Reassurance That I Am Doing the Right Thing

My 3 year old had the same surgery in August at Children's Hospital. We were also very nervous and scared. Everything went perfectly and he woke up wanting a popsicle. He had to spend the night because of his age, but he just continued to eat losts of popsicle slushies and we went home early the next morning. The hardest part for us was keeping him quiet and calm for 2 weeks. We watched a lot of movies, read books, and put together a ton of puzzles.

Good luck, It is SOOOO worth it in the end. We now have a peaceful, quiet sleeper with no signs of sleep apnea.

M.

C.,
My sister and I had ours removed when I was three ~ I'm forty-two now...
The only thing I remember is all the popsicles, ice cream and jello we could have AND one very MEAN nurse! lol
My parents weren't at the hospital the whole time with us as we had a younger brother, so Mom was taking care of him overnight, etc. I think that was the bad part for me being so little at the time.
Also, as far as I know, there's been no ill affects of the surgery.
Obviously, there's a reason to surgery's been recommended, so I'm sure you're little one will be better off after.
Say a prayer for your child and a couple for the surgeon and try not to worry.
S.

My son had a Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia that was repaired when he was just 30 hours old. Then he had bilateral inguinal hernias at 2 months. Sometimes you just have to know that you chose a good doctor who has trained for many years to fix something you, as a mom can't and let him take over. I know how hard it is to hand your child over to someone else. I'm sure everything will be OK. My son is now almost 4 and other that the physical scars, you wouldn't know he had a problem! Have faith. Good doctors are known for being good doctors for a reason...their good! We will keep your little one in our thoughts on Monday...be sure to post when she's all better, for I'm sure she will be!

K.

Hi C.,

My son had the same procedures at San diego Childrens Hospital when he was 6! was the easiest thing ever! He was out of surgery so quickly, recovered within the three hour time frame from the anesthia, and took about a week for his throat to feel better but lots of movies, sleep, book reading, popsicle eating and jello. We also got him a stuffed lion to go through surgery and he named it Courage. he still has that lion today and he is now 10! I also noticed in general he rarely gets sick since he had his tonsils out and he can hear and sleep better. no worries!:)

My son is 20 monthes old. He has had eye surgery, tubes in his ears and three sedated hearing test. I never felt nervous until they started trying to reassure me that everything was go to be fine. So I'm sure that given your profession you are very nervous. It is obvious that you are a caring mom who has done her research. You would never have agreed to this operation if you didn't think it was going to improve you daughter's quality of life. I am always amazed at how quickly my son bounces back. A little extra love and attention and she will be back to normal before you know it. Good Luck!!!

I would personally say to give them Pedilite popsicles to help them stay hydrated. I would stay away from sugar. If jello do sugar free. As you know as an RN half a teaspoon of sugar sets the immune system back 3 1/2 hours. Your daughter will need her immune system to be full functioning. Also there are allot of natural ways you can boost her immune system to help her. First off ensure she is hydrated now. Give her lots of water and if you need to do it as a juice/water combo then go for it. Ensure she is totally hydrated and perhaps some herbs to help enhance her immune system now so that she may recover faster. As a parent I can completely comprehend how you feel. For me I just pray I ask for my childrens spirit guides to be with them, for gods love to emerge from within them. I ask for her protective angels to keep her reassured and safe. I am very much spirital and I truely believe in GOD. I know that this is happening to help you both grow it is all about growing thru each of our fears. You will learn from this experience. I will light a candle for you and your daughter. Remember to breathe at times that is what we forget the most. She is going to be okay. So will you. Trust.

My sisters and I had the same surgeries 20 years ago and I don't remember being in pain. I liked all of the jello and the attention. My only suggestion is to make sure she sticks to the suggested food list. My older sister ate something too tough to swallow and had some bleeding. Nothing serious but it scared her. Your little one will be just fine.

I actually had that surgery when I was 7. I can remember being very scared but it went fine. I was sore for a couple of days and only ate very soft and cold things. The thing I remember the most was in the middle to the night after the surgery I vomitted blood. My parents were really scared and they called the doctor. It turned out not to be abnormal and I was perfectly fine. I just remember that it was very very scary for me. Since I got the surgery I have had strep throat once and before then I had it ALL the time so that is nice.

Lots and lots of sherbert (orange was my preference) and whoever in the family caters to them :) when i was young and had that same procedure my gramma came to help take care of me and provided me with lots of icecream. I know thats silly but it will help console you and your baby's throat...! hope that brings at least a smile to your face

My daughter had the tubes implanted in her ears and her adenoids removed last January. Her adenoids were so big, that they were a source of infections. She was only 2 years old. Before the surgery she used to have infections all the time. After the surgery everything changed for better. She hasn't been sick since then. It was scary when she came back from the surgery. She was very upset, crying a lot.The doctor said it was normal behavior once the anestysia runs off. The recover was fast. The first week seemed she was snoring worse than before the surgery, but the doctor also said that was normal. After the first week everything started to look better and we don't regret our decision. Good luck with your daughter.

