Help...5 Yo with Sleep Apnea :-/

Tonsils and adenoids. He will be 1000% better. I would not hesitate. Do you really expect him to sleep with machine the rest of his life?

My son had his tonsils and adenoids removed when he was 3. I was hesitant until the ENT showed me with a scope how much they were blocking him.

He had it done and in two days he was himself again.

When I look at pictures of him before and after his surgery, he looks so different. In the before picture he looks tired and mopey and like his sinuses were swollen. In the after pictures he looks alive and happy! I never saw how bad it was affecting him until I saw his before and after pictures.

The mask option was not given to us.

I am glad we did the surgery.

Good luck with your decision!

Any surgery poses risk, but this type of surgery is a very common. Most adults you know, probably don't have their own tonsils and adenoids. It is a hot topic because Sleep is a fairly new field. A couple of questions I would ask-Does your son suffer from only obstructive or does he have central sleep apnea too? If it's a mixed, then the procedure won't necessarily cure it 100%. If it's only OSA, then is your child overweight? If weight is a problem, modifying lifestyle habits to help him lose weight, will also help to improve his symptoms. I would think convincing a small child to wear a mask (keep in mind they do have several types) would be difficult if not impossible for a child of this age to wear. Have you ever put one of these masks on your face and tried to breathe? It's pretty annoying, hence the problems even adults face with compliance issues. I would do the surgery. I had mine done at 16 and we did our child's at 4, but it was not for OSA. Whatever you decide, please understand the importance of treating him. Good luck. He will be fine.

Our son's tonsil swelled up so bad they were almost an obstruction - they almost touched each other across the back of his throat.
His snoring was horrible and he had trouble swallowing.
They were not infected - he had no fever.
We tried steroids to shrink them but soon as we finished the series they ballooned right back up again.
Soon as he turned 4 we had his tonsils and adenoids out.
It was the best thing we ever did!
After his surgery I kept checking on him while he slept - his breathing was so quiet and I was use to it being so noisy - it took me a few days to adjust to the new normal quiet sleeping.
The dark circles under his eyes went way and he was so much better rested now that he could breathe while he slept.

Just get them out and have done with it!

I think the surgery would be better off... Especially in the long run. If this is something he will have to deal with his entire life, it would be much easier to have one surgery than to deal with the mask every night for the rest of his life.

All I can tell you is that the respiratory therapist that fitted my husband mask said his youngest patient was 2, and she was doing amazingly well on her CPAP.
He said it IS much more difficult to get kids to comply with therapy though.
You get (or we did) get a "trial" period and they monitor the therapy hours per night, etc., before you buy the machine....
Though I would probably be inclined to choose the surgery, I would probably at least talk to a respiratory therapist.
Good luck!

My daughter has her tonsils and adenoids taken out for the same reason. CPAPs are fine for adults, but can be challenging for kids, so we went with surgery. I think I would have tried a diet change and more research if we had to do it again. I've seen discussions that tonsils can be inflamed due to dairy and/or gluten. Our daughter responded well to the surgery and the apnea is gone, but I like to rule everything out before drastic measures. If I had known about the diet links, I would have tried an elimination diet for a while.

The T&A for sure. Chances are, he will eventually need them out if they are that bad. Spare him from the mask. Get the surgery. He will be fine.

Is your house rid of all respiratory/neurological toxins? Pledge, Lysol, Windex, Clorox products, Johnson and Johnson baby shampoo even... These pass through the blood/brain barrier where EVERYTHING is controlled. My youngest used to tap her feet all night long in her sleep. She simply couldn't wind down to rest. The toxicities were like a street drug.

Detoxing can do wonders for good health. I know my brother is much older than 5, lol, but he doesn't wear his CPAP every night anymore because he is getting the proper nutrition (and it's absorbing) and he is not dealing with the toxicities in his home. His immune system is simply stronger.

Detoxing can be simple and is the least invasive treatment to try first. If you have any questions, I'm here!

M.