My 5 yr old has possible sleep apnea. He may need tonsils and adnoids out. We saw his ENT dr thursday and she said they will likely have to come out. They are large and could be causing the sleep apnea. He snores and has behavioral issues. We have been working on the behavior. I have read in 2 articles in Parents magazine about sleep apnea being caused by enlarged tonsils. Side effects to this are bedwetting(he has) and behaviral problems that are similar to add/adhd. He has seen several councilors and been eveluated by drs and they say no he doesn't have adhd. They happened to mention how his tonsils looked large in a routine visit at the ENT dr. He has allergies and was there for that when they noticed the tonsils. He had x-rays on thursday to look inside. We go back Aug.16th for the dr to tell us what he thinks. Finally after all this long winded history my question is has anyone heard of this or has anyones children had their tonsils out. I am just curious as to if they stay overnight? How was recovery? I'm nervous even though I know this is quite routine.He still is my baby at 5 yrs old. Thank you for the responses..... :)

If it's of any help to you, here's my experience with this. I had my adenoids out at 5 yrs and my tonsils at 10 yrs. The first one was an outpatient procedure, and I was fine again within a few days. The 2nd one was an inpatient procedure with a week's stay at the hospital. I understand that nowadays, they sometimes keep children in for two weeks, in order to make sure there are no complications. There might be hemorrhages during that time, for example, and in rare cases, those could get dangerous if not treated quickly, so if you decide to have the surgery done and they offer you to keep him in for two weeks, I'd say go for it. Otherwise, just keep a close eye on him for a while and don't let him shout or play too roughly while he's healing, in order to minimize the risk.

Apart from that (and obviously having a very sore throat for a few days), it's not too bad a procedure, and I'm sure if it's really necessary for your son, he'll greatly benefit from it in the long run.

All the best! :)

He will have to have both tonsils and adnoids out Spet. 16th.....

My son is almost 4. When he was 2, he had his tonsils and adnoids removed along with a biopsy and removal of a lymph node in his neck. The surgery lasted about an hour. He came out screaming which I hear is a common occurrence with children and anesthesia. We were discharged about an hour after his surgery.

They sent us home with a prescription of Tylenol with Codeine and instructions to only allow clear fluids. Milk is a no no as it thickens secretions. We were told the expect blood from his nose and possibly his mouth.

After we got home and the crankiness wore off, we gave him apple juice and the Tylenol. He spent most of the first day or two sleeping. He would cry when he couldnt swallow but we also used Cloraseptic to help him.

He was fine within a week and each day was better than the one before. Good luck

Hi. My 8 yr old son is scheduled to have his tonsils and adnoids out Sept. 15th. So, I too was hoping to hear some experiences and any info. The doc said my son would only stay in the hospital for 1-2 days after surgery, but need to be kept home from school for about a week or so to aviod any infections. Also, to closely monitor him for fever (after day 2) and any bleeding. Have him drinking cold clear liquids, and all that stuff. Thats about all I know so far. So if anyone else has anything to share it would be great! Thanks! :)

Hi! My 11 year old son had his tonsils out 2 years ago, and if I would have known how good things would turn out, I would have done it years before. He had sleep apnea and snored a lot. He was also very small for his age. His doctor had been trying to do the surgery for a few years, but when he was 2 he had tubes in his ears and that was not a very good experience{he did not do well post-surgery} so I was not keen on the surgery thing. But after several bouts with strep-throat we decided to go for it and it was great. It was out-patient and we were only there for about 4 hours. The worst thing was the IV but if you talk to them before hand they might do it after they put the child out. The surgery took about 30 minutes and we went home about 2 hours after that. Expect some bloody vomit, that almost always happens. Looks kind of scary, but it is normal. Soft foods for the first 48 hours and then it is just trial and error.You also might check with an apothocary[spell?] store for lollipops that numb their throat. They are kind of expensive but worth it. Normal drug stores don't usually carry them, but you do have to have a prescription. But the surgery is well worth it. My son has not had strep since. He does not snore, and he sleeps great now! He has also gained weight and I never thought that would happen. Good luck!!!

