Your doctor has scheduled an adenoidectomy for your child.

The surgery will be done at Outpatient Services East. That is a good choice. The entire staff will do all they can to make the experience a good one for you and your child.

So what exactly are adenoids. Adenoids are glands located in the roof of the mouth behind the soft palate where the nose connects to the throat. (Health Line)

You may not know the purpose of adenoids. Well, adenoids produce antibodies (white blood cells) that help fight infections. Most of the time adenoids shrink as a child is in the adolescence stage and sometimes disappear by adulthood.

If your child has chronic throat and respiratory infections it may cause inflammation and infection in the adenoids. Often this leads to the doctor recommending that the glands be removed. Often they are removed at the same time the tonsils are removed.

If the patient is having frequent throat infections the adenoids may become enlarged. When this happens they can obstruct breathing and cause a blockage to the Eustachian tubes. (the connection of the middle ear to the back of the nose) Clogged Eustachian tubes can cause ear infections jeopardizing your child’s hearing and respiratory health.

You and your child’s doctor need to watch for these symptoms:

• sore throat
• difficulty swallowing
• difficulty breathing through the nose
• habitual mouth breathing
• obstructive sleep apnea, which involves periodic lapses in breathing during sleep
• Frequent ear infections

Your child’s doctor may recommend an adenoid removal if your child has chronic ear or throat infections that:

• don’t respond to antibiotic treatments
• occur more than 5 or 6 times per year
• impede your child’s education due to frequent absences

Ask your doctor  what you need to do to prepare yourself and your child for his/her surgery. Keep in mind that the mouth and throat bleed more easily than some areas of the body. Therefore, the doctor may want to do some preoperative blood tests to ensure that there won’t be excessive bleeding during and after the procedure.

You will want to ensure your child does not take any medicine that can affect blood clotting for at least a week before the surgery. Your doctor can tell you what and what not to give your child during that week.

Most likely you will be told your child should have nothing to eat or drink after midnight the day before the surgery is scheduled. This includes water. If the doctor prescribes medicine to be taken before the surgery, give it to your child with a small sip of water.

The adenoids are usually removed through the mouth. The surgeon will insert a small instrument into your child’s mouth to prop it open. They’ll then remove the adenoids by making a small incision or by cauterizing, which involves sealing the area with a heated device.

Cauterizing and packing the area with absorbent material, such as gauze, will control bleeding during and after the procedure. Stitches aren’t usually necessary.

No surgery your child faces is easy for you. Talk to the doctor and the surgeon so they can explain exactly what you need to expect during and after the surgery.

Typically the patient will get to go home the day of the surgery. Complete recovery from an adenoidectomy usually takes one to two weeks.

Feel free to call Outpatient Services East if you have any questions their staff can help you with.

Phone:  205-838-3888  Web:  www.osesurg.com