Tonsillitis & Khadijah

Uh ngeri juga bila saya google cari maklumat pasal Tonsillitis dan Tonsillectomy. Memandangkan Khadijah sedang mengalaminya dan tend to get the Tonsillectomy (ini ejaan yang betul ya), maka gigih lah mak nya cari info kan. Mari kita kenal apa itu tonsillitis ya.

 What is tonsillitis?

Tonsillitis is an infection or inflammation of the tonsils . The tonsils are balls of lymphatic tissue on both sides of the throat, above and behind the tongue. They are part of the immune system, which helps the body fight infection.

Tonsillitis often goes away on its own after 4 to 10 days.

What causes tonsillitis?

Most often, tonsillitis is caused by a virus. Less often, it is caused by the same bacteria that cause strep throat. In rare cases, a fungus or a parasite can cause it.
Tonsillitis is spread through the air in droplets when an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes. You may then become infected after breathing in these droplets or getting them on your skin or on objects that come in contact with your mouth, nose, or eyes.

What are the symptoms?

The main symptom of tonsillitis is a sore throat. The throat and tonsils usually look red and swollen. The tonsils may have spots on them or pus that covers them completely or in patches. Fever is also common.
If you feel like you have a cold, with symptoms such as runny and stuffy nose, sneezing, and coughing, a virus is most likely the cause.
If you have a sore throat plus a sudden and severe fever and swollen lymph nodes , but you do not have symptoms of a cold, the infection is more likely caused by bacteria. This means you need to see a doctor and probably need a strep test.

How is tonsillitis diagnosed?

Your doctor will look at your throat to see if you have red and swollen tonsils with spots or sores. These signs can mean you have tonsillitis.
Your doctor may do a rapid strep test along with a throat culture. These will show whether the tonsillitis is caused by streptococcus bacteria.
Your doctor may also ask about past throat infections. If you get tonsillitis often, it may affect the choice of treatment.
You may have a test for mononucleosis if your doctor thinks that you have mono.

How is it treated?

Tonsillitis caused by a virus will usually go away on its own. Treatment focuses on helping you feel better. You may be able to ease throat pain if you gargle with salt water, drink warm tea, take over-the-counter pain medicine, and use other home treatments. Do not give aspirin to anyone age 20 or younger. It is linked to a serious disease called Reye syndrome.
If your tonsillitis is caused by strep, you need treatment with antibiotics. Antibiotics can help prevent rare but serious problems caused by strep and can control the spread of infection.

As a rule, doctors only advise surgery to remove tonsils (tonsillectomy) when there are serious problems with the tonsils. These include infections that happen again and again, or long-lasting infections that do not get better after treatment and get in the way of daily activities. You and your doctor can decide if surgery is the right choice after a careful review of your or your child's overall health. Info taken from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tc/tonsillitis-topic-overview

contoh accute tonsillitis - from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillitis

Tonsillitis - Prevention

A wide variety of viruses and bacteria can cause tonsillitis, so the best prevention is to follow basic health and hygiene precautions. The following steps are especially helpful for children:

• Avoid close contact with others who are sick. If possible, keep your child away from children who are known to have tonsillitis or sore throat.
• Frequently remind your child about the importance of proper hand-washing, especially when around people who appear sick. Also tell your child not to share toothbrushes or eating utensils with other children.
• Wash and disinfect surfaces and toys.
• Teach children to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing, preferably using a tissue so that germs do not get on their hands. Also show them how to use tissues to wipe their noses.
• Carry disposable wipes and a hand sanitizer to clean hands and to wipe off shopping carts or other shared items in public places.
• Do not smoke around your child.Taken from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tc/tonsillitis-prevention 

Tonsillitis - Home Treatment

The goal of home treatment of tonsillitis caused by a virus is to manage symptoms as the body fights off the infection. It includes measures to ease the discomfort of sore throat and coldlike symptoms, such as runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, and coughing.
Things that may help you or your child feel better include:

• Gargling with warm salt water [0tsp salt to 0.5cups warm water] several times a day.
• Drinking warm or cool liquids (whichever feels better). These include tea, soup, juice, and rehydration drinks.
• Eating frozen desserts such as Popsicles.
• Taking over-the-counter pain medicines (such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen) to help relieve sore throat pain. Follow all instructions on the label. If you give medicine to your baby, follow your doctor’s advice about what amount to give. Do not give aspirin to anyone younger than 20 because of its link to Reye syndrome.
• Getting plenty of rest.
• Using a vaporizer or humidifier in the bedroom.
• Using throat lozenges to help relieve sore throat symptoms. But lozenges should not be given to young children because of the risk of choking. Also, many lozenges contain unnecessary ingredients that can be potentially harmful.

Don't give cough and cold medicines to your young child unless you've checked with the doctor first. They can be harmful to children. Experts say not to give them to children younger than 2. Antiseptic mouthwashes, decongestants, and antihistamines have not been proved effective for tonsillitis and may result in harmful side effects.²
A sore throat along with sudden fever and swollen lymph nodes, and without symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection, may point to a bacterial infection. Anyone with these symptoms should see a doctor to be tested for strep throat, which requires treatment with antibiotics. It is important to get plenty of rest and take all the prescribed antibiotics exactly as directed. Keep your child home from school for the first 1 to 2 days of antibiotic treatment. He or she is still contagious during this time and might pass the infection to others. Source from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/tc/tonsillitis-home-treatment

Setelah dipertimbangkan, rasanya kami tak akan buat pembedahan itu dulu. Mesti sakit rasanya, Ambil  masa 2 minggu nak ok. Itupun kalau ya. Jika dah besar boleh juga tahan-tahan dan kita pujuk-pujuk, ini baru nak masuk 3 tahun. Kesian lah anak kecil saya tu.Cepatlah encik tonsil, sila surut cepat sket ya..huhu..

Nanti saya kongsikan gambar tonsil Khadijah yang bengkak macammana ya. Apa yang saya quote kan kat atas itupun tidaklah maklumat tepat tentang faktor saiz besar tonsil khadijah. Itu info umum sahaja. Macam kes Khadijah ni, memang secara semulajadi ia besar, bukan sebab masa demam atau tak sihat je. Punca utama belum jumpa, tapi saya ada terbaca kecenderungan bayi pramatang mendapat enlarged tonsil ni memang ada, ada kaitan dengan sistem pernafasan utama dia. Satu lagi yang dikisahkan ialah sebab snoring dan sleep apnea. Khadijah ada dua-dua simptom tu. Moga-moga semuanya baik-baik saja untuk Khadijah nanti.