Child with Hypoventilation on Sleep Study- as Well as Sensory Processing Issues

Hi, my name is A. I have five children, two with asthma.
I also have 11 grandchildren. Over the years I have found running a cool air vaporiser. And I removed all dust and carpet in the bedroom so try to remove as much dust as possible. I have also tried a fountain of running water, and
soft music. The tubes in the ears or tonsils may not be nessasary, because he will still have the allergies. A good allergy specialist, is what i did at age 6. My children
did sleep better with these items also change their diet,
because diet is everything. He may have some food allergies. Good Luck, A. F.

I would get another opinion-- but please know that sleep deprivation can cause a whole host of symptoms-- like hyperactivity and impulsivity-- so I would focus on that before I went to see the neurologist.

Mel

My 5 yo daughter was the same, although not diagnosed with sensory processing issues. We had her tonsils and adnoids out at 4. her speech and hearing have improved and she sleeps soundly though the night.

my son, now six, had his tonsils and aednoids out at age two, he also was a terrible sleeper and snored....he also has sensory priocessing disorder, immediately after the surgery he quit snoring and no longer "had" to have a sippy cup with a straw constantly, he also began eating normally - his tonsils were 5X normal size

Personally, I hate having body parts removed. The adenoids and tonsils are part of the immune system. They wanted to remove my daughter's adenoids and put in a second set of ear tubes (and the first ones didn't even help), so that's when I started looking for alternative approaches.

I read Dr. Weil's "Spontaneous Healing" and cut way back on dairy and had cranial osteopathy done. The ear infections ended and she never had another set of ear tubes and has all her organs intact. I recommend cutting back on dairy (very inflammation causing) and cranial osteopathy or cranioSacral therapy. Food allergy testing (igE & iGg) would probably also be a good idea.

C.

My 6 year old has sleep apnea, mild asthma, several allergies and on medication for those. He was a snorer and a very restless sleeper, to the point he kept us up. We did the sleep study and the Sleep specialist recommended we have the tonsils and adenoids removed. We took the recommendation to the ENT. Our ENT was very hesitant because my son has Down Syndrome and he was afraid he would have a hard time with it. He finally agreed to to adenoids first on an outpatient surgery. My son had a horrible time with the surgery. We hoped that just taking the adenoids it would solve the problem. We gave him adequate time to heal and did the study again. NO LUCK.... it didn't solve the issues. We had to convince the ENT to do the tonsils. This time they did them and kept him in the hospital. He did excellent and recooperated very quickly. We did the sleep study after he was healed and it showed that his sleep apnea had been reduced 95%. O2 sats were back up to 98-100%. The restlessness has reduced, he still has nights where he tosses and turns, but at least we can all sleep now.

I wasn't thrilled about putting my child through 2 proceedures but I'm so glad we did now, his disposition is so much better because he is sleeping and he is healthier. We did this at the age of 4.

I don't have any experience with this, but it's scary! I'd get a third opinion. If the first two say something different, then a third opinion might give you the answer you need.

i'd say get 3rd and even a 4th opinion and see what treatment seems the most consistant. and go see the neurologist and see what he'she has to say about the situation. but if a tonsilectomy is what is needed to make your sons breathing better, then just do it. it's a relatively simple procedure and kids only miss a few days of school and it's usually only a few days of mild discomfort, but all the jello and popsickles they can stand. kids are very resilient and usually heal quickly. hope your boy gets the treatment he needs, whatever that may be. hugs and prayers...

My 4 year old daughter had her tonsils and adnoids removed last April. Best thing we ever did...she sleeps well at night, no more snoring, and, as a result, she doesn't need a nap during the day and her attention span/auditory processing has improved. Also, she hasn't been sick/on antibiotics since then. The only con was the first week following...making sure she consumed enough liquids.

Hi C.,
I'm a mom of three girls. So, far both of my older ones had to have thier tonsils and adnoids out. My oldest would snore so loud we could hear her downstairs over the tv. My middle did not sleep thru the night until we had them removed just before her 3rd birthday. We experienced the over tiredness during the day. I would get one more opionion from the neurologist. You will see a huge difference in his sleeping after the surgery. Good luck. S.

hi C., I highly recommend the surgery for the snoring and sleep issues. We just had my six year old daughter's done in October (tonsils and adnoids) and have not regretted it for a second...she is also asthmatic and has lots of allergies and this has helped a great deal, plus she has the best night of sleep now...no snoring at all and she is well rested in the morning and a happier kid all around to tell you the truth. I was real nervous to have it done, but now do not regret it at all. It was a rough week afterward but so worth it since then! Good luck.

My son wasnt diagnosed with any of the conditions you mentioned, but his symptoms were definitly the same. he finally had his tonsils removed and his adenoids were cauterized. I know that a lot of doctors dont jump right into tonsillectomies like they used to but in my sons case, they were so big, they almost touched. I would have demanded it if the doctor hadnt offered. It was horrible listening to him sleep. My son (at that time) wasn't diagnosed with allergies but he was put on Flo-Nase to see if it would help shrink his tonsils. It didnt and thats when the Dr went ahead with the surgery. Now that we are living in a high pollen area, he has been diagnosed with allergies. I'm just thankful he did have his tonsils removed. I cant imagine he'd be able to breathe at all with all this pollen. Anyhow, I know I didnt really answer your question......I struggled with it briefly and then realized How could I not do it? how horrible must it feel for him to not be getting good air and to not be able to sleep at night because he can't breathe? That's what I based my decision on. And everything went well. He had the surgery and was home that afternoon. If you decide to have it done and have any questions on recovery, let me know :)

My daughter had both removed. she has not been threw the intense studies,but she would stop breathing several times threw the night which caused alot of snoring and somewhat waking up. The Doctors said she had large tonsils and adenoids. We had hers removed. she seems to have improved on the not breathing, but she still snores when she is very tired. She was a very figity and restless sleeper, but it has calmed down a liitle . She was also tested for add and adhd. Even after the removal of both. She still is very hyper during the day. They told me she may would calm down alittle but I don't see that.. Some tell me she is just spoiled.. ha ha.. I said not spoiled just loved alot..
My advice is see what your Pedi. says and compare it with the 2 ents and The 2 that are most alike then go that way... Hope this helps some

Hi C.,
I sort of understand where you're coming from. Worrying about your child breathing at night & getting good sleep is a bummer. My 6.5 year old son had his adenoids removed at age 2.5 due to snoring & sleep apnea. It helped so much! I had a peace of mind that he could breathe easy & that made ME sleep better too.

However, recently he's started snoring loud again, has very bad breath lately, and sounds funny when he talks. When I looked in his throat with a flashlight, I saw that his tonsils were huge. The dr said his tonsils were very large & referred us to an ENT, which agreed that his tonsils are a 3 out of 4 on size, but said to try a nose spray for 3 months & see if it helps. If not, we'll take the tonsils out. Well, we're still the same right now. I really want to get those tonsils out. I don't have a peace of mind about the whole situation & worry about him breathing every night. 2 more months seems like a long time.

Unlike your son, mine isn't tired during the day & sleeps all night. So, I hate to rush to surgery too, but pray that God will give me a peace about what to do. If it helps any, I wish we would've gotten his adenoids AND tonsils out when he was 2.5 years. I we had, we might not be going throught this now.