Sleep Apnea in Kids?

Yup. My niece had sleep apnea for years. They finally had her tonsils and adnoids out at 8 yrs old. They all wish they had done it sooner. She started sleepwalking because of her problems. Do your kids get ear infections too? That was one of her problems too. Anyone of any age undergoing a surgery is cringy, but they put a chemical in the anesthetic to make you forget that you were out. Thank god they did that with my Csection. When they made the first two cuts I screamed because I wasn't completely numb yet. But I don't remember screaming or the pain.I would talk soem more to your pediatrician, but its your choice. All surgery sucks tough.

It sounds like adenoids could be the culprit as well. You might try Nasonex and letting him sleep elevated. I would see if you could get in with an ENT that is slow to go to surgery. We know a great on in Denver. :) A bit of a commute for you, though. We could help with the details of such a trip though, if you're up for it.

My son had the same problem at two years of age. We had his tonsils and adenoids removed - now no more problems. I used to worry that he would stop breathing - you need to get this taken care of immediately! Removal is an outpatient procedure and one week of discomfort for him - but lots of Popsicles and ibuprofen and you'll both get through it!

My 8 year old daughter is going to be having her tonsils and adenoids as well as having a new set of ear tubes put in. She has been through ear surgery before and came through with flying colors; she was 4 years old at that time. But every child reacts differently to anesthesia. As for the tonsils...from my research and talking with her doctors, tonsils are not the cause of the snoring. It is the adenoids that cause the snoring. My daughter has been snoring like a 75 year old man for years; this is do to her adenoids. But she also have incredibly large tonsils, these are being removed for the purpose of trying to prevent chronic ear infections. Her tonsils are so large that they block the eustation tubes that allow drainage from the ear.

The best thing to do is talk to your son’s doctor and perhaps see a specialist. Only a doctor can determine if you child is a candidate for this procedure. This type of surgery is much easier to do on children than as an adult. A good friend of mine recently had this surgery and she said she'd rather go through an all natural childbirth than have her tonsils removed. So, take that for what it is worth. :)

I have been through surgery on both of my kids, first my daughter for the sleep apnea and she was 2 1/2. It was so easy for her, I took her in to the surgical area ahead of time, she met the nurses, she got to bring her favorite stuff doll in with her on the day, I explained about the mask and what was going to happen (to a degree).
NOT doing this will cause behavioral issues, growth issues and learning issues. Sleep apnea is a powerful problem and kids with it are not getting good sleep.
I know with my daughter it was like 180 degree turn around.
She finally slept well, had a huge appetite, was much less prone to a tantrum and grew two inches in a few months!
I have never heard of it being scary for them to the point of being clingy months later!!!!!
My son had his adnoids out and tubes put it and he flew through that with not one issue.
I have had nothing but good experiences in both instances. There is always risks but I think letting the child know what is going to happen and why (within reason of their age bracket) and prepping them so not to get surprised.
If he does truly have sleep apnea, you will be amazed at the positive transformation a good nights sleep will do after the surgery.
The older the child the more painful recovery can be too so it is a good age to get it done and over with.
Talk to your ENT, visit the hospital he will be at, get him a special friend to go in and so forth. There is another post on her about ENTs and what to ask that is around the same thing.
I assure you, neither of my children even really remember much about it other then eating jello or ice cream.

I avoided this surgury from the time he was 2, he is almost 7. I wish I hadn't now.
The recovery was hell, but it was worth it, no more snoring, no more infections,no more strep, its decreased his apnea, its decreased his asthma, and its increased his focus (strange side effect in boys, it increases focus in a good number of the cases) We spend an ungodly amount of time at NAtional Jewish for the allergies & asthma, they would recomend us to only 1 doc....Dr Werle at Psybeterian. He specializes in children, When we got to the hospital & he was in recovery, the nurse was like "oh you are Werles paitient, your son won't have any complications, Werle does the cleanest job" etc etc etc. His adnoids were larger then an adult males, his tonsils inflamed too. Its worth it, but have both taken at once. My son sleeps like the dead now, no snoring, no thrashing, I can't even hear him. We haven't had an asthma attack & he can breath well through his nose.
ITS TOTALLY WORTH IT!
(But recovery is HELL for you, take the full 10-12 days off, don't think he will recover faster, pay the extra for the med that lasts longer then the codine, and set your alarm so you never get behind the pain.
Still its worth it.
My son does remember the mask, go into the anesthesia room with your child, they let him take his favorite stuffie too... & hold them till they are asleep (they will let you do this), also tell him before how it will be, no lies, tell him why & let him vent afterwords. They will tell you they remember going to sleep and didn't like the smell, but if its ok to tell you then its ok.
The codine can also cause nightmares, so the first couple days while you are using it if you don't get the other med, realize the nightmares are a side effect of the narcotic, not the surgury. Another reason I recomend the other med whose name I can't remember.

My son had this problem too. He had his tonsils out right before he turned 4. He used to get strep and ear infections all of the time too. He has not been sick with strep or an ear infection since and he doesn't snore. I have heard that if you don't take care of the sleep apnea it can do damage to the heart too. This is something that needs to be taken care of. The hospital staff will talk to your child about what is going to happen so he shouldn't be scared. Hope this helps.
T.

My son had it and my youngest has it now. He would stop breathing in the middle of the night, which is common in sleep apnea. We had his tonsils and adnoids taken out, and hes been happier and healthier ever since. When they have apnea, they dont get a full nights (rem) sleep that they need, so they tend to be a lot more grumpy during the day. We are getting my youngest sons taken out really soon. They just should wait until they are 2, since that is there immune system until that age. After that, the tonsils are pretty much useless. I would have them taken out. On the part where they are scared for life; my son did amazing. I was there when he woke up, and stayed with him in the hospital the whole night, he did wonderful. I was scared to death to have it done, but I am VERY happy that I did. He was back to his happy self after 3 days. My husband is in the Navy, so I had to do it all myself while he was out to sea with a 1 year old at the time. If you dont get it done, and leave it untreated though, it can cause major health problems in the future. I hope I helped. =o)

You were so kind to respond to me...so now I can return the favor.
My son snored so loudly we could hear him all the way downstairs at the opposite end of the house when he was sleeping.
It is not large tonsils but large adnoids that cause this. He struggled with ear infections as well and seemed to be sick all the time. We were advised to have his tonsils and adnoids out and since then....he has been a new boy. He got them out at age 4 and has only had a small cold but never been on antibiotics since (prior to having his tonsils out....we were always having to put him on antibiotics). About 2 weeks after having his tonsils and adnoids out (that is about how long it takes to recover)...my husband and I ran in to check on him constantly because we couldn't hear him breathing. Amazing and he sleeps better as well. He can sleep right next to us and we can't even hear him!
Also, we too heard that about snoring (it may be sleep apnea) and asked a Dr. at Primary Children's once when he was hospitalized for being so sick. She said, sleep apnea....you had to count for 20 seconds....if they don't seem to be breathing for 4-5....that is not sleep apnea. In our son's case...it was completely related to his large adnoids and it has been the best thing ever getting out his tonsils and adnoids.

My son had the surgery. He had several other issues to go along with the sleep apnea. But, the sleep apnea was very scary for me. I would watch him sleep and put me in tears. He was not sleeping "good" sleep by any means. I did not have problems with him during the surgery or post op. I highly recommend it. My husband also had the same surgery recently and is sleeping better than ever. Whatever you decide, I wish you the best. I know it is scary to put your child in that situation, but remember they are much more reselient than we are as adults...