I hope that the surgery went well. My 2 year old had the same surgery in august with Dr mancuso and the recovery was horrible. I was afraid my son was never going to be sweet again but it has been a month and it was the BEST thing we could've done. He had his done for breathing problems while sleeping and now he is doing so good. I am so glad we did it

I am so sorry you had to go through this today and I hope that your child is well. My daughter had this surgery at four years old and it was a very difficult healing process. She refuesed the pain medication because it tasted so bad but she couldn't eat unless she took it. She literally lost 5 pounds in the week after her surgery. She looked so frail and sad and it broke my heart. I would say (and I know this sounds bad) hold your child down if you have to and get that pain medication down him. It's better than him not eating for days. Lots and lots of popsicles, favorite movies, and tons of hugs. Your child will be better before you know it! Blessings, C.

C. B,
Kids are so resilient it is remarkable. They bounce back fairly quickly. One thing that helped my kids were popsicles. NOT ice cream. Make sure your child gets plenty of rest, and can just kinda camp out on the sofa and watch TV or play a game, things that will keep her mind off the pain. And offer lots and lots of popsicles!! Good luck to you all! (-:

A.

Hi - my name is C. too ;)

My 3 y.o. just had a tonsilectomy after having montly bouts of strep throat. She had a wonderful doctor (Dr. Dean) and the staff at the Ft. Lowell surgical center in Tucson were amazing. They took the time to explain everything to us and her. She was allowed to bring a stuffed animal in - and was able to wear her pajamas. The moment she woke up we we were with her. The surgery itself took about 20 min total.

The recovery was pretty smooth - although pain can set in more so later that day after the meds have worn off some - so keeping her pain under control was sometimes challenging. Lots of pudding, ice-cream, fruit smoothies (we added fiber and protein powder when possible to anything she ate) so she wouldn't become constipated, and could get the nutrients she needed. The most important thing is keeping them hydrated since it hurts to eat/drink. We got her different flavored Gatorade and kept it in a sports bottle that she could sip from.

Best of luck to your daughter - and you!! Hang in there ;)

-C.
____@____.com

Hi C.
We just went through the same surgery about a month ago. It was really hard for me. I cryies the who time my sone was away, but he really surprised us by woke up pretty quickly and we took him home after about an hour of recovery. He got a little sick but was up and playing by that evening and was back to complete normal with in two days. It is scary, but just trust that she is in good hands get your crying done when she is out of site and you'll be good to go.

My 5.5 yo daughter (with Autism)had tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy and ear tubes put in Aug 3rd in Durango. We were also very apprehensive, especially since her anxiety was VERY high. She came through surgery fine, but the recovery room was very very scary for her. The nurses were very gentle (they all knew about her disability) and tried to keep her calm. Since we had to drive an hour to get home, they gave her a low dose of a sedative to keep her comfortable.

After she had slept everything off, she got out of bed, tapped me on the arm and said, "Mom, I want hot cheese sandwich, please." (Grilled cheese) Well, of course I gave it to her. We had a few problems with constipation, and the third day she took a small dive (refused even popcicles for a few hours), but otherwise her recovery was exemplary. We were so worried, because in addition to having Autism, she also has Celiac Disease (no wheat, oats, barley, rye) so her "soft foods" diet after surgery was a bit limited. We were also concerned b/c a friend of ours who had twin girls w/ Autism had their tonsils out at 3 yo...one of them refused fluids for ten days and had to be sedated at the hospital w/ an IV (would pull IV out if not sedated). I think that is the king of worst-case senarios, though.

Let your child be the guide. My daughter was eating sandwiches and cheetos by day 5, and pretzels two days before her post-op appt. But not all kids are that way. She was SO sick b4 the surgery that I think she was relieved to be able to finally EAT! Good luck!

I had both of my boys surgery done on the same day an hour apart about 2 years ago. They were 4 and 6. They did great. It took them 1 week really laying down doing nothing and another week to fully be themselfs and running around and playing with out any resting time.

Hope this helps!

I hope it went well. My 5 year old had that surgry at childrens hosp. in May. She did great, they kept her over night but that was becuase she didnt have the surgry until 5pm. And they prefered it to be over night when its that late. 2 days later she was outside coloring on the driveway with sidewalk chalk. The greatest thing is she no longer has sleep apnea, her attitude has gotten alot better since she is getting alot more sound sleep.
You did the right thing and let us know how it went.

I hope your little one is doing well. Both my three year old daughter and my five year old son had that surgery last year. Neither went well. My son ended up in intensive care for five days. But he came through and is much healthier because he had the surgery. I know it sounds awful, but it was the right thing for him to have. My dtr refused all food and liquid for a week. It just made her recovery difficult. But again, she came through it and is much better now. Really, in the end it will be okay. Let me know if you have any questions or need any help.