Adenoid Removal

My son had similar symptoms and had not slept through the night by 17 months. The ENT said his tonsils and adenoids were of normal size, but treated him for reflux. Apparently reflux acid can come up so high that it causes swelling in the nasal passages. He said it is a very common but poorly understood condition, which I interpreted as that it often goes undiagnosed by a regular pediatrician. He has been on prevacid and nasonex for 3 months now and no longer has congestion or frequent night waking. Best of luck to you!

Defnintely a great idea. I'm an allergist and had my son's adenoids removed with tubes from chronic congestion and ear issues. He was a new child later that day! Just beware that sometimes in children under 1 year that anesthesia for adenoids can sometimes be a little slow to wear off.

Hi S.,
it's best to take him now. I had mine removed at 13 or 14 as well as my tonsils. I always bad sinuses and tonsilitis and just bad breathing problems when I was young. It helped for maybe the first year and I was worry free but now at 29 I still have problems breathing. The Dr. said it's better to take them out when they're young because they're less likely to grow back. I think that mine may have grown back or maybe there's something else going on with me.

My 4 1/2 year old just had her tonsils and adenoids removed last November and I can relate with your anxiety. First off, the ENT might not even want to do it. If so, rest assured that the benefits way outweigh the risks. I know that doesn't make you rest much easier b/c this is your child.:) The procedure was about 40 min total and went off without a hitch. I will say that the recovery was very difficult. If it is just adenoids I'm not sure but the double surgery caused my 4 year old so much pain. For about 7 days she was miserable even with heavy meds and then the scabs came off and she was in tons of pain until day 10. It was like she woke up on the 10th day and never had surgery. The reason I am being so honest is b/c no one was with me and I would have liked to have been more prepared for her discomfort. I have 3 other children and I would have planned to have some extra help during that week and a half so I could focus solely on her. Now my daughter sleeps through the night and has not been sick at all so it was well worth it. Good luck!

We had our daughter's adenoids removed and tubes put in both of her ears about 3 weeks before her 2nd birthday. We were also a nervous wreck. That was over a year ago. Looking back now, we wish we had done it sooner. She had chronic ear infections, which resulted in a temporary bilateral hearing loss. She also had a stuffy nose all the time and was a very loud sleeper, though it didn't keep her awake. Even though she was sleeping, she always had dark circles under her eyes, because it wasn't a sound sleep.

The surgery was great!!!! We actually had to touch her to make sure she was breathing at night since she was so quiet. At our hospital, she woke up in recovery away from us with some nurses for monitoring purposes. About 15 minutes later, they brought her to us and she was sleepy, but fine. She laid on my husband's lap for about 10 minutes and then announced she was hungry. She did fine from that point on.

Surgery is definitely scary, but ENT's remove adenoids just about as often as they put tubes in. I've also been told by numerous people, that the younger they are, the quicker the recovery time. Also, recovery from adenoid removal is easier than removal of tonsils.

I hope this helps some : )
J.

Hi S.! I can relate. The surgery is worst on the moms than it is children. My daughter was 11 months old when I had to take her to an ENT for tubes. Please NOTE: My daughter was a Breast fed baby. She stayed congested from 8 days until then. Tubes worked until she was about 19 months old and then one came out and the other tried, so back to the ENT we went again and this time he replaced the tubes and took her adenoids out. Beware! It makes some children snore when they remove them. She just turned 4 this past August and she had to have her tonsils removed (snoring stopped)in Novemeber 2007. She stayed sick once I put her in Pre-K and would cry everytime naptime came and no one including me knew what the problems was until after they were removed. This is how it was explained to me. The adenoids are also a filter and once they are removed the tonsils pick up everything. My daughter's tonsils were so large that they would cut off her air way passage when they made them lay flat on their mats, therefore, she would cry. Her being so young she did not know how to explain this to anyone. So, ask your ENT when and if they think the tonsils need removing too before you send your child to school. My daughter has not even had one cold since the removal of her tonsils also and the tubes have also come out.

I am a 44 year old first time mother of a 4 year old.

DO IT! he'll be so much healthier...and all will be happier with more sleep...you must be miserable, too. follow up with attention to allergies or food triggers and the home environment for triggers. good luck! we waited until our son was 19 to do this...as an adult, it was a trauma...but a welcome relief!

