ENT Surgery ~ What Questions to Ask?

Hi E., I work for 3 ENT's and used to do their surgery scheduling and was asked many ??'s. I would strongly recommend getting the following things ready for when you come home from surgery: Post-op instructions, any pain meds prescribed already filled, comfort items for your child such as lollipops, popsicles and such and the office # handy with any after hours care instructions. DO NOT be afraid to call after hours even if you think your ? is silly... Bring with you to surgery a comfort item and ask to be with your child until he is put under. Most of all relax - I know is hard when it's your baby. The procedures he is having done are very common and they wouldn't do it unless they had to. Most recovery for these procedures is from the anesthesia. For kids it's really light anesthesia but our patients would ask for anti-nausea meds prior to anesthesia. Depends on your anesthesiologist if they do it or not.. I hope this helps you.. K.

My daughter had her tonsils and adnoids removed at 2 1/2 and my son at 2 1/2 had to have tubes put in and adnoids removed.
I first would read up on the procedures so you know what to expect. You need to ask whatever questions are truly a concern to you. Only you know that. I think I was more like recovery times, what to do for them to make them comfortable, what to expect when they are coming out of anesthesia and so on. I know both of my kids did really well, my son moreso as he was up and eating an omelet three hours after his surgery. My daughter had a tougher time the first 24 hours. Make sure at his age are they keeping him overnight? That will help you and keep him monitored appropriately. I know the cut off on over night with my ENT is three. My son was recovering so well they let him go home the same day. Having my daughter at the hospital overnight helped me, she had a tough time and the nurses really helped control her pain and help me figure out how to care for her gonig through this.
In five days my daughter was fully recovered. Sounds like your son is going through a lot all at once, make sure all this at once isn't overload for his young body. I know your ENT is probably very experienced but make sure you ask whatever you feel like you need to know. Be prepared when they start waking up they will be out of it and crying more then likely, all I did was sit and hold my babies for a good hour after surgery. Make sure you can go in until they are asleep to make it less scary and then be there when they are coming out of it. Make sure the surgical nurses are good with kids too! Have your son visit the area he will go, talk to him about the mask they put on his face and why..it will lessen it being scary and don't freak if he fights it for a second as that is very normal response for the first time going under. Have him take a favorite toy too, both of my kids took a favorite stuffed toy and they put a armband on both of them, let them go in with him and were there for him when he woke up. It helped, even my daughters doll got a surgical mask and hair net thing and my daughter thought that was so cute. The anesthesia can make them sick to their stomach too, so be prepared. It did with my daughter which was hell because she had her tonsils out and you have to be so careful with her throat, my son however had not one problem! Good luck and God bless.

With any surgery, write these things down:

What is the name of the anestheia?
What is the name of the antimicrobial/antibiotic?
What are the name of the sterilization liquids?
What pain medication will you give him immediately? (name and type: ibuprophen product, acetometephin, asprin, steroid)
Will you give him something topical for the incision? What will it be?
What are the names of the attending nurses?
What is the room name/number the surgery will take place?
Who will come tell me if there are complications?
Who will perform the procedure if you are incapacitated?
Where will my child go after the procedure?
Where will I be while the child comes out of anesthia?
May we choose a sterile blanket together before the he goes under that can be put with him as he is coming out of the anesthia, so there is something familiar and comfortable? (Suggest a baby hospital blanket. They put them on newborns, they should be good enough.)

Obviously, recovery and pain questions are important, but I don't think the above were mentioned in previous postings.

These are important precautions. They will send you a list of things when they bill, and you should be able to cross-reference this list of answers. Surgery is well planned out, so they should have answers to all of these. The first set is important in case your child has a reaction to something, you have a definitive list of what those things are. The blanket question is important because as a child, I had general anestheia and I remember coming out of it in a metal, cold, hard, scary box. The second surgery, I had a comfort item and I don't even remember the room I was in.

Good luck

So sorry you are having to go and your child are having to go through all that. I am a nurse and would recommend asking how long will his recovery take? What are the possible complications (during and after surgery)? Will there be any restrictions if so for how long will they be for? Will this cure his problem or just help it? What medications will he have to go home on? What will the immediate after surgery time be like (this will eleviate a lot of fears on the day of surgery about how long you have to wait and assuming what that means, and what he will look like when you do see him i.e. will there be bandages, iv's ect...) Those are all helpful things to know. Good Luck and hope everything goes well.

