Tonsils

[4Nikki]

Ok, I was browsing some stuff about Tonsils and why Strep was so hard to get rid of and came across a bunch of videos on Youtube. One Doctor was removing a huge stone through surgery and was saying many have Tonsils all wrong. That the purpose of the Tonsils he said is to help filter toxins, bacteria and viruses. He said that stones can hold bacteria. He said that stones in the tonsils can hide the bacteria from swabs. He also said that only the stones should be removed and not the tonsils.

 

Here is a DIY Video:

[airial95]

I think that doctors disagree on that. I had a long discussion with our ENT about that when we decided to take both kids tonsils out. We did my dd's adenoids separately because of recurring ear infections, and I had asked him to just pull the tonsils at the same time b/c of my son's PANDAS (dd wasn't dx with PANDAS yet). He didn't want to do it because of what you mention - they serve a purpose and if there is no problem, they shouldn't be removed.

 

After my son's 8th positive throat culture in 10 months he agreed, hands down they needed to be pulled. He said that the "popular" opinion on removing tonsils has vacillated over the last couple of decades. Previously, they pulled tonsils at the first sign of a sore throat, then in the 80's and 90's, they pulled them very rarely, feeling it was better to leave them in to try to do their job, and just remove stones or treat aggressively if needed.

 

He said that opinion is starting to swing somewhere to the middle now. They are not as quick to pull as they used to be, but also not as resistant. He said if a child has more than 4-5 strep infections in a year, it's time to have a discussion. 6 or more, it's a no brainer.

 

He ended up pulling my dd's after her 4th infection in a year and confirmed PANDAS dx.

 

In our discussion, he also said that IV abx during surgery used to be "standard practice", but that it's also fallen out of fashion. He still does it for PANDAS kids as a matter of course.

[JPdad]

I think for our kids, the tonsils harbor a bunch of bad bacteria that causes them issues. Many have seen positive results from removing the tonsils coupled with long term antibiotics. I say, if in doubt, take 'em out.

[Guest]

I wish mine had been taken out, might have prevented a lot of this. I've had infections in my tonsils since I was a kid, even now they hurt - extreme pain. But growing up doctors didn't want to do it, now they say I'm too unwell to be put under anesthesia. Glad it's swinging more to the middle now.

 

My friend had them taken out for sleep apnea and it really helped her sleep tremendously and she hasn't had any complications. Sometimes it is a necessity.

Edited May 28, 2013 by Guest