Tonsilectomy for Kids
What are tonsils and adenoids?
The tonsils and adenoids are tissues in the back your throat and the area behind the nose. They help your body fight infections that enter through the nose or the mouth. However, when your tonsils are diseased or become very big, they can become a source of repeated infections caused by germs called bacteria. These germs can spread infection to your ears or sinuses, which are holes or cavities in your face below the surface of your skin. Large tonsils can also cause you to snore or have difficulty breathing at times.
The removal of tonsils and adenoids requires a surgery, which means you will be asleep and pain free when it is being done. The tonsils are removed from their beds at the sides of the throat. The adenoid tissue is also removed from the back of the throat. The entire procedure is done through your mouth.
What should I expect if I am having surgery?
You will have to go to a hospital to have the surgery performed and recover from it until they are strong enough to go home. You may or may not have to stay overnight in the hospital, depending on what the doctor feels is right for you.
If your doctor says you need an operation, a special doctor called an “anesthesiologist” will help you fall asleep by putting some medicine in your IV so that you can sleep through the operation and not feel any pain. This is called “general anesthesia.” Before the operation, you and your parents or guardian will meet with the anesthesiologist to talk about things like other medicines that you take and find out your height and weight. This information helps the anesthesiologist know exactly how much medicine you will need for the operation. You may also need tests like x-rays or blood tests before the operation. It is important that you not drink or eat anything before surgery, usually starting from midnight the day before the operation.
The day of your surgery, you will be wheeled on a moving bed into a room called the operating room. Before you fall asleep, you may notice that everyone will be wearing masks, because the surgery needs to be done under sterile conditions. This means the doctors don’t want you to get an infection, from germs that can make you sick. Even though the doctors and nurses are wearing masks, they can still talk to you and explain things to you and answer all of your questions.
Sometimes the anesthesiologists, those special doctors who give you medications during the surgery, will put a mask over your face to make you feel drowsy and sleepy, before the surgery starts. At other times, they may give you medicine through the IV in your arm. If you get medicine through a mask, they will ask you to take nice deep breaths until the medicine puts you to sleep. Usually, the anesthesiologist will give you the mask first so you won’t be awake if he or she has to insert any needles for the IV medications. [When I went to have surgery, I got ot pick bubblegum flavored mask medicine….mmmmm!]
Remember: you will be fully asleep during the operation and you will not feel any pain.
When you wake up, your parents will be with you in the recovery room. You may feel groggy, confused, queasy, or nauseated after surgery. This shouldn’t last too long. The side effects of the anesthetic medicine usually wear off after about 45 minutes. Your bed will be wheeled into a special “recovery area” where you wait with your parents or guardian for a few hours while the nurses and doctors make sure things like your heart rate and blood pressure stay strong. Depending on the type surgery you had done, you may feel some pain after the surgery, so remember that the doctors and nurses will give you medication to stop the pain.
The surgeon will talk to you and your family about the results of the surgery. You might have some throat or ear pain after surgery, but that can be controlled with pain medication. Remember it is normal to have a sore throat and some ear discomfort after surgery. Except for trips to the bathroom you should be at rest with the head elevated or placed upright on pillows for the first few days. You will not be able to eat right away if you had a major operation. If you are in the hospital, the doctor will listen to your body with a stethoscope to decide when it is a good idea to try eating again. You might start with popsicles or soup, and move to softer foods like jello (hey that’s not so bad!). After that, you can move on to solid foods if your doctor says its okay. It is important to take drink a lot of liquids to stay hydrated after surgery. Parents should also know that a low grade fever, and mild bleeding can also occur after surgery, but any persistent bleeding should be reported to your doctor im mediately. Also ,don’t worry if you have bad breath after surgery. This is also normal.
You should be able to go back to school in 7-10 days. (Yah great! School! )
The removal of tonsils and adenoids requires a surgery, which means you will be asleep and pain free when it is being done. The tonsils are removed from their beds at the sides of the throat. The adenoid tissue is also removed from the back of the throat. The entire procedure is done through your mouth.
What should I expect if I am having surgery?
You will have to go to a hospital to have the surgery performed and recover from it until they are strong enough to go home. You may or may not have to stay overnight in the hospital, depending on what the doctor feels is right for you.
If your doctor says you need an operation, a special doctor called an “anesthesiologist” will help you fall asleep by putting some medicine in your IV so that you can sleep through the operation and not feel any pain. This is called “general anesthesia.” Before the operation, you and your parents or guardian will meet with the anesthesiologist to talk about things like other medicines that you take and find out your height and weight. This information helps the anesthesiologist know exactly how much medicine you will need for the operation. You may also need tests like x-rays or blood tests before the operation. It is important that you not drink or eat anything before surgery, usually starting from midnight the day before the operation.
The day of your surgery, you will be wheeled on a moving bed into a room called the operating room. Before you fall asleep, you may notice that everyone will be wearing masks, because the surgery needs to be done under sterile conditions. This means the doctors don’t want you to get an infection, from germs that can make you sick. Even though the doctors and nurses are wearing masks, they can still talk to you and explain things to you and answer all of your questions.
Sometimes the anesthesiologists, those special doctors who give you medications during the surgery, will put a mask over your face to make you feel drowsy and sleepy, before the surgery starts. At other times, they may give you medicine through the IV in your arm. If you get medicine through a mask, they will ask you to take nice deep breaths until the medicine puts you to sleep. Usually, the anesthesiologist will give you the mask first so you won’t be awake if he or she has to insert any needles for the IV medications. [When I went to have surgery, I got ot pick bubblegum flavored mask medicine….mmmmm!]
Remember: you will be fully asleep during the operation and you will not feel any pain.
When you wake up, your parents will be with you in the recovery room. You may feel groggy, confused, queasy, or nauseated after surgery. This shouldn’t last too long. The side effects of the anesthetic medicine usually wear off after about 45 minutes. Your bed will be wheeled into a special “recovery area” where you wait with your parents or guardian for a few hours while the nurses and doctors make sure things like your heart rate and blood pressure stay strong. Depending on the type surgery you had done, you may feel some pain after the surgery, so remember that the doctors and nurses will give you medication to stop the pain.
The surgeon will talk to you and your family about the results of the surgery. You might have some throat or ear pain after surgery, but that can be controlled with pain medication. Remember it is normal to have a sore throat and some ear discomfort after surgery. Except for trips to the bathroom you should be at rest with the head elevated or placed upright on pillows for the first few days. You will not be able to eat right away if you had a major operation. If you are in the hospital, the doctor will listen to your body with a stethoscope to decide when it is a good idea to try eating again. You might start with popsicles or soup, and move to softer foods like jello (hey that’s not so bad!). After that, you can move on to solid foods if your doctor says its okay. It is important to take drink a lot of liquids to stay hydrated after surgery. Parents should also know that a low grade fever, and mild bleeding can also occur after surgery, but any persistent bleeding should be reported to your doctor im mediately. Also ,don’t worry if you have bad breath after surgery. This is also normal.
You should be able to go back to school in 7-10 days. (Yah great! School! )
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