my son will be 5 in march and as far back as i can remember has always been ill with sickness,colds and sore throats.And for the last year has been suffering with his tonsils,i finally got the doctor to refer him in november 2004 to the e,n,t clinic where i was then told there was a 13 wk wait which i wasn,t too happy about as he got that bad he couldn't even go to school, so they got him in as an emergency 2 wks later and i was told he has got to have his tonsils out and gromits put in his ears because his hearing is low aswell.he is on ibruprofen daily now and it is helping him alot.we have just got to wait for the appointment now for the op.they think it wont be till may time but i put him on the short notice list so fingers crossed! i would like to hear from anyone else who is in the same situation as me.

By Ginny~moderator on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 04:53 pm:

Bump - I moved this from the NEW section so it would get more attention.

By Emdee on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 05:38 pm:

I am sorry your son is sick and not feeling well! I can relate as my dd, now 20 months, is always sick. She hasn't had her tonsils removed, but had tubes put in her ears at 8 months old. We actually go back to the ENT tomorrow b/c of recurrent ear infections yet again. That long of a wait seems like a really long time. I think from the time we were referred the first time to the ENT to the time of the surgery was a month, or maybe a little over. I give my dd motrin almost daily right now also for her ears and I hate having to keep her medicated that much, so I would hate to have to keep it up until May!! I know insurance plays a part in who people chose for dr.s, but is there not another choice where the wait is less time? I know you also want a good dr; maybe if you plead your case with the dr he could get you in quicker! I hope you get the surgery quickly so he can start feeling better.

By Jtsmom on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 08:23 pm:

My son was so sick for the first two years of his life. (Started at birth, but that has nothing to do with this). He had strep and ear infections over and over again, he was just plain sick! I finally changed peds. and they referred me to an ENT on the first visit. He had his tonsils removed and tubes put in when he was 2 yrs old and that was a life savor for him!! So many people told me not to let the doctors take them out. I am so glad that we did. He is now 4 and since the surgery he has only had strep once, not too long ago, but it didn't make him so sick like it use to and other than that he only has sinus problems. So I know my son benefited from it. Good luck with your son.

By Missmudd on Tuesday, January 18, 2005 - 08:31 pm:

My ds had his tonsils out when he was in kindergarden. He had monster tonsils. He was having trouble breathing when he was sleeping and had reduced hearing because everything was so swollen up in there that he wasnt hearing properly. He always breathed w/ his mouth open and he would wheeze just to get air through sometimes. A month before the surgery his lips would occasionally go blue which really really freaked me out. They scheduled him right away after that started happening. He came through w/ flying colors and I have never regreted having it done.

By Tanja on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - 10:03 am:

I don't know how your insurance companies work in Europe but the first thing I would do is contact them and find out if you need a referrel to see another ENT doctor. That is an incredibly long time to wait and maybe another Dr is available sooner. My son started ear infections at 6 months old by the time he was a year old he had tubes put in. It made a world of difference. Both my neice, and 2 of my nephews just had their tonsils and adnoids removed. Simple procedure and is making a world of difference as well. Good luck but be persistent.

By Dana on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - 11:49 am:

Same story here. DD needed to have hers out since babyhood, but we had to jump thru all the hoops to get approval. She finally got her surgery at age 4 and after almost total (yet temporary) loss of hearing in both ears. The waiting for that day of surgery was murder, esp praying that she did not get sick prior to the surgery.

Surgery was done, she woke up telling me she felt so much better and said "I can breath!"...and that was the first thing she said to me. Even with all the pain she was in she still said she was happier after the surgery than before it. And this is just a 4 yr old talking.

Since then, she started eating, ACTIVE play, growing, better speech, more out going and we have not been to the drs since except for annual checkups.

The 12 days after surgery are really difficult on mom/dad. It is hard to watch your baby hurt so much. BUT OH WAS IT WORTH IT!

By Karen~moderator on Wednesday, January 19, 2005 - 07:27 pm:

Jeff had his out right around age 3. He was constantly sick with tonsilitis or strep throat, and ear infections. He had 3 different sets of tubes in his ears over a few-year period. Once we got the tonsils and adenoids out and the tubes in, his health improved GREATLY.

You always worry when your little one has to undergo surgery, or have a medical procedure. You will be surprised how resilient kids are. They bounce back quickly. If he does have his tonsils out, just listen to what the Dr. tells you to do and not to do during the healing period.

I'm sure he will be fine, and much healthier after it's over with.

By Mvmc on Thursday, January 20, 2005 - 06:28 pm:

I had my tonsils out when I was 5. I still remember going into the surgery. I felt a lot better after too, before the surgery I couldn't swallow much I would gag. Don't be offended if he doesn't talk to you for a while after the surgery. I didn't talk to my mom and for a while she thought that I was mad at her, which I wasn't, I just didn't feel like my voice would work.

By Elizabeth704 on Tuesday, February 1, 2005 - 03:11 pm:

My 4 1/2 year old just had his tonsils and adenoids removed this past November. He had always had large tonsils, but with no problems. After starting school in August, he had 3 major infections requiring antibiotics, in 2 months. Also, during this time, he was also having nightmares and wetting the bed every night (after being potty trained for quite some time). The pediatrician and I blamed all of this on moving to a new home and the birth of my daughter. After the 3rd infection (Paraflu - flu with croup - SCARY!!!) the pediatrician had us see an ENT. He said his tonsils and adenoids were huge (3+). He also said that the nightmares and especially bed wetting are signs of sleep apnea d/t the tonsils. I knew my son was a restless sleeper, but I had never witnessed any sleep apnea. We had them removed 2 weeks later. All of the symptoms have improved. We also have seen an improvement of some behaivoral issues during the day that could have been related to sleep deprivation.

My only bit of information for you is that this surgery was much bigger than I anticipated. My son never complains. He is always playing, no matter how sick. The ENT warned me of a recuperation time of 7-10 days, but I did not believe him - HE WAS RIGHT!!! My son took narcotic pain medicine every 4 hours for about 7 days. I made the mistake of trying to back off the medicine by substituting with Tylenol or trying to go longer than 4 hours. Whenever I did, it was horrible. Stay on top of the medicine. He was not himself until about the 10th day. He lost 8 pounds in the 10 days, but quickly regained it after he felt better.
Make sure you have plenty of medicine, popsicles, etc. My son enjoyed me melting the popsicles a little in the microwave and making a slushy out of them. We also got a prescription for numbing suckers. They are expensive but they work.
Good luck!!