THE mum of a six-year-old boy who has spent the past four years suffering from painful bouts of chronic tonsillitis has spoken of her desperation to get him the operation he needs.

Marley White, from Monmouth, has suffered from the condition since he was two years old. In the past 12 months alone he has had 18 episodes of tonsilitis, causing him to frequently miss school.

Mum Lisa – who is 29 weeks pregnant with her fifth child – said he is on the waiting list for a tonsillectomy – when his tonsils will be removed. But, despite pleading with the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board to expedite his treatment after years of seeing her son in constant pain, but has been told he is “not a priority case”.

The health board told the Argus it is still dealing with the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and many other patients were waiting for similar procedures.

She said: “I have had to push for an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) referral for him to have a tonsillectomy, they did refer him but as it was during covid they weren’t doing operations.

South Wales Argus:

“His condition has gotten worse over the years, the space between attacks is becoming short - he his having three weeks between attacks.

“He has antibiotics for 10 days for those three weeks and a 12-day break before returning to them. Because he has been on them so long, he is now becoming resistant which isn’t good for anybody.”

Now Marley is being tested for Juvenile Rheumatoid Tonsillitis, which doctors have said may be the result of his reliance on antibiotics.

Ms White, 28, continued: “I have had to expedite his referral twice and the consultant has declined it three times, telling us that he is not a priority case.

“It’s ridiculous as he been waiting 12 months and now faces another 12-month wait. He is missing out on a lot of schooling.”

A spokesperson for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: “We are sorry that Ms White is not happy with the delays in her son’s treatment. It would be inappropriate to comment on the details of individual cases.

“We have been in regular contact with Ms White regarding her son’s care, we have worked very hard to reduce our surgical waiting times caused by covid-19.

“The knock-on effects of the pandemic continue to significantly impact our waiting lists.

“Many children are awaiting elective surgery, with a substantial amount of these awaiting a tonsillectomy, and so we must prioritise the most clinically urgent cases.

“It’s important to note that these backlogs are not unique to the Ear, Nose and Throat directorate; we are currently experiencing these issues right across our organisation.

“This is the case across NHS Wales and the rest of the UK.”

What is Chronic Tonsillitis?

Chronic tonsillitis is a common illness in children and is caused by viral or bacterial infection which can be treated with a course of antibiotics.

The main symptoms include a sore throat, problems swallowing, a fever of 38 degrees or above, coughing, a headache, feeling sick, earache and feeling tired.

Some people may have more severe symptoms such as swollen glands, white pus-filled spots on their tonsils or bad breath.

Symptoms usually last two to four days but it is not contagious.

The patient is advised to rest, drink cool fluids and take paracetamol or ibuprofen, if symptoms continue last more than four days then the patient is advised to see their local GP.