Pediatric Sleep Apnea, anyone?

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 3:45 am

I am beginning to think my 2 year old suffers from pediatric sleep apnea. actually, I have been thinking it for a while. He wakes at night, I thought he needed out of his crib, now he just wakes up and roams the hallway or comes to visit us. He wakes up and asks to make projects/play/eat, etc. He tends to be very tired during the day, can fall asleep anywhere, including standing up.

Anyone have experience with this? I dont think he snores, but I do hear him breathing when I walk into the room, so he breaths louder than the other kids.

I would love to hear from other mothers who have dealt with this.

Thanks!

BeershevaBubby

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 4:32 am

He needs to see an ENT and they should do a sleep study to see. My son has a bit of apnea due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids and once we get his anemia issue sorted out, he'll have surgery to remove both which should fix the apnea.

Apnea is a SERIOUS condition and shouldn't be taken lightly.

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 4:51 am

My son has a mild sleep apnea. We took him to a sleep clinic. The dr. said it was mild enough that he doesn't recommend surgery. See a doctor.

mom23

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 10:05 am

My son had it. After so many YEARS of not getting a decent night sleep because he kept waking up in the middle of the night I took him into my bed hoping he would sleep through the night. He snored very loudly and I noticed at different points during the night he would stop snoring for about 30 - 40 seconds and then gasp for breath.

I told my pediatrician, and she referred me to an ENT. Due to his enlarged tonsils and his symptoms we did not do a sleep study, but he did have his tonsils and adenoids taken out. He never snored after that, and he never gasped for breath in the middle of the night again, but it did take him some time until he slept through the night.

amother

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 3:05 pm

Thanks, I left the doctor a message that I want to talk to her. He doesn't snore. dont know if he gasps for air, have to pay more attention

SS6099

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 3:14 pm

If you suspect it, definitely doesn't hurt to check it out. DS had borderline sleep apnea. We had his tonsils and adenoids removed and he's doing amazing now bh.

BeershevaBubby

Tue, Jan 03 2012, 11:38 pm

So last night my poor boy was SOOOO stuffy and kept coughing and waking up.

I wish the anemia would get better so he could have the surgery... the tonsil/adenoid issue makes his nose run ALL the time.

momof2+?

Tue, Nov 21 2017, 11:19 pm

I know this is an old thread. I'm bumping it up to ask:
My child may have sleep apnea. symptoms include heavy breathing/snoring and waking up coughing sometimes sweaty from working so hard to breathe. She has big tonsils and also has a runny nose most of her life. Is there a connection between having big tonsils and having a runny nose?

momof2+?

Tue, Nov 21 2017, 11:34 pm

She's been a few times. (She had tubes put in her ears.) ENT says that if I feel she is disrupted enough in the night time to warrant a sleep study, then I should call and arrange it. As of a few weeks ago, I thought her sleeping was improving. Now she has a cold/cough again which exacerbates the whole thing. I just never knew that having big tonsils makes her catch a cold more often than her siblings? why?

Edited to add that I don't think she has much "quiet, not breathing" phase while sleeping. This is why I am hesitant to schedule the study. But I wish she slept better. Anybody had a kid like mine that still had the surgery?

unexpected

Wed, Nov 22 2017, 11:17 am

I think it's more likely that the constant colds are causing the enlarged tonsils than the other way around. Tonsils are meant to trap the bacteria that you breathe in (I think) and the more bacteria they absorb the more they puff up.
I had more than a few children with tonsillectomy and with each one the ENT was clear that they needed surgery as soon as he looked in their mouths. If your ENT is not recommending treatment it is likely that your child's tonsils are not huge enough to be causing sleep apnea. If you suspect something else is going on, it is probably k'dai to get her tested

momof2+?

Fri, Feb 02 2018, 1:00 am

Update:
So my child had a sleep study done and we've confirmed that she has a moderate case of sleep apnea. I have an appointment with the ENT scheduled for in a month from now, and then will schedule a date for the surgery. Anybody have tips on how to get through the next weeks/months (?) until the surgery is done? She complains that her throat hurts her in the middle of the night and wakes up a bunch of times and takes sips of water. Poor baby, now that it's confirmed, I feel so bad for her.
yogabird, I never had her tested for allergies. She's not allergic to anything as far as I know.

justforfun87

Sat, Feb 03 2018, 8:56 pm

Try a humidifier in the room. Her throat could be hurting from the dryness caused by the heat in the room.

amother

Turquoise

Sat, Feb 03 2018, 9:03 pm

I would definitely get it checked out with ENT. My 2.5 year old had her tonsils removed because of sleep apnea. She snores like a trucker, had little bags under her eyes, and didn’t grow. She was wearing a 12-18m before her surgery at nearly 3 years old. 6 months later she was almost wearing a size 3.

Editing- didn’t realize this was such an old thread. Sorry for not answering your question. Would delete if I could.