I was told by the doc that I have it. I start my Cpap soon. I am concerned for my kids because they tend to snore. They have allergies and my son has asthma and other medical issues. What signs do I look for. Should I be worried that they even snore. I know that I have had to had this from a young age.

If you are concerned, then the best thing you can do for your kids is to get them in for a sleep study.  Keep in mind that even if they don't have it now, they already snore and there is a strong inheritance pattern.  So you may want to keep an eye on their apnea status as they grow up.

Here are some excellent resources for parents about having your child evaluated and symptoms in kids such as attention problems, ADHD like symptoms, etc.

INFORMATION FOR PARENTS



_________________
Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
Marilyn Von Savant

That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

I am going to sound like a broken record, but here goes:

Mom's intuitions are almost always right. If you think there is a problem, then ask all the questions you can think of until you are satisified with the answers...

Tiffany, mom to Isaac, 2 years old with central sleep apnea that is officially starting to scare us

I am going to talk to our doctor. I just think he will think I am over reacting sense I was just diagnosed. But I watch him and have always thought his breathing patterns were odd. It almost looks like his breathing gets really shallow and his chest doesn't look like it moves at all. And then all of a sudden he breaths in really deep and fast. He tosses and turns a lot as well. He will be three in August. So I am just not sure what the symptoms are in a child. I just thought there breathing patterns were odd when they are young were it seems shallow and then speeds up.

When you had the sleep study done on your little one how did they take it. Was it hard. My son hates the leads on him. He has many EKGs and has heart issues. Right Ventricular Hypertention. So I am not sure if that is related or not. I am just scared sense this would be one more added issue to his many health problems.

I would say, that you should have a serious talk with your family doc or pediatrician. Let him know that you are concerned about his sleeping habits, his weird breathing, and how it affects him during the day. I am notorious for bargaining with my docs. If they disagree with me, then I'll say "let's try ______, and if it is unsuccessful, then we'll try it your way". If you are not comfortable with your doc, then I would also find a new one. One thing I love about our doc is that he generally trusts mom's intuition and is willing to compromise with me when we do disagree. He does, however, usually give me the benefit of the doubt.

As for the sleep study, I'd look at other posts that have been made about sleep studies. I have some great tips floating around this board about preparing kids for sleep studies. I just don't have time to write them all down now...I'll check later to see if I can find one and link it here...

Tiffany

For the week previous, practice with stickers and string at home. When it's time for bed, put the stickers (with strings sticking out from them (need to be about 12 inches long)) on his chest, his legs and some on his face. He will probably have close to 27 at the actual sleep study, but we usually stick about 15 on at home (10 of them will be on his head in his hair).  Count how many stickers there are and how many are left when he gets up in the morning is how many ________ he gets. We use M and Ms, but pieces of popcorn have proven to sufficient bribes too.

Do this for as many nights previous as possible, explaining that soon you will go the hospital to have a special test done. But to do the test, they have to put lots of stickers on and they can feel funny, so we want you to know how they feel before you get there.

Things to bring the day of:

Star stickers to put on top of their stickers. It makes it feel more like how you did it at home. You need to use larger rectangle or circle stickers for the practicing at home.
Favorite blankets, animals, whatever. You can even put on his sheets from home if it makes him more comfortable. We bring Isaac's 3 pillows and blankets "Fuzzy" and 2 stuffed animals.
Books are a good diversion if DVDs won't work since you can hand him a new one every 10 seconds...Otherwise, putting star stickers on top of their stickers makes them feel more involved in the process and makes it go a little smoother.
We haven't tried this, but probably will with the next sleep study. Make a large (11 x 17) drawing of a body (gingerbread man style) and let him attach stickers to it everywhere they put stickers on him.

I hope this helps. Sleep studies are pretty simple compared to some other adventures you might embark on. If you have more questions, just ask!

Tiffany, mom to Isaac...2 years old...3 sleep studies...1 diagnosis...and 4 other quirks we can't figure out!

mlwl2001 wrote:

I am just scared sense this would be one more added issue to his many health problems.

Hang in there!  I wish I'd trusted myself and followed up more on my son's issues with sleep sooner.  To echo the wise words of others, trust your gut.  I didn't and I have deep regrets in not getting my son diagnosed sooner.  A sleep study is a great step toward ruling issues out or getting needed treatment -- either way you and your child win!

I wish I'd gotten my sleep study sooner; I wish I'd gotten my son's sooner.  I love the posts I have read here on preparing young children for sleep studies.  There are some really wise moms here!  This forum provides great information.  I'm glad you found it and wish you the best.