My son had the same thing. He snored really bad. He didn't really wake up, but had trouble breathing. He had the surgery and he is so much better. It is really worth it. The only thing is that when he came out of surgery with coming out of the anesthesia he was so pitiful and crying, but I went back there and held him the whole time. It really worried me and I felt so bad. But it was really worth it. We had no trouble after the surgery either.

Hi S.,

I am new to this site, but your posting caught my attention. I am a mother of two and I work in a chiropractic office. More than likely your son's situation stems from his neck. Can I ask how he was born? I know a lot of times when a child is born the doctor grabs the head a twists, throwing the top bone (the most important bone) out of whack. His spinal cord may be being compressed not allowing his body to heal/function at 100%. Working at the chiropractic office I have seen LOTS of cases where Dr. Heather has been able to help. For example my girls (2 and 5) have never had ear infections or chronic colds or draining. The oldest has been adjusted since she was ruffly your son's age and the little one has been adjusted since she was 7 days old. I know it is a scary thought to see a chiropractor for a child at such a young age but as a parent I would recommend it to anyone. If you have any questions on a personal note please feel free to contact me directly ____@____.com. I would love to talk to you further.

Yours in Health
V.

yes, we had that done with our son last year. He'll be fine, just make sure you are comfortable with the dr. While you are there just have them check the ears too, don't know if tubes might help with it. Good luck.

S.,

My son had his tonsils & adnoids remove as well as a broken nose and a deveated septum repaired last year. He was 14 and the recovery was slow for the first 3 days we kept him comfortable with pain meds. The most important thing about recovery is to keep him hydrated. As soon as he started drinking water and gatorade he felt much better. If you need a doctore call Dr. Terry Good in Duluth and Lawrenceville ###-###-#### he and his staff were wonderful. Good luck and God Bless,
K.

MY daughter was ten when She had this done and did very well. I think the younger more than likely the better.

Hi,yes I have, my son had his adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears when he was 18 months old .I too was a wreck .It took alot longer than the doctor said (it took 2 hours not 45min.)I was ging nuts .Try to stay clam and know that it will help him in the long run .Before he had the tubes he had 13 ear infections and a stuffy nose all the time.My son is fine and he is now 20 years old.

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed last August (she was 2). I was terrified of the surgery, but it went smoothly and she is a new person. She had sleep apnea because her tonsils were so large, they were almost touching. The doctor took out her adenoids out also, because most children have enlarged adenoids if their tonsils are enlarged. The recovery for the tonsilectomy was horrible, but I have heard that adenoid surgery recovery is not bad at all. I know you are worried because your son is so little! It is stressful and scary, but the procedure really helped my daughter. Best of luck to you.

i have a 5 month old who has been very stuffy in the nose since he was born. it gets so bad sometimes that he cant breathe to suck on his bottle or paci. he went to an ENT for a frenulectomy when he was 10 weeks old. (the tongue tie procedure) and the dr did a laryngoscopy and found nothing in there restricting his airway. it was even so bad that during his surgery, he reacted to the anesthesia because of his stuffy nose and stopped breating twice! not to freak you out, but im just telling you my experience with it. ive gone to several doctors thinking that maybe hes lactose intollerant because my older son is, but thats not it.. finally we decided that maybe its reflux. his new dr gave him zantac and believe it or not, its getting a little better. more recently the dr thinks it may also be an allergy to pet dander because his sitter has pets.. who knows, im just saying that if they want to do a procedure involving anesthesia on your babys adenoids, i would be careful and try every alternative before.

I've had two of my children's adnoids removed. It went great, healing quickly. It made a huge difference in their ability to breathe, especially at night. Snoring disappeared too.
T. M

Hi S.,

My son Ryan has gone threw this procdure, like yours my son couldn't breathe properly. He was 11 months old when he had it done. Today 6 months later he is fine, it has improved his breathing 100%. He also started sleeping better after 2 days of having the surgrey. Any surgrey scares us all, in the end you will see the results. God Bless, he will do fine.

A.

