ENT Update & Sleep Study

So, we took Jaden to the ENT Yesterday. And we received News from the Sleep Study, which I highly recommend doing at some point with your child, especially because Sleep Apnea is almost always, (unfortunately) an occurrence in DS, and the sooner you try and do something about this, the better your baby/child will sleep, (Obviously). I hate to be the bearer of bad news because anyone that reads my blog will probably know that I am a very optimistic person, and always try and relay positive information. Sometimes, the reality is, not necessarily so Rosy! It is a fact though, based on all the current research done on DS and from the leading experts that work exclusively with this population, that most if not all babies/kids/adults with DS have sleep apnea. Now either it can be obstructive, due to adenoids, tonsils, tongue, low tone, etc, or Central, which is the central nervous system forgets to tell the body to breathe for a second or two, or it can be both.....The only way to tell which kind of sleep apnea your baby/child has, is to do an overnight sleep study at your local hospital or clinic.


Drum Roll......The results were pretty bad. Jaden DEFINITELY has sleep apnea, and he is actually never falling into a deep sleep during the night. He has continual bouts of sleep apnea due to obstruction (in his case, large adenoids), and also due to Central Nervous system. The good news is, this can be resolved and helped tremendously. The first thing we do is, remove adenoids & tonsils, and due a Soft Palate expansion allowing more room in the back of his palate for his tongue to rest, since his tongue is larger than average (like most kids with DS) and this should greatly improve his breathing at night, therefore greatly lowering sleep apnea episodes. At the same time the Doctors will insert Tubes in the ears to allow the little bit of clear fluid to drain out, clearing up his ears and allowing him to hear clearly. With the removal of the adenoids, he will probably not have a fluid problem again, because he has never really been sick!

So, our VERY healthy, Active, Rambunctious, Feisty, Strong, Gorgeous, Funny, Smart, Alert, Loving, Beautiful, Sweet, Smart (I know I'm repeating myself), boy will be getting the BLUE PLATE Special of the ENT World! He'll come out brand new, ready to breathe and sleep! The good news is, it is only a 20 minute procedure the DR. swears, he stays overnight in the hospital to be watched and can go home in the morning. They send him home with Amoxicillan, Ear Drops and Tylenol for pain. He eats liquid foods the first 24 hours, then can slowly start eating regular foods. NO rough housing, for about 7 days, which for him is going to be hard!
I did want to add that Jaden is saying so many words, that there are too many to mention! We are so proud of him for putting 2 and 3 words together now!
I am very happy we're taking care of this now, the DR. stresses that this is the best time to be doing this, when he's young. If anyone has any questions, just email me. The surgery is for June 4th. Peace!