sleep apnea

[coreys mom]

Dear Dr.

    My 14 month old son has had many problems since the first of the year.  Mainly with his ears.  His pediatrician thought it was allergies.  We had him tested and found he is allergic to cats and mold, we have no cats, and as far as we know no mold in the house.  Recently we found that his adinoids are inlarged.  Now since this problem has been brought to our attention the question of sleep apnea has arose.  I mentioned it to his doctor simply because corey has never slept well.  He wakes up at least 4 times a night, at the most 9-10.  When he wakes he is screaming and very upset.  I thought that when he catches his breath again it might scare him.  Thus waking him up.  His doctor wants me to watch his breathing myself which I think is crazy.  I don't mind watching him but I know there is machines that can do it more acuratly.  I'm worried about him and want something done. Please give your advice.

                                 Thanks
                                 Coreys mom

[National Jewish]

Your son’s doctor's suggestion that you watch his breathing yourself is a good one.  Your observations of his breathing pattern could be very useful.  This could strengthen the argument for doing a formal sleep study in a sleep lab.

[bactitech]

You can always mount a video camera on a tripod and set the tape on a slow speed. That should last six hours. It will save you from having to sit there and watch.

Just a thought....

[Inanga]

I had symptoms for a year where I could not sleep for long without waking up gasping for breath - it was terrifying. I had a sleep test and that was fine. It was not apnea in my case. I did have excessive post nasal drip - mucous coming down from the sinus. At night this would go down my throat and some reflex would stop me breathing - that would cause the wake-up. After a minute of careful breathing I'd be okay. Very frightening - it feels very life and death at the time even after I realised the cause. I went through lots of checks for allergies and eventually found food allergies that caused the mucous problem. For me avoiding wheat, gluten and soy products stops the muscous problem. Eating any food containg any of these brings it back. Since avoiding them I've been able to sleep properly. After years of trouble it's great. I wonder if your child could have food allergies - I guess he's eating bread and lots of solids. Not sure but doesn't baby formula include soy? Of course there could be other food allergies, or the problem might be quite different. This just my story in case it helps. All the best.