I’ll post about Jett’s birthday another day, but today I want to let you know about what’s happening with my freshly-turned 3 year old.
For his 3 year well-child doctor’s visit, I was so anxious to ask about Jett’s drooling & snoring issues. Our pediatrician took one look in his mouth and said, “That kid has huge tonsils.” Yes, he does – they touch the uvula in the middle of his throat, and that’s in a normal non-infected state.
He gave us a list of 6 different ENT doctors and told us to pick one to see for a consultation, presumably to have those big suckers removed. Our appointment is this afternoon.
I have mixed feelings about this. If it needs to be done, the sooner the better in my estimation. I’d be COMPLETELY on board if he was getting infections and having other pain and trouble. But he’s not. Drooling is an annoyance, but we’re so used to it; it’s certainly not worth putting him through surgery if that was the only issue. The snoring can also be problematic (especially over time) as his body has to work harder to breathe and he’s not getting the quality of sleep he should be getting. Our doctor was shocked that he doesn’t regularly choke on his food! He also said that when kids have little space in the throat for breathing, they keep their mouths open to increase air space. When the mouth is open, the tongue slides down and the saliva with it. Over time, the constant correction in having his mouth open can affect jaw development. I would have never even considered that!
So that’s where we are now. I’m hoping for a clear decision after having our consultation today. I’ll have an update within the next few days when we know more. Having my own tonsils removed when I was 19 years old because of frequent infections, I can safely say it was one of the most painful experiences of my life (second only to gallbladder attacks… not childbirth surprisingly), and I know that young bucks like Jett bounce back so quickly after such a procedure. That’s a comfort, but still – going under anesthesia is something I’m not jumping up and down about.
How about you? Survey time. Leave a comment. Are you with tonsils or without? If you fall into the without camp at what age were you when they were removed? What about your kiddos? See, that’s what I don’t get. Josh had his tonsils removed when he was 4. I had mine out at 19. We didn’t conceive Jett until I was 24… shouldn’t Jett have been born without tonsils?!
Ok, don’t respond to that last comment – I’m totally kidding.
Was I only 4? I thought I was 6. Either way, I got tons of Thundercats action figures and ice cream. That was the best.
I thought your mom said you were 4, but I could be wrong – it’s happened before. You were a little guy.
Still got em!
I think I was five, if Grandma Bev reads this, she can correct me. I’ve heard that back then, they took them out at a-drop-of-the-hat, everybody was doing it! The only thing I remember was the very old doctor leaning over me as I was drifting off to sleep and the memory is always in black & white. Must not of had color back then!
Jamie was 4 when he had them removed due to frequent infections. It is not a simple operation, doctors did remove them routinely way back when. It hurts, but if it is necessary, the so be it. It seems medical people have said that healthy tonsils play a role in screening infections. Drooling will end, Jett is a big boy, so to me it makes sense that his tonsils are also large.
Mine were always huge, still have them .
Be anxious to hear the results of the consultation.
Grandma Estelle had hers removed at about 45 years old.
Does anyone ever talk about adnoids anymore? People still have them, don’t they? They used to remove them at the same time as a tonsillectomy.
adenoids, I mean.
Jessie! I haven’t been on here in FOREVER. I need to stop slacking….