Tonsil and adenoid removal - discharge
Adenoidectomy - discharge; Removal of adenoid glands - discharge; Tonsillectomy - discharge
Maybe your child snores a lot. Maybe your child gets a lot of ear infections or has a lot of sore throats. There's a good chance your child has a problem with his adenoids. Let's talk about enlarged adenoids. The adenoids are glands located between the airway your child breathes into through their nose and the back of your child's throat. Like your child's tonsils, the adenoids can often become swollen. This may happen if the adenoids grow too large, instead of shrinking as your child gets older. If the adenoids continue to grow, your child may have bad breath, cracked lips, and a dry mouth. Your child might breathe a lot through his mouth. That's because his airway can become blocked, and he may have trouble breathing through his nose. Your child may even stop breathing at times during sleep. Your child's doctor will use a special mirror to see if the adenoids are swollen. Your child may also need an x-ray. Your child's doctor may try to treat the chronic swelling with medications such as antibiotics. If that doesn't work, your child may need surgery to remove the adenoids. If your child needs surgery, he will be given general anesthesia and be asleep and unable to feel pain. The surgeon will prop your child's mouth open with a small instrument, then remove the adenoid glands, while probably removing the tonsils at the same time. Your child will probably go home the same day as surgery. Surgery to remove the adenoids, called an adenoidectomy, is one of the most common reasons children have surgery. But surgery doesn't have to be all bad. Your child can look forward to a steady diet of pudding, ice cream, and other soft and fun foods, until they feel better. And hopefully your child can look forward to fewer sore throats and ear infections, and more normal breathing, in the future.
When You're in the Hospital
Your child had surgery to remove the tonsil and adenoid glands in the throat. These glands are located in the back of the throat and in the upper airway between the nose and the back of the throat. Often, adenoids are removed at the same time as the tonsils (tonsillectomy).
What to Expect at Home
Complete recovery takes about 2 weeks. If only the adenoids are removed, the recovery most often takes only a few days. Your child will have pain or discomfort that will get better slowly. Your child's tongue, mouth, throat, or jaw may be sore from the surgery.
While healing, your child may have:
- Nose stuffiness
- Drainage from the nose, which may be bloody
- Ear pain
- Sore throat
- Bad breath
- Slight fever for 1 to 2 days after surgery
- Swelling of the uvula in the back of the throat
Self-care
If there is bleeding in the throat and mouth, have your child spit out the blood instead of swallowing it.
Try soft foods and cool drinks to ease throat pain, such as:
- Jell-O and pudding
- Pasta, mashed potatoes, and cream of wheat
- Applesauce
- Low-fat ice cream, yogurt, sherbet, and popsicles
- Smoothies
- Scrambled eggs
- Cool soup
- Water and juice
Foods and drinks to avoid are:
- Orange and grapefruit juice and other drinks that contain a lot of acid.
- Hot and spicy foods.
- Rough foods like raw crunchy vegetables and cold cereal.
- Dairy products that are high in fat. They may increase mucus and make it hard to swallow.
Your child's health care provider will probably prescribe pain drugs for your child to use as needed.
Avoid medicines that contain aspirin. Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is a good choice for pain after surgery. Ask your child's provider if it is OK for your child to take acetaminophen.
When to Call the Doctor
Contact the provider if your child has:
- Low-grade fever that does not go away or a fever over 101°F (38.3°C).
- Bright red blood coming from the mouth or nose. If bleeding is severe, take your child to the emergency room or call 911 or the local emergency number.
- Vomiting and there is a lot of blood.
- Breathing problems. If breathing problems are severe, take your child to the emergency room or call 911 or the local emergency number.
- Nausea and vomiting that continues 24 hours after surgery.
- Inability to swallow food or liquid.
References
Ungkanont K. Adenoidectomy. In: Meyers EN, Snyderman CH, eds. Operative Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2018:chap 191.
Zur KB. Tonsils and adenoids In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 431.
Version Info
Last reviewed on: 10/28/2024
Reviewed by: Ashutosh Kacker, MD, FACS, Professor of Clinical Otolaryngology, Weill Cornell Medical College, and Attending Otolaryngologist, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
