Ear Tubes and Adnoid Removal

My youngest had this same operation at the same age and went through it just fine. If you are concerned in any way, get a consult from the anesthesiologist. Only they can give you the answers you are looking for.

I wouldn't be too worried about it. And I know that you still will but hear me out. My son had his first set of tubes at 7 weeks old that means he had general anesthia at 7 weeks. He had a second set at 26 mos. old and is totally fine. The only thing I will warn you about is something called emersion dilerium. Basically the kid isn't awake enough to be calmed down and screams and thrashes around while coming out of the anesthia. It doens't happen to all kiddos but is most common from 1-4 years of age. My son experienced this last time he had tubes put in and it was a little scary b/c he NEVER cries and here is is screaming for like 45 min. but then it's over and they gave him a little extra pain meds just in case he was in pain b/c he can't tell us. The benefits of having a none snoring non coughing child with no fluid in his ears who can sleep well definetly out weight the risks!

You need to speak to the doctor and the anesthesiologist re: any other options. Oftentimes, they have to go with general because the child needs to be totally still for the surgery. Especially something involving the ear, head...
My kids have had general done several times for various procedures. It is very scary to see them get put under completely, but it is safe and doctors do the least amount of anesthesia possible for the procedure and the size of the child.

My son has had ear tubes twice and this second time he had his adnoids removed. He was put under general both times with no problems. I think it is better for them because it also helps minimize the pain immediatley following the procedure as well. It won't take very long for them to complete everything and he will probably only be under for 20-35 minutes. My son was 15 months the first time and 4 1/2 this last time. It has made a world of difference for him.

My daughter had tubes put in which did not do the trick thus we did it again. this time we removed the adnoids and ever since then we've had no more runny noses and she is hearing just fine. While there are always chances with any surgery, my daughter didn't have any problems and since it wasn't for an extended period of time I didn't feel it was too risky. I don't know any other measures but wanted to share my experience with you.

Both of my kids had this procedure. It was the best decision we ever made. They aren't out very long at all. You will be very happy with the results. You will realize how little your little man was hearing!! Good luck.

ok so here is the real low down on how this works from a mom of two that has been through it. my son had tubes put in and adnoids removed the first time at 10 months and then he had his adnoids removed again at 4 and his tonsils removed at the same time when he woke up he was mad at the world and cried and cried till they gave him pain meds then calmed down we left the hospital and he cried all the way home until we gave him meds and then he was fine the next day he acted like nothing had happened.my daughter had hers done at 10 months and was playing by the time we got home she cried at the hospital but that was it.it depends on the kid..good luck to you and your little one

my son was 10 months when he had his tubes put in. 11 months to replace a tube that fell out due to so much infection. i know its scary the first go around but he was in and out within ten mins. he is fine, better than having all those ear infections. the doctor that put him under had a son a month older than ours. so i really trusted him that he knew where we were coming from. ask your doctor all the questions you want including your consirnes about general anesthia. i did and it truly helped.

My 3 year old grandson just had tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and tubes place in both ears in Feb. 2009. He has done extremelly well since. He was scheduled to go to a speech therapist, but after the surgery his speech became so much better he did not need speech therapy. I had no idea he was not hearing well until after the surgery, then I saw the difference. Made me feel bad for not recognizing the hearing deficit. He has asthma and had to be medically cleared for general anesthesia. Everything went fine and we came home the same day. Do exactly what the ENT tells you, and it should be fine. My grandson doesn't stay sick with every bug that roars thru the daycare now. His speach and hearing are very much improved. It was a rough 2 weeks after surgery but it was worth it. Google tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and ear tubes and follow the advice, but your ENT has done alot of these surgeries and will have good post-op orders. The only real surprise that I had was when they brought him up to the room from recovery, they had not cleaned the blood from his ears or nose well and I was very shocked to see him that way and it was a shock that they would bring him back to his family like that. So don't be surprised if you see blood that you didn't expect to. I am a nurse and have brought patients back to the floors from surgery and we always made sure they were presentable and looked clean and well cared for. We would have never brought a patient back to the floor the way he looked.

My 22 month old has had general anesthesia 3x and my oldest once. I worried about it each and every time. The one thing that we did which made us feel better was having their procedures done at Strictly Pediatrics (not sure if you are in Austin). They use the same anesthesiologists from Dell Children's Hospital. They never work with adults, only children, so I felt comfortable that they wouldn't accidentally be given too much. The longest she had to be under was for 30-40 minutes. That one bothered me the most. She came out of it crying and scared but she was over it very quickly. They recover very quickly and you should expect him to be back to normal within hours. The tubes changed our lives! You won't regret it. Getting through the procedure is the hardest part. Tubes are very common and it's extremely rare for anything bad to happen. Good luck and I hope it does your little guy some good!

