Tonsils are two tissue balls located at the back of
the throat. They play a vital role and are an important
part of the body’s infection fighting mechanism by
helping to fight germs and diseases. Tonsils deal with
the germs before they reach mouth, throat, or sinuses.
When these infection fighters are infected by viruses or
bacteria, the condition is known as tonsillitis.
The symptoms of tonsillitis are: as the time passes,
eating, drinking and swallowing things become difficult.
The pain can be accompanied with fever, earache and
headache. The tonsils can be seen too. Just open the
mouth wide open and the two masses of tissues at the
either side of the throat are tonsils. They are usually
dark pink in color, but when they get infected they turn
red. A white or yellow coating can also be formed on the
tonsils. There is an obvious change in voice as it
becomes hoarser. The infected child can also develop bad
breath. The infected kid can also get abdominal pain and
can throw up what he eats. Tonsillitis is caused by both
bacterial infection and viral infection. Bacterium known
as streptococci causes infections which require special
treatment.
When the child gets tonsillitis, the parent should give
lots of fluids to drink. Smooth food should be consumed
to ease the pain caused by swallowing coarse, crunchy,
and hard food. Food like soups, ice creams, applesauce,
and gelatin are a good option. Spicy food should also be
avoided. A humidifier or cool mist vaporizer can be
placed in the child’s room as that will make breathing
more easily. The kid must be given maximum rest and
complete bed rest for at least two days is recommended.
The bacteria and viruses cause tonsillitis to spread by
sneezing, coughing or touching. The infected child must
cover his/her mouth while coughing and sneezing. A
disposable tissue can be used instead of a towel or
handkerchief. Things such as utensils, towel, clothing,
etc. of the sick kid should be separated so that the
rest of the family doesn’t get affected.
The doctor inspects the tonsils using a wooden stick
known as tongue depressor, which will lower the tongue,
so that the doctor can have a good look at the tonsils.
After that the doctor checks the ears and nose.
Heartbeat will be checked. If the doctor suspects strep,
he/she will take a sample of saliva from the back of the
throat using a long cotton swab, which can gag up the
child a bit. After a day or two the results are
received. Some doctors conduct a similar test known as
rapid strep test, which give results within few minutes.
Antibiotics are given when the test results come
positive for strep. The bacteria get killed only when
the course is completed and the correct dosage is taken
at correct time.
If virus is the cause of infection, there is no medicine
for it and instead the body is capable of fighting the
virus on its own. When the tonsils infection becomes
frequent and the child finds it difficult to breath
because of tonsillitis, it is recommended to get the
tonsils removed. But it is the last resort after all
other treatments do not do the trick, because tonsils
are very important to the body’s immune system.
The tonsils are taken out by surgery known as
tonsillectomy. After the surgery, the child won’t suffer
from sore throat and breathing problems anymore. The
surgery won’t even leave any scars. A day before the
surgery, the child cannot eat or drink, to keep the
child from throwing up during the operation. The
operation is very short and last for only twenty
minutes. Because of the anesthesia, the child won’t feel
a thing during the operation. And during the surgery,
the tonsils are removed using an electric cautery, which
is a burning tool, or a cutting tool. After the surgery,
the child is given lots of fluids and after a day soft
foods can also be given. Usually it takes about two
weeks to completely recover from the surgery and the
child can return back to normal activities.
