Hi, I share alot of the same problems as the lady with the 3 year old son with sleep apnea, only I have a3 year old girl. We are scheduled for removal of her Tonsels and Adenoids on July 17, and I am apprehensive about the surgery. Can anyone give any advuce or share anything about the recovery? We, too, have been going to the Dr. every week it seems like for over 1 1/2 years. She sometimes has to be woken up at night b/c she isn't breathing. Our ENT suggested to go ahead with the surgery, because her tonsels are so large, and then if this doesn't help comlpetly, then we go in for the sleep studies. She has had several ear infections, and has tubes(which he found blocked today), and so he plans to do the surgery and clean out her ears at the same time. We live near the city of medicine, Durham,NC,  so, we are fortunate enough to have her ENT here at Duke University Medical Center. I have learned alot just by reading other people's posts here and just wanted to say thanks! Any advice you can give us would be greatly appreciated.

Hi Karene,

I'm sorry to hear your 3yo is scheduled to have a T&A soon.  My 7yo had her adenoids out and it helped her breathing a lot.  Before surgery she was having a lot of trouble breathing through her nose, but afterward she is breathing great.  The surgery did not fix her apnea, but made it more manageable.

As for information about T&A and what to expect, check out the "Advice: son having T&A in 4 days" thread.  We talk all about what to expect during and after the T&A.

Hope everything goes smoothly for you and your DD.

Susanne and my mini-hosehead Chris

H i, and thanks for your help. I will read the post; it helps just knowing that there are other people out there that understand to talk about this with. And again- Thanks!!!

Last night, Megan had a really hard night.  I had to end up sleeping with her because she couldn't wake up when she was not able to breathe. She had such a hard night. This is still only about 3 days old for us, so , I called her ENT to ask if we could do the surgery any earlier than the 17th, they said they would call me Monday with a sooner date. What do I do until then? Is there anything I can try at home to help her breath better? We were told to wait before ju,pinh the gun so to say and putting her into any kind of sleep studies,or on cpap, until after the t&a. I am scared to leave her when she sleeps. What do i do until the t&a? What questions should I be asking the ENT about what happens next? Should I call him over the weekend with my concerns? His secretary had to have Megan pre-approved(her words) before she could schedule her any sooner. She said she talked to the Dr. and he said the sooner was better for her, and that the lady that schedules all of his appts. was gone until Monday,but, that she would call me first thing. I never actually got to talk to him. I was kinda in a daze when we were at his office, so, I feel like I only half heard some of the things he said.I only really began to understand what sleep apnea was until I beagn to read about it on the internet.And to think that this has been mis-diagnosed as a "cold" for 1 1/2 years. The drak circles, the congestion that never went away, the labored breathing that only gets worse, the child that is always telling me she is tired. She is only 3. I feel like a total failure as a parent. She seems so miserable, and I feel as if I have dropped the ball by not throwing a fit sooner to get someone to listen to me. We as parents see them all day; we hear them at night; we lay away in bed wondering if they will catch thier next breath. this is so hard to watch-it's total helplessness.-Karen

Hi Karen,


Hang in there.  I've been there too.  It is going to be OK.  The first thing you need to know is that you are doing a great job as a mom.  You have not dropped the ball and are definately not a failure as a parent.  If the drs did not realize she had apnea, how would you expect to know.  Don't worry about not knowing in the past, you know now and are doing something about it as fast as you can.  I felt very bad that I did not know Chris was in trouble, but had to realize (after having 1 neurologist, 1 oncologist, 1 anesthesiologist, 1 family practice dr, 2 ENT's, 3 pulmonologists,3 respiratory therapists and a lot of nurses all tell me that Chris does not look like a child who should have apnea -- she just doesn't have the risk factors) that if all these professionals could not/would look for an apnea problem in Chris that I am off the hook.  I have not failed her by not knowing sooner, I have succeeded in making the medical profession think outside their little "this is what an apnea kid looks like" box.  She is teaching a lot of drs that apnea can and does happen in otherwise healthy children.  It is OK to feel sad that your beautiful daughter has a medical problem, you need time to adjust to that and to realize that life goes on.....but don't feel like a failure because you are not one.

Susanne