Surgery

[orkaj]

I am new to this site and not sure where to post this question. My 2 year old has to have his tonsil and adenoids taken out and I am not sure how to prepare him for this surgery. I just need some advice on what to say and do. The surgery is on the 20th of March.

[Us4]

Dear orkaj,
Even though neither one of my two children had a surgery, my daughter's (now 10 months) doctors were strongly recommending ear-tubes to help with her constant ear infections...so I did do a lot of thinking and education about the surgery...after all, I was very scared!;) So please, learn about the procedure as much as possible and don't be afraid to ask about possible complications - even though most of the doctors only want to focus on the benefits.
You didn't mention why the surgery, but in case of my daughter's ear infections we decided to try everything else and think of the surgery as the last solution...we really needed to know what was causing her infections in the first place. We went to see an allergist and learned that she is allergic to milk and eggs. With that knowledge, we adjusted her diet (specifically changed to soy formula) and only a week later her ears cleared up. No more fluid -- after almost 5 months. I'm mentioning the allergies because as I've learned in my research, children with egg allergies should not have a specific type of pediatric anesthesia due to presence of Propofol (contains egg).
I believe that knowing if your child has any allergies is very important before signing that consent and marking "NO" when asked about known allergies...so if you don't already know, have your 2-year-old tested for food allergies just to eliminate one possible complication.

[myboysmom]

when my oldest son was 3 1/2 he had to have the whole tonsil/adenoid/ear tube thing done. he had had multiple ear infections since 6 months old, and then I began to think he couldn't hear me. Anyway, we just told him we were all going to the dr, and we packed a big bag of fun stuff for the ride and for the day we were there. Of course we also prepped him for the popsicles and ice cream! He was such a trooper. The only time he cried was when they took his iv out at the end of the day. I think it was scarier for us when he came out of the operating room all dopey acting. But of course he was fine. we went out to eat that nite and ordered him mashed potatoes & ice cream. but he wanted to share our food! That was the hardest part when we came home: keeping him on soft foods. I think the main thing is to trust your dr. and yourself