Children Sleep Forum
Children Sleep Forum
I am looking for a forum for discussions about children sleep issues. I have a 2 1/2 year old who mouth breathes and snores/snorts at night (guess he inherited my problems). I would like to talk about tonsil/adenoid removal, how young children deal with sleep studies, etc. Does anyone know of any that are active? Thanks!
- neversleeps
- Posts: 1141
- Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:06 pm
- Location: Minnesota
I don't know of any separate forums on the subject, but I can tell you about my experience with my son.
He was born July 1994 and had his tonsils and adenoids out in April 1997. His pediatrician referred us to the ENT, but cautioned us that it would be unusual to do the surgery at such a young age. Upon examination by the ENT, and based on my son's history, surgery was advised despite his age.
The surgery was scheduled 3 different times. The first 2 times my son was sick (of course!) with a fever and horribly swollen tonsils. Have you ever looked in your child's throat with a flashlight when he/she is sick? My son's tonsils were so huge they were all touching in the center of his throat. Not much space for air in that case!! I vividly recall being in his room all night, listening to him snort, cough, sputter, and gasp for air. It was a horrible, helpless feeling for me and must have been incredibly painful for him. The first time it happened, I rushed him to the E.R. After that, upon recommendation by the emergency room doc, whenever he got sick I just stayed by his side to make sure he was okay.
The surgery went well and the recovery was very, very easy. (For children, its a snap.... for adults, its... well, I don't want to scare anyone who has to go in for it!) His health improved dramatically and the nighttime sounds, gasps, snores disappeared.
We weren't quite done then, however because he had several ear infections and was almost always on one antibiotic or another until the same ENT put tubes in his ears. I understand many parents are hesitant to have this surgery done, but his health again improved immeasurably. He only had 1 ear infection after that. Ever!
That's my son's story. Find a good ENT. Look forward to walking into your child's bedroom at night and hearing the soft sound of peaceful breathing. It is music to your ears.
He was born July 1994 and had his tonsils and adenoids out in April 1997. His pediatrician referred us to the ENT, but cautioned us that it would be unusual to do the surgery at such a young age. Upon examination by the ENT, and based on my son's history, surgery was advised despite his age.
The surgery was scheduled 3 different times. The first 2 times my son was sick (of course!) with a fever and horribly swollen tonsils. Have you ever looked in your child's throat with a flashlight when he/she is sick? My son's tonsils were so huge they were all touching in the center of his throat. Not much space for air in that case!! I vividly recall being in his room all night, listening to him snort, cough, sputter, and gasp for air. It was a horrible, helpless feeling for me and must have been incredibly painful for him. The first time it happened, I rushed him to the E.R. After that, upon recommendation by the emergency room doc, whenever he got sick I just stayed by his side to make sure he was okay.
The surgery went well and the recovery was very, very easy. (For children, its a snap.... for adults, its... well, I don't want to scare anyone who has to go in for it!) His health improved dramatically and the nighttime sounds, gasps, snores disappeared.
We weren't quite done then, however because he had several ear infections and was almost always on one antibiotic or another until the same ENT put tubes in his ears. I understand many parents are hesitant to have this surgery done, but his health again improved immeasurably. He only had 1 ear infection after that. Ever!
That's my son's story. Find a good ENT. Look forward to walking into your child's bedroom at night and hearing the soft sound of peaceful breathing. It is music to your ears.
Anyone else?
Anyone else know where a children's sleep forum /message board is?
http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs.html
This link is for a page on the website of the American Sleep Apnea Association. In this list are two articles you can click on about sleep apnea in children. May not be of much help to you, but it's there if you like.
Linda
This link is for a page on the website of the American Sleep Apnea Association. In this list are two articles you can click on about sleep apnea in children. May not be of much help to you, but it's there if you like.
Linda
- wading thru the muck!
- Posts: 2799
- Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 11:42 am
Re: Children Sleep Forum
Try this one: http://talkaboutsleep.com/message-board ... m.php?f=17mxylplik2 wrote:I am looking for a forum for discussions about children sleep issues. I have a 2 1/2 year old who mouth breathes and snores/snorts at night (guess he inherited my problems). I would like to talk about tonsil/adenoid removal, how young children deal with sleep studies, etc. Does anyone know of any that are active? Thanks!
Sincerely,
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!
wading thru the muck of the sleep study/DME/Insurance money pit!
