The story of the tonsils

Cortlan has hardly been able to breathe through his nose since February.  Initially, we thought he had a cold, and he may have.  But the cold never went away.  Our current assumption is that as the cold improved, his allergies took over.  At the time, we didn't know that he had allergies, but we did take him to his pediatrician at one point in the spring.  His eyes had gotten puffy and his head was still congested; she prescribed him eye drops and an over-the-counter allergy medicine.  The eye drops helped considerably, but there was only a slight improvement with the congestion.

As spring turned into summer, Cort still got no relief.  Thank goodness for a Costco membership, as buying tissues in bulk became a necessity.  Eventually, we decided that we had to take this to the pros and we went to an allergist.  The allergist tested him and determined that Cortlan is severely allergic to grass, ragweed, and a few other weeds for which they specifically tested.  He also is allergic to cat and oak.  The specialist recommended continuing the course we were on and added a nasal spray, as well.  At that first appointment, he mentioned that we may need to check on his adenoids.  We made a follow-up appointment for a month later.

At the follow-up appointment, the doctor asked if we noticed a substantial difference after using the nasal spray for a month.  We hadn't.  There was some difference, perhaps, but he was still unable to breath through his nose.  The doctor noticed signs of infection and put him on antibiotics, but even after going through the course of them, he still didn't seem much better. At that follow-up appointment, the allergist indicated that the nasal spray may not be getting to where it needed to to cause improvement due to enlarged adenoids.  He recommended that we see an Ear Nose and Throat specialist to get them checked. 

About two weeks later, we were at the ENT specialist.  I hadn't told Cortlan what to expect, because I wasn't entirely sure myself, but the thought was that he would have to have a scope done that would go through his nose to examine the adenoids in the cavity behind.  In the initial examination, however, the doctor looked in his mouth and had him say "Ahhhh."

"Wow!" she said.  "You have really big tonsils!"

She continued the exam, and at one point turned to me and said, "I can certainly do the scope if you want me to, but I can tell you right now that my recommendation is to have the tonsils removed.  Once I am in there, I can examine the adenoids and remove them if necessary."

The thought is that his large tonsils are restricting his airway, causing problems that range from snoring to lack of airflow through his nose to problems with drainage from his nose.  The doctor said that without surgery now, an orthodontist would likely be sending him to have it later, as there is no room for Cortlan's tongue in the back of his mouth.  This could cause problems with his pallet and the roof of his mouth may become misshapen in time.  The surgery needs to happen.

That appointment was on October 4th.  Two days from now, on October 18th, Cortlan will have his tonsils removed.  We are very hopeful that there will be a noticeable difference and that he will find relief.  We are also hopeful that the recovery goes well.  Cortlan is a tough kid; he is very tolerant and rarely complains when sick.  When he had to get his blood work done, he quietly sat and watched as the technician inserted the needle into his arm and drew three vials of blood.  The tech commented that he handled the process better than many adults.  Even still, you never know what to expect with things like this. 

I have stocked up on popsicles (I have maybe bought two or three boxes in his life until this point, so this will certainly be a treat) and Italian Ice.  We made home made apple sauce on Sunday, and I bought plenty of soup and a spaghetti squash.  He will have to spend at least a week out of school, inactive, and he is not going to be able to go to soccer or gymnastics for two weeks, so as a surprise, we also got him a new game for his Explorer.  (We also prepared for the bouts of jealousy that Everly will likely experience over the attention, the special diet, and Cortlan "getting to go" to the doctors.  For one, she is getting a new pair of boots.)

So there you have it...the story of the tonsils.  The next couple of weeks should be interesting in many ways.  It should be no big deal; We are ready.  And Cortlan has been counting down the days.