Our daughter just had the surgery in February, at the age of 4 1/2. She had had 33 ear infections prior to that, and six cases of strep in seven months after getting ear tubes (I guess the infection had to go somewhere). We got to the hospital at 8 AM, they took her to surgery at 10:30 and we were home by 1:30 that same day. The first few days were difficult and we couldn't get her to take the pain meds, but by the third day she was much better and has been so much better since the surgery. She too snored a lot and no longer does. The only thing I would recommend is that you see if you can avoid the pre op meds. They tend to make them very disoriented and upset after surgery and all they do is make it easier for the child to seperate from you. That can be done well with a creative nurse and lots of encouragement anyway, plus they wake up so much more content.
Let us know what you decide to do and how it goes.
Nancy

My son had his adenoids and tonsils out this year (he's 5 now) b/c of sleep apnea. We went through just about everything you could imagine to get him to sleep in his bed. I won't even start the list, b/c no one has all night. Anyways, the procedure took about 45 min and he was a firecracker when he woke up. He was so angry for the doctor taking his tonsils away from him! He threw up blood before we left the hospital, and here in Iowa at the University Hospital, they don't let you leave until they throw up at least once, but not more than twice. My husband and I were starving when we left the hospital and stopped at Olive Garden. We ordered ice cream for Isaiah and he wanted spaghetti and breadsticks (we didn't let him have them). He hated taking the tylenol3, and didn't need it after the first night. He did spectacular with the pain. He actually tried to get off my lap and run around the hospital!

He is doing fantastic now, sleeping through the night, but I have to say that it took about 3-4 months before he did that. I think it was a combo of age and the surgery.

Good luck...it's harder for the mom than the child, I PROMISE.

Nicole

My son had his tonsils and adeniods out at 7. The surgery took less than an hour and he was in the recovery room untill he was swallowing good, could get up to go to the washroom. We were there all day basicly...his surgery was first thing, (8am i think), and i believe it was close to supper before we got out. They kept us there so long because they just wanted to make sure he was swallowing good and there would be no bleeding. The reasons behind letting the kids stay home versis keeping them there a few days like they used to is because the highest risk for bleeding is directly after the surgery and 7-10 days later when the scabs start to come off, when they wouldn't be in the hospital anyways. My son did very well with recovery, he had codiene and tylenol that was given every 4-6 hours. It is very critical that you don't allow the meds to wear off, they should give you instructions as to when to give his meds, stick to it, wake up in the middle of the night to give him his meds. If they wear off his throat may hurt too bad to take them, then he won't drink and then he'll get dehydrated and his throat will get dry which can lead to bleeding. Buy him lots of popcycles and that sort of thing. I know with my son the first few days were bad, he wasn't feeling well (not sure if it was from the anesthesia or from the meds) but after about day 3 he got better every day buy the end of the first week he was eating normal (no scratchy foods though) and behaving normaly.
My son was also a snorer, this stoped. He had the bedwetting and add symptoms...all still there. He does sleep better and is eating much better, he actually put on about 5lbs in the few months after the surgery. His tonsils were so big they were touching, making it hard for him to swallow.
Good luck with your sons surgery and make sure you follow all of the doctors instructions.

Thanks for all your replys. The doctor said overnight stay. I'm fine with that then I have helpmaking sure he gets his pain med.I think its overnight cause it will be later in the day when he has surgery.I plan on stocking up on popsicles and nondairy treats. He loves Jello and that kind of thing.Would chicken broth be too harsh? I mean after a few days? I'm just concerned about dehydration.He did say Tylenol3 would be his pain med.I am taking a week off after his surgery. I have 2 weeks coming anyway.I spoke with a person who's child had similar problems and she said her daughter woke up and acted better and better. They feel if he gets enough sleep his attitude would be better too.I hope.

The instructions the nurse gave me said to just give my son regular Tylenol after he comes home. Do you guys think that will be good enough, or should I go ahead and ask for the T3? I would hate for him to be in pain and the tylenol not help him!

My son also snores (REALLY LOUD!!), and his tonsils are so big he is having trouble swallowing and a little trouble breathing. He also has relfux, which has been very bad off and on- and he now has a G-tube to feed him w/ if he won't eat by mouth. I'm worried that if he refuses to eat/drink by mouth that his poor throat is going to be even more sore than normal. Any ideas on what to do if that happens? Maybe keeping some ice or something on him? Thanks everyone for all the replies - and thanks to heddy73 for starting this thread! Any more advice would be great! :)

Be careful when giving chicken broth and some soups. Most soups are high in sodium, which can cause their throat to burn. Look for the low sodium soups. My sons doc did not give him any pain meds. He told us to alternate tylenol and motrin. It worked fine for us.