Another web site
Try sleepnet.com. They have message boards and information for kids and sleep disorders.
Update
Went to see an ENT this week and he took a quick look down my son's throat and instantly said - he needs his tonsils removed. He said his tonsils, when he said "ahhhh" actually was close to center, leaving a very narrow airway. ENT said he most likely has large adenoids as there is a high correlation between large tonsils and large adenoids. But he won't take the adenoids out until he examines them when taking out the tonsils.
These ENTs are quick to recommend surgery as that is how they make their living. My wfie and I believe that this guy is good - gut feeling. My wife wants to have it done - I'm a little more apprehensive. Wondering if we should confirm that he has apnea or not through a possible sleep study (not sure if he will tolerate this). My tonsils are very large and I have sleep apnea - don't want him to go through what I am but at the same time, not sure if we are doing everything we need to so that we can make an informed decision. Don't know if it is too early for surgery (he is a little over 2 1/2) and/or whether he will "grow out of this" as I understand that kids usually have large tonsils.
These ENTs are quick to recommend surgery as that is how they make their living. My wfie and I believe that this guy is good - gut feeling. My wife wants to have it done - I'm a little more apprehensive. Wondering if we should confirm that he has apnea or not through a possible sleep study (not sure if he will tolerate this). My tonsils are very large and I have sleep apnea - don't want him to go through what I am but at the same time, not sure if we are doing everything we need to so that we can make an informed decision. Don't know if it is too early for surgery (he is a little over 2 1/2) and/or whether he will "grow out of this" as I understand that kids usually have large tonsils.
Re: Update
mxylplik2,
Hi,
Don't know about now, but in my youth, tonsil removal was all the rage. I doubt I had OSA at that time, but you never know. I do recall having fewer colds and flus afterwards. If this is needed, it's better to have this done as a child than as an adult.
If you're comfortable with your doctor, I say go for it. It might get rid of the sleep apnea. Or it might not. Or it might alleviate it's severity. I think people here are far more concerned about the surgeries made specifically for sleep apnea, and those are controversial and cause for real concern.
Still, I recommend that you be sure your doctor understands that your child might have sleep apnea. Apparently general surgery is a concern for people with sleep apnea, including issues about anethesia, for either a child or adult. This shouldn't be a concern for this type of operation, since it involves the throat and breathing will automatically be monitored because of it. If it does turn out your child has sleep apnea even after tonsil removal, then be aware of this for any future surgeries. I suggest reading some of the articles by the American Sleep Apnea Association, particularly those on surgeries and anethesia (see link below). I feel you should at least discuss these things with your doctor in case there's any need for special precautions. Best to discuss these things ahead of time, so you feel even more comfortable with your decisions.
http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs.html
Linda
Hi,
Don't know about now, but in my youth, tonsil removal was all the rage. I doubt I had OSA at that time, but you never know. I do recall having fewer colds and flus afterwards. If this is needed, it's better to have this done as a child than as an adult.
If you're comfortable with your doctor, I say go for it. It might get rid of the sleep apnea. Or it might not. Or it might alleviate it's severity. I think people here are far more concerned about the surgeries made specifically for sleep apnea, and those are controversial and cause for real concern.
Still, I recommend that you be sure your doctor understands that your child might have sleep apnea. Apparently general surgery is a concern for people with sleep apnea, including issues about anethesia, for either a child or adult. This shouldn't be a concern for this type of operation, since it involves the throat and breathing will automatically be monitored because of it. If it does turn out your child has sleep apnea even after tonsil removal, then be aware of this for any future surgeries. I suggest reading some of the articles by the American Sleep Apnea Association, particularly those on surgeries and anethesia (see link below). I feel you should at least discuss these things with your doctor in case there's any need for special precautions. Best to discuss these things ahead of time, so you feel even more comfortable with your decisions.
http://www.sleepapnea.org/resources/pubs.html
Linda
- neversleeps
- Posts: 1141
- Joined: Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:06 pm
- Location: Minnesota
Please know there are fantastic surgery success stories out there! My son's is one of them; also under 3 years old. Better to do this surgery now than as an adult when it is horrendously painful.neversleeps wrote:I don't know of any separate forums on the subject, but I can tell you about my experience with my son.
He was born July 1994 and had his tonsils and adenoids out in April 1997. His pediatrician referred us to the ENT, but cautioned us that it would be unusual to do the surgery at such a young age. Upon examination by the ENT, and based on my son's history, surgery was advised despite his age.
