A mouth full

Ross who is 3 has always snored like a freight train...from day one. His pediatrician said it was normal and he would grow out of it. He has been to the doctor for regular check-ups and immunizations since birth. He has had 2 febrile seizures with complete follow-ups after each to try to determine their cause. He has also been seen for repeated sinus infections. My point is he has been seen by a doctor many times. Well he also had sleep apnea. He would snore, chirp, whistle, wheeze...he made all kinds of crazy sounds while sleeping. A few months ago he got a cold and the apnea got worse. He would stop breathing in his sleep. I could count to 20 or 25 before he would gasp for air. It was exhausting to watch him try to breathe while he slept...not to mention scary to see you child not breathing. He would mouth breathe ALL the time. I just happened to look into his throat one day...I was astonished at what I saw. His tonsils were so large they were touching his uvula (the little hangy down thing in the back of the throat). I immediately made an appointment with the pediatrician so she could give us a referral to the ear, nose, and throat specialist. Within a week we saw two doctors and Ross was scheduled for surgery. He went in on 12/15 for a tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. The surgeon said Ross' adenoid tissue was so enlarged his nasal passages were nearly completely blocked...he was getting little to no air through his nose. His tonsils were enormous. On a scale of 1-4...they were a 4. The dr. said when they laid him down not only were his tonsils "gigantic" but, they fell into what little airway he had left to breathe through. This was without him being sick or having any swelling from infection. CRAZY!!! Ross came out of surgery just fine. We stayed overnight just for observation. Everything went great. Ross was so brave and did so good. There was a huge difference in his breathing almost immediately. Now I have to check on him to make sure he is still breathing because he is so quiet. It is amazing. Bless his heart...he is finally getting some REM sleep. I share this story because if your child has sleep apnea, snores loudly, recurring sore throats, ear infections or sinus infections...you might want to check their tonsils...because the pediatrician won't tell you if you don't ask. It never occurred to me his problems were related to his tonsils. I have small tonsils and so does Sammy. However, Sam had large tonsils and clearly Ross had "gigantic" tonsils. It is so funny. Ross' voice changed slightly...it is a little higher. He sounds like a little elf...so cute. He is doing great and almost fully recovered.