My son has had several surgeries all similar to what your son is having. I would want to inform you to ask about the possibility of having a follow up surgery. My son had his adenooids out but when he had his next surgery, they had to remove more tissue that grew back being that he is so young. The good news is that the recovery for the little guy will be quick. Also ask about the anesethia (spelling?) they are using and any side effects. I know that putting your son through surgery can be scary and also want to let you know it is much easier on the kids than it is on us as the parents. I wish you the best.

Hey,
My daughter who is 18 months old just had this surgery on Feb.
4th. The surgery went great. The only thing was we had to stay in the hospital longer because we found out my daughter has asthma. The Doctor wanted to make sure that her oxygen when not drop while sleeping. Everyone took really good care of her. She was up and playing and running the next day. My surgeon gave me a packet and went through it with me. Then when we went to the hospital for the preop the nurse went though everything again. I was mostly concerned with her comfort and how to take care of her after the surgery. I was also curious as to when I would find out the results to the biopsy if something was removed. Good Luck!

My son had his adenoids and tonsils out along with tubes at 10 months. He went to the best surgeon in Denver and it was a really quick procedure with fast healing. Although I dont know anything about those other things you are having done I wanted to recommend our doctor. He is World renown. His name is Dr. Nigel Pashley and he works down at Presbyterian St. Lukes. It is Children's Ear, Head & Neck Assoc. i would consult with him first if he is not your doctor before doing anything. The number is ###-###-####. He was wonderful with my son and has been doing this for many, many years. I wouldn't have been comfortable having it done any place else.

Before you go through with the surgery have you considered chiropractic? My son was getting an ear infection almost every other week and I started getting him adjusted regularly and he hasn't had an ear infection since and only been sick once but his recovery time was much faster. They were planning to put tubes in his ears and now I'm so happy they didn't and we went with chiropractic. A lot of places have affordable plans for families and the amount you save in doctors visits and sick time is totally worth it.

I would do lots of research before your appointment. My son was referred to National Jewish for a bronchoscopy and in the process I found he was referred to that specific doctor because she could do a less invasive, more information procedure. I'm sorry I don't know the name. As of July, she was only the 3rd doctor in America to be licensed to do the procedure. We're still possibly facing the procedure, but I know that she will do whichever one is better for our son. I would make sure that you have complete faith in the surgeon. Also, if you have any doubts, you're most likely going to meet you deductible if you have one, so if you decide to do it at different times, it's not going to be much of an extra cost. It just sounds like a lot to me for one day. I know they're all pretty routine, but it's different when it's your child since it's not your routine. GL

That's a lot of stuff! Without knowing his diagnosis, it's hard to be too specific about what questions. However: what type of anesthesia will be used and how will it be given? Can you stay with him until he goes under anesthesia? What might go wrong with these procedures and what would be done in that case? What do we expect to learn from the bronchoscopy, laryngoscopy and biopsy? How soon will we have the results and who will notify me? How long will he need to be observed/how soon will he go home afterwards? What sorts of problems should I expect when he comes home afterwards? When should I call about post-op problems and who should I call?

Hi E.,
I may be very off with this response because I don't know what most of those procedures are but I had my tonsils removed & my sinus cavity repaired at the same time when I was 27. I did them together to get it out of the way but it was a huge mistake. I didn't think (nor did my doctor tell me) that to breathe you have to use your mouth OR your nose. Both things were extremely difficult & painful since I had them done at the same time. So, I'm completely guessing but I assume a balloon sinuplasty is something with your sons sinuses & the other 3 would be with his mouth. If that guess is right, I would talk to the doctor about a comfortable way for him to breathe.

Good luck with the procedures. I hope all goes well!
T.

I haven't had my children experience these, but as a nurse these would be the questions I would ask if it was one of my children.

Did the surgeon's give you any reasons for these particular procedures? Ask questions like: Why are these needed? - esp. the biopsy? What exactly are you looking for or looking to rule out? What are the risks, both short-term and long-term regarding these procedures? What types of side effects can I expect to see? Which side effects require me to take my son back to the hospital?

