• Recurrent bacterial sore throats that are increasing in severity and frequency, and especially if the child is becoming resistant to antibiotic therapy.
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• Obstructive sleep apnea: the child’s tonsils are so large that they partially obstruct the airway during sleep. This newly-recognized phenomenon is an increasingly common reason for removing the tonsils. A child with large tonsils often does not have trouble breathing during the daytime. Yet, at night, because the airway naturally relaxes and therefore narrows, large tonsils can partially obstruct airflow, resulting in snoring, restless sleep, periodic stop-breathing episodes at night, and a tired child the next day. If your doctor suspects sleep apnea, the tonsils are better off in a pickle jar.
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• Recurrent ear infections that have become resistant to other forms of treatment.

Show and tell your child about the procedure. She will go into the hospital or outpatient surgical center. The doctor will inject some medicine into her veins and she will go to sleep. During the operation she won’t feel any pain and when she awakens the tonsils will be out (tell her they’ll be in a pickle jar). The surgical procedure itself takes only around 10 minutes. She can usually go home within a few hours after the operation. (Rarely are there complications with the anesthesia or the surgery itself. One of the important questions the doctor will ask you before the operation is if there is a family history of bleeding problems. This is important in case the doctor needs to take special precautions for bleeding tendencies.) Tell her that mommy and/or daddy will be with her all the time that she’s in the hospital. She can expect to have a sore throat as the surgical area heals. Be positive: “As your throat is healing, you can suck on lots of popsicles and eat lots of ice cream.” After about a week, her throat will feel better. She will be able to breathe and sleep much better. She won’t miss as much school, won’t have to take so much medicine and won’t have to go to the doctor’s office so often.

If your child had a T&A for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), you will be so used to hearing her snore and breathe noisy at night that it may take a couple nights of you getting used to your daughter’s noiseless sleeping. You’ll probably wake up wondering if she’s still breathing. Undoubtedly, you’ll notice an improvement in the quality of her sleep, her appetite, and usually children show a dramatic growth spurt during the month or so after surgery.

As with any hospitalization or surgical procedure, take this as an opportunity to reconnect with your child. High-need times such as this strengthen the bond as the child appreciates the special comforting measures of Dr. Mom and Dr. Dad.