What Recovery From A Tonsillectomy And Adenoidectomy Was Like For my Child

Great insider tips for what recovery after tonsil surgery is like

        My 6-year-old son recently had surgery to get his tonsils and adenoids removed. My son, tonsils were swollen and they were causing sleep apnea issues for him. My son's tonsils were not infected and he did not have tonsillitis or tonsil stones. So it took me a while to get my son diagnosed with sleep apnea caused by his tonsils. It took many doctor appointments to get my son the help he needed.  This is the info you need to read to see if your child may need their tonsils removed. I knew there would be some pain involved but I was totally unprepared for our week and a half recovery. So I am going to share my experience to give other parents the info they need to be prepared for their child's recovery after a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.

The 24 hours after surgery

      The first 24 hours my son was in the hospital. My son had to be admitted to the hospital after his tonsil surgery as that was standard for patients who have sleep apnea. The tonsil surgery could cause swelling in his throat and they wanted to monitor that. My son was tired so he stayed in bed watching TV.  Here is tonsil surgery info that you need to know. He was allowed a clear liquid diet so he ate popsicles and drank plenty of soda. My son experienced a lot of pain so he was given pain medicine every 4 hours. They also kept the IV in his arm to keep him hydrated. My son had a rough night sleeping as the surgery made his throat swell so he was waking up every hour due to his sleep apnea. Thank goodness that the pain medicine was helping with his sore throat. He also had a pulse meter hooked up to him at night time to monitor his sleep apnea.

Pain Management

      We then went home the day after surgery. My son was still in a lot of pain so I tried to give him his pain medicine every 6 hours. The doctor said to alternate with acetaminophen and ibuprofen, but I found that the ibuprofen worked best. So buy at least 2 bottles of pain medicine and try to give the next dose before the other one wears off or it will be hard to get the next dose is due to pain. My son needed his medicine about every 6 hours. We went through 3 bottles of medicine. My son had a hard time swallowing the first week so taking the medicine was hard but we just did it slowly. I also discovered that a humidifier helped with his pain. The moist air helped his throat so he could swallow his medicine. In the recovery area at the hospital, they used tubing with moist oxygen in which they place near his mouth. Ask the nurse if you can take that tubing home to use with your humidifier. I did not so I bought a toy from the dollar store, you know the one you spin and it makes noise, and put that in my humidifier. The moist air helped my son be able to take his medicine, I simply put the tube near his mouth, about 6 inches away. My son needed pain medicine around the clock for the first week and then less the following week. We are on day 12 of his recovery and he is not needing pain medicine anymore.

Rest

  The doctor said my son needed to rest for a week after the surgery. I made a bed for my son in the family room and he just watched TV the whole week. Don't plan on taking your child anywhere in the first week. They just had surgery and their immune system is week. So you don't want them near people with colds. I also found sleeping in the same room with him made things were easier so I could tend to his pain medication schedule. So I slept on the couch while my son slept on a crib mattress on the family room floor. I set my alarm clock every night to give him his pain medicine. After the first week, your child may have more activity but no exercise for another week, as their sore throat is still healing. The doctor also said no swimming for at least 3 weeks as the pressure of the water can break open the areas in the throat. My son will have a follow-up appointment 3 weeks after his surgery and if all looks good he will be allowed to swim.

Diet

     The first week after the surgery all my son wanted was jello, pudding, and soda. He said everything else hurt too much to eat. My son said that cold and hot liquids hurt his throat. I did get a couple of fruit smoothies in him if they were at room temperature. A soft diet is recommended for the first week and by week two they can eat normal foods. They just have to avoid things that will scratch their throat like crackers, nuts, and raw veggies. My son is now in week two and he is now eating pasta, oatmeal, bread, milk, and blueberries. He says cold things still hurt to eat.  Your child may prefer cold or warm foods. So get a variety of their favorite foods. Don't worry about your child eating too much sugar. Eating may be hard for your child so give them ice cream as they need the calories to heal. 

