it. To hear him so traumatised.:(He was flaiiling his arms around and trying to punch and screaming dont touch me, you hurt me, i want my mummy.The minute he saw me he tried to sit up-still totally out of it and screaming pleaaasse mummy take me home,dont let them touch me!I explained that it wasnt home time yet,but the worst was over and that no matter what i wouldnt leave him. I ended up having to get onto the trolley with him so he could snuggle in my arms and they wheeled us both up to the ward. he wouldnt take anything off them not even panadol or jelly.One of the nurses said he had to eat or drink something or he couldnt go home. I was freindly with one of the nurses so asked if she could bend the rules as we were only ten minutes away and if i had any concerns i would bring him straight back. Anyway i tried the hospital jelly there is no way i'd eat it so didnt expect a kid in pain to eat it either.I stopped at the pharmacy got some painstop nightstrength and a good kids dvd and ready made custard. I pulled the sofa bed out. He took the painstop which he said stang. Had a little drink and a couple of tablespoons of cold custard. Within ten minutes was blissfully asleep in my arms where we stayed for probably 10 hours. Used the painstop for the next three days,but the following day was markedly better. Wishing you all the strength in the world,and hope everything goes flawlessly.
Pauline

Pollyanna - its horrible seeing them like that isn't it.

DD was done in a public hospital. She had no premeds & I was allowed in while they put her to sleep.
I only had to go out coz I was finding it hard to watch her getting 'fidgety' as they put it, & started bawling.

She was the only one out of 3 that I saw that was so upset after. As I said, the others came out sleeping, she was screaming.
She had to sit on my lap & was going through ice like there was no tomorrow.

They put her canula in after she went under so they could do it. I thought that was smart.

All round I'm happy with the way things were done. They even let her have a bath that night, which they don't normally do.
It was traumatising for me, but I'm pretty sure it hasn't bothered her at all.

We had it done at Orange Base Hospital, for anyone in that area.

Gee - this sounds worse than I thought. How on earth will I cope with two! Dad is coming too but you know what kids are like - everyone wants mum when they're feeling down...maybe they'll give us a big bed to lie on together. I hope we can cope ok - especially with our little bubba who needs me to breastfeed him too...

We have been told by our Dr that they are to eat normal food as soon as possible - sandwiches, fruit - and coke of all things!! 30 mls once a day to help the scabs?? Has anyone else been given this advice?

Thank you for all the replies. Its great to hear how other people cope and find out what really happens from a parents view.

Yeah. Lemonade I was advised though. Not an exact amount or anything though.
I think it was more hot food you are supposed to avoid. Just don't give them things that could scratch their throat. Like chips.
I think I had her on custard & yoghurt for a few days, but yeah sanwiches & stuff after.
Actually now I think about it, she asked for a Mars Bar on the way home. She didn't finish it though.

You should be ok. My DH went to K-Mart looking for thongs while I was in there! At least you'll have some support.
After being with me for a few minutes she did start crying for Dad. The nurse had to go out to the waiting room back out side & find him. He'd got himself a change of clothes at K-Mart too! Lucky he was wearing the same hat!!
So you should be ok. Yours will probably be good & sleep after. The other kids in the ward were alot easier than DD. They were all drowsy & quiet. It was only DD - the only girl in there - who was upset & unsettled.

There is a history of my family members having reactions to anaesthetics so I think thats why she was the way she was.

I've still got my papers here. I'll get them out tomorrow.

interesting that i found this topic as i just took my ds to the doc last week and we have our first appoint with the ENT specialist on the 16th sept.
its liekly we will do a sleep study first and then need his tonsils and adnoids out. im already worrying about how i will be seeing him back in hospital for the first time since his birth.
so generally is it a 1 night stay if all goes well?

sorka i hope everything goes well for both your boys the5 yr old is likely to be able to understand more what is going to happen but then it might be harder for him to deal with how he is feeling when he wakes from it.
what are the reasons both of them are having them out?

Yeah. Its over night with the tonsillectomy.
Grommits would be just day surgery.

Oh they can't blow their nose for a bit after either if having adenoids done. I wasn't told how long for or anything. Maybe you should ask, or let me know?
I'm sure DD would be ok to blow her nose now, but noone told me how long to wait at the time.

well that wouldnt be an issue for Nixon he doesnt know how to blow his nose yet anyway!
i suppose i will find out more once we see the ENT in 2 weeks time

Unusually large tonsils seem to run in my husbands family. My two year old has had countless ear infections and bouts of tonsiltits. He has glue ear aswell and has only 50% hearing in both ears so it should make a big difference with him.

