Tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy before cruise?!?!

[BonnieVA]

My 4 yr old was supposed to have this done tomorrow but has pinkeye so we have to reschedule the surgery. The next available surgery date the dr has open is 10 days before our cruise (8 days before we leave on that vacation). I explained to the scheduling person our circumstances & she seemed VERY confident that we'd be ok with that surgical date. I asked about potential complications & she said that, if there were any, we'd see them in about 3 days & they'd be resolved in a day or 2. One of my other boys had this done but it was 9 yrs ago & I can't remember how quickly he healed.

 

So I'm not asking about insurance issues, refunds, etc. I just want to be able to go on this cruise. Would we be crazy to schedule his T&A surgery for 10 days before the cruise???

[Mommy2landonmason]

My little boy was 3 last Oct. when he had his taken out. We had it done on the 19th and he was out on Halloween, still not himself but he was doing fine and trying to get out the house. It depends on how well your 4 yr. old can handle pain and bounces back from illnesses. We had no problems with the surgery or infection afterwards. Being sick never slowed my son down, but from the way he was for Halloween i would say i could have taken him on the cruise. He did stay on children's tylenol for a few weeks just to help keep him feeling better, i would make sure you travel with something for that just in case. Good luck with it!

[srlafleur]

It's been a long time (OMG! 18 years!?), but if I remember correctly, within a couple of days you wouldn't even know my son had had surgery. For that procedure, it's unlikely he'd need to stay out of school or any "home" activities for 10 days, unless there were major complications, so I wouldn't be too worried.

Back "in the day" when I was a kid, we all had our tonsils out whether we needed it or not :eek: . Even back then, when childbirth "required" in-patient care for nearly a week, most of the kids from the tonsil ward were out and about in no time.

[Travalerie]

My daughter had inguinal hernia surgery when she was 2 and was fine in 3 days. I was the one begging her to stop jumping around!! Of course being in the medical field, a lot can happen. I would speak directly with your doctor to see if you can get the surgery scheduled earlier. He/She may be willing to make an exception or squeeze you in. You might as well try so that its just not an issue. I did the same with my daughter's surgery...not for a cruise, but I was due with my second in like 3 weeks, then moving out of state. He was telling me like 6 weeks. I asked him was there any way he could do it his next surgery day which was 4 days away and he said yes. Everything worked out fine thankfully.

[khut]

My daughter had a major hemorrage 10 days after surgery and was in the hospital for 3 days. Sometimes unexpected things DO happen although

it's not often. I'd try to talk them into either doing it ASAP or wait until after the cruise so you can ALL enjoy yourselves!

[Justme&my3]

Hello I am more of a lurker but I wanted to respond to your question. My 4 yr. old daughter had this done last November. An hour after surgery she had a bleeding episode and needed to return to surgery to stop it. It was nothing major but the Dr. felt it needed to be done. She was fine for the first 2 days after surgery then days 3-5 she had a horrible sore throat, refused to eat anything and I had to force sips of water on her. After that she was feeling better but not her usual self. Around day 14 she was 100% Her Dr. didn't want us taking her on a Thanksgiving trip to see family 2 hours away until at the very least 10 days post op. Each kid is different though and yours may be just fine after a day or two.

 

On a side note we were told not to do the ice cream thing. They said that most bleeding episodes are because the throat scabs get large and then when regular foods are reintroduced that scabs pull open a blood vessel. We were told to give normal foods as tolerated to keep the scabs from getting thick.

 

If you go on your trip enjoy yourself and have fun.

[Guest carlogesualdo]

Does your doctor have an associate who can get him in earlier?

[lucyddr]

I would try to give your child at least 2 weeks. Odds are that he'll be fine within 3 days, but complications (mainly bleeding) can arise. Whether bleeding happens at 2 hours, 2 days, 2 weeks, or even 2 months is totally unpredictable, but more likely within the first 2 weeks. Please explain to your ENT surgeon your circumstances and ask the office to call you if they have earlier cancellations. Cancellations are very common and often a spot can be found. Just advice from a general/cosmetic surgeon who did many TandA's in residency!

[BonnieVA]

Thanks, everyone, for responding. This is such a pain. I guess I'll call tomorrow & talk about getting him in on a possible cancellation. Problem is, he only does surgeries on Thursdays & one of the upcoming dates he's not doing ops for some reason. The other date he's full.

