Wedding Woes

blergh

We went to the ENT this morning.  6let's speech therapist thought his tonsils/adenoids might be big causing some problems.  The kid snores, grasps to get get his breath sometimes, you can see him positioning his neck and tongue to get the air sometimes.  He's also had trouble swallowing, waking up at night, and he's constantly clearing his throat.  None of these things are life threatening, but they are annoying and have some affect on him.

The ENT confirmed that the tonsils are big.  He said we can do a sleep study to verify the breathing is because of the tonsils, go straight to having surgery, or we can see if he grows out of it (4 yrs).

It's an outpatient surgery, but I'm torn on this.  It's still surgery that carries a risk, but it could make life better.  Then again it's not causing a terrible life.  One more thing for DH and I to talk about tonight.

Re: blergh

  • Ugh.  Good luck with making a decision. 

    I have huge tonsils.  My Dr said they're some of the biggest she's ever seen.  I had issues with Strep as a kid.  I was one more strep infection away from getting them yanked.

  • WzzWzz member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    i know i have said it a dozen times before, but i had extremely large tonsils and had them removed when i was 4. apparently it helped my speech, hearing, and eating a lot having had them removed. they caused a lot of grief when i was young, and i haven't has strep since the surgery. i was underweight for a long while before that.

    is 4 the age that people normally wait for tonsilectomy?

    poor kid, and poor mama having to worry. good luck.
  • I had lots of sore throat issues as a kid and had my tonsils out in first grade.  I can actually remember the trip home from the hospital and my parents got me ice cream at McD.

    Good luck with everything.  ::hugs::
  • My son was having issues with this. He was a "mouth breather", slept poorly, and had one ear/nose/throat infection after another. When he was 4 we made the choice to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. (I actually had my tonsils out the same day, having it done as an adult is TORTURE). He recovered very quickly, was talking/laughing that same day. Days 2 and 3 were a little harder, as he was healing and we had him on a constant regimen of pain medication (if they miss a dose and you "get behind" the pain, it's basically impossible to get on top of it again, FYI), so he was a zombie and slept a lot.
    However, he's now 6 1/2 and has his first sinus infection (or any infection, for that matter) since surgery. The other issues (sleep, breathing, eating, etc) have all improved so incredibly much, it was literally overnight (with the surgery). He seems happier, and is for sure healthier.
    Hope a "first hand" experience helps some, if anything, at least to know you're not alone, and it sucks trying to make that call. Good luck.
    Praying for a miracle!
  • decisionis suck.
  • WzzWzz member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    i know this is not helpful at all as the mom, but i remember the experience of having them out as a kid, and it was weird and fun.

    i was uncomfortable when i was going into anesthesia, and the expereince was embarassing and awkward. but, i was so young and the nurses were so nice that i cannot remember feeling scared or upset. i stayed in the hospital for the day, watched TV, and then had ice cream and jello. i think i even got a new toy out of it. it was as if i won a prize or something. i didn't talk for a couple of days, but i remember having fun with it.
  • Thanks for the input.  I think one problem I'm having is that he's never had strep and has only had two ear infections.  If he was sick all the time it would be easier. 

    I was hoping this was the year we didn't have big medical bills.

    I was 12 when I had mine out.  I remember the crying for my mom and brother when I was waking up.  A nurse pinched me and said if I didn't shut up I'd never see them again.  We were moving my grandma to a nursing home the next day.  I remember sleeping on her couch until they moved it and having my first Big Mac for lunch.  What was my mom thinking giving me a Big Mac?
  • Yuck - these types of decisions are hard.

    WTF at the nurse you had after surgery!  Nurse Ratched indeed.
    image
  • I don't know if/when the Doctors comes on in your area, but they are showing new,better, easier way to remove tonsils.
  • DG1DG1 member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Anniversary First Comment
    The better sleep would make for huge improvements in his mood and temperament (and I know he's not overly moody or temperamental for a 4yo). 

    He might drop his nap, though. A friend finally got her daughter's out at about age 4. The poor girl was sleeping so horribly at night that she was still napping for like 3 hours/day and even then was walking around pretty tired. They saw a huge improvement.

    But I hate to rely on anecdotes like that. Mostly because I know so many people with good anecdotes about ear tubes, and studies have suggested strongly that it's just the placebo effect. 

    So yeah. Decisions suck. Sometimes I dreamily remember my old life when my decisions affected almost no one and I had little to lose. 

    image
  • DG- he rarely naps now.  He took two a few weeks ago, but hadn't had any in months before that.  I asked the doctor if there were side effects or benefits.  He said the downs are mainly the just the ones with any surgery.  There is new research that it can reduce doctor visits, but he kind of shrugged.  Kids that are getting strep have them out then don't have strep so duh. 

    Pkat- that show is on at 2 here.  I might have to check it out.
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