HEALTH

I have to get my tonsils taken out, and I'm totally scared. My mom says it will hurt for about a week after the surgery.

I don’t want to miss school and soccer practice. Can you help put my mind at ease?

Yes, you’ll have to take it easy for up to a week—you’ll be tired and have a sore throat. Be sure to stock up on cool videos and your favorite ice cream. Safe and routine, having tonsils removed is the most common surgical procedure done on kids. Matter of fact, about 286,000 children get their tonsils removed every year.

Tonsils are pink blobs of lymphoid tissue located on both sides of the back of your throat. (They are not the hanging flaps in the center—those are the uvula!). Usually, tonsils need to be taken out when they are too large and give you breathing or sleeping problems, explains Dr. Charles Wibbelsman, author of The Teenage Body Book.

Sometimes, though, doctors decide to remove them after you’ve had chronic episodes of tonsillitis (tonsil infections). If that’s the case, you’re probably sick of missing school and taking antibiotics anyway. The surgery will solve the prob, and you’ll be back in action in no time flat.

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by GL | 2/1/2016