On T&A and sucking, in my expereince, working with pediatric T&A for over
three years. I had understood the reason for not allowing a straw was more
to do with the risk the straw accidently  got bumped knocked or what ever
to literally cause trauma by contact to the surgical site (the tonsil bed).
Nothing to do with sucking or suction pressures.

When  toddlers around 12 months or  older  (up to  2 - 3 years) who were
still  drinking from a bottle had  a tonsilectomy there was no problem with
them being allowed to drink from the bottle whenever they were ready to
resume drinking. In fact  it was considered thereputic. It is less common
for breastfed children to require T&A however we did see a few and the
resuming of breastfeedign was never an issue.

It seems to me the concern about sucking and suckling  being a problem for
post operative heamorage is being misconstrued. Older person and chiildren
get to chew chewing gum postoperatively, the swallowing is healing and the
sooner and more of it they do  the better. The sucking and suckling and
swallowing action of breastfeeding I understand is  equivalent to that and
I doubt very much whether any person claiming  sucking pressure could
dislodge anything  really knows much about the pressures and the effects
of suckling pressure to dislodge  or interfere with the  tonsil bed site.
Sounds like one of those misconceptions and unfouded fears to me. (But I
stand to be corrected if there is real evidence). As I say in my expereice
careing for many post tonsilectomy children as young as  9 months  sucking
and suckling post surgery was a helpful  fact not to be discouraged.
Getting those swallowing mucles going again is much like getting up out of
bed to move around  post abdo or other surgery. Unless things have changed
in the last 5 years I would be very interested in the rationalles and
evidence.
Suck & swallow heals
Ruth

Ruth Cantrill
Griffith University
Nathan QLD

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