has anyone asked to get their childs tonsils out just because?

Question

Im asking because my husband and i just had an argument about weather or not you can just get your tonsils out wihtout anyproblems wiht them. My thought was why would a dr put a child ina surgery is there was no reason for it. My husband claims that he and his brother both had them taken out when they were 2 because their mom wanted them out to prvent getting sick. Does this sound right? Anyone knowif drs will just do it to do it?

Answer 1

A good doctor wouldn't. It's not considered a mandatory procedure anymore. My pediatrician told us he has no intentions of taking my daughter's out, unless they cause her a ridiculous amount of illness, to the point that it interferes with her ability to function normally (missing excessive school and what-not). They just don't want to put kids through it anymore.

I had mine out at 5, and my sister did too. It was normal for us. But times change, I guess.

Answer 2

I highly doubt that a good surgeon would actually remove tonsils "just because", nowadays... at least, I hope that he/she wouldn't. You are right, the doctor would not put a child under anesthesia unnecessarily.

The removal of the tonsils, when healthy, doesn't prevent the child from ever getting sick again. Sure, it will prevent tonsilities, but still... the child will still have sore throats, strep... whatever. If the child has tonsilitis chronically, then that's the time to discuss a tonsilectomy. Otherwise, no, they needn't be removed.

As a mom of a daughter born with a cleft lip/palate, I go through my share of worrying about surgeries. My daughter is 5 years old, has had 7 surgeries so far, and they will continue throughout early adulthood. There is no way that I would ever allow an unnecessary procedure if I find that it is not needed.

Surgery should be done only when medically necessary.

Answer 3

Odds are malpractice was less common when your husband was 2. Why would a doctor perform an unecessary surgery on a child? The risks to the child and the potential for a lawsuit are a bit high. The cost of surgeon's fees, hospital fees, and anesthesia are high enough that it is difficult to afford any elective surgery without insurance, and most insurance companies require that a child have a medical reason for a tonsillectomy such as 4 or more documented cases of Strep in one year.

As a side note: it is possible, although highly unlikely, to still develop a Strep infection once the tonsils have been removed according to our EENT.

Answer 4

Parents were allowed to elect for the surgery a few decades back, but now the thinking has changed.

Doctors are now realizing the importance of the tonsils. If a child is prone to tonsillitis or strep throat then the dr will usually try to keep them in as long as possible because the tonsils are like a sponge for the germs....kind of like a filter so it doesn't get to the rest of your body and cause bigger issues.

So no, you generally can not get your children's tonsils out just because you don't want them to get sick. There has to be documented proof that it would help more than hurt.

Answer 5

If my infant replaced into healthful, no i does no longer have their tonsils bumped off. The tonsils play an substantial function interior the immune gadget. I had my tonsils removing at an extremely youthful age for the belief it may scientific care a undeniable ailment I had. at that element medical doctors believed it may help. Now I surely have grown up with a weakened immune gadget without my unique ailment ever being cured. So my answer is a distinctive no.

Answer 6

You're both right! (Just don't tell him that, right?)

Back then, it was much more common, even though it often caused complications down the line.

There are still doctors out there who will do this, but they shouldn't. However, there are lots of unethical doctors out there. Those who right prescriptions for narcotics for addicts. Those who lie in court to say that someone has a problem that they don't. So I'm sure there are still doctors out there that (for the right price) would say there was something wrong and your child needed surgery.

There's a reason why most doctors don't do this though. Because it's unnecessary, and wrong. We're born with certain body parts for a reason, we shouldn't go tearing them out just to avoid a little strep throat!

Answer 7

Doctors, as a general rule, do not preform unnecessary procedures, yet, we've all seen the results of cosmetic surgery!

Tonsils - - and any other part of the human anatomy, for that matter - - should not be treated as if you were simply getting a haircut.

There is no proof that having tonsils removed will make your child any "better" or "healthier" than he/she is now. The same is true for your kid's appendix.

Answer 8

Today,I don't think a doctor would take out your tonsils for no reason but years ago,I know they did! My older brother was always sick and the Doctor told my Mom he needed his tonsils removed,so me and my other two siblings had ours out too,like a family discount or something!

Answer 9

My son had his out at 7 because his were very bad......... (it was nothing, he did great and said he had worse sore throats then the surgery pain)

My daughter gets sore throats and the dr said if i want them out he will set it up. If she gets more then a couple sore throats this year they are coming out.

Mine needed to come out when i was little but my parents didnt want to have it done...... so at 24 I had to have it done, and it was horible. The dr told me that its best to do it before your 13.

Some dr. will let you chose...... If i had to chose Id chose to remove them over what I went thru. I have a bleeding disorder, I had complications and 5 days after my surgery The stitches broke open from the force of a blood clot and i had to have it reclosed, and sent a week in the hospital. Its a bad feeling to wake up choking on blood !!!!

( I dont get sore throats now......... Ive had 2 sore throats in 10 years... before I always had one. )

Answer 10

I doubt a doctor would do that. Tonsils are a good thing unless they cause problems with breathing and such. Tonsils protect your body against infections and helps to fight them. If a doctor did, your insurance wouldn't cover it without it being absolutely necessary. You might want to look at that too.