Hi there,

Our daughter, 3, had her adenoids out on May 1. I was very concerned about the general anaesthesia, but everything went just fine. You'll be amazed at how quickly your son recovers and how much better he will be once the operation is done. My daughter had a terrible sinusitis that went on for months (the result of two overlooked vaccinations by her pediatrician - if your child is in pre-school/daycare any he/she hasn't had HIB or Prevnar, run, fast and get them both!) Your son will be groggy waking up and a bit ill-tempered, probably, but it will pass within an hour or two if it works the way it did with my daughter. Honestly, I was so hesitant and am now so glad we went ahead with the surgery.
So, all best to you and to your son!
J.
Austin

My son and grandson have both had this surgery and they have improved greatly. The permanent lose of hearing would be more of a problem. go with it, it is a short surgery and the recovery time is only a day or two for the adnoids.

My son had all done at the same time. Tubes, adnoids and tonsils. He as well was only hearing 30%. They put him under and they had him in and out in about 35 minutes. They kept him in the hospital overnight because of his age and all that he had done. He did not have to have the tonsils removed, but the ENT said that sooner or later they would have to come out, and they would like to do all at once so that they do not have to put him under again. This is a very common procedure and my son had no problems since he had this procedure. It has been over 1 year now.
Best of luck!
J.

My daughter had this done at 2. We knew going in that she would be getting tubes, which requires strong sedation, but not completely out. If her adnoids were to be removed, it would require putting her completely under, which is what happened. Although, the thought of it is scary, it's better to do it under anesthesia. I don't want to scare you, but I think the process used to remove them warrants something stronger. Our ent went up through her nose and shortly after recovery she had blood dripping out of her nose, which is completely normal. With that being said, I can't imagine doing the procedure without anesthesia. Also, 4 months later, our second daughter had just tubes put in and no adnoid removal. Her immediate recovery, the 45 min after surgery, were awful. She was inconsolable. Apparently, the sedating drug leaves them much more irritable than general anesthesia. Good luck. It will be ok and your son will be like a new child when he can actually hear.

My DS had a general anesthesia twice before he was four. The second time was for a T&A. He was also DX'd with sleep apnea. It was a miracle for my DS to have his adenoids removed. His life is so much better. It took him a while to adjust to the new levels of sound and noise, so be prepared for it to bother him for a while (6+ months). The anesthesia will be OK!

what are they gonna do? bonk him on the head? gen anethesia is very safe now. let the doctor do his job and let him perform miracles cuz your baby is going to feel much better after he gets his tubes.....mine did. i promise it will be ok.

Having gone through this just a couple weeks shy of my daughter's first birthday, I can assure you it will be no picnic. I was also worried about the general anesthesia and had a lot of questions. Most surgical centers allow enough time for you to talk to the anesthesiologist just ahead of the surgery. They are very limited about what can be used for children, so they talk a lot of extra care.

I resisted the surgery despite one ear infection after another. What a difference it made in my daughter's talking and balance and general attitude!

My main word of advice is to be prepared for when your son wakes up. He will be disoriented. Saying disoriented may be an understatement. My daughter was INCONSOLABLE. I was alone, so it was hard to hear the post-op instructions and calm her down and keep myself together. Make sure someone is with you.

Good luck. Make the choice you can live with but I pormise it will make a difference!

It sounds scary, but everything will turn out ok. Our son went through it 4 times, and he was fine. He was also 2, when he got his first set of ear tubes.

Good luck.

Hi N.,
sounds like they are on the right track and it is usually not advisable to have the tonsils out before the age of 4- but as soon as you are able I would consider detoxing my home and using products that are more eco friendly,free of toxins......a lot of these issues in children are allergy related. If you are interested just PM me and I can put on the track of some of these products.
good luck and blessings

Did you already speak with the doctor? You could even call and see if you can speak with the anesthetist.
Our daughter went through the exact same procedure and seemed so young. My husband was very worried about anesthesia. He made me put off the procedure so long that our daughter also had hearing loss. Once I showed him the test results he know we needed to do whatever was needed to get her healthy.

He spoke with our physician and had all of his questions answered and then at the hospital, I asked that the actual Anesthetist come and speak with my husband alone. I also had my mother in law come and sit with my husband after we gave him a Valium.

Our daughter did great and my husband survived. I know it is very frightening because they are so young and tiny, but this is what these professionals are passionate about.

It was wonderful that our daughter never had another ear infection and she does not snore. It really helped her attitude also. I think it was the restful sleep.

My 3 year old daughter also snores and had some issues with her hearing test. The first ENT we saw recommended a tonsilectomy, adenoidectomy and tubes immediately and scheduled the surgery that day. I was completely freaking out! I ended up getting a second opinion and the other doctor recommended waiting a bit longer due to her age and size (she is a TINY 3 year old). We're taking her back in the Fall for another checkup and we'll make a decision then, but her pediatrician said the only way he would have the tonsils out is if she was having apnea. I don't know if she is or not, so it's hard for me to know what to do (snoring doesn't necessarily mean they stop breathing), but I was just like you...I did NOT want to put her under anesthesia if it wasn't absolutely necessary. I guess what I'm saying is...get a second opinion if you aren't sure of your decision. It can't hurt! They may agree and then your answer is clear. If they say to wait it out a little, you can take a deep breath and keep an eye on him a little longer. Good luck. I was mortified about all of this and I'm glad we didn't do it, but there is still a possibility we will in a few months.