Noisy breathing (2)
Last week, I discussed noisy breathing, but due to the numerous feedbacks and questions I received, I have decided to write a short piece on tonsillitis and adenoid enlargement, which are the common causes of noisy breathing.
These two symptoms can occur separately or together in a condition known as Adenotonsilitis.
One of the issues parents raised is the fear of surgery. I will like to enjoin parents not to panic too much.
Preparing a child for tonsil/adenoid surgery
Talk to the child about his/her feelings and provide strong reassurance and support; encourage the idea that the procedure will make him/her healthier; be with your child as much as possible before and after the surgery; tell him/her to expect a sore throat after surgery, and that medicines will be used to help the soreness.
Reassure your child that the operation does not remove any important parts of the body, and that he/she will not look any different afterward. It may be helpful to talk about the surgery with a friend who has had a tonsillectomy or adenoidectomy.
Symptoms of tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an infection of the tonsils. One sign is swelling of the tonsils. Other symptoms are: redder-than-normal tonsils. A white or yellow coating on the tonsils, a slight voice change due to swelling, sore throat, sometimes accompanied by ear pain, uncomfortable or painful swallowing, swollen lymph nodes (glands) in the neck, fever, and bad breath.
Symptoms of adenoid enlargement
Enlarged adenoids and their symptoms: adenoids are enlarged; it may be hard to breathe through the nose. If the tonsils and adenoids are enlarged, breathing during sleep may be disturbed.
Other signs of adenoid and or tonsil enlargement are: breathing through the mouth instead of the nose most of the time. Nose sounds ‘blocked’ when the person speaks; chronic runny nose, noisy breathing during the day, recurrent ear infections, snoring at night, restlessness during sleep, pauses in breathing for a few seconds at night (may indicate sleep apnea).
Treatment
Treatment is antibiotics for infections of the tonsils, especially those caused by bacteria. Removal of the tonsils (tonsillectomy) or adenoids (adenoidectomy) or both. Adenotonsillectomy may be recommended if there are recurrent infections despite antibiotic therapy, and/or difficulty breathing due to enlarged tonsils and/or adenoids.
Chronic infections of the adenoids can affect other areas such as the eustachian tube — that is the passage between the back of the nose and the inside of the ear. This can lead to frequent ear infections and build-up of fluid in the middle ear that may cause temporary hearing loss.
PUNCH.