Hey, I guess we got lucky. My daughter was 3 years old (she is now 7) when she had her tonsils and adnoids out. She did fantastic. Waiting on her to get out of surgery was the worst part. Before her surgery she had strep throat constantly and her tonsils were enlarged anyway, so you can imagine what they looked like when they were infected. Before the doctor operated on her, he asked my husband and I if he got in there and her adnoids were large, would we want him to take them out. Of course we said yes, not really thinking he would have to . She had never had a problem with snoring or anything like that. But when she was in the recovery room, he came out and told us he had taken them out. He said they were "HUGE" and he couldn't believe she had not been having trouble with them. He also warned us that the week to come would probably be awful. But like I said we must have gotten really lucky because she didn't have one bad day. I don't know if it was because she had gotten so used to having strep throat or what, but the little thing didn't even complain with her throat hurting. Our doctor was amazed at her post op check-up.
After we spend about 4 hours with her in the observation room, they dismissed us and we headed for home. Believe it or not, the next day she wanted to eat.....CHEETOS of all things. But I didn't let her eat them because I thought they might scratch her throat (and all that salt wouldn't have been to good on an open wound either). If any of you guys have any more questions, just send them my way. I know it's a scary thing to have anything done to our babies, but I bet it will help them like it did her. Like I said, she was 3 then, and she's 7 now. It made a world of difference in her health. She has not had strep throat one time since her surgery.
Thank Goodness!!!! I hope I didn't ramble to much. Just wanted to try to ease your mind a little. Good Luck to you all.

Thanks R&R it does help having parents respond that have been thru this. The dr said no to advil or motrin and of course aspirin. He said the advil would increase the bleeding. I usually stick with tylenol anyway. I just get nervous and it helps to talk it out. My husband is way more laid back so talking to him is not really that helpful. He says its routine and he will be fine. I told him yeah I know that but guess who's going to be home with him for the week or 2 after.......I like to know what to expect not go thru it blindly hoping for the best.

Thanks so much everyone! It helps alot to hear from others who've been through this. I can't wait to see how much good this does for my son. My son has Cerebral Palsy, so he's been through 4 surgeries as it is - atleast this one is considered routine. Of course any surgery for our children is a very big deal! I'm just hoping that everything goes smoothly and he has a good speedy recovery. Thanks again everyone. Having you guys share your experiences really helps! :)

Hey Heddy and Pajama Momma! It's late now and my little girl starts back to school tomorrow, so I gotta get her to bed, but I'm going to get back with you guys later.
It is very nice to share experiences and help each other out. So I'll catch you later for sure.

Well we got Zach's surgery date . September 16th. He goes sept. 14th for blood work.
Then a follow up on the 23rd.

Both of my children had tonsil and ads taken out at the age of 4. My son was experiencing the sleep problems, but they almost immediately went away after surgery. We stayed at the surgical center for the entire day. We came home that night. My son began bleeding after the first week, and had to be readmitted to the hosptial. (Only overnight and they say this does happen to some children.) My daughter had no problems. A few things that worked for us was chopping popsicles up in a cup and eating with a spoon. Basically my kids wanted warm things instead of cold food. Lots of soup and warm mashed potatoes. The first few days are rough, but they will be back to normal within days. Both of mine looked very tired for about a week post surgery. (Dark circles under eyes etc.) It is worth the ordeal for them to be healthy and sleep well. Good luck!

Thanks Tooty!!Its nice to here positive things...I'm nervous but am hpoing this will help the little guy.

My daughter had her tonsils and adnoid out when she was 2-1/2 and she also had tubes put in her ears at the time. Her surgery lasted about an hour and she was released from the hospital about 2 hours after that. It took about a full week before she was 100%.

My daughter had severe sleep apnea. Severe enough that we were told by her doctor to take shifts sleeping so that one of us was always awake to watch her sleep. Her tonsils were 4x the size of a regular adult tonsil as well as her adnoid.......at 2 years old resulting in sleep apnea.

barton93,How is your daughter now with the sleep apnea? Did she snore too?We are waiting for surgery time. He may have to stay overnight because of a late afternoon surgery time. I hope not but whatever it takes I'll do it. I'm more nervous than him. I haven't really talked to my son because he told the ENT dr that he couldn't have his tonsils they were his to keep. He has a aggressive,adhd like attirude that they said may clear up when he has the surgery. They said he wasn't getting deep sleep at night so its making him crabby the next day.

