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5yo with one enlarged tonsil and a hoarse voice for 5 months?

Posted by mamabear89 @mamabear89, Sep 1 9:28pm

My 5yo son got sick about 5mo ago with something that caused him to have a sore throat and a hoarse voice. He recovered after a week but his voice remained hoarse and he has one very large tonsil on just his left side. It now has been about 5mo and it still hasn’t gone away. We’ve given him antibiotics and steroids and nothing has worked. We got his blood checked for cbc, sed rate, crp and a bunch of other things and it all came back normal. I’m scheduled to see an ENT, but can’t get in for another 6wks. Should I be worried? He says it doesn’t hurt, but his voice is very hoarse and sometimes not even there sometimes. He has always been a mouth breather, not sure if this is a contributing factor or not. Should I be worried? Could it be cancer? What are the odds that removing his tonsils would fix his voice?

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Sep 2 7:31am

Welcome @mamabear89, I know it is an awful feeling worrying when your 5 year old son is suffering and you have to wait for an appointment to find out what the problem is and how to help him. I did find a little information that might be helpful.

"Can enlarged tonsils cause hoarse voice?
For the child, the large tonsils will cause a change in vocal pitch, tone, and articulation. The quality of the child's voice will change. Some children will sound hoarse, and muffled, with the resonance affected. This speech change will likely affect the child's schooling."
-- Can Large Tonsils Impact Speech in Children?
https://www.casrf.org/post/can-large-tonsils-impact-speech-in-children
Are you able to get on a wait list for an earlier appointment in case there is a cancellation?

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