HELP

Hi my name is Melonie, I have a 4yr old that had his 2nd sleep study done Monday 6th Feb. We were called back to the hospital yesterday for a mask fitting and am starting the c-pap Wednesday 15th.

I am totally lost and confused about it all!! The nurse told me that he had 54 episodes in an hour? And that his oxygen levels dropped to as low as 70%

She told me some other stuff too i think but it went over my head. I have asked for a copy of his sleep tests but cant get them untill i see the specialist.

She also mentioned something about the c-pap causing problems to the airway????

Can some one please explain this to me like i am a child.. I am very new at this and very nervous and scared.. Connor just had a sub-mucous cleft palate repair in Oct. and the sleep apnea has stemmed from that..

She told me that he will have to have an upper airway reconstruction but they will wait untill he is about 8 or 9 for that...

After the last surgery i dont think i can put him through another..

PLEASE HELP

Melonie.. (mum to hayden 6, connor 4 and tyler 3)

Hi Melonie:
More than 10 respiratory events per hour (apneas and hypopneas per hour, expressed as an index, or AHI) and/or pretty much any desaturations below 90% are quite significant, so the numbers you've got there have really got to be addressed, and if the surgical options have been put on hold then CPAP is the way to go.

I don't know how CPAP "damages the airway" per se.  You can get wear abrasions from the mask apparatus and maybe some drying from the airway.

I would go back to the person who said all this, or call her up, get out your pad and pencil. and have her go over it again.  The whole point of an explanation is to, well, do exactly that.
sleepydave

Thanks sleepydave

We have since returned to our board of specialists (ENT, plastic surgeon, respitory, dentist, oral surgeon, speech therapist and the head honcho paediatrition) otherwise known as the cleft palate clinic, they have decided to do a tonsillectomy and partial adnoids..... As his sleep tests results were worse than the first...

Do we know if this operation is a sure thing cure for sleep apnea???

Very curious to know if they are just using my son as a hope and see case!

I did ask about central apnea\obstructive and she said he had 4 central episodes and that many obstructive she couldnt count because they were too close together.. (that was the nurse that was there during the sleep test)
She said that the central ones werent anything to worry about
Still a bit confused but their is more to it for us as he has the pharyngeal flap...

thanks for your reply
Melonie

melonieobrien wrote:

(edited)they have decided to do a tonsillectomy and partial adnoids...his sleep tests results were worse than the first...Do we know if this operation is a sure thing cure for sleep apnea...4 central episodes and that many obstructive she couldn't count because they were too close together...the central ones weren't anything to worry about...there is more to it for us as he has the pharyngeal flap...

Hi melonie:
There are statistics on the success of T&A on children, and they're quite good, but as you mention, you have to throw all that out the window cause this is such an individual, complicated case.  If you have confidence in your team, you have to go with them, they're the guys who actually looked down there and saw what can be done and what can't.

Yeah, 4 centrals, just heave them out, they're probably normal responses.

I know it's a tough decision, but with that many events, you have to do something.
Good luck.
sleepydave