My son is 3 years old and is going to have his tonsils and adenoids removed what can I expect ?

My son is 3 years old and is going to have his tonsils and adenoids removed I am very nervous I don't know what to expect before and after the procedure. If any one out there has gone through the same thing please let me know your story's so they can help me understand it a little better and be lass nervous . Thank You!!!!!!! (IN ADVANCE)

Depending on how he is when he is separated from you, will depend on whether he needs an oral sedation before going under general anesthesia. As long as he is relatively healthy, the usual routine is for him to go into the operating room, breathe into a mask, which will allow him to fall asleep. By the way, if he is anxious or cries with the mask on, the faster he breathes, the faster he will fall asleep. If they allow you in the room (some places do and others don't), once he falls asleep, they will ask you to step out. It can be quite upsetting to watch if you are not prepared, as sometimes children snort, or their eyes roll back. Best thing for you is to trust that he is safe, and not let him sense your fears. Once he is asleep, they will place an intravenous line, will give him fluid more medicine to keep him asleep, place a small breathing tube into his windpipe to help him breathe under anesthesia and to protect his lungs. Once the surgeon is done, they will wake him up and remove the breathing tube. They will then bring him to the recovery room. Once he awakens, they will detemine wheteher he is in pain, cold, hungry, want his mommy or daddy, or if he is just disoriented after the anesthesia. The surgeon will advise you on what foods to avoid, in order to avoid bleeding. Sometimes children may have bad dreams or even wet the bed for a short while after the surgey. Just be calm and patient with him. If there is a family history of anesthesia complications or muscular dystrophy, be sure to tell the anesthesiologst. Lastly, if he has a cold or bad cough, it might be best to delay the surgery until he is feeling better.

My son has his out at 4. He had to come home that day and at night sleep upright. It was awful. Every time he swallowed he screamed. They had him on tylenol with codine, which made him woozy. We were up all night. I wish they would let them stay overnight like when I had it done as a kid. After a few days he started to feel better, but it was rough for a few days. Good luck. I'm sure he will be fine. Just be there for him, like when he wakes up from the surgery.

Mine were removed when I was 4 yrs old. I remember that I had to stay over night after the surgery, and the nurses gave me all of the ice cream that I wanted. I don't remember pain. I just remember getting flowers, coloring books, and visitors. I did get hungry, but I couldn't eat anything but ice cream. It's not bad.

My son had to have his tonsils and adnoids out at 3. He is fine now because of it. Before he had the operation he had a lot of problems that went away after and never came back so the experience was so worth it for him. What shocked me was when he woke up he had a very hard time. It is a very hard experience for my son to go through. They told us after the operation was over my son stopped breathing. At that point he was okay but they would not let me see him and it scared me. When they did let me see him it was hard for me to watch him waking up. He could not understand what all the tubes and all that were and it scared him. It was also hard for him to stay awake at first. I had an emergency csection with him and I was put out and I remember myself waking up and it was hard for me to go through let alone a 3 year old. After he woke up he was fine. They kept him overnight for observation and he was released the next day and he was fine after that no complaints. What my son went through was not normal but I did see another boy who was older waking up from the same operation and it hurt me to watch him too. Just be prepared for that, I wish I had known. Good luck and your son will be fine. He never felt any pain.

My boys went through this together, when they were 3 and 5. We went to a children's hospital, which I really recommend if there is one nearby. We travelled 90 minutes to get to one and I thought it was worth it because they really know how to treat kids.

Before the procedure, your son will need you to be calm and matter-of-fact. No need for lengthy details about what will happen to him. He won't understand or remember it.

After my boys' surgeries, they gave them pretzels and potato chips, which surprised me, but I guess the salt is good for the wounds in their throats and it makes them thirsty. Your son should drink, drink, drink!! If the wounds get dried out he won't want to drink at all, and that just makes it worse!! Gotta keep drinking.

My sons were back to their silly selves in about 2 days at home. My mom brought over 2 huge gift bags full of individually-wrapped quiet toys and coloring books - quiet things they could do at home while convalescing.

Oh one more thing they told us at children's hospital - don't give them any red popsicles after the surgery. They said that if one of the boys started vomiting blood, that's a bad thing and we were to take them to the hospital. If the child has had red popsicles, you don't know if what they are vomiting is blood or just puking up red popsicle from upset tummy and anesthesia.

It's scary and you'll probably cry and he'll look pathetic and sad when he gets back from surgery. But he'll forget it, or at least most kids do, and when he's so much healthier and can sleep better, you'll be glad you did it for him.