# tonsillitis and diabetes



## kdiebelius (Jan 27, 2012)

hey! im kimberley and im 15 and have type one, i keep suffering with tonsilitis and its getting pretty bad but every doctor ive talked too wont put me on 'the list' to see a specialist because i have diabetes, im just wondering is it ok to have the surgery with diabetes as it stopping me eating and upsetting my diabetes. does anyone know if its ok to have done? thankyou kimberley oxox


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## Northerner (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi kimberley, welcome to the forum  Sorry to hear about the tonsilitis, how often are you getting it? Surgery can have additional risks when you have diabetes but if it is necessary then hospitals should be able to manage it properly. Perhaps your doctors think that is is less risky to have the tonsilitis and try and cure it with medication rather than have the surgery? What are your blood sugar levels like and what sort of insulin are you on? Have you been diagnosed long? You may be more prone to infections if your blood sugar levels are generally high or fluctuating.

Hopefully, someone will be able to let you know if they have had their tonsils out whilst they had diabetes, or if they weren't given the surgery too.


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## margie (Jan 27, 2012)

Hi Kimberly  and welcome to the forums -do you suffer with a viral or bacterial tonsiitis?  If it is caused by bacteria is it possible that it hasn't fully cleared up, so you stop the antibiotics and it flares up again.

I can remember having septic tonsilitis and I needed antibiotics for a month. However, after a week I had been feeling better - it was only that when I gargled that what looked by blood came away. I went back to the Drs and the infection was still there (just not as bad) even though I didn't have the same pain.

Next time it flares up - ask whether you can come back after the course of antibiotics has finished so that they can check everything has cleared up.

Sorry that this does not answer your operation question - but it may help you find a way forward.


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## Copepod (Jan 27, 2012)

Welcome kdiebelius

Not sure where you live - if in England and Wales, then NICE guidelines apply; if in Scotland, SIGN guidelines are used. 

Any decision about the right course of action to treat your tonsillitis will take acount of your age (at 15 years, you are considered a child), and the potential benefits - potential to improve issues such as how much school you are missing, effects of tonsillitis on diabetes control etc, balanced with the fact that surgery, particularly healing (tonsils are very prone to bleed and / or get infected, even more so with high blood glucose levels) is more of a risk than in someone without diabetes. 

In the meantime, even if you can't eat, you can still drink and get enough carbohydrates and other nutrients in things like soup, yogurt, ice cream, soft drinks, warm drinks etc. If you need any advice about diet during tonsillitis episodes, then ask to be refered to a dietician, preferably one with experience / special interest in diabetes and teenagers.


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## trophywench (Jan 27, 2012)

I used to get it every winter as a kiddy (wasn't diabetic) but it would then disappear until next winter.  Until I was about 15.  Then I had a gap until 3 weeks before my 21st birthday; then a 12 month gap.  The last twice they said 'if it happens again we'll see about operating'.  And since then (hanging onto table) - never.

Two of our granddaughters have also apparently 'grown out of it'.  However, they do seem to avoid operating if at all possible now and I doubt really whether they'd treat you different if you weren't diabetic.


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