Hi S.,
I know how you feel. It is so hard to think of your child having to have surgery. I have 3 kids, all have had to have tubes in their ears and my son has actually had to have 2 sets and his adenoids removed. I was a nervous wreck too. The worst part is the 20 minutes they are away from you in the OR. My son had no problems at all and was actually back to a normal diet by the evening. I just wanted to let you know that in our our experience, the surgery and recovery wasn't bad at all. Good luck to you and your wonderful baby. Hugs!
L.

Hi S.,
My daughter had her tonsils out at age three. I was quite freaked out but everything went smoothly. I knew she had a great doctor. I felt bad seeing her look so pathetic being swallowed by the big old hospital bed but she was loving all of the popsicles. She wasn't uncomfortable for more than a day. I advise you to find a really good book to read while he is in surgery and remember this temporary possible pain is going to bring him overall relief that will outweigh what is temporary. Good luck!
Dee-Dee

My son had tubes put in his ears, adenoids and tonsils out all at once. I too was nervous but I am so glad he had these things done. He doesn't snore anymore, sleeps soundly and when he does get congested(which isn't as often now) it clears up quite well. If the ENT says he does need them removed, I'm sure he'll be fine.

I had my daughter's tonsils and adnoids removed at the same time. It was a piece of cake. I think the younger they are the easier they bounce back. Of course anytime you put you child under you are going to worry. I am sure he will be fine. My daughter wanted to eat right after she woke up. I definately would recommend you go to a children's hospital if at all possible. They really cater to the kids.

My son snored and had sleep apnea from about the same time, he was also sick alot. They finally removed his tonsils and adenoids at 2 1/2. He has been incredibly healhy ever since. Doesn't snore anymore. It fixed his problem. Don't be to afraid of it. It was an outpatient surgery and he went home within 3 or 4 hours. The only thing to do is make sure he drinks. Mine didnt and we ended up back in the hospital, but that was the only problem.

S.,

In Dec 2 days before Christmas, my 16 month old was in surgery. My husband and I were both nervous. She had 2nd degree burns on her legs - 6% body surface was burned. She was in surgery to remove debris and to put a 'fake' skin on her legs to promote healing. She did great. The outcome of surgery was better than if we decided not to do it. It was more dangerous for her to be flown by helicoptor to the hospital than it was for her to have surgery. She was a little cranky after surgery but it was the general anesthesia and once the anesthesia wore off, she was fine. What helped us was during the surgery, my husband and I spent time praying, reading the Bible, and singing praise songs to the Lord. After all, He is the one who blessed us with this little girl. I will keep you in my prayers. Blessings to you.

My son had an Adnoidectomy in 2002, he was 2 years old. It went fine and he was back to himself the next day. The day of the surgery he even played on the playground equipment at the hospital until the tylonal wore off. The rest of the day he slept with doses of tylonal with codine. He is now a healthy 8 year old with the exception of allergies. I am glad he had them out it helped with his breathing and sleeping. The Dr. showed us how big they were and we were shocked. Prayers for a safe surgery and speedy recover.
V. E

We had my son's adenoids and tonsis removed a years ago when he was 5years old. I wish some one would have sujested it sooner. He hasn't been really sick since then. It does take a couple of monthes for them to learn no to sniff every couple of minutes because it does become a habit. But his appetite has increased and is all around better. He even used to have cronic ear infections and has not had one since then. Hope this helps you.

S., From your information your child has an airway obstruction from enlarged adenoids which will also block the "tubes" from the ears & cause ear infections. You should be pleased because it seems that you are receiving good advice. It is normal for a parent to be nervous when their child needs surgery. Hope everything goes well!

When my son was a baby, he had chronic ear infections, several a year until he was 2 1/2. He had 3 different sets of ear tubes inserted, also. We began to be concerned that his hearing would be affected. We finally agreed to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. While the surgery itself was successful, in the following year, he developed pneumonia 3 times. We had merely exchanged upper respiratory infections for lower respiratory infections. The adenoids are very important for filtering out bacteria and viruses. Of course, my son was an extreme case, but make sure you weigh all the possibilities.

Maybe you could ask your pediatrician if sinus surgery could achieve the same relief for your baby. You didn't mention if your son has swollen tonsils and adenoids or sore throats that would necessitate their removal.