 

I REALLY wanted to get him in before our trip because he has sleep apnea & snores terribly. I was hoping to get some decent sleep on the trip but it'll be MUCH harder w/ his snoring & restlessness AND we'll be taking the AutoTrain to/from FL ... & we don't have sleepers, just coach. He's going to have everyone on the rail car awake all night! Plus, he seems to be worsening be the week - he now is congested/has nasal difficulties even in the daytime.

 

Cr*p!

[BonnieVA]

Well, the best they could do was move his surgical date two days earlier ... 10 days before we leave & 12 days before the cruise. I'm still very leary but I'll hold on to that date & cancel at the last minute if I choose. The hospital wouldn't allow them to squeeze us in the week before that.

[jwhite1018]

Thanks, everyone, for responding. This is such a pain. I guess I'll call tomorrow & talk about getting him in on a possible cancellation. Problem is, he only does surgeries on Thursdays & one of the upcoming dates he's not doing ops for some reason. The other date he's full.

 

I REALLY wanted to get him in before our trip because he has sleep apnea & snores terribly. I was hoping to get some decent sleep on the trip but it'll be MUCH harder w/ his snoring & restlessness AND we'll be taking the AutoTrain to/from FL ... & we don't have sleepers, just coach. He's going to have everyone on the rail car awake all night! Plus, he seems to be worsening be the week - he now is congested/has nasal difficulties even in the daytime.

 

Cr*p!

 

 

My DD had this done in January, and she didn't have any problems and she was not herself 10 days later, but not doing badly either. BUT...she snored worse than before for at least a month until all the swelling went down.

[BonnieVA]

BUT...she snored worse than before for at least a month until all the swelling went down.

 

May I just say, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!"??

 

Not to mention the fact that, after 2 days of eye drops, his pinkeye is pretty much cleared up & I wonder if he could have had the surgery today after all!

[rstout]

Both of my sons had tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies within the past year and a half (one at three, the other at two, almost three). My older son had a lot of pain and we had to force liquids around days 2-5. He also had some vomiting due to the pain meds they were giving him, which didn't help with the fluid retention. But he was back at day care after that first week and generally doing well. The doctors always say to keep them calm and prevent excessive running/exercise for two weeks after surgery.

 

My second son healed wonderfully, and although we had to keep him home the first week per the doctor's instructions, the hard part was keeping him from running around like he normally did. I couldn't believe how well he healed, after the experience with our older son.

 

The doctor will schedule a post-op checkup. I would suggest trying to get that appointment right before you leave for your cruise to give you peace of mind. Also, if you have travel insurance, that should help give you peace of mind, as well. Ultimately, each child heals differently, and you can't predict if there will be complications, but chances are you'll be fine. Good luck!

[cprofits]

That's a tough decision to make. I've gone through this twice in the past 4 years and both children had no severe complications but they were 'not' themselves 10 days post op. My youngest actually had to spend 1/2 a day in the ER around day 5-6 because of severe dehydration due to his inability to ingest anything due to the pain. Odds are in your favor he will be complication free, but my experience is that they are still in pain and just are not generally happy because of said pain. I wouldn't want to have to deal with that while on vacation. My youngest had the procedure due to severe sleep apnea/snoring and we lived with it a long time, I'd opt to live with it a couple weeks longer to ensure he could truly enjoy himself while on the cruise. I've had broken bones right before cruises, appendicitis, the 'real' flu, lots of minor maladies...our current viewpoint before all cruise vacations is stay away from all dangerous situations/groups of children for germs, etc. LOL...we do whatever we can to preserve everyone's health the week or two before each departure.

[luvmy2redheads]

A couple of years ago when my son was 4 he also had the same thing done and it was a blessing I was so glad we did it my son also snored so bad it kept us up at nite but after the surgery I kept checking on him because we could not here him ;) But back to the trip thing we had paid for a Disney trip and could not change the date and they bumped up his surgery because they wanted to do it before our trip and the only date open was 2 weeks before we left:eek: But our dr. told us he would be fine and the only thing he warned us about was letting him swim in the ocean because of germs getting in his ears and mouth. I took off the whole week after his surgery and I ended up going back to work early he fine in 2 days and the soreness was gone by day 5. Just make sure you keep his mouth wet and make sure he gets plenty of rest before the trip and he will more than likely be fine! I do hope you enjoy yourself and not worry to much:rolleyes: APRIL

[kimmimom]

Hard to say how each child will respond. My daughter had it done when she was about 8 or 9. There is no way she would have had fun for at least the beginning part of the trip. It was a full 14 days before she didn't have pain, but she still was kind of worn out. Also to consider is while he is going through intense pain (yes my daughter had that period postop where the pain was really bad and we literally had to force her to drink) that you want to have to worry about packing, running out for things you need for the trip, etc. She did not snore, so i can't speak on that, but it kind of makes sense that he might still do it until the swelling goes down (like the other poster said).

