[Pudding]

Okay my three year old son has been recommended for a sleep study by his pediatrician. He has very large tonsils and snores really loud. He even shows signs of sleep apnea when he is sleeping with me. How come some pediatricians recommend a sleep study and others just recommend a Pediatric ENT??
Anyone know or have a hunch? I did a search on this on the forum and there is some information. Apparently some of the children have had growth spurts after their tonsils have been removed. Does anyone have knowledge of this?

Beth

[peregrinerose]

I would recommend both... the sleep study and ENT.. the sleep study would be helpful information for the ENT and lots of information is far better than not enough information when it comes to medical decision making.

[rlf0504]

Our DS had huge tonsils (they may have been touching his uvula) and adenoids too. We saw signs of sleep apnea as well. Our family doctor referred him to an ENT and neither doctor required a sleep study. They did do a hearing test at the ENT office because they were worried he may have hearing loss, but his hearing was fine. The ENT said he couldn't believe it did not hurt Carlos to eat, we mentioned how he had trouble eating a whole meal at one setting. We think now that was the problem.
After the surgery, he was an eating machine. A little growth spurt, but not as much as we expected based on his huge appetite. There was no more snoring and his quality of sleep is better. He was a little more focused too.
The recovery time was longer than I anticipated. It was a difficult process for him, I guess he had never been very ill (not even on an antibiotic) before and this was a shock to his system. But I'm glad we had it done.
Hope it all goes well for you.
Take care.

[pjkay720]

I would agree with other two posters to do both. My daughter had the sleep study and it showed mild sleep apnea, but more so restless sleep. I did the test and then about a year later I took her to the ENT for her ears and he asked me does she snore of course I said yes. Then he told me that when he looked in her mouth her adenoids were so enlarged he could see them which he says shouldn't happen. She ended up having to get ear tubes and they took her adenoids out at the same time. Now she sleeps peacefully. She had it done in Jan of 2007 and immediately her school noticed a difference in her attitude because she was finally sleeping through the night. Good Luck!

[cborsa7]

I agree with seeing both docs.
Sleep apnea can be happening because of the tonsil issues but it could also be a serious condition that does not improve with the removal of the tonsils. I think most of the time it is resolved with children after the removal so most peds probably wait to see what happens. If you have the insurance to cover having both take a look, I would certainly do so, if nothing more than for piece of mind.

Good Luck!

[guatparents2be]

i don't have an answer about the study in particular but our son came home as a big snorer and when we ended up (for strep) giving him antibiotics, the snoring went away.

no harm in doing both the sleep study and the ent, really. the more info the better, imho.

[mommytoEli]

i didn't read any of hte resposnes...so pardon me if i repeat....but my son had 2 sleep studies, and then had his tonsills removed. peds referred us to peds ent and peds neurologist who referred us for mri and sleep study.....and peds and ent did say that children can "grow into" their tonsills, but the sleep study was really to see how much it was effecting his sleep. they wanted to know how often he was waking up at night and how long and how often he stopped breathing. the second time he was a little under 2, and it was bad enough that he had a t and a few months later at 2. it was a DREAM having those things gone. no more apnea, no more snoring, no more waking. i have heard that kids have growth spurts after a t and a.....my hunch would be with the proper sleep, their body is prepared to grow.

[arthymom]

Dd was having all sorts of sleep issues so we had a sleep study done.

In our case, nothing of statistical significance resulted, but it was great to do the study so that we could rule out medical causes.

She has since outgrown her sleep troubles and now mostly goes through the night w/o waking up. But I was really glad we did it because at the time we were worried. Better to have peace of mind.

A sleep study monitors breathing, movement, heartbeats. It is so worth doing.
Take care,

[jenniferw223]

My sons Ped wanted to send him for a sleep study because he snored. I went to an ENT for a second opinion. I have a PPO so could go without a referral. ENT took one look at my sons tonsils and said his tonsils and adenoids had to come out. They were enlarged alot. My son now sleeps quiet as a church mouse. He never snores. I am glad I did not mess with the sleep study. First I don't think my son would of done well with it and lets face it with the high cost of healthcare why do unnecessary tests. I would of paid a 300.00 deductible and 15% after that and then probably would of had to do the surgery anyways. So by getting a second opinion I saved the money and hassle of having an extra test done.

[JustBarbara]

DS was snoring and showing signs of mild sleep apnea around 18-20 months. My ped agreed his tonsils were large (heck I sometimes wonder how he could eat but he sure did!). She said if she referred him to an ENT specialist it would exponentially increase the change that they would recommend tonsil/adenoid removal and she would prefer that he was a little older. She suggested I monitor DS for six months - and the sleep apnea became progressively worse. At about 2 1/2 we saw the ENT specialist - he took one look at DS's tonsils and adenoids with a step back 'whoa those are huge' ... and said no need for a sleep study he needs both removed. Three months later DS had the surgery - which went well, first few days post-op he was great but then had a couple of days when he was clearly uncomfortable. He stayed home from daycare for 14 days. He grew 1 1/4 inches in the two months following surgery but have no idea if it was related to the improved sleep quality or just a natural growth spurt. As a single mom it was tough - I was losing a lot of sleep watching/ listening to him breathe so I say if they want you to do a sleep study then do it. It won't hurt your child. Good luck.

If you want to skip the sleep study and go straight to ENT for insurance savings then fine but it really is not a second opinion as you will probably end up having to see an ENT anyway - from what you have written about your child.