My child was 6 when she had her adenoid removal. She had had chronic ear infections that we could not clear up, so she had tubes placed in her ears and had the adenoid removal. It was the best thing we have done. She has not been sick since the surgery a year ago. I will warn you to prepare yourself, a child waking from anethesia is very disturbing. My daughter screamed and cried and genuinely was scared. I guess they do not understand the weird sensations they are feeling - my daughter said the ceiling was crawling. But the good news is she doesn't remember any of that and within a day or two she felt fine. Plenty of liquids and ice cream. Best of luck...

I was lucky to know a graduating class of pediatricians from Emory University in Atlanta when my daughter was 3 months old. She, too, had terrible congestion and her ears were clogged...I asked them, as a fluke, while I was in their presence, and they told me that at three-four months, most babies begin to hold their bottles on their own...and it's the first time parents get a break...but the babie's arms are still not strong enough to hold the bottle upright, so we lay them down flat and put the bottle in their mouth, and their little arms can barely hold it there...

The ear canal are almost level, not at angle like ours, and the milk flows back into the ear canal and putrifies... as tempted as it might be to let your baby hold their own bottle, don't let them lie FLAT on their backs, as the milk goes back into the ears.

I stopped my daughter of drinking while lying flat, and her earaches went away!
I have told many people this, and it has helped...hope it helps your baby!!

Just want you to know that my son who is now 8 years old had his adnoids and tonsils taken out at 2. He was also not sleeping through the night and had reacurring ear infections. We had PT tubes put in both of his ears. He was extremely stuffy in the evening and upon going to bed. I really think that the adnoids will help. I was very glad that I did have it done. I did finally take him to an allergist at 2 and he does have allergies. Anyway I wish you the best of luck. I was a nervous wreck as well, but in the long run I did what was best.

I wish my daughter had had the surgery when she was younger. It is the best thing we ever did. She was 4 yrs. old and she bounced back from it the next day --- unlike her tonsils that were removed 6 years later -- that was a terrible recovery. I have read that when they have breathing problems at night they can become mouth breathers (which she did become). Mouth breathing too long can cause the heart to become enlarged which you don't want. The bad thing that has stayed with her for having her adenoids in too long is that she developed what they call a "tongue thrust". The tongue pushes in the wrong place in the mouth because it was placed differently due to the mouth breathing and it then pushes against the teeth. Now as a 14 year old once her braces come off she will have to have a permanent retainer if she wants her teeth to stay in place due to the tongue pushing agains them. I say that you are lucky to get those bad adenoids out so they won't cause those other problems in life. Just do it and be grateful they are gone! Relax, I think your child will do fine.

My five year-old had his adenoids taken out and drains put in his ears when he was two years old. It is horrible when they take your groggy baby away for surgery and leave you with the comforting message that they'll take good care of him. However, the surgery takes only about fifteen minutes and is very safe; tonsils are a bigger deal. The worst part for me was when Adrian came out of surgery and was waking up. He was crying, coughing, and very pathetic.-And the IV was in his ankel! The hospital staff rushed us to get him to drink something, which is their clue that they can send the patient home. I would have felt better if they had kept him for a little while, like they would have when I was little (20+ years ago). Have faith in your doctors, but know that they rush you through.
Best of luck,
C..

Hi S.,
I haven't gone through it personally, but I have talked with several mothers who have.
I am a registered nurse in the recovery room(PACU) in northeast Georgia and we do about 10 adenoid surgeries on little ones daily. Immediately after surgery, the stuffiness is still there for the most part, but as time progresses, it gets better. We encourage plenty of cool/cold fluids, including juices, and popsicles. Majority of the time, the kids really like that and it helps them to feel better.
Nekki R. RN

both my kids had the same problem and had the same procedure done and what a difference it made.

I say you are lucky to have the option to get this proceedure done early. My oldest daughter is now almost 7 and still suffers from these symptoms. She doesnt get restful sleep, she tosses and turns, snores, grinds her teeth and moans all night long. Doctors have said that her adnoids are swollen, but being military overseas, it is almost impossible to get any type of surgery done.
My little sister is now 10 and suffered the same sleep apnea. She had her adenoids removed when she was much younger. It was a quick proceedure and healed within a day or two and now she sleeps peacefully.
I know it can be very nerve wracking to put your child through anything that may hurt, but in the long run it will make things so much better for him. He wont have to go thru the horrible nights as he grows older.
Good luck.