Piece of advice - if they say it's ok to give him fluids in the form of popcicles - stay away from the red ones. They will make it very difficult to tell if there is any oozing from the surgical sight resulting in him coughing up any blood.

My son had his tonsils and adnoids taken out when he was 3 1/2. He had a very rough time in the recovery room after awaking from the anesthetic. He was in a lot of pain and was having a hard time breathing. He ended up staying in the ICU for 36 hours. We went in at 7am on Friday and came home at 5pm on Monday. I know he had a hard time partially because he has Cerebral Palsy and couldn't communicate to tell us what was wrong. I would talk to your doctor about what kinds of things they do in recovery to keep the kids calm and comfortable. Our ENT told us that they usually won't do these kinds of surgeries on small children unless absolutely necessary because older children understand better why they are in pain. I'm assuming if your son is having all of those procedures done at his age it is because it is necessary.

You sound like a smart, educated person. Surgeons do surgery. The answer isn't always to cut out the body parts. The body is 2/3rd water. It stretches and moves. If you know of a gentle therapist who can work on your little one a few times, that should take care of it. The adnoids will move, the sinuses will move, etc. Keep the little one on some acidolphilles or probiotics to rebuild the immune system and increase the dose when symptoms increase. Maybe 6 months to a year and all should be good. I hate to see the body cut apart and thrown away and I'm sure you hate to see your loved one suffer. Maybe the surgery won't leave scar tissue that causes the problem later down the road. As you can tell, I'm a soft-tissue therapist...18 years. Maybe one is in your area. Good luck

E.,

If it were me I would look into the holistic side of all this. That is a lot to do at once on any one young or old. I have not yet gone through all this with my kids but I do know this get a second and maybe even a third opinion. Just because one doctor thinks that way does not mean that it is right. I wish for the best of luck to you and your son. No matter what you do keep the faith that everything will work out.

Hello,
My son is 6 adn 2 weeks ago had his adenoids, tonsils taken out and a lavage on his sinuses, he did awesome, I was very surprised. Kids bounce back so quickly. He had his adenoids taken out for the first time when he was 18 months old, they then grew back. He did awesome that time also. If you have a great surgeon, they should tell you all the side affects, and answer all and any questions you may have. We had Dr Poznanovic, and she was wonderful. Keep giving him his pain meds, with some food and he will come through it like a champ!!! If I can answer any questions, I would be glad to do that.

My oldest daughter (now 12) and my youngest daughter (just 3) both had tonsils and adenoids out. Ask questions about the anesthesiologist. Both had good ones, but prepare yourself for a child you don't recognize when the "come out" of the anesthesia. Oldest took my husband and me to hold her down and comfort her (she was only 5 at the time). The other was not even three yet and was really freaked out too. You just need to know that they are not doing it on purpose and that they will be fine. Both times the surgery had no complications and not too much pain.

I'm sosrry, but I think all of those things that they want to take out are suppose to stay in his body. We were going to have our 2nd son's adenoids taken out when he was about 2 or 3 until a friend of ours chewed us out and said to find the root of the problem and save his adenoids. We listened thank HEAVEN and he is now 16 years old with his adenoids. The adenoids were put there for a reason and if you remove it it will not be there to assist the rest of the body to function as it was made to function. People will say its job is not important but that will be a choice you will be taken away from your son for the rest of his life. My mother had my tonsils removed when I was young only because she didn't know any better and tonsils are the first line of defense to ward off infections. Most doctors now days only know how to cut out and prescribe poison. Not their fault for following what they have been taught but it is up to us parents to explore all options and I mean all and quit leaving everything up to everyone to make choices for us. You sound very educated so please explore. We found with our son that dairy products of all sorts were the root of the problem. When he decides to eat any dairy, his body lets him know. Goats milk was an alternative because it was not mucous forming. Check out our website at: www.myhexagonalwater.com & www.thewatertruth.com/evidence. Go to "MOVIES" then "COLON CLEANSE". It is about the most important thing our body is missing. I hope I wasn't too hard on you but I do care, M.