Tonsillectomy Recovery Time- 9 year old?

Question

My daughter is nervous about recovery time for her upcoming T&A. She's 9 y/o.

The posted info I can find seems to be standard 7-14 days. I'm looking for anecdotes to tell her when she'll start to feel better/not be in pain, rather than the standard "14 days til you can do sports."

When did you or your children start to feel better or have less pain?

(I was 20 when I had mine out- didn't eat solid food for 2 weeks, so I'm not much help as a role model here!)

Thank you in advance!

Answer 1

I had mine out in my 20's too, so I am not much help there, but I think the better she feels the more she can do so it will really be based on her. Meaning...If she's feeling better after 7 days, she doesn't need to stay in bed, she can get up and do as much as her body will allow, but probably for shorter time periods ands at less intensity at first.

Answer 2

Hi! I'm an Audiologist and I work for an ENT group and my son was 9 when he got his tonsils out.

The same day as the surgery, she'll feel a bit groggy and disoriented from anesthesia until it fully wears off after a few hours. Then there will be some pain, but what my son complained about the most was wanting to clear his throat, because it felt like there was phlegm in it. Actually it's the swelling of the tissues where the tonsils were removed - it's part of the healing process, like how a cut itches while it's healing.

You CAN'T clear your throat or cough, because you could damage the healing tissues. The doctors have a new method of sealing the tissue that is quicker to heal than they did six years ago, so this probably won't be as difficult for her.

Just keep the throat hydrated by drinking lots of clear fluids -- we stocked up on Kool Aid. It's less of a risk with the new techniques, but sometimes a scab can form and if it's large and then becomes dislodged, there can be bleeding; so hydration is the best way to minimize the risk.

My son was back to normal after a few days, and wasn't thrilled about having to limit his activities. He had his surgery over spring break and he felt fine to go back to school after the ten day break. The physical restrictions are again to minimize the risk of dislodging any scabs or straining the tissues until they're fully healed.

My son hasn't had any problems with his throat since, so explain that while it may feel worse than her worst sore throat for a couple days, she'll never have to deal with them being that bad again - there's a long-term reward for a short term discomfort.

I still have my tonsils and I just turned 40! I hope I never need them removed, because they say it's harder the older you are...

Good luck to you both!

Answer 3

Tonsillectomy Recovery

Answer 4

I had mine out when I was about 10. It wasn't really a big deal. In the hospital, they feed you ice chips. You check out the same day as the procedure is done.

She'll have a hard time talking, and don't encourage her to whisper as that can aggravate things. Give her a pen and paper, and maybe a pot with a spoon that she can bang on to get your attention. lol. Encourage her to sleep when she gets home, more for her comfort than anything.

As for foods...anything soft is nice. Everyone tells you to eat ice cream, but I found that burned, so that might have to wait til later in the week. Carnation Instant Breakfast shakes are what got me through. She can also try yogurt. She'll want to stick with cool foods at first, since hot foods don't feel well going down. It took me about 6-7 days before I could start eating more normally again. Have her go with whatever is comfortable. Treat her like she's special during this time, and she'll be happier about it.

Answer 5

Okay, my youngest was 2 (& I was 7) when the ol' tonsils came out. First of all, I'd say a week for a healthy kid. Secondly, don't lie to her about ice cream and all that crap. Have lots of easy to swallow, cool drinks and pops around as well as Advil or Motrin (it helps better with pain due to swelling, surgery, etc.).

Tell her this is a great time to do things that don't require her to talk or run around: read a book; rent and watch all those movies she's wanted to see; use "IM" to chat with friends; experiment making ice pops out of different fruits and juices.

Distract her. That works the best. Don't let her swim until the doctor okays it! Go to a crafts store and get her a drawing pad and some inexpensive "pastels." These are much "cooler" than crayons or colored pencils. Maybe get her a bell to ring when she needs you so she doesn't have to yell!

Make the experience more of an adventure than anything, and praise her for handling things well. Plan to do something fun once she gets the all clear from your doctor. Keep in mind that after surgery, many little ones throw up or are very disoriented; bring a familiar item from home to help ease things along.

By her a blank journal and encourage her to write in it. Take her to the bookstore or library and let her pick out a bunch of books. Buy her a pretty set of comfy pj's, and maybe extra pillows for her bed. Have siblings wait on her occasionally.

Finally, tell her how much better she will feel when she stops getting sick all the time because of her tonsils. And some advice for you: The surgery is probably more traumatic for you than for her, so try to be "cool." It took the doc a little less than an hour for my daughter and he was working in a "small space" seeing as she was only two!

Best of luck and God bless.

Answer 6

My son had them out 5 years ago when he was 11.It actually took about 2 months b4 there was NO pain.The doctors said that that was a normal recovery time.I thought it was a little too long myself.Hope it helps.Tell her you'll drown her in ice cream and jello and make her favorite soup.

Answer 7

i just had mine out in april.. i am now 18 and it hurt really bad... i was up and about in like a week... just tell her to eat... the more she eats the faster she will recover... (yes i know it will be hard for her to eat) i tried yogurt popcicles theyhurt more then helped... lots of water... i also had my adenoids removed still to this day 3 months later if i swollow water with my head down itll come out my nose... kinda funny though... for a 9 year old it will be better then me and you... my dr told me if i would of had this done at that age that i wouldnt have been half as bad.... try icecream rather than popcicles itll be smoother.. but mine is still healing i can still see the opening in my throat and i still cant have spicy or puckering foods ie lemonaid or peppers... just keep this in mind... your body needs calories to heal itsself and the only way to get calories is to eat... sleep alot to

Answer 8

I was 18. I was active on the 3rd day after surgery...eating regular by day 7. She will most likely take pain pills following surgery, this will keep her tired and at home. She is just 9, she should be healed really quick.

Answer 9

Know the asteroid wellhead tonsil stones them for many years and it's been title not eventually.

Best decision I've ever made! I was shocked by the way of getting out the stones out. It was so easy, but more importantly, painless. I really liked the little trick he had for preventing gag reflex. He have one happy customer here.

Cure Tonsil Stones Permanently?

Answer 10

I had mine removed when I was 9. It took about one week before the soreness started to leave. Just try and eat ice cream to numb the pain and drink cold liquids. I know its hard for her to but it will help so much.

Hope she gets well soon!