My 4 year old has enlarged tonsils all the time and large crevices which fill with bacteria things - sometimes called tonsil stones. He also snores very loudly and doesn't sleep very well so hopefully these procedures will give us some normality with sleeping. We wont know ourselves not getting up every few hours!

I think the same as you - Mr almost 5 knows too much so hopefully he is ok. He's quite excited about being able to drink coke...ahh the little things that keep them happy :)

I will ask about the nose blowing on tuesday when they go in and will let you know what i find out.

Sorka are your 2 children going in to have theirs done this Tuesday too? I'll be thinking of you at the same time I'm in with DS.

Thanks Ladies - nice to get some perspective on what to expect.

DS has had endless Throat infections this winter and is currently on a low dose of AB's for the next 2 months to see if there is any difference with the change of the weather and him being taken out of pre-school.

I had endless throat infections as a child and ended up getting my tonsils and adanoids removed at 19 - bad idea - in all honesty child birth hurt less - but having said that the Paed did say that it is far worse as an adult.

I had some complications with my surgery also hence why they are reluctant to do my son - i think they want to exhaust every avenue prior to doing the procedure and I dare say they can feel my anxiety related to it also - so fingers crossed we can hold out until he's a bit older well at least able to completely understand what is going on.

having said all that my gut feeling is that he will need the surgery sooner rather than later as he is shocking sleeper and suffers from night terrors which can be all related to this situation.

Wish you all the best with the coming surgeries and I'll definitely love to hear how they go.

Good Luck

My DD hasn't had either of these proceedures but I have nursed plent of children in Day Surg who have had it.

The girls have given you some great tips and experiences on what you could expect. It does depend on the hospital and it's policy as well as the anethetist as to whether or not a parent is allowed into the anesthetic room with the child. Usually it is only one parent. It can be very traumatic for a parent to see their child anethetised. One minute they are talking/laughing/crying and the next they're not responding to anything you say and are limp. In most cases, the anethetist uses a gas to send the child off to sleep before inserting the cannula (needle thing in the hand/arm) as that can be traumatic for a young child. If you're at all worried, grab some Emla from the chemist and pop on the top of their hand when you get to the hospital. By the time your child is seen it will be working.

The length of stay for both proceedures is dependent on hospital policy, age, and Dr preference. At the hospital I was at, it was done as a 10 hour stay (approx) and the child couldn't leave until they had something to eat and drink and could keep it down. We always offered icey poles (lemonade) and jelly as well as sandwhiches. This meant if the child was done in the morning, they'd go late afternoon. If they were done in the afternoon, they had to be admitted over night and would only stay in recovery for 30 minutes before going upstairs.

The recovery room can be a scary place for a child and parent. It is not uncommon for children (and even adults) to wake up hysterical or tantrumy from an anesthetic. I think it is something like 25% of kids are affected in this way. It is a side effect of the anesthetic. It is not long lasting and it is not damaging. To many people, it looks like the child might be having a tantrum or be in pain. Usually, they are not in pain, it is the anesthetic. They might be crying, lashing out (punching, kicking, biting), screaming, unconsolable. The best thing you can do is to remain calm and to give lots of kisses and cuddles. They will eventually calm down. Try to distract them with a fav toy or book. Try to encourage them to sleep it off. But remember, not every child is affected in this way.

It can also be scary for children to go to sleep in a strange room in a strange bed with strangers around them, to wake up in another room which is just as strange and with a stranger there and to be attached to something strange (a peg on their finger or tow or even ear) and to have a strange thing in their hand (the cannula). So try to send them with something familiar and comforting.

Tonsillectomies are usually fairly painless for the child - it is usually just a strange feeling for them. Panadol is usually enough to deal with any discomfort they might have.

Good luck with the surgeries and wishing your little ones a speedy recovery.

MG

Just wanted to pop in quickly and see how you are going Sorka. How are the kids? I came home this morning with DS. Yesterday I must say was horrible but today has been much better. I will pop back in and write more about the expereince in the next few days.

Sorka I hope things went well yesterday. It is incredibly emotional.

Well we're back home (had to travel for the surgery) and things aren't going to great. 2 year old wont take painstop at all - held him down and held his nose while my husband tried to syringe it in but he just clamped his teeth shut and raspberried it all out so he's only on panadol - isn't eating much and only drank 300 ml of water over the last 24 hrs. Up every couple of hours at night.

