Hi,

We are from Asia, so we hope we can also join this forum.  My daughter is 18 months old and is diagnosed with sleep apnea and she will be put in the sleep labor on this coming Monday.  The doctor mentioned that my dd might need T&A.  My questions are :

*  What really makes Tonsils and/or Adenoids grow so big that they require surgery?
*  I heard that they can also shrink.  Will they shrink without surgery?
*  What is the chance of the T&A will grow back again?
*  What is the chance that the complications will take place after the surgery?
*  Is T&A or Immuntherapy better?

I used to read an article... a father with a 4-year old son decided not to do either T&A or immutherapy despite the fact that the son has severe allergy and sleep apnea.  He looked for the cause of allergy i.e. cow milk.  He stopped the cow milk and both tonsils and adenoids shrink.

*  Can identifying the allergen be done in order to avoid the surgery?

Well, wish anybody can help widening my knowledge and can find better choice for my daughter.  Thank you in advance.

Hi Alenamilli and Welcome!!

We are glad you are here!  Pediatric sleep apnea seems to be more complicated than adult apnea in that T&A can truly cause apnea.  In children there is a high rate of cure for sleep apnea with a T&A, this is not the case for adults.

Because of severe tonsil infections when I was a child, I had my T&A removed at an early age.  I also have allergies and have had many series of immunotherapy.  My tonsils grew back a little.  I can’t even see them and was very surprised when a doctor told me there is a little tonsil tissue there.  I do not think they ever grow back to the size they are before they are removed, but you might ask your doctor about that.

In searching, I found this great article which follows the same conclusions I have read elsewhere about pediatric T&A and sleep apnea:

Take out the tonsils, solve a sleep problem


This is another great article that describes the link of allergies, enlarged tonsils and sleep apnea:

Tonsils and Tonsillitis and Obstructive Sleep Apnea

From these articles, it seems to me that tonsil enlargement is directly due to repeated or chronic infections, but that allergies will contribute to these infections.  You will have to ask your doctor whether immunotherapy would be helpful in your child's case.

Let us know what your decisions are!

Vicki


_________________
That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Hi Vicki,

Thank you very much for your reply.  The websites are very helpful to give me more ideas about the sickness.  Regarding yourself, after your T&A in your childhood, are you prone to get sick easier?  How long are you in the Immunotherapy?  And does the Immunotherapy help in your case?

Thanks again.  My daughter will be in the sleep labor next week.  Will share with you the result.

Alenamilli;

I fought strep throat until I was about 40 years old, when I had my tonsils removed as part of a UPPP (a not very successful surgery for sleep apnea).  I have had strep throat one time in the 10 years since then.  I am very surprised that I survived my childhood without having my tonsils removed because I had scarlet fever a number of times and I had rheumatic fever.