Here is a great list of items to stock up for after surgery.

+ Jello 

       + popsicles

     + pudding

        + ice cream

                  +chocolate milk    

+ pasta

                + mac and cheese

                              + items to make smoothies

         + applesauce

     + oatmeal

When to call the doctor

   My doctor said to call them if my son had a high fever or any blood from the throat. We did have one episode that required a call to the doctor. My son started coughing on day 4 and a lot of blood came out. The doctor said to rinse his mouth with cold water and thank goodness it stopped bleeding. The doctor said to go to the emergency room if it started to bleed again and did not stop with cold water. That would require surgery again to sew up the area again. It is rare but it does happen. Thank goodness, my son did not bleed again.

Other Facts

The first week was rough for my son. He was in a lot of pain and had trouble swallowing. He also had symptoms of his sleep apnea as everything was swollen from the surgery. We are into week two and my son is sleeping wonderfully, with no symptoms of sleep apnea. I was thrilled to see him breathe through his nose while he slept, something he had not done for a long time. He does not ask for any pain medicine. I know that it can take up to 6 weeks for his throat to heal so I still have pain medicine on hand. I am also going to keep him on a soft food diet until his 3-week checkup as I don't want the throat area to bleed.

Here are my other posts on my son's experience with why he needed the surgery and what to expect during surgery and the hospital stay.

How to tell if your child's tonsils need to be removed due to sleep apnea

What happens when your child needs a tonsillectomy

Tonsil Removal Surgery Information

Any surgery can be scary for kids

Your doctor just told you that your child needs tonsils surgery and I am sure you have plenty of questions and concerns. This is how I found out that my child needed his tonsils removed. My son just had his tonsils and adenoids removed so I am going to tell you about our my son's experience. My son's surgery required a night in the hospital so I will also talk about that. Most tonsil surgeries are a day surgery but since my son had sleep apnea he needed to stay overnight. The tonsil surgery could cause my son's throat to swell and that could make breathing hard for my son after the surgery. So the doctor wanted to monitor my son in the hospital for 24 hours after he had his tonsillitis surgery.

Before the surgery

     My son was not allowed to eat or drink after midnight the day before the surgery. They want their stomach empty so they will not get sick during the surgery. We arrived at the hospital 2 hours before the surgery to check-in and sign papers. My son brought his favorite stuffed animal with to hold during the surgery. Then we waited in the surgery waiting room along with other people waiting for surgery. This room was also where families could wait while loved ones were having surgery. We waited for about an hour, so bring with something for your child to do while waiting to go back to the pre-op surgery room. My son passed the time playing games on my computer while we waited to be called back to the pre-operation room.

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How to prepare the child

    As a parent, I would not give the child too much detail about the tonsillectomy surgery as this might frighten them. My son's doctor explained the surgery in a great way to him. She told him he was going to come to the hospital for a sleepover. He was going to get a drink that would make him silly or sleepy. Then he would go to a spaceship room and get a special space mask to put on. He would then hear a story and go to sleep. When he woke up he would get all the popsicles he wanted and have a sleepover. I also told my son he would get to eat all the ice cream he wanted and watch TV all day. My son was excited about the ice cream and never got afraid of going to get his tonsils out. I knew he would be in pain afterward but I would be there to comfort him so I felt there was no need to explain that part to him as I did not want him to worry. Too much information about surgery could make your child upset. The important thing is to talk about the positive like getting ice cream.

It was time to go to the pre-op room

 After waiting for an hour, a nurse called my son's name. The hospital person then walked my son and me down to the pre-op room. At the hospital we went to, they have separate rooms with doors for children while the grown-ups patients are in a room just separated by curtains. Parents are allowed to be with their children in the pre-operating room. In pre-op, there were books and videos to entertain my son while I talked with the nurse, anesthesiologist, and surgeon.

