Is There a Voice Change After Tonsil/adenoidectomy?

hi B., they will be allright as long as they rest after the nose and throat thing. my son had his out a couple yr.s ago. he thought being in the hospital was a great thing. he was sore but his voice was o.k. good luck. get well soon. J.

My son had his out at the age of 8. There was no change in his voice other than for the first few weeks he sounded more nasally. That ended with the healing. I am so thankful his are out. I had to fight with my doctor to get it done. He was having a lot of health problems due to the over enlarged tonsils and adenoids. If there is any change in the voice, it is very minimal and unnoticed.

My daughter is 2 and had her tonsils out in December. Her voice did change - it got more high pitched and 'girly'. It almost seems a bit whiny to me but that could just be actual whining at her age! :) As for the recovery, I concur with the other people who posted that the 2 year old will be tough, it was a rough 2 weeks. But we're thrilled it was done and it's like a whole new world for her!

My neighbor's daughter had it done and she went from having a very hoarse masculin voice to a sweet little girl voice.

I had my tonsils and adenoids removed at age 4 and again at age 7 (at that time if removed before age 5 they could grow back as mine did). My voice never changed until I was 16 (at the time I didn't know females voices could go lower just like guys.) So I say don't worry just stock up on popcicles, ice cream, and juices, and cartoons or other small one shows they will be fine. The best of luck to all.

Hi B.....both of my boys had their 2nd set of tubes in and their adenoids out (one at 2 1/2 and one at 2) and their voices didn't change at all. It is always scary to turn them over for big medical procedures, but this one is worth it! Both our boys were a little groggy the afternoon of the surgery, but by dinner time they were back to theirselves. I will pray for all of you :)

C.

Both of my kids had this done. Their voices did change some, but in a good way - less nasal. It made a vast difference in the quality of their sleep. The snoring stopped within a week (once swelling went down).

Stock up before with lots of popsicles and sherbet (avoid ice cream because it increases mucus). The first couple days are rough, but both kids bounced back very quickly.

Good luck with everything,
K.

My daughter had her tonsils & adenoids out when she was 4. It didn't change her voice in a bad way at all. In fact, it made her less nasal and you could really hear her sweet little voice now! She was a little hoarse the first day or so, but as she healed, the voice cleared up. Ditto what another mom said about them being scared/freaked out when they first wake up after surgery...make sure you or someone they know are there. :)

Our son is schedule to have his adenoids out in April. According to our pediatric ENT, our son's voice quality should IMPROVE. He did say there is a very small chance that, due to some structural changes, if the child is unable to learn how to re-work how air flows through the back of his throat, his vocal could become more nasally. But he said in 30 years of doing this surgery, he's only had that happen once and that child had other underlying issues.

My niece(about 3 years ago)and nephew (2 months ago)both had the procedure due to snoring and apnea, and I've not noticed any changes in their voices. They did, however, both experience some disorientation coming out of the anesthesia. This is not uncommon (my SIL-their mother-is a doctor) but can be very scary to witness. I just want you to be aware of the possibility. Good luck!

I ditto what B. H said...my daughters friend just had the procedure and I cannot believe how sweet her voice sounds...just like a little girl again!!

My 6 year old sister just had that done about a month ago. There's no voice change but they will be sore for a long time and not each much for a few weeks. My sister drank liquids and ate soft foods for two weeks and slept/played Wii. Missed a week and a half of school. But no voice change.

My 3 year old dd had her tonsils removed when she was 2 and didn't have any adverse effects on her voice what so ever.

My daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out last May when she was 4 years old. There voices definately changes right after the surgery. Her voice before the surgery was very low..Right after the surgery it was very high. Very different but after a couple of weeks her voice then did even out and even to this day I don't remember what she sounded like before. She sounds just fine now.. nothing out of the ordinary. She loves to sing and she still sings very well. My daughter did very well in recover but don't be scared if they spit up blood for a few days afterwards. It is normal because of all the blood they swallow during the surgery. That was the only very scary thing for me. Make sure to have water ready in the middle of the night. Before surgery my daughter breathed a lot through her mouth at night and snored. After the surgery they have to get used to breathing differently and she would wake up and along with her throat hurting it was very dry and she would gasp. The water would moisten her throat and it helped her alot. She no longer snores which was different for me to get used to since that was how I knew she was breathing since birth. Good luck.

