Certain questions often come up following consultations, treatment and operations. Perhaps you also have a question which has been asked before:

Is it normal for ears to drain after Grommets have been inserted?

Ideally your ears should be dry after inserting Grommets (or ventilating tubes). Drainage means that there is continued or active infection or irritation of the middle ear. You will normally receive an ear drop (usually Cilodex) when the Grommets are inserted. This can be used at times of drainage, but if the drainage does not stop within a reasonable time (3 or 4 days) you should visit your ENT specialist for more treatment and attention to possible underlying conditions (like allergies and sinus infection).

How long will my child take to recover after a tonsillectomy?

This is really a difficult one to answer. There is a very big variation in recovery time. It can really take anything from 2 days to 14 days to recover to normal activity and eating habits. The recovery time depends on several factors, the most important ones being:

• Degree and amount of infections before the operation
• Size of the tonsils
• Amount and exact place of cauterization needed to control bleeding during the operation
• Age of your child (<4y do not always understand the importance of eating and drinking after the operation and may take longer; >12y, like adults, may have more pain and may take longer)
• Personality and psychological factors (some kids simply get up and go, while others may thrive on the special attention or use their state of recovery as a tool for manipulation)
• Pain threshold

Some important things to help speed up recovery:

• Encourage your child to eat and to take in lots of fluid
• Make sure that the pain killers are given at the right intervals
• Encourage your child to play and resume normal activities as quickly as possible

If you are in doubt about his/her progress, don't hesitate to contact your treating doctor.