[vc_row no_margin=”true” padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none”][vc_column width=”2/3″][text_output]Your Tonsils can hurt you more than they help. If you have had five or more infections in a year, your tonsils need to be checked. When the severity is higher, doctors will suggest removing the tonsils. When the tonsils are removed, the severity of infections and/or frequency of infections will decrease. Sometimes the infections will stop altogether. You may still get Strep Throat after a tonsillectomy, but the probability will be greatly reduced.
The risks involved in having a Tonsillectomy get larger as the patient’s age increases. A child is more likely to have a faster recovery than an adult. As with all procedures, there are anticipated unpleasant side effects such as bad breath, difficulty swallowing, earaches, fatigue, low fever, nausea, throat pain, and vomiting. There is also a slight risk of serious complications ranging from minor to life threatening, such as respiratory failure, malignant hyperthermia and death. The good news is that the chance of death is much lower for those who have successfully undergone general anesthesia in the past.
The risk of serious complications stem directly from the use of general anesthesia. Also, the risk of death directly due to general anesthesia is less than one in 100,000 patients. These risks can be lessened by strictly following the instructions given to you from your Central Park ENT doctor, especially the ones pertaining to eating and drinking.
Bleeding After Surgery
Since the tonsils are located close to major blood vessels, hemorrhaging is a specific concern. Bleeding after a tonsillectomy is uncommon and is the most serious and pertinent risk of the entire operation. Serious complications such as additional surgery, bleeding, re-hospitalization, and death are extremely uncommon, but can still occur. The two most pertinent times that patients should be mindful of bleeding are between 24 hours to 10 days after the operation. The next 10 days after surgery are when the scabs come off and up to 3.7% of patients experience post-operation bleeding. In order to further combat the risk of bleeding, your Ears, Nose and Throat doctor will advise that you stop taking blood thinners such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen.
If you experience vomiting after surgery in which blood is present and is a dark brown, it may be from the blood swallowed during surgery. This blood is not a concern however; pink or red blood noted from saliva or vomiting is a serious concern and requires immediate medical attention.
Infection is another risk associated with all surgeries. While infections from Tonsillectomies are uncommon, they can occur. Most infections from a Tonsillectomy can be cured with antibiotics, but infections noted after surgery should be addressed immediately due to the close proximity of the tonsils to a main bloodstream. Signs of infection include a fever greater than 101 degrees Fahrenheit, severe or persistent ear pain, upper respiratory infection or difficulty breathing.
The overall benefits of having your tonsils removed are usually positive for the most part. While there are certain complications that exist, you should consider having a Tonsillectomy if you find that your overall quality of life has decreased due to frequent or severe infections of the throat.
If you are in good general health, and do not have a history of muscular dystrophy or malignant hyperthermia, you should contact Central Park ENT for more information on having a tonsillectomy and how to proceed from there.[/text_output][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][image type=”none” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”504″][/vc_column][/vc_row]