Friday, January 30, 2009
To Do, or Not To Do???
Yesterday I had a consultation with my Ear, Nose, Throat Doctor to discuss my frequent strep throat issues and the possibility of doing a Tonsillectomy, aka, removing my tonsils. I really like this doctor. As I sat and talked with him I was surprised at how well he made me feel like family instead of a patient. I don't like the feeling of Doctors who don't care a bit about you, so this was really nice. After consulting with him yesterday I'll admit I am a lot more confused as to whether I should go through with the surgery or not. He said that I am "right on the border" of whether the risk/benefit ratio falls toward performing surgery. He flat out told me that it is the worst sore throat for 9 days of your life. Of course he'll give me narcotics, but it's still not pleasant by any means. Then there is always the risk of excessive bleeding, vomiting, and me not wanting to drink which could result in hospitalization, etc... On the plus side, the majority of people who have their tonsils removed don't get strep throat any more. So I have to decide, would I prefer to just continue getting sick a couple times a year, or take one lump sum of miserableness and get it over with? One of the questions I asked him is if I was his daughter, what would he suggest for me? He said, "I probably wouldn't suggest the surgery, however, you need to do what you want to do." His main concern is that I have a lot of little ones who need my attention and as an adult this surgery will put me down for a long while. But, on the flip side each time I get strep, I'm down for 2 days anyway with that. Oh, what to do, decisions, decisions....??
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i am so sorry that you have that stinkin strep throat all the time. i can't give you any advice to do the surgery or not. it always scares me to have to be put under to do any kind of surgery. but like the doctor said you have to do what's best for you. good luck in your decision!! let us all know what you decide to do on your blog.
ReplyDeleteNicole, I can put you in touch with my sister in law, if you would like. She is the NICEST person on the planet. She had the surgery about a year ago and can tell you all about it. She didn't have it because of strep, but for other reocurring throat problems. I'm sure she would be happy to tell you what to expect and such. Let me know.
ReplyDeleteI have the same dilemma. I think you should get them out- strep is awful!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the decision making. I have two friends that had them out last year and they said it wasn't all that bad...who knows? At least you have lots of family and friends around to help with the kids if you need them!
ReplyDeleteThat is a tough decision. I don't know what I would do. It would be tough to be down for a while and yet getting strep all the time doesn't sound like fun either. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteMy sis-in-law had hers out last year, I think because she kept getting strep. She hasn't been really sick since but the surgery aftermath wasn't fun. Tough choice. One more thing to consider--do you ever send the lovely strep throat on to other members of the family? Might keep more people healthy if you stayed healthy. Good luck.
ReplyDeletethat is a tough choice. I haven't really experienced strep throat OR having my tonsils removed so I don't have any experience to share.
ReplyDeleteThe one question I would ask is, if you don't do the surgery and keep getting strep throat there's that additional worry of spreading it to others, your kids, etc. I don't know, just something to think about.
Not a fun choice. Kyle was 11 when he had his out and they said because he was "older" it would be harder. (You're just a little older than 11!)
ReplyDeleteHe had a pretty miserable week after...but survived. His had to go because of obstructive sleep apnea, not strep throat, so we didn't have much of a choice - to breathe or not??
...and we can help you while you're in your drug induced stupor - get them out on a Thursday and the girls and I can keep your kids for the weekend!
Ohy, hard choice for sure! I hope you find some peace in whatever you choose to do. We are looking into all this with Zach right now, because of the same thing Marie mentioned about Kyle, and it scares me to think of him having his tonsils taken out, but then again him not being able to breathe isn't too comforting to me either!
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