My 12 y.o. DD Is Having Her Tonsils and Adenoids Removed This Week. Any Advice?

My son had both out one month ago and he is 6.
Keeping hydrated is the best way to get a fast recovery so I explained that to him before the procedure. He knew it would hurt when swallowing, but knew the outcome would be best.
I turned our humidifier on in the room he'd be staying in after we returned from the procedure.
I purchased a bed tray so that he could eat, draw, etc without getting up if he didn't feel well enough to.
Make sure you have lip balm ready -- they breathe through their mouths for a few days due to swelling in the nose - and they get really dry.
YOu can refrigerate the medicine. All things cold are great through day 5 or 6.
Referred ear pain sets in around day 6 or so for a few days, have a heating pad ready for that.
The ear pain can be worse than the throat pain.

I kept my son ultra hydrated and I do believe that helped him get better quickly - he went back to school on day 9.

He constantly had ice chips, ice water, applejuice, popsicles, jello, and slushies for 7 days.
He preferred to eat pancakes, oatmeal, jello and really soft breakfast bars cut up small.

Stay ahead of pain medicine timing. If he needs it every 5 hrs, then start the procedure of giving it at 4.5 hrs, -- you never want to get "behind" the pain. I did this for 3 days -- after that, the pain wasn't so bad.

No nose blowing for a couple of weeks ..... just an fyi.

Keep a flashlight handy -- I looked at his throat a couple of times a day to check for bleeding.

We never had any complications - it was a rough first 5 days, but it goes by fast.

Hope all goes well. Explain the hydration to him and that should make healing process faster for him.

I stayed away from ice cream, pudding, milk shakes and yogurt until about day 4 (after scabbing was totally in place). Some folks will stay to stay away from dairy due to it making saliva thicker ( you don't want to have anything stick his throat - it will irritate it - throat needs to stay clear). ONce the scabs are there, it was totally fine to add dairy. We had no issues whatsoever.

Good Luck,
J.

Hi! I'm not saying this to scare you, but to prepare you. My 9 year old daughter had her tonsils and adenoids removed in January. I fully expected a quick and easy recovery because "kids bounce back so fast." This was not our experience at all. Her tonsils and adenoids were both huge (3,5 - 4 each) and she was in a lot of post op pain. She was prescribed tylenol w/ codeine for the pain and an antibiotic to prevent infection. The antibiotic gave her the runs. The codeine was so hard on her stomache that it made her throw up. She couldn't eat enough food to buffer the meds and became seriously dehydrated. We had to go to the ER on day 5 or 6 for IV fluids because she was not taking in enough. The whole experience was exhausing and rather stressful. She was completely out of commission for two full weeks (fortunately one of those weeks was still school vacation) and no gym or physical activity for another week on top of that. She lost a ton of weight and she didn't have any to lose. She was really tired that first week back at school. Her adenoids were so big that her voice sounded really strange (think Minnie Mouse) and that did go away, but it took a full month. Also, the adenoids were so big that she had to re-learn how to swallow -- food and drink kept going up and out her nose instead of down!!! However (here's the silver lining) it was all worth it. I can't really explain every reason why we had the tonsils out to begin with but the ultimate resolution was better than I ever hoped for. Sleeping well, full of energy, eating well, happy all around. So...good luck to you and your daughter!

I have heard that the recovery depends on how the tonsils are removed. I want to say they can take them out using a laser?? Not sure if that is correct, but I do remember being told about newer techniques that aren't always used, but when they are the recovery is much easier. Maybe just something to ask about. Everything else I could think of has already been stated. Good luck!

My son had his out last week. He is 6. I thought he would be out of it and lethargic for a couple of days. No way, when he woke up, he was ready to go. Home and playing within a couple of hours. It is now 1week and 2 days later and he feels great although he is still having trouble eating. He ate a lot of instant mashed potatoes, jello, pudding, ice cream and ramen noodles. I hear it is much harder for some kids. Good Luck! And as the mother and caregiver, you are entitled to lots of ice cream too!

My 11yr is going in on Wed. for the same. My son (9y) went through it and after the first day he was fine and ready to play. Kids are so much better at these things then we are. :)