 

IOW, I would have the surgery when you get back.

[cb at sea]

At 4 years old, he should be fine. I was 8 when I had mine done, and it took about twice as long to recover as it did my 5 year old!

[timmy1958]

Just think of all the ice cream your little one will have available to soothe that sore throat with! You shouldn't have any worries by the time you leave.

[BonnieVA]

You have all been so helpful to tell me your stories. I am leaning heavily toward waiting until Sept for the surgery but still am not sure. We have several reasons for NOT waiting & a big reason (the cruise!) for putting it off. Another reason I do not want to put it off is because he starts kindergarten in Sept ... I was obviously hoping he wouldn't have to miss school. But I guss it's just kindergarten & missing a few days won't have any affect on him 5 years from now (my dh's "5-year rule").

 

Ack! Daggone pinkeye!

[BonnieVA]

Not sure if anyone cares, but if you do read on...

 

My son woke this AM choking on his own fluids & was SO congested. Took him to the pediatrician to discover he has a sinus infection, ear infection AND still has the pinkeye (which I couldn't even tell ... thought it was gone) all stemming from the cold he picked up a couple weeks ago & made worse by the fact that his adenoids are so enlarged so his sinus fluid has no escape. Now he's on a strong antibiotic as well as continuing w/ the eye drops. Anyway, I asked him his opinion on the surgery & he totally reiterated what the ENT's office was saying in that he will almost certainly be fine by the time we travel & he highly recommened going ahead w/ the T&A on the 12th - which is 10 days before we travel & 12 days before we cruise.

 

So NOW I am leaning heavily toward going ahead w/ the surgery ... but I'll make a final decision on the 11th!!

[mr. godfredo]

My son is 5 and has the exact same problems yours does! He has apnea due to enlarged adenoids and will have them removed with his tonsils and have tubes put in both ears! He is scheduled to go in on Aug. 5th for the surgery and he starts school on the 18th! The doctors feel he will be fine to go to school at a week to two weeks after the surgery! We are in the same boat. (except you are going on a boat and we aren't until Thanksgiving!) Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions on how things went on my sons surgery! I realize all kids are different, but it sounds like our boys have very similar conditions!

 

rrgodfrey@hotmail.com

[eliw23]

My son's 3 1/2 and had a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy beginning of May this year. He also had this procedure done since he was experiencing lots of snoring issues/sleep apnea. At times, he would sleep in my bed and I couldn't sleep a wink due to all his loud snoring. He also was always tired, had ear infections and strep throat. After the surgery he was in a lot of pain (worst was about day 2-4 post surgery when scabs are forming). He refused to take the tylenol w/ codeine but he at least took some tylenol chewables. Luckily he was almost back to his normal self about day 8 or 9. They did mention that bleeding may occur in 20% of the cases which may warrant a trip to the ER if it's severe. Every case is different but since he's still young, he'll probably heal quite fast. If your doctor isn't too worried, then go for it. :) You can then all sleep in peace in the cabin. :)

[sunshinestatemom]

Good luck with the surgery. My daughter had her tonsils out on Valentine's Day this year, she's 6. On her 6th day post surgery, she had an episode of bleeding - it was awful. She had apparently been bleeding for a few days, which we didn't know, as she was swallowing it without realizing it... she finally ended up vomitting buckets of blood up and as a result, blew out the arteries in her throat. She went unconscious and had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance for emergency surgery. Granted, this was a very rare complication, but it can happen as others have said. Your son will probably be fine, but I'd be hesitant to take a cruise that soon after surgery just on the off chance of a complication.

[Karysa]

Just more food for thought. By just being in the hospital there is a chance that one of you could catch an infection. I know that you can catch something at the mall, but if you look at hospital based infection rates it would really surprise you.

Karysa

[mr. godfredo]

Well, my son had the surgery yesterday and is doing great! He had tonsils, adenoids, and tubes put in his ears! He was quite groggy yesterday, but was able to sleep well last night and is much better today! It is hard for him to swallow, but he is managing soft foods and plenty of Popsicles!!! I would believe that he could cruise ten days out from the surgery easily!! I know each case is different but we will see!