I decided to take Deuce to the ENT a few weeks back. For the past several months he has been really congested in the nose {not the chest} and sneezes all the time. He had that sinus infection back in like March or something and that cleared up with the antibiotics. I just chalked it up to spring allergies. I started giving him Claritin once a day. That stuff is expensive! When we went for the 2 year check up, I explained my concerns to the doctor and that I didn't really think the Claritin was doing too much. He says that he has often heard that Claritin is ineffective and that I should try the generic Zyrtec. I asked the doctor how long I should give it to him and that I don't want him to be given medicine every day if I don't have to. He said for a few weeks, through allergy season, wouldn't cause any sort of long term effects. So I bought several bottles of this stuff and we were giving it at bedtime, because a side effect was drowsiness. Deuce also snores when he sleeps and has bouts of what seems like apnea. I've never been a fan of him sleeping in the bed with us but even if I was, I couldn't because I listen for every single breath. So with the nasal congestion and the snoring, I decided it had to be more than allergies and maybe adenoids. I have heard many stories of children having their adenoids removed because of breathing problems. So I made an appointment with the ENT. I didn't call the pediatrician for a referral, I just went.
The office was really nice with a complete kiddie corner and a huge fish tank. He was mesmerized with the fish because there was a real, live Nemo in there. As soon as we went back to the room we had to wait about 15 minutes before the doctor came in {annoys me!}. Little dude tried to slip out and run like I wouldn't notice!
So we pulled out some toys to distract him until the doctor came in. This worked for all of 5 seconds before he was telling me "mommy car now."
The doctor comes in and is really nice. He was great with Deuce and played "games" with him to get him to open his mouth. Deuce did great and the doc said that his tonsils look just fine. But because the adenoids are not visible to the eye, he wanted and "x-ray." I'm like okay, no problem. The "x-ray" was a CT scan machine. And it was traumatizing. He was scared to death and wouldn't lay down and be still. The little old lady nurse was so sweet and she kept talking to him and she let me stand right there with him but he wasn't having it. I finally had to tell her to go stand by the button and I would get him to lay down but she needed to be able to press it right away because he wasn't going to stay there for long. She agreed and when she left I talked to him but he looked me straight in the eyes and cried out "mommyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" I couldn't hold back my tears after that. And then I was mad at myself because him seeing me cry only confirmed to him that I was unhappy too, even if it wasn't because I was scared like he was. He held onto the doc's business card for dear life and didn't let go until we got in the car.
So, the conclusion of the visit?
His adenoids are only slightly enlarged, not worth doing anything with.
I shouldn't continue to give him the allergy medicine because it's not doing anything.
Don't worry about his sleep apnea, he'll be just fine. {really????}
That's all, have a good day.
So we have continued to sneeze, have a stuffy nose, snore and stop breathing at times when sleeping.
I have bought a new humidifier and he sleeps with that now.
His sleeping sucks.
He wakes up almost every night, at least one time and comes into the bedroom and wants me to put him back to bed. He won't let me leave until he's back asleep so I have to sit there with him. Then I am completely awake and can't go back to sleep. So I am getting 4-5 hours of interrupted sleep at night. He never calls for Ed in the middle of the night and if Ed tries to help, he won't have it and only wants mommy to do it. I am convinced that his apnea wakes him up at night, then he is scared {he sleeps with the light on now too} and he gets up to come get me.
Somebody help!
Any advice?
Do I go for a second opinion?
The "x-ray" that showed nothing left us with a $200 bill after insurance so I don't really want to do that again.
Make it stop.............
As someone who frequents that ENT more than she would like, I can totally relate to this post. I've been left in that small room with a sick, screaming, squirming child for over an hour before!! Their wait times are awful! And that place is terrifying for a child. When S has to get his tube cleaned out, they strap him down to a table in what looks like a straight jacket. He screams like crazy and is now terrified to go there.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, have you considered the possibility of a dairy sensitivity? I think one of the main symptoms is mucus production, so it would present similar to allergies. It may be worth trying to cut out dairy for a week to see if there is any improvement??
Hey Rachel! So sorry you're having to go through this. :( So frustrating! Unfortunately, we are visiting an ENT next week, too. Arlo has had several ear infections (4? Maybe more. Or maybe just one LOOOOONG one) since starting day care in January and my doc is referring us to begin the discussion about tubes. :( As a last-ditch effort, she told me they usually try Flonase (an inexpensive, inhaled, nasal steroid) for a month before they make a decision about tubes. It's a different situation than yours and I don't know if it would be right for Deuce, but nasal steroids reduce swelling/inflammation in the sinuses and are frequently used in adults with seasonal allergies. Might be worth asking your primary care doc what he/she thinks? Amazingly, Arlo seems to LIKE getting his daily nasal spray. Weird, huh? And I know those gigantic copays totally suck, but you know your child best and if you think there is something more that can be done, I'd get a second opinion.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about food allergies, but I think that's a great thought to look into!
Good luck!
-Katie