What happens in pre-op

         The nurse had my son strip down to his undies and put on a gown. She took his vitals and asked me questions about whether my son had a cold or drank or ate anything in the past 8 hours. The anesthesiologist came in next to explain to me what his role was in the surgery. I was informed that my son would be getting medicine to make him sleepy, 30 minutes beforehand. This medicine sometimes makes kids silly too. When the medicine kicks in your child won't remember anything until after the surgery. The anesthesiologist also told me that he would tell my son a bedtime story as he put the mask over his face to put him to sleep. He would also be there during the surgery to monitor him. The surgeon also came by to say hello before the surgery. My son adjusted well in the pre-op room as he enjoyed watching the videos.

Bring food

     We were in pre-op for about an hour. My son was able to watch Spiderman during this time. I read him some books too. Then the time came for my son to drink the medicine that would help him fall asleep. The nurse gave my son the sweet-tasting sleepy medicine and my son liked the taste. My son got very silly after he received the sleepy medicine. I talk to my son about going to the spaceship room and he rambled on about how he was going to fly in space. I knew the medicine was working to make him fall asleep. Once my son got sleepy and silly, the hospital staff came to bring him to the operating room for the tonsil surgery.  I hugged and kissed him my son. Then they wheeled my son to the operating room. I liked that they just wheel the bed from the pre-op room so my son did not have to be moved from the bed. The nurse walked me to the waiting room that was just for parents and told me she would come to get me after the surgery. This is a good time to get something to eat as after the surgery you won't have time. I brought food with me but our hospital has a Subway also. I also brought my computer with so I had something to do while my son was in surgery. 

Surgery is quick

  The surgery lasted about 1 1/2 hours. When it was over the surgeon came to the waiting to let me know everything went well. She told me the nurse would come to get me when my son woke up. About 20 minutes later, the nurse came and walked me to the post operating room. At my hospital children again have a separate room away from adult patients. My son was screaming in pain from the surgery so I was glad I was there to comfort him. The nurse stayed by his side the entire time. My son received medicine as needed through an IV that was placed in him before the surgery but after he went to sleep. My son was in post-op for 2 hours as he was having a hard time with the pain, most children only need an hour. Once my son was alert and the pain medicine was relieving the pain, they gave him a popsicle. Then another nurse came to take my son and me up to his room on the pediatric floor. Thankfully my son does not remember being in post-op. He remembers watching Spiderman in pre-op and then waking up to take an elevator ride up to his hospital room after the surgery. 

Unlimited popsicles

     My son stayed in bed and ate popsicles. My son also drank some Sprite. The IV had to stay in his arm for the night. My son had to be hooked up to a heart monitoring machine while he slept because of his sleep apnea. The tonsil surgery tends to make the throat swell so that could cause breathing issues. The doctor wanted to monitor my son for breathing complications. This was done with a pulse thing on his finger. My son was too tired to do anything but watch TV. The nurses gave him pain medicine and checked on him every 4 hours. I did not get any sleep that night while at the hospital as my son kept waking up from his sleep apnea every 30 minutes. We were allowed to go home 24 hours after the surgery. While in the hospital, my son stayed on a clear liquid diet. In the next 4 days, my son was able to be on a soft food diet.

    I will be writing another post on my son's tonsil recovery at home. The below links give great information about why my son needed tonsil and adenoid surgery. Feel free to ask me any questions and I will do my best to answer them. I know surgery can be scary for both parents and the child.

Read more

Recovery from the surgery
http://www.momknowsbest.net/2014/08/what-recovery-from-tonsillectomy-and.html

How to tell if my child needs his tonsils removed

http://www.momknowsbest.net/2014/07/how-to-tell-if-your-childs-adenoids-and.html

How To Tell If My Child Needs His Tonsils Removed

After many sleepless nights and doctor appointments, we found out my son needed his tonsils removed

    My youngest son just had his tonsils and adenoids removed. The above picture is before the surgery. What I thought was just a persistent winter cough turned out to be much more. I am going to share with you the events that led up to my son needing his tonsils and adenoids removed so you can know if your child may need his removed. I am not a doctor, just a mom, so seeing a doctor is always best to get the proper diagnosis. Read on to discover if your child might need a visit to the doctor to see if they are a candidate for this childhood surgery. My son had sleep apnea that was caused by swollen tonsils and adenoids.

