Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea occurs when your child’s upper airway narrows during sleep reducing the blood oxygen saturation to the brain. This condition cannot be prevented but it can be treated.

SYMPTOMS ARE AS FOLLOWS IF YOUR CHILD:

• Snores, snorts, gasps, chokes while sleeping
• Is restless, tries to find different positions to sleep
• Sweats excessively during sleep
• Has night terrors/nightmares
• Sleeps with mouth open, has mouth open during the day while awake
• Is confused when he/she wakes up, still sleepy
• Wakes up with headache
• Is sleepy during the day
• Is overweight or underweight
• Has mood swings, a change in personality, be irritable due to lack of sleep
• Suffers from depression
• Chest pulling in with each breath
• Unable to concentrate
• Has enlarged tongue, tonsils or adenoids
• Has ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder)
• Has a facial deformity (small jaw, deviated septum)

This condition can be life threatening to a child. The faster you get a diagnosis the better. Sleep apnea can lead to learning problems, developmental problems, behavior problems, and heart problems. You should seek help immediately if you feel that your child may suffer from these symptoms by making an appointment with an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Specialist.

A sleep test may be recommended, which is called a polysomnography. They will more then likely have to spend the night in a Sleep Lab.

Most ENT specialist know if the child will need surgery just by looking at their tonsils and adenoids. Your child’s tonsils and adenoids should not be large enough to block the airway. This can be an even bigger problem if they develop a sore throat.

In order to prevent further obstruction to the airway and help your child sleep, a surgery called Adenotonsillectomy can be performed in order to remove the large/inflamed adenoids and tonsils. This procedure is performed on a few hundred thousand children a year. This surgery may be the only thing needed in order to help your child.

I took my 3 year old son Alex to see an ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat) Specialist in November, 2010. I told the Specialist that my son would snore in his sleep, he would get up many times in the middle of the night, he would sleep with his mouth open and have it open throughout the day while he was awake, he would also make faces sometimes when he swallowed his food.

He was diagnosed with having the beginning signs of Childhood Obstructive Sleep Apnea. He suggested my son have his Tonsils and Adenoids removed because they were fatter then they were supposed to be. He also needed to get a lingual frenectomy to remove the tissue under his tongue that was causing him to be tongue tied. He had difficulty with articulating words when he tried to speak. He wasn't able to stick his tongue out or bring it to the roof of his mouth when he slept. This was also another reason why he slept with his mouth open.

We scheduled the surgery for the three procedures on Wednesday, December 1st, 2010. It went smoothly and only took 45 minutes. I was given antibiotics for him as well as pain medication. I had a watch that would wake me up every 4 hours during the night to keep his pain under control.

He did not want to eat or drink anything. It was difficult for him to understand this was something he needed to because of his mild autism. We called the Doctors office and were told to take liquids into a syringe and make him drink it by shooting them down his throat. What a nightmare! We did this for two days and all it did was make us feel bad for having to hold him down while we gave him juice this way. He had not urinated in two days. Everything we did was not enough because he was beginning to get dehydrated. We rushed him to the Emergency Room on Friday, December 3rd, 2010, were he was given an IV for 5 hours. He finally began to come around a bit. He wet his diaper which made us very happy. He even drank some gatorade I gave him in a sippy cup.

On Sunday, December 5th, he was beginning to act like himself again. He lost about 7 pounds within 4 days. We were so happy he was eating and drinking like he did before the surgery, we would clap and dance around everytime he asked for juice or for something to eat.

It has been three weeks since the surgery and he has put the weight back on. He is speaking clearer now and is a sound sleeper. He does not snore anymore or keep his mouth open. Even though we had a difficult first week after the surgery I would not change it. My son is so much happier now. We can actually see his confidence. He can stick his tongue out now which is funny to us because we never saw him do that before.

I ask that all parents check their children to see if they happen to have any of the symptoms listed. If so, do not hesitate to see a specialist. This is something that can not be prevented but it can be treated. The sooner the better. Just prepare yourselves for the sleepless nights that first week and the round the clock nursing you will have to give your child. Remember, it is all worth it.

If after removing the tonsils/adenoids your child is still having problems, they may be treated with a C-PAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure). This is a machine that will provide your child with oxygen during the night by placing a breathing mask on their face. A home healthcare company will set it up and provide training in its use and maintenance. Watch video below for C-PAP demonstration and information.

Published Tuesday November 30, 2010