She used to snore really bad before her surgery. For the first few years after the surgery, she didn't really snore at all. Now, she does a little. The doctor said that her adnoid may be growing back! I don't know how likely that is, but if that is the case, then that would possibly explain why she does snore.

I could see where the apnea would lead to adhd symptoms. Lack of sleep plays a huge role in a childs temperment! Good luck to you and your son. I'm sure everything will turn out just fine.

Thanks!!! I'm hoping that it will relieve the symptoms of ADHD. It would make him so much more happy. He has good days and bad.....

heddy,
Has your son had his surgery yet? If so how's the little guy doing? I know he will feel so much better after it is all over with (you will too, hu?) If you don't mind and you find the time to write me back, I would like to hear how he's doing.
See ya Later

Hi I am new to this site and my son which is 7, just recently had a sleep study done and has been dignosed with sleep apena also. He goes to see the ENT on the 3rd, to figure out what they want to do with him. About 4 yrs ago he got to the point where he wouldn't sleep but maybe 2 hours at a time and goodness only known when that would be. So i decided to have him checked to see if he was possibly bi-polar or adhd, because not only would he not sleep but it was like he ran 100 mph all the time. So they diginosed him with both and as of today he has been on seem to feel like 50 different kinds of meds. Then i read up on articles stating that children with sleep apena could possibly have symtoms like adhd. Lord only knows that if he needs not to be on the meds i'd much rather him not, Some of the posting have helped me alot on this site and has enlightened me on what to espect when he does go to the ENT. But my question is that is it possible to have all these things sleep apena, bi-polar and adhd going on at the same time.
Thanks :angel:

Hi R&R
Zach goes for his surgery on the 16th.We go for blood work on the 14th.But I'll defiantly keep you guys posted. It has helped so much talking this over with other parents.I think that all those things could be going on Kanga but from what I've read about the sleep apnea it mirrors those symptoms. I know I had my son tested then re tested and actually have him on a all natural supplement called BeCalm'd. It helps settle him down and helps with his ADHD symptoms. But the dr and a child psycologist say he doesn't have it. I know he has alot of the symptoms though. Plus I live with him 24-7 so I know him better then the dr's. He has done much better on that stuff. I don't sell it just buy it. I had someone ask if I sold it and nope I don't. But anyways I did alot of research on the sleep apnea and it said the kids go 100mph all day then don't get good quality sleep at night so it makes them a little edgy and aggressive during the day. He was almost kicked out of preschool for it. I worked with teachers and they were very helpful. But I am praying this is just what he needs. If it doesn't help I will just push on and find out what he needs.

Hey Heddy, The countdown is on, hu? It won't be long and he will feel so much better.
I hope everything goes alright with the other stuff too. I'm with you on the Mommy knows best stuff. If the medicine you have him on is working out for him and you can tell a difference, I say keep it up. Believe me, I believe in going to the doctor and taking my kids to the doctor, but sometimes we can make pretty good descisions on our own, hu? Like you said, we're the ones that are with them all the time and we see alot of things they don't. And I'm also with you on the other statement you made too. If that doesn't work you'll keep on till you find something that does. I think that is one of the things us mommies are pretty good at , don't you? That's something that never ends in my opinion. ALWAYS finding ways to make our kids lives better.
It was good hearing from you. See Ya Later

Thanks heddy do you happen to know where i can find the bcalm'd at? anything would be worth a try, even the meds they have him on now doesn't work he is still hyped and very aggressive. I will find out more next week he goes to the ent and then striaght to the psych doctor. Thanks for the info.
Tina

I oredered the Becalm'd online. You can look it up that way. He has been on it since April and I took it to his dr(the info first) and she said it was ok to give him. Basically its a mix of vitamins that he was lacking. I was told up on the ADHD forim that it was ok to talk about it as long as I didn't try to sell it. Which I don't. I don't have time for that(haha). But everyone who knows him saw a change the first week. I didn't tell his dad the first week just to see if he would notice and he did for the better :) He was almost "asked" to leave preschool then I started him on that stuff and they just couldn't get over the change. Its great....I'm hoping after the surgery he won't need it but if he does thats ok too.The dr said there doesn't seem to be any harm in it. Plus truthfully he used to get sick and since he's been taking the BeCalm'd he hasn't had a sniffle. It has vit. a, b-6,Calcium,Magnesium,Folic acid and a couple of other vitamins. Whatever it is it makes him happy and they taste like rasberry.Of course he has bad days but those are rare.

