K had an overnight pulse oximetