Swelling Adenoid

At 3.45am now and I am still blogging away... and this blog is not a happy one. You may or may not have noticed, but YX has not grown much and he is still wearing his 2 year old clothings despite him coming 4 years old come April 11. YX has been seeing a doctor almost every month over the year, either due to his sensitive nose or repetitive visits to the doctor for his chronic cough. I have been feeling strange as to why he has so much phlegm in his throat and mucus in his nose. At times, I have to help him blow his nose at least 3-5 times a day when he is not even having a flu or cold. Finally, I decided to make an appointment with KKH ENT head, Professor Henry Tan.

After hearing my description of YX's symptons, Prof Tan ordered a x-ray as well as a hearing test for YX. The boy did not pass his hearing test as we were told. This could be due to fluid in his ears and his thick ear wax as old as him. The x-ray showed that YX has a swelling adenoid (part of a "ring" of glandular/lymphoid tissue encircling the back of the throat) that has been obstructing his air passage way. That explains why he had been snoring and sleeping with his mouth open. Poor boy actually has dark eye circles despite him taking afternoon naps and sleeping a minimum of 8-9 hours every night.

Prof Tan said that YX was unable to have any quality sleep due to the swollen adenoid. He advised us to let YX go for a surgery to remove it. The operation is done under general anaesthesia and requires a 2 day admission to the hospital. I asked what will the implication be should we not go ahead with the procedure. His answer was that the kid's growth and learning development would be affected. I had seeked 2nd and 3rd opinion, both from our family doctor as well as YX's pediatrician. Both doctors' answer was to proceed with the surgery. Well, the date has been fixed just after the new year. I am praying that the operation is a success and that YX stays healthy and strong.