Why have tonsillectomy

You'll check in and get a plastic bracelet that has your name on it. Then, you'll meet the nurses and other hospital staff who will take care of you.

Your mom and dad can stay with you. Tonsils are removed in the operating room , so you'll have to take a ride on a gurney.

A gurney is like a bed on wheels. When it's time for your operation, you'll get a medicine called anesthesia that will help you fall asleep and keep you from feeling any pain during the operation. During the surgery, which takes only about 20 minutes, doctors will open your mouth and remove the tonsils. Hooray for anesthesia because you won't feel anything during the operation. Before you know it, you'll wake up in the recovery room.

You may feel sleepy and dizzy at first. But soon you will feel a lot better and your mom or dad will come in to see you. You'll have a sore throat and maybe a slight earache.

After your operation, it's important to drink fluids when you wake up. Compared with kids, teenagers and adults are more likely to get a tonsillectomy for recurrent infections than for sleep apnea. Sore throats are uncomfortable, missing school and work can be disruptive, and the antibiotics used for treatment can have side effects. Getting chronically infected tonsils out can be a relief. According to American Academy of Otolaryngology guidelines, surgery is not recommended for children with fewer than seven episodes in the past year, fewer than five episodes in the past two years, and fewer than three episodes in the last three years.

Most children, even if they have had multiple throat infections, get better on their own. Tonsillectomy Medically reviewed by Suzanne Falck, M.

Who needs a tonsillectomy? Preparing for a tonsillectomy. Tonsillectomy procedure. Risks during a tonsillectomy. Tonsillectomy recovery. Medically reviewed by Suzanne Falck, M. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Alana Biggers, M. What Causes White Spots on the Throat? Medically reviewed by Elaine K. Luo, M. Medically reviewed by Natalie Butler, R. What Causes Difficulty in Swallowing? Medically reviewed by Sara Minnis, M.

Throat Swab Culture. Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. Medically reviewed by Steve Kim, MD. Show references Lalwani AK. Management of adenotonsillar disease. McGraw Hill; Accessed Oct. Mitchell RB, et al. Clinical practice guideline: Tonsillectomy in children Update. Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. Messner AH. Tonsillectomy with or without adenoidectomy in children: Postoperative care and complications.

Kliegman RM, et al. Tonsils and adenoids. In: Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. Elsevier; Paradise JL. BuSaba N.