The surgery was scheduled 3 different times. The first 2 times my son was sick (of course!) with a fever and horribly swollen tonsils. Have you ever looked in your child's throat with a flashlight when he/she is sick? My son's tonsils were so huge they were all touching in the center of his throat. Not much space for air in that case!! I vividly recall being in his room all night, listening to him snort, cough, sputter, and gasp for air. It was a horrible, helpless feeling for me and must have been incredibly painful for him. The first time it happened, I rushed him to the E.R. After that, upon recommendation by the emergency room doc, whenever he got sick I just stayed by his side to make sure he was okay.
The surgery went well and the recovery was very, very easy. (For children, its a snap.... for adults, its... well, I don't want to scare anyone who has to go in for it!) His health improved dramatically and the nighttime sounds, gasps, snores disappeared.
We weren't quite done then, however because he had several ear infections and was almost always on one antibiotic or another until the same ENT put tubes in his ears. I understand many parents are hesitant to have this surgery done, but his health again improved immeasurably. He only had 1 ear infection after that. Ever!
That's my son's story. Find a good ENT. Look forward to walking into your child's bedroom at night and hearing the soft sound of peaceful breathing. It is music to your ears.
He was so much healthier after the surgery, I actually felt guilty that I had put it off for 3 months while I investigated it!
What's the difference?
As mentioned, I have large tonsils and sleep apnea. My son has large tonsils and I don't know if he has sleep apnea. Why do many people recommend that little kids to have the T&A surgery but do not recommend adults get the surgery (as it does not have a high success rate and it may impact the effectiveness of CPAP therapy)?
Someone asked me why I wasn't getting the surgery but I'm looking into my son getting T&A surgery and I didn't have a great answer. What is the difference?
Someone asked me why I wasn't getting the surgery but I'm looking into my son getting T&A surgery and I didn't have a great answer. What is the difference?
Update
My wife went to three other ENTs yesterday to have their opinion on my son's tonsils. One doctor gave a rating of 3 1/2 to 4 on the largeness of the tonsils (4 being touching). He indicated that his breathing is heavy during rest and we told him that he snorts/snores at night. Obviously, the tonsils are causing him to be a "persistant mouth breather" and he said that could actually alter the development of his jaw structure as it is consistently open for him to breathe. The docs didn't push for surgery hard - they said you could wait it out for a little bit and see what happens but most were fairly certain that as they were so large, that it wasn't going to get any better. Although we told him that he didn't seem really groggy/headachy/tired in the morning, they were fairly certain that he had some degree of obstructed breathing which could affect him now (capability to learn based on alertness) and in the future if he has sleep apnea. They said, we can do a sleep study to confirm but most seemed to agree that they would still do the surgery even if he didn't have sleep apnea based on the fact that his tonsils are so large. He does seem to reject some food and it might be because he has difficulty swallowing.
One doc said he doesn't remove tissue just because they are large - he removes them because they are causing problems. In this case, he suggested that they be removed.
Anyone else have their kids get T&A surgery? Would love to hear other thoughts on this. Thanks.
One doc said he doesn't remove tissue just because they are large - he removes them because they are causing problems. In this case, he suggested that they be removed.
Anyone else have their kids get T&A surgery? Would love to hear other thoughts on this. Thanks.
Here is a video that provides a fly over for what a parent of a snoring/possible sleep apnea affected child should know, consider, and do.
https://www.cpap.com/downloadVideo.php?VGID=69
https://www.cpap.com/downloadVideo.php?VGID=69
I must agree with him.neversleeps wrote: The surgery went well and the recovery was very, very easy. (For children, its a snap.... for adults, its... well, I don't want to scare anyone who has to go in for it!) His health improved dramatically and the nighttime sounds, gasps, snores disappeared.
He was so much healthier after the surgery, I actually felt guilty that I had put it off for 3 months while I investigated it!
We're not talking about some mysterious experimental surgery here. You have your second and third opinions, you know it can only improve your child's health, you've done your homework and researched the efficacy of the surgical procedure and the results. In the meantime three more months have passed with needless illness and non-restorative sleep.
Because for adults it is excruciatingly painful with an extensive recovery period and a minimum of 2 weeks of missed work. T&A surgery is not at all well-tolerated by adults and is extremely well-tolerated by children.Why do many people recommend that little kids to have the T&A surgery but do not recommend adults get the surgery ...?