Daughter Getting Tonsils Out - What to Expect?

My friends that have been through this with kids say day 3 is the worst. I think the total recovery time is about 10 days. Good Luck:)

I agree with the others--the first week is pretty miserable and stay on top of the pain meds. My son was 7 and a pretty tough kid and this procedure was rough on him. Stay on top of the hydration too. My son almost ended up back in the hospital with dehydration. I followed him around with a cup of ice chips and spooned them into his mouth at every opportunity. He "turned the corner" on day 9. There is a time after they've started feeling better in which they relapse a little. I can't remember the day, but it's after the healing has started and them some of the healing tissue "sloughs off." It doesn't last too long though. It's not a fun recovery, but at least for our son it was worthwhile and alleviated the problems he was having that necessitated the surgery in the first place. Good luck.

My daughter was 4 when she had tonsils and adenoids removed. She startled awake at one point, sat up really fast then went back to sleep. When she did wake about an hour later, she was a little disoriented but I was right there with her and she was fine after she saw everything was okay. In contrast, there was a 1 yr old on the other side of the room. When he woke up, he was scared (totally expected and had the same experience when my son had surgery at that age). But the parents freaked out because he was crying and screaming. This just made it worse. So stay calm yourself and everything should be fine.
She will be sore for a while. I have heard some only had a couple of days. My daughter was sore for about 2 weeks, the beginning was worst of course. She had some trouble sleeping because it hurt. She had it done just happened to coincide with Easter break and returned to school a little sore but her teachers helped her with cold water and such.

My son was about that age maybe a year older. He did not freek out when he woke up but I was holding him when he woke. He was in a lot of pain. They will give you pain meds. Follow the instructions to a T. Don't let it wear off or you will be sorry. Even at night you want to wake her when it's time to take another dose. I think he was out of daycare from 3 to 5 days. They will tell you how long. He was still on the meds when he went back. Good luck!!!

My son had his out a month ago. Depending on personalities, they all come out of the anesthesia differently. My daughter, who is a drama queen, cried a lot and was very angry. My son, just cried a little, and just wanted me to hold his hand. Very different reactions, but appropriate for their personalities.

You can expect pain for at least 7-10 days. Give the meds every 3 hours. Stay on top of the pain so it doesn't get out of control and you wind up in the ER. That means waking up every 3 hours at night to give meds. With my son, by day 5 we no longer had to wake him at night, but did give him meds right before I went to bed and then at 6am. If they give your daughter a narcotic for the pain, just try it the first day or two then see how she does on just the Tylenol and Motrin.

The surgery only takes 20-30 minutes max. My son was done as outpatient. We waited longer to have the surgery than the surgery and time in recovery put together.

Our ENT recommended 7-10 recovery/no school for a week. My son's surgery was on a Friday, and he missed Monday -Thursday of the next week. He was fine by Thursday to go back, but I didn't want to push him. He's 5 and in kindergarten, so he didn't miss all that much. :)

Expect stinky breath for 7-10 days. It's the throat healing, but it's awful. :)

Good luck!

The anesthesia leaves them a bit out of sorts but as soon as it wears off they are ok. First day or two will be a bit rough, but then the worst should be over. My son never got any pain meds, Tylenol works well

I had mine out at 17. No picnic.

She's going to have a super sore throat for about a week. Drinking will be painful, and for the first 2-3 days, any swallowing will feel like razor blades. So I wouldn't expect much consumption from her.

Apart from her throat, she'll be fine. Waking up from a general or twilight anesthisia...I've always been groggy. Very sleepy. Never freaked out. It's going to take her awhile to wake up fully. She'll sleep most of the day of surgery.

Sugery took about an hour. I missed a few days of school.

Not every child panics when they wake up. My son didn't. Use an ENT who works a lot with children. Talk to him or her about how things will proceed before the surgery. "Giggle juice" (versaid) will help your child relax. They can let her continue to play while it takes affect. Once it takes affect, they carry her out while you are smiling and saying goodbye to her. They will give her some gas to breathe, and when she's "out", THEN they give the IV.

Talk this through with the doc. The point is that they want to keep her calm. She'll be more likely to wake up calm too. Just be with her when she wakes up, smile and be very calm yourself.

Make sure you keep pain meds in her just like the doc orders. If they don't seem to be enough, make sure you call the doc and talk to them. Make sure she sucks on popsicles. Let her watch TV - it helps to keep her mind off the pain. If she doesn't want to hydrate, threaten to turn off the TV (that worked with my son.)

I'd say a week at least for missing school.

Good luck!
Dawn