Hi,

I'm sorry that your son has apnea at such a young age.  My apnea kid is 7, she was diagnosed in October with her adenoids out in Nov.  tonsils were not an issue, so they were left alone.  She has obstructive sleep apnea after surgery, restless leg syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder...and other stuff.

Here is what I would want to know if I was in your positon...

Exactly what did the report show?  How many apneas and what type?  How many hypopneas (slow shallow breaths)?  What was the lowest and average Oxygen level?  Who read the report?  Is the person who read the report a pediatric sleep specialist?

I would get a second opinoin, and if you have not seen one yet---see a pediatric ENT.  Keep talking to people until you are convinced that what you are doing is the best thing for your son, especially if there are other things going on.

There are some other parents around here that have kids as young as yours who are dealing with apnea, I hope they answer you as well.
Hang in there....

Susanne

My little one also had OSA and had a T&A done.  And like yours, he has endured so much in his short little life as well.  Feel free to send me a personal message if you want to chat more.  I'll tell you that the T&A did cure my son's OSA (we now are dealing with central sleep apnea) and his breathing improved greatly.  It was a rough recovery as he was only 14 months old at the time.  It's difficult when they can't talk and tell you what they want.  

I would also ask the same questions as the mom above has.

What type of problems has your son dealt with?  Do they know if he has enlarged tonsils and adenoids?  

Sara

Susanne and Sara

Thank you for your reply. I am already on top of all of it. We had an appointment with the ped. ENT yesterday. I got a copy of the sleep study and took with me. My son stops breathing 10.4 times per hour in REM sleep and 3.45 in the earlier stage. His lowest O2 level was 83% and he has a carbonmonoxide level. Its not very high though. I am going to see his pediatrician this PM to see what he suggests doing. I just feel so helpless. This is not something I can make go away. My son has already been through two surgeries in his hsort little life and I am not sure if I really want a third. But if not having the surgery will cause more problems then thats not what I want either.

The ENT said that his tonsils are only med. so with out the sleep study being done he would not have suggested removing them. My son has not had any physical signs of adenoid troubles.

Sara - How well did your son do after the T&A? Did you have any difficulties?

Hello again.  Emerson is now 19 months old.  Here's a little history on Emerson's T&A adventure.....

He was born with a birth defect of his esophagus and trachea.  Had surgery at 3 days old to repair it.  Had 3 more surgeries due to strictured esophagus, another fistula (connection) between his esophagus and trachea, and difficulties with surgery #3.  All of this happened by the time he was 8 months old.  

Around 5-6 months old, he started having ear infections.  Then he started to get one about every 3-5 weeks so I asked for a referral to a pediatric ENT.  I had read about obstructive sleep apnea in children and realized that my child fit so many of the symptoms.  He was always irritable, hardly slept through the night, slept with his mouth open, and I witnessed long pauses in his sleep.  So I told the ENT of my concerns.  He said his tonsils and adenoids were rather large but also wanted to do a sleep study.  This revealed his OSA and hypopnea.  His oxygen dropped to 74% at one point.  I this his AHI was 6.7 an hour.  It also showed central apneas but apparently the ENT wasn't concerned about those because he never mentioned them until we went back for a 2nd sleep study...that's another story....

So, we had the T&A done when Emerson was 14 months old.  The ENT said his tonsils were large and his adenoids were abnormally large.  They were also causing the issue with ear infections.  We've not had any ear infections since the T&A.  YEAH!!!  We did have to stay in the hospital for 3 nights because Em refused to eat or drink anything.  He needed the IV to stay hydrated.  Finally on the 3rd day, he started to drink a little bit and by the 4th, it was enough to keep him hydrated on his own so we went home.  He did have some trouble breathing the first couple of hours out of surgery, but I think most of that stemmed from his tracheamalacia (floppy trachea).  When he cries real hard, it collapses and he can't get air in until he calms down.  Within a week, he started to breathe much quieter at night and seemed to sleep a little more peacefully.  It took him a full 10 days to really start to feel better, but I think it had to do so much with his age.  Also, one of the biggest things is making sure your child gets the pain med on time.  Don't wait for the pain to come back before giving it again.  If he can get it every 4 hours, give it every 4 hours (or 6 hours, or whatever it's prescribed for).  

I know how you feel.  I didn't want my child to have another surgery either.  And it was a very rough recovery for him - I will not lie about it.  But I know other parents who's children have done very well and ate a normal dinner that night.  So I think it just depends.  It was a good decision on our part as I can hear him breathe so much better.  He has now been diagnosed with central sleep apnea, but it doesn't cause the noisy breathing that he used to have.  It has also improved his overall health as he doesn't stay congested all the time or have the ear infections.  I can't tell you what decision to make and I don't know the history of your child either.  But I've never talked to a parent of a child who had a T&A who regretted their decision....Good luck.

Sara