4 YR OLD HAS SLEEP APNEA

[agadoresmama]

mY FOUR year old granddaughter has sleep apnea, per her pediatrician. No tests have been run. They are just going by the fact that she is very overweight and cannot sleep lying down...she has to sleep in a recliner. The pediatrician says she needs her adenoids out and this will solve the problem. I have recently read about empty nose syndrome and am afraid she may be heading down that path.....

any ideas? any experiences with adenoid removal for sleep apnea?


thanks....

[Janknitz]

When a child is involved go to this forum: http://www.apneasupport.org/pediatric-s ... 43cea0f79b. The moms there have been through it all and really know their stuff.

It could be that having the adenoids removed will help, but she should be tested both before and after to be sure.

[agadoresmama]

Thank you, Janknitz!

[Sheriff Buford]

I used to have Praxair as my DME. Apria bought Praxair out. When I made my first visit to Apria last spring, I was waiting in the lobby to meet a tech. I needed to go to the mens room and I passed a room that turned out to be the room Apria uses to hand out supplies and equipment. As I passed the room, a customer was in the room. It was two adult ladies (I assume one of them was the mom) and a child I would say was around 5-6 years old. At that moment they were trying on a mask on the little girl. I was baffled. When my DME was working with me, I asked her about the little girl and cpap therapy. The DME made a comment about how much easier it was to get children to adjust to cpap therapy than adults. Interesting, but I didn't pursue it anymore. Speak to an educated DME provider or a sleep doctor. Educate yourself before even considering taking on this task with a child.

Sheriff

[nanwilson]

Yes, my neighbours granddaughter has it, she has had her tonsils and adenoids out and is doing much better....and she wasn't overweight she's a tall skinny thing.

[jbn3boys]

I had my adenoids removed when I was 4 or 5. It may have helped for some time. However, I am on bipap now, so it is not a life long cure.

From what I've seen, empty nose syndrome has more to do with turbinates than with adenoids. Adenoid removal should not cause any problems like empty nose syndrome. I think it is a pretty minor surgery for children.

[archangle]

If it was my family, I'd say to get a sleep test run.

Study up on the adenoid removal. There's some controversy especially in young children, but there are both good and bad points about doing it. Sometimes, it is a good thing.

I hate to cut something out permanently unless there's a really good reason. Unlike CPAP, you can't change your mind if it doesn't work.

Get a second opinion from a doctor who doesn't like the first doctor.

[SleepingUgly]

First of all, in a child you want a CURE, not a treatment, ideally. A sleep study should be run. If she has apnea, an ENT would need to decide if her tonsils and adenoids should be removed and an orthodontist should speak to whether Rapid Maxillary Expansion would help. I don't trust negative sleep studies, most especially in children, but she sounds as if her symptoms may be so flagrant as to be caught by even the post inept sleep lab.

[chunkyfrog]

Archangle:
A fair amount of enmity exists between docs, I'm sure.
My choice would be one who believes the first doc is an ignorant boob.

[asleep@thewheel]

Fist of all where are you all located?

If you happen to be on the west coast , make sure for your granddaughter's sake you get to Stanford. The quality and knowledge of sleep clinics all over the US is so varied, it is scary. At this age she can be cured not treated. Before anybody takes out her adenoids or tonsils, a spaghetti camera tube like device administered by a proper pediatric ENT is the only way to know for sure how bad her obstructions are on top of a proper sleep study. Depending on her nose size air capacity, her palette, her mouth, chin and jaw will all play determining factors in what your next steps will be. Additionally you need to find an allergist who is versed in sleep apnea and from my families experience that is hard to come by to say the least.

Please search past posts on this forum about children with OSA and you will find a good amount of info.

[Rjaye]

Hi, all. I really want to encourage the OP to consider what everyone elsehas posted.

I was one of those children who had the tonsils AND adenoids removed to deal with breathing and infection issues. That was 45 years ago. It helped when I was young, but I still ended up on apap.

Medicine has come so far since then, and I agree with everyone whohas posted-get a second opinion from a pediatrician who specializes in children's sleep disorders. At your granddaughter's age, not only are there more options as other's have said, but she needs monitoring as she grows up by a doc who knows this stuff and can deal with it. A regular peds doc just isn't going to be as on the ball as a specialist.

I wish your granddaughter good health and you as well.

Metta.