Tonsils removed for snoring?

Question

My 3 year old is going to have a tonsillectomy in a week. I had told my doctor that he was snoring at night and so he looked at him and said his tonsils are large. Since then his snoring has subsided. As for my son he does not talk well yet and is being evaluated for autism. I'm also worried about him becoming dehydrated, and the surgery center says he must go home 1 hour after surgery. Should I just wait it out? This doctor does many of these surgeries a week and I'm thinking he's not really thinking about what is best for my child.

Answer 1

As a respiratory therapist and mother of 2 I have to say that yes the tonsilectomy is a good idea. They do do that for snoring in fact my husband is going to have this done...
What is best for your child is this, the tonsils can be large enough to cause sleep apnea and that can be hard of ones heart and lungs. If they are large enough.
Also if your child is having speech problems it may be from frequent infections from tonsils and adnoids.. does your child have a lot of ear infections?

my 18 month old is having issues and the ent doc said all from adnoids and ear infections...

Answer 2

Generally, it's the adenoids that cause snoring. If the tonsils are enlarged, it's a good bet the adenoids are, too.

It sounds as though this is not an emergency. You can alway cancel, re-evaluate and re-schedule if appropriate.

Regarding same-day surgery, most centers have protocols whereby children with certain conditions are observed for longer periods or overnight. A behavior disorder might be a qualifying condition. Check with your child's doctor.

Finally, obstructive sleep apnea is strongly associated with snoring, because the adenoids block the air passage, and the child cannot experience deep sleep. This, in turn, has been associated with symptoms associated with attention defecit disorder in some children. Please don't misconstrue this to mean that your child's behavior problems are due to big tonsils and adenoids, and that surgery will cure him. There is absolutely no evidence that T&A will cure autism. Nevertheless, some parents comment on the favorable attitude of their children after such surgery. I assume this is because they are sleeping better.

Answer 3

Well if it makes you feel any better my son was also a snorer at a very young age. He has had his tonsils and adenoids removed at age 4 or 5 because he keep getting alot of infections. They said that it would also help with his snoring. He is 13 now and he still snores louder than a grown man.

Answer 4

I fully understand that you are worried about your child, but if his tonsils are large then hat is very bad. They will eventually get infected and lead to bigger problems than snoring. Your best bet would be to get the operation. Also, you might want to get a different doctor to do your surgery then if your son can only be in the hospital after the operation for an hour. I have gotton my tonsils out before, but for my ear purposes. They led to bigger problems and I eventually had an ear infection almost 3 times a month. You should definatly reconsider getting your son's operation. Also, he would need more than one hour in the hospital to recover, so maybe you should get a different doctor.

Answer 5

I've not heard of a connection between snoring and tonsils before but, I'm not a doctor and I suppose there could be.
Tonsils are usually removed to prevent Tonsilitis or infection of the Tonsils.

In my case, I had my Tonsils out when I was around four but...alas, I grew up a snorer...I have the bruised ribs where my significant pokes me to stop me from snoring to prove it.

Answer 6

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 7

Well if you have doubts you can always get a second opinion..

Usually they don't take tonsils out that young unless the snoring is causing sleep apnea..

Answer 8

you don't need his tonsils removed for snoring. your tonsils are there for a reason. the best one being to draw infections from your throat. when i was a kid they kept wanting to take mine out. but my mom said no. i still have them. I'm 55.no problems. sounds like your doctor thinks everyone needs to have their tonsils removed. easy money for him.

Answer 9

I've never heard of that, but I'm no expert. I would definitely get a second opinion before I would have that done to my child, especially at such a young age. Good luck.

Answer 10

Are you sure that it's only "one" hour? I thought that clinics and/or hospitals prefer to see if the patient (especially a young child) is adequately taking fluids before discharge.