My six year old had an adenoidetomy just seven days ago. Yes, his voice did change. His voice is not so "nasally" anymore. His breathing is so much better and he's not snoring at night.

Good luck.

Hi B.
My Middle child had her tonsil/adenoides removed last year and her voice didn't change. If anything it made her words come out more clearer.

both my kids had this procedure done...doesnt change their voice..just be sure to watch them real close though...my son got a real nasty throat infection,landed him in hospital for 2 weeks...it was really bad....daughter came thru with flying colors....they were 7 when they got it done.good luck

I had them both removed at the end of January and while at first there is a change, it's mainly because you are healing and there's pieces of your mouth missing. That, and my jaws were in extreme pain from being held open during the surgery so it was hard to open my mouth. After everything is healed it goes back to normal. Hope everything goes well for ya.

My daughter was 6 last year when we had hers removed. She sounded like Minnie Mouse for about a month, which no one warned us about. It gradually went away and by 6 months her voice was all better. I was told that they have to learn to move the air differently in their mouths and it takes awhile. I don't know if that's correct, but it did go away.

I would recommend following the directions about giving Tylenol every 4 hours at first, even waking them up through the night the first couple of nights. We found that made a big difference. Anything you can do to get them to drink liquids or crushed popsicles also helps. It's worth it if it's medically necessary. My daughter's sleep apnea is gone, she wakes rested, she didn't get strep a single time this year (previously 3-4 times each winter), and she healthier. It's an amazing difference. Good luck!!!

I was 13 when I had both procedures done. I was born with extra large tonsils and adenoids. I snored quite loudly and I had a string of strep infections right before the surgery.

My voice did change--it was no longer "nasally", but I still sounded like myself. My tonsils grew back within a couple of years (rare, but it does happen).

My 2.5 yr old son had this done 3 weeks ago, and it has changed his voice. Not extreme, but we can certainly tell a difference. I don't think someone who isn't close to the family would be able to spot the difference, but we can. In our case, it was a MUCH needed surgery, so a voice change wasn't an issue. Things went great, and recovery for our son was very quick...and things now are so much better.

My 6 1/2 year old had his tonsils and adenoids removed in December and aside from sounding less "nasal-y", his voice sounds the same! Good luck!!

My daughter had both her tonsils and adenoids taken out when she was 4 (she is now 6). I remember right after the surgery her voice was kind of high and squeaky. After a few weeks her voice went back to being almost the same as before the surgery. I think the hardest part is probably when they wake up from surgery and are scared. Prepare yourself for them crying after they bring you back after the surgery is over since they will be disoriented.

My daughter had sleep apnea before and I was amazed at the before & after difference. Before I could hear her snoring from down the hall and after I have to get right down by her head to hear breathing. There little bodies bounce back very quickly.

Good luck!

I know you have had lots of responses but here is mine...
My 5 year old daughter had her adenoids and tonsils out in December. Her voice did not change at all. And just a heads up... Your 5 year old should do great (they are at the age that they can understand that they HAVE to take the medicine and drink and eat popsicles... to get better). The 2 year old might be more of a challenge. If my younger daughter needs hers out in the future I will probably wait until she is 5. But I totally understand that you probably just want them to both get them done at the same time. Good luck, it is a long road, but worth it :)

My little sister had this done at the age of 5 or so. Her voice was squeaky/raspy/whiny afterwards, in a very irritating way. My mom and I hoped it would go away eventually, and it did. I think it took about six months though.
It's good that you're getting this done now. The younger they are, most of the time the better the recovery. My sister was eating french fries the day after her surgery. On the other hand, our older sister who was around 12 when she had it done, took two weeks to recover.