Tonsils are a vital part of your child’s immune system but sometimes they can truly be obstructive of their daily activities in the event that they get severely infected. Tonsils act as the first line of defense against bacteria and viruses, trapping the germs at the back of the mouth while our immune system gets to work. Generally, a painful and sore throat occurs followed by a high fever during a case of tonsillitis.

Tonsillitis generally begins with your child complaining that their throat hurts and they suffer from a loss of appetite. As the infection sets in, a high fever generally ensues and this goes on for a day, at most two. If you inspect your child’s throat, you will most likely see inflamed and red or purple throat opening (a normal throat is usually reddish pink in color). You might also discover puss-covered and overly-enlarged glands if the infection is bad enough. In the case of severe tonsillitis, your child may suffer from a loss of voice due to the swollen glands. Some children have minor breathing difficulties because of the swelling and thus have an uneasy periods of sleep.

Tonsillitis can be somewhat contagious so you should keep your child away from other children and the rest of the family as much as possible. It’s a good idea to use disposable napkins during this time, and don’t forget to change the pillow cases and bed sheets as well. A case of tonsillitis usually triggers a high fever that only lasts a couple of days at most so during this time, be sure to keep your child’s temperature under control – Tylenol is a good enough. Avoid giving aspirin to children who are sick as there has been a few cases Reyes syndrome reported (look it up on the internet if you have never heard of it). In the mean time, your child’s diet can be made up of any soft foods that will not further irritate the throat whilst being easy to swallow. Remember to keep hydration levels up with plenty of fluid intake during the recovery phrase.

In the event that you do not see an improvement in your child’s condition, a clinical examination might be needed. Your doctor will usually take some saliva and bacterial samples from the back of the throat to determine the severity of the infection. This is either done by cotton swabbing the back of the mouth or via a rapid strep test to quickly diagnose your child for streptococcus infections. In most cases, antibiotics are prescribed to treat the bacteria and your child should be feeling better within a day or two. In some rare cases, the bacterial infection may be so bad antibiotics will not help much and if that’s the case further tests will need to be done to conclude if other steps need to be taken. This might be tonsil-removal surgery or a stronger antibiotic treatment.

While you can treat bacterial throat infections with antibiotics, there are no treatments for viral ones. In the event that your child has come down with a virus, your doctor will usually tell you to keep your child hydrated by drinking plenty of water, and keep the fever under control with drugs like Tylenol. As with any flu-like symptoms, it is important to have enough sleep in order to recover quickly. If your child’s immune system is strong, the effects of tonsillitis will normally subside within a week, if not then it’s probably a good idea to pay another visit to the doctor for further checkups.

As mentioned before, tonsils play an important part to the body’s immune system but sometimes the bacteria can work its way in so deep into the tonsils that they lie dormant there only to thrive again when the antibiotics wear off. The great thing about having a tonsillectomy is that sore throats will be a thing of the past for your child and re-infections will be unlikely for the rest of his life. The minor surgery will usually be performed under general anesthesia so your child will be unconscious during the whole procedure, and the whole thing is over and done with pretty quickly. The tonsils are simply removed by cutting them off at the back of the mouth. Usually the operation will not be performed during an infection or right after, as this could increase the risk of bleeding or bruising.

While the tonsillectomy is a quick procedure, your child might or might not be required to be hospitalized overnight depending on his or her condition and if the anesthesia has worn off or not. Be prepared as your child might cry a lot because of the exposed flesh in the wounded area – it will really hurt to swallow anything, even liquids. It will take approximately 7 to 10 days for the pain to subside.

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categories: tonsillitis,sore throat,kids health,illnesses,health,advise

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