What Is a Tonsillectomy?
Have you ever had tonsillitis? That’s when your tonsils, in the back of your throat, get sore and infected. If tonsillitis happens to you a lot, the doctor may suggest you have an operation to remove your tonsils. No tonsils, no more tonsillitis. Or maybe you have really large tonsils that make it hard for you to breathe at night. That’s another reason the doctor may say they should come out. Your tonsils are two lumps of tissue that work as germ fighters for your body. The trouble is that sometimes germs like to hang out there, where they cause infections. In other words, your tonsils start causing more problems than they solve. The surgery to remove tonsils is called a tonsillectomy (say: tahn-suh-lek-tuh-mee). After this operation, kids usually don’t have as many sore throats. And, if they were having trouble breathing at night, that problem goes away, too. Without tonsils, a kid won’t look any different and he or she won’t have any scars that anyone can see. You don’t need your ton