HI!!! My son is tonsil/adnoids free!!! The surgery was yesterday and he did great!! He was actually doing much better than dr's thought he should be :D
The hardest part (which I waited till he was taken into surgery) was me leaving him. He was fine riding in the OR on the bed thinking he was in a parade. I went out in the hall and broke down there. I know its routine but that is still my baby and NOT routine for me. But he was eating,laughing and talking by that afternoon. Today he is still sore but doing even better. He had a popsicle for breakfast and then they brought him eggs and he ate that too. The big thing and all the nurses kept pushing is for them to drink. I keep pushing him. He does it but grumbles when he has to keep sipping. I have tylenol with cod. and regular tylenol. I'm sticking with the regular tylenol for now. If he needs the other then we have it.I'm glad its all over and I'll keep everyone posted as to how he is doing. Just a FYI he stopped the Becalm'd last sunday and we'll see how he makes out.

I was thinking about you guys and wondering how things went. I'm glad he's got that over with (and I know you are too.) I think kids are so much tougher when it comes to that kind of stuff than we are....Thank Goodness
I'm glad he's doing good and I'll talk to ya later.

Zachary is doing great. He is being a real trooper about everything. He hated the Tylenol they gave him at the hospital so everytime I go to give him tylenol he thinks its that red stuff they gave him. We actually bought grape and bubble gum flavor so he could see it wasn't the red. He likes those.He was staying dry thru the night also and we have to have him sipping fluids right up until he falls asleep.So he gets mad if he wets.I tried to tell him its ok not a big deal and he still gets mad at himself.I asked if wanted pull-ups and he said no they were for babies. (thats my boy)haha
It should get easier and easier (I hope).

Zachary is doing ALOT better. He hasn't had any Tylenol since last night at 8pm.....He was wanting it every 3- 3 1/2 hours. He is eating and drinking great. The scabs haven't fallen off yet. I keep peeking in his throat. At first he wouldn't open his mouth very big now he holds it open showing everyone where his tonsils used to live....lol
It was rough and I'm glad I took the week off. Some people told me after a few days he would be ok but he sure wasn't. For any parents who have to go thru this in the future just a few words of advice.
1. Stock up on tylenol(all flavors)
2. take the week off after if you work
3. and make them drink,drink,drink
4. lots of patience

Heddy, So glad to hear that your son is doing well. My daughter goes in on Tues. for her surgery (tonsil and adnoid removal) and I am just ill over it. The anticipation of this all is awful! Reading your posts have helped me and just wanted to thank you.

I am so glad to hear your son is doing so great. Since my daughters removal she hasn't been sick once and it has been over a year now. After her constantly being sick it is nice to not have to make a trip to the Dr's every month.

Cool I'm glad I could help...I know there were quite a few parents that put my mind at ease about the surgery. As much as you can when its your babies going in the OR.Hows your daughter Shelley?

My 5 yr old has possible sleep apnea. He may need tonsils and adnoids out. We saw his ENT dr thursday and she said they will likely have to come out. They are large and could be causing the sleep apnea. He snores and has behavioral issues. We have been working on the behavior. I have read in 2 articles in Parents magazine about sleep apnea being caused by enlarged tonsils. Side effects to this are bedwetting(he has) and behaviral problems that are similar to add/adhd. He has seen several councilors and been eveluated by drs and they say no he doesn't have adhd. They happened to mention how his tonsils looked large in a routine visit at the ENT dr. He has allergies and was there for that when they noticed the tonsils. He had x-rays on thursday to look inside. We go back Aug.16th for the dr to tell us what he thinks. Finally after all this long winded history my question is has anyone heard of this or has anyones children had their tonsils out. I am just curious as to if they stay overnight? How was recovery? I'm nervous even though I know this is quite routine.He still is my baby at 5 yrs old. Thank you for the responses..... :)