4 year old isn't doing much better. Understands he needs the painstop but it doens't seem to be working very well for him. He is still up every hour or two during the night because of the pain - just pacing around the table wimpering. He has only urinated three times in the last 48 hours and we forced 600 mls of water into him today. He refuses to even swallow his own spit because of the pain.

We are checking back with the ENT surgeon in the morning, but my guess is they are dehydrated - they just wont swallow.

Lukesmum - hope your little one is doing better than mine...let me know how your going...For me the surgery and hospital stay was nothing compared to this last week at home.

Hope they are better soon. Did they have anything before leaving hospital?
Have you offered ice?

Sorka, I'm quickly writing this in case you read it before heading to bed. Painstop didn't work for my DS either. He is now on Panamax 240 Elixir - double strength. You can get it from the pharmacy without a prescription but you need to ask for it as it is kept behind the counter. It is GREAT !!!!. DS sleeps all night and plays for most of the day without pain. He is eating quite a bit of custard and yoghurt and has a sip of ice water about every hour. I give him the panamax every 4 to 5 hours and it does wonders. Try to give the medicine before the pain gets too bad. I really can't recommend this enough for the pain. I hope it gets better soon. Will be back in to see how you are going.

I forgot to say last night that DS really doesn't like the taste of this medicine so he takes it a funny way. I get him a small glass of milk with a straw and I use a syringe. He puts the straw in his mouth (with the milk) at the same time I syringe the medicine in and he has both at once. For some reason this is the only way he will take it. If you try this method you have to make sure their mouth is closed aound the straw and the syringe or it will all come out of their mouth. Thought this might be worth a try. The cool milk then doesn't hurt their throat as much when the medicine goes done. DS can't stand juice or anything other than ice water and milk. I think everything else stings. How did your ENT appointment go? I'm thinking of you. Hopefully in a few weeks they will be completely back to normal.

i hope your boys start to feel better soon and get some pain releif as well as some fluids. it must be tough for them.
Did they do o/n in hospital?

I have just come back from our ENT appointment and Nixon has to have his tonsils and adnoids out as suspected. we arnt even doig a sleep study he is on the higher end of the scale and needs to get it done soon.
we have a hearing test next thurs 25th and depending on how that goes will depend if he needs grommets aswell.
His op is booked for the 15th October (day after his bro's first birthday, he wanted to book him in ont eh 13th but i told him)

let us know how their follow up appoint goes

The boys were both in overnight and neither would take the painstop at the hospital. We tried with a milkshake (and in a milkshake) in a cup, in a syringe, in a syringe with chocolate or strawberry topping and with a variety of crazy bribes but to no avail. We talked our eldest into it at home and then he realised it made him feel better so now he still cries but has it after about 10 minutes of complaining.

That panamax sounds great - I might try to get some of that. Only problem is its for the 2 year old who wouldn't even take panadol after being in hospital because he thought it was the painstop. We have to go through the whole thing of showing him the different bottles and him watching where the medicine is coming from before he will even consider taking the panadol. He keeps asking for nurofen which he isn't allowed to have.

We have increased their dosage of the pain medication and we have to check in again tomorrow. They have had much less water today (250mls and 150mls) but 4 year old also had two bowls of nutri grain and a sandwich (which took almost 2 hours to eat) so has a bit of milk in that. Now its the 2 year old going down hill. He tries to eat anything and then as soon as he swallows he screams and takes a good 15 minutes to calm down. Even with soft scrambled egg... ever feel like you just can't win??

Glad your going better than me Lukesmum. You must have a strong little man there...and nickers - don't worry too much. The ENT surgeon said it is uncommon for kids to refuse to drink for so long so I'm sure yours will go better than mine. Good luck and just keep thinking about how much better they will be once the recovery is over - its the only thing getting me through.

Sorka - I hope they are better soon. Have you tried yoghurt or jelly?? Lemonade? Coke even? My girls are never allowed coke, so if I had problems I reckon they would jump at it!
Icy poles?
To get them to take medicine (mine are usually ok) I put it in cordial or juice in a glass or cup they normally allowed to have. Would you believe DD2 likes hers out of a shot glass? I don't like watching, but she'll down the lot with the promise f a milkshake after.

Sorka - how did you go at the dr today? How was last night? I hope the stronger dose of medicine has made your night a bit easier.

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Have you tried yoghurt or jelly??

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DS still will only eat yoghurt and custard and only a little bit at a time and he will only sip water through a straw if it has ice in it and is really cold. A friend of mine who had her tonsils out 4 weeks ago at age 30 said the colder the better. She lived on the icy poles.

How are the kids going today Sorka? Any improvements? I have been thinking of you.

I hope things are going ok Sorka.