Adenoids, Tonsils, & Surgery...oh my!

I have blogged many, many times about the lack of sleep around here, and very little has changed (for the better) in that department. Many suggestions have been offered and most of them have been tried, but so far nothing works for more than a few weeks. The current suggestion from the mainstream medical community is adenoid and tonsil removal. As much as I would like a permanent fix to this sleeping problem, I'm just not convinced this is the way to go. So anyone out there with advice (or prior experience with tonsil/adenoid removal -- yours or your child's) please read on and comment or send me an e-mail! If you're not interested in the details...just enjoy the pictures of sweet Julia!

Two doctors (at three different times) have said her tonsils are "Stage 3" (very swollen). One ENT, however, said the tonsils are fine but the adenoids need to come out. The speech therapist and another doctor said (without actually looking at the tonsils/adenoids) that they were a probably a problem based on her language delay and continued drooling after her teeth all came in. The ENT who would perform the surgery made his final decision based on the size of her tonsils and a hunch that she has sleep apnea (snoring and/or heavy breathing, startled wakings, etc.).

My major hang-up about the whole thing is that we have NOT had a history or tonsilitis or ear infections which is the usual reason for tonsil removal. I know the surgery is very low risk, but I just can't shake thinking that we'd be putting her through a huge ordeal without a real guarantee that this would actually solve the sleeping issues. As much as I value the opinion of doctors-- I'm usually the paranoid mother who won't believe everything's fine until a doctor has confirmed that-- this time around I'm just not sure. So, I'm also pursuing alternatives (and am open to other suggestions)...

First, we went today to a homeopath specializing in children. Her idea is that the sleep problems and swollen tonsils are mainly stemming from a food intolerance (possibly dairy). I also have a lot of respect for natural medicine practitioners who actually take the time to listen to all the symptoms, medical history, etc rather than just immediately writing a script for antibiotics or something, but even the homeopath can call for drastic measures of sorts (she seemed very disappointed that I was not receptive -- not even one little bit!-- to the idea of resuming breastfeeding...Julia, that is). Anyway, she is open to a blend of eastern and western medicine and has sent us next to the pediatric allergist for a full assessment. I'm also trying to get us in to the childhood sleep clinic for a diagnostic assesment (if they say she definitely has sleep apnea, I'll be a LOT more open to getting the tonsils/adenoids out).