Coughing and snoring

 Last winter my son had a cough, that only happened at night time when he was sleeping. He would cough several times throughout the night but not during the day. I mentioned it to his doctor and she said that it was a cold. The doctor said that the cough needed time to go away. I thought maybe it was asthma or the air was too dry. So I placed a humidifier in my son's bedroom. The humidifier did not help the cough and my son continued to cough all night. This nightly coughing episode woke me up several times during the night, so I was not getting any sleep.  During this time my son also sounded nasal, snored and was a mouth breather but he had been like that since he was 3 so I thought nothing of it.  I later found out these were symptoms of adenoid swelling. It makes me wonder if my son had sleep breathing issues since he was three. 

The cough did not go away

 When spring came and my son had his yearly doctor visit, I mentioned to the doctor that he was still coughing at night time. The doctor examined him and said with hesitation "maybe we need to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor to look at the adenoids."

Sleep study

  I made an appointment with the ENT doctor and was surprised to find out my son's adenoids were swollen. The doctor had to insert a camera in my son's nose to see the adenoids as they are behind the nose. The doctor ordered a sleep study right away to determine if my son's swollen adenoids and tonsils were causing my son to have sleep apnea episodes. I later found out my son had severe sleep apnea. The swollen adenoids were causing him to stop breathing 18 times an hour, thus causing the night time coughing. The doctor also looked at my son's tonsils after his sleep study and found those to be swollen too. The swollen tonsils and adenoids were causing his sleep apnea. The doctor said that the removal of the tonsils and adenoids would hopefully solve the sleep apnea problem.

 The ear, nose and throat doctor scheduled the tonsillectomy surgery for my son to get his tonsils and adenoids out. When the surgery was over, the doctor told me that my son's adenoids were as big as his tonsils. She also told me one of the tonsils had an infection. If we had not had the surgery, my son would have had more problems like a persistent infection along with the sleep apnea.

The symptoms

Through this experience, I want to share with you some symptoms to watch out for indicating swollen adenoids and /or sleep apnea.

+ A cough that happens only at bedtime

+ Nasal congestion  

+ Speaking with a nasal sound   

+ Breathing through  the mouth

+ Snoring        

+Ear Pain

+ a Sore throat

+ Sleep problems

+ Tiredness or Hyperactivity during the day

 I am so glad my son had the surgery as now he can start getting a good night's sleep. Lack of sleep was causing my son to be hyper and have some behavior problems. The surgery was not fun for my son.  Read about the tonsil and adenoid surgery here. My son was in a lot of pain afterward the tonsil operation but pain medicine and popsicles helped that. My son had to rest and eat soft food for a week. I thought that I was prepared for recovery after a tonsil operation but it was a difficult two weeks for my son. The tonsil surgery and adenoid operation were scary for me to see my son experience but it was worth it as my son did not experience any sleep apnea symptoms after he recovered from the tonsillitis surgery. My son finally was able to sleep without coughing. 

So if your child has some of these symptoms, ask your doctor to refer your child to an ear, nose, and throat doctor as it just might be swollen adenoids and/or tonsils.

Feel free to ask me questions and I will try my best to answer them based on my son's experience.     

I will next post about my son's surgery experience and recovery. 

     

Read more

Recovery from the surgery
http://www.momknowsbest.net/2014/08/what-recovery-from-tonsillectomy-and.html

Surgery information
http://www.momknowsbest.net/2014/08/what-happens-when-your-child-needs.html