Removal of Tonsils.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 456, 18 May 1932, Page 6

Removal of Tonsils.

Health Talks

By a Family Doctor. JF YOUR CHILD is to have an operation for the removal of his tonsils the operation should be arranged to take place early in the morning—say about nine o’clock. The little patient has to be starved before taking the chloroform, and it is not a very great hardship to go without breakfast; but it is very trying to be kept on low rations until the afternoon. An aperient should be given on the morning of the day before the operation. If you give the aperient the night before it may disturb the child just when he is expected to be prepared for the operation. I may add that the doctor orders the abstaining from food for a very good reason; it is inadvisable to give any patient an anaesthetic when his stomach is full. Therefore, be sure and carry out the instructions to give only a cup of milk or a little soup two or three hours before the operation. Sometimes mothers give way to the cries of the hungry child and give solid food against the doctor’s instructions. Such a course is very foolish. After-effects. After the tonsils have been removed the child is immediately put back to bed; his head is kept low; a square of mackintosh, covered by a towel, is put tinder his head. One word of comfort and warning may be given to the anxious mother. It is not a bad sign if the child vomits up blood. I know it looks terrifying, but, as a matter of fact, it is only the blood that has been swallowed from the back of the throat; it does not mean that there is any internal bleeding. The face and forehead ma}' be bathed with cold water. No milk or any other food should be given until all vomiting has stopped. The child’s throat will be sore for three days, but it soon gets better. Breathing Through the Nose. Do not forget that the removal of the tonsils and the adenoids which were blocking up the nose and throat is only one-half of the treatment. Now comes the second and more important half. The child must be taught by patience and perseverence to breathe through his nose. Wait for one week after the operation, and then begin the breathing exercises. At first your little patient will object to the new method of taking in the air; he has been used to breathing through his mouth, and he finds that the easiest way of doing it. He will not exchange the old, bad method for the new unless the mother and the nurse constantly watch him and encourage him. The hardest work is to get him to breathe properly at night. If the lips are found open they must be gently closed, and this may have to be repeated many times. I can promise you that success will be yours in the end; only stick to it. I said some time ago that breathing freely through the nose was a better safeguard against coughs and colds than a dozen bottles of patent medicine.