Here at the parenting special kids’ blog, we have written several articles on the suggested benefits of a tonsillectomy. Advocates have insisted that our children will sleep better, have straighter teeth, behave better, and have less throat infections. Sounds really simple, doesn’t it. In fact, after putting four of my children through braces, I decided to have some of my crooked teethed children try the tonsillectomy to see if it would make a difference in their teeth, sleep, and ADD. After all, braces here in Michigan are over $5000 a child now. I can’t report on the outcome yet, as I have been told that the benefits of straighter teeth will take nearly a year to see, but their sleep patterns have improved. Over the weekend, I decided to try to catch up on reading some of the latest medical articles. I came across Dr. Greene’s research and opinion on tonsillectomies, which happens to contain some opposite information compared to most of what I have been reading.

Dr. Greene admits that research supports the fact that tonsillectomies help with obstructive sleep apnea and with very frequent throat infections. However, in argument to the benefits of a tonsillectomy he quotes some research completed by Dutch researchers. They followed children between the ages of two and eight who had about three throat infections a year accompanied by fever. The children chosen for the study had been sent by their primary care doctors to have their tonsils taken out. Instead, the researchers assigned half of them to have their tonsils out and the other half to have watchful waiting for the next two years.

The results of both groups were not very different. Instead of having three throat infections a year, the tonsillectomy group only had 2.8 throat infections and 2.5 colds a year. While that does indicate a slight improvement, they decided to compare the cost of surgery to the cost associated with three throat infections a year.

Surgery cost included hospital charges, anesthesia, sick days, transportation to and from the hospital, and pain medication. Cost associated with three throat infections a year included cost of prescriptions, over-the-counter drug expenses, doctor visits, missed work from sick days, babysitters, and travel expenses. Guess what, the cost of visiting the doctor three times a year was significantly less expensive, 46 percent less. They also mentioned that there were not significant complications with having three throat infections a year. Whereas six percent of the children who had surgery had minor complications, including a second surgery, being admitted to the hospital for observation, IV treatment for nausea, and excessive bleeding. All experienced several days of pain.

My three children all experienced throat pain for about a week, but had no other complications. They do seem to be sleeping better. Ty is having trouble learning to breathe through his nose; he only does it when I remind him. The three of them have not had strep since their surgery in July.

Three Tonsillectomies, Will They Cure Special Needs?
Tonsillectomy, Not Braces, Nor ADHD

Photo Credit 2005 Julia Fuller