Tonsillectomy?

[marylandmom]

In our follow up with Dr L today we discussed the possibility of taking out my dd tonsils IF we get another strep infection that leads to an exacerbation.

I would like to know if anyone else has done this.

[matis_mom]

In our follow up with Dr L today we discussed the possibility of taking out my dd tonsils IF we get another strep infection that leads to an exacerbation.

I would like to know if anyone else has done this.

We have done this. It is surgery and you should consider it carefully, but I think it did help my son, although it took him a while to recover from the surgery.

[SarahJane]

My ds(6) had adenoids out just before he turned 3 (left tonsils). Then he had tonsils out when he was almost 4.5. He was sick on & off from age 2.5 to 4.5...then he was mostly well (allergies, minor stuff) for 1.5 years. Then 1st dx'd strep in Dec '09 (exacerbation) & then strep again Sept '10 with ear infection right behind that (still in exacerbation)...now PANDAS is dx'd. IVIG scheduled for Nov. I will say that his behavior was horrible after the tonsillectomy...was likely a post-surgery exacerbation.

[colleenrn]

Two of my children had their tonsils and adenoids out and it did help their PANDAS. My oldest was completely symptom free for 1 1/2 years. My third child is having his removed tomorrow and I am so worried. I think I have picked the worst time in two years to do surgery b/c he has recently developed tics that he has never had before. I should have done it this summer when his exposure to strep was lower b/c everyone (it seems) has strep at his school. He is currently on zithromax and augmentin.

I will post results on how it helps him. I pray his tics disappear. He also woke up this morning with really dark circles under his eyes. I am so afraid that even on the two antibiotics that the surgery will cause an flareup, or worse, release strep into his bloodstream. OK, yes, I am freaking out. I hate having my children undergo surgery, but I know he needs it.

Colleen

[ajcire]

I did...My ds never got sore throats but had lots of positive cultures. I don't regret it because the ENT said his tonsils were a shrivelled up infected mess and that it was good they were removed(hency why they looked small and they originally felt they didn't need to come out)... BUT the anesthesia really had a bad affect on my pandas ds for a full week after. I didn't see this in my non pandas dd who had hers out due to chronic strep. I was really freaked out for that week wondering what the heck I had done to my son but then like a switch he just was fine. I can't say if it had helped or not with the pandas symptoms.. He's mild which makes it less obvious. Neither have had positive strep tests though since having them removed and strep had been a big problem in my house.

[thereishope]

My son had t and a at 5 years old after his second exacerbation. It was only his second strep infection, but the ENT wanted to tak them out to try to avoid another.

 

My son had a very fast recovery from surgery. The dr said the younger they are, the faster they heal since they usually don't baby their throat so much.

 

My son did go on to have another strep infection a month after surgery, which led to his third exacerbation. The odds were stacked against him since all 3 of my kids had strep that time. However, that was his last strep infection so far. That was March 2009. I know he may get strep agian, but I will never know how often it helped prevent an infection either. I do not regret surgery.

 

I do also like that since he no longer has tonsils, I will not be looking in his throat and see particles stuck in his tonsils and have to take him to the dr to make sure it's food stuck and not the start of an infection.

[kimballot]

My son lived in constant PANDAS exacerbations for the first 7 years of his life. Never had a positive throat culture. Finally had his tonsils out at age 7 and found they were harboring bacteria. PANDAS symptoms slowly resolved until a mycoplasma exposure 4 years later and then bumped up again with a recent sinus issue. In our case, tonsillectomy was good.