Before I start this post I’d just like to say that I am by no means a healthcare professional, this post is purely our experience. 

Aidan recently underwent a tonsillectomy , adenoidectomy, grommets inserted AND his sinuses flushed! He’s just 4 years old so I was extremely anxious about the whole thing. We knew it had to be done at some point but we didn’t anticipate that the ENT would recommend having it done asap!

Aidan’s nose has been blocked for more days of his life than it’s been unblocked. It got progressively worse and over the last couple of months, he struggled to breath while sleeping. The ENT said that by removing his enlarged tonsils and adenoids and inserting a tiny tube, it will significantly improve his breathing.

I knew that it was a relatively “minor” procedure but I also suspected that the recovery from the surgery could be pretty rough. And I actually had no idea what to expect.

Aidan’s Tonsillectomy Recovery Diary

I reached out to my followers on social media and actually got some great advice and tips and also an idea of what to expect….

The tips really helped us mentally prepare for the procedure and I’m so thankful for the love!  What I feared most though was what the days following the procedure would be like.

I expected that he would be groggy the day of the operation and maybe a day or two thereafter but I didn’t find much on the internet as to what to expect from there on out! Yet, every site says recovery takes up to two weeks!!!!

So I actually decided to keep a recovery diary over here, detailing what Aidan experienced from days 1 to 10. Perhaps it will help another Mom or Dad who will be holding their little ones hand throughout the recovery process.

Aidan’s Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy & Grommets Recovery Diary

Day 1

Aidan was calm and collected as he arrived at the hospital. He however began to get anxious once another child came back to the recovery room… sobbing in pain. He put up a real fight until the anesthetic kicked in.

The procedure lasted just over an hour and he came out of the operating room crying and outright saying his mouth was so sore. It broke my heart. He dosed off but soon woke and threw up quite a bit of blood. He fell asleep again for a couple of hours and he was discharged thereafter.

At home he was quite groggy but we managed to get him to eat some jelly and niknaks (as the doctor suggested) and he slept most of the evening. He woke once where he threw up a little dry blood.

Day 2

Aidan woke up hungry. I expected him to ask for soft food like yoghurt or jelly but he asked me to give some toast  or crackers. He ate quite a bit – fishfingers for lunch, lots of jelly in between and drank lots of cream soda (also recommended by the nurses) and some apple juice.

He never complained about pain but when  I asked him if I could look inside his mouth he said NO. He also had a very long afternoon nap. He also slept well that night without waking. I also noticed that he was no longer snoring. He was actually breathing beautifully.

Day 3

Aidan ate well again today, no issues. The little guy still didn’t talk much, but when he did I realised his voice was substantially different, almost baby like.

Aidan never complained of pain but I knew he was experiencing it as he didn’t give us any issues when we had to give him pain meds in a suppository form!!!

He showed me his tonsils today. It looked white.

Day 4

Aidan started talking more. No complaints of pain and we stopped giving him the recommended top up pain syrup.

He ate quite a bit today – literally anything he felt like eating.

Day 5 – 6 

Aidan finished the last pain medication. He had a bit of a “blocked nose” all of a sudden but nothing like before.

He sleeps extremely well – even sleeping in in the mornings.

No complaints of pain.

Day 7-10

Other than the change in his voice, you wouldn’t say he underwent any procedure. He’s eating well, he’s having the best sleep of his life.

We did notice that he was in slight pain as he swallowed his food, but I read up that this is the time that the scabs fall off and the wounds are a bit tender. Other than that he was really good.

Day 11-14

I decided to keep Aidan out of school for a few more days as I just didn’t want to risk him picking up any germs while he was still fully healing.

He’s back to his normal chirpy self and it sounds like his voice is developing day by day.

On the night of day 13 after he fell asleep, we noticed that he had a nose bleed. It had stopped bleeding before we even noticed, but it really gave us a fright! Thankfully he had his follow up appointment with the ENT the next day, so he could take a look at it.

The ENT said that Aidan has recovered beautifully. The reason for the nosebleed is that he still had swollen blood vessels in his nose. With little boys picking their nose and bumping into things, it could easily cause it to bleed. We should just keep an eye on it and pay him a visit should it happen again.

Not too bad

So, it wasn’t too bad overall I guess but it’s certainly not fun seeing your child in pain.

Aidan will be back at school on Monday and I suspect he’s going to have better concentration levels as he won’t have to be bothered by a stuffy nose any longer!

Most importantly – Aidan is breathing so naturally and getting quality sleep which he hasn’t had for a long time. This makes the whole procedure completely worth it.

If your child is going to go through the procedure any time soon the only advice I will give you is to just be there for them. Give them all the hugs and kisses, lots of ice-cream and jelly and lots of cuddles.

xxx

Hayley