She stops breating an average of 23 times a night and other fun stuff

annerbones

So the sleep study dr. called today to inform me that Maggie stops breathing an average of 23 times a hour. Which scares me even more than when I just though it was a smaller amount (I was guessing 5-10 times.)

So now hopefully the insurance will approve the surgery, the dr. has scheduled it tentatively for October 1st.

I have also been getting heck from out pediatrician because apparently she is 4 pounds over weight, he said the weight gain started in April. So now we are monitoring everything she eats and drinks - like I wasn't before? I don't want her to be over-weight, but I also wonder if having these chronically crummy tonsils is having any additional weight gain. I don't know. He thinks she is snacking to much, but she is always hungry.

solejean

Sleep apnea slows the metabolism since the body is working even while sleeping. I bet her weight goes down when her tonsils come out and the sleep apnea is better.

GaBeekeeper

I hope she gets those tonsils out and feels better soon.
I had mine out when I was 23 and I had problems all my life. But the army doctors wouldn't take them out (according to my mom)
Out of my three kids, two had to have their tonsils out when they were little and they felt so much better after they were gone.

2moms

What kind of insurance do you have that would deny a child medical attention if they have sleep apnea? That is ridiculous! I thought ours was bad goodness. Don't just take their no for an answer. Fight it...fight it...fight it! Continue to write appeals, include all of your documentation in the appeals, and get a Dr to write a letter as to why it is necessary. Also, even if the insurance company won't cover it I'd still have the surgery performed anyways. A lot of hospitals will write some of the costs off if you don't have insurance and have payback programs for those without insurance coverage too.

Our kids are underweight so I have no suggestions there.

kitty

So the epena is because of her tonsiles?
Melisa has enlarged tonsiles and hadstrep 4 times this year.
We had surgery scheduled for 2 weeks ago but I canceled.

Many bad things have been happening in my life and it was my turn to have a sever tragic and my sister was scared that my tragic was going to happen during the surgery.

old mama

I bet she will feel so much better when they are out. Two of my older girls had to have their tonsils removed when they were younger. It did make them sleep better and didn't seem as though they were as sick as often either. Does Maggie snore? That was one reason my dr. thought one of my daughters needed them out too. I can't believe your insurance made you go through a sleep apnea study to have it done...Have lots of popcicles on hand for after!

A&J

I hope your insurance covers this surgery. I had my tonsils out as a teenager, my parents should have had it done years before.

My child is a constant eater too, but our pedi said to fatten her up a bit, so we just continue to feed her often and make sure she is eating quality fats, proteins, carbs, etc. The best to you and Maggie.

saralee

Is your little one perhaps going through a growth spurt? Four pounds doesn't sound like a lot of extra weight to me but yes, sleep apnea can definitely impact weight gain. Sleep deprivation interferes with the hormones that suppress appetite. It can be kind of a vicious cycle because being overweight also contributes to sleep apnea. Most sufferers are heavy and have thick necks, which obstructs breathing. Losing weight will often ease symptoms.

I don't know if she has issues with nighttime wetting but, if so, this is also frequently a result of sleep apnea. Before my CPAP, I couldn't stay asleep more than an hour without getting up to go. It's honestly not significantly better now however, several people who formerly had the same issue have told me that they now sleep through the night with their CPAP machines.

It's a good thing she is getting the surgery now and not at 33 like myself! The recovery period was very different from the children I know who had the surgery. Something to consider though, when I was first diagnosed I had an AHI of 36, which is severe. I had a new sleep study about 60 days after the tonsillectomy and I had NO apnea whatsoever. I even sold my CPAP machine. I was so excited! It made my extensive recovery period very worth it.

But a year later, symptoms returned, doctor ordered a new sleep study and sure enough, while it wasn't in the severe range, it warranted a new CPAP machine (in spite of a 22 lb weight loss). I've had two different sleep specialists tell me the tonsillectomy isn't always a permanent cure. I'm only mentioning it so you will be aware of that possibility.

One of the sleep doctors also said that my ENT should have automatically advised that my adenoids also be removed. Well, no one mentioned that. Maybe you can inquire if her adenoids are a contributing factor because obviously, it would be best to have both procedures performed at the same time. There's no way I'm going back under the knife at this point. I'll deal with the CPAP machine.

Good luck to your little one! Here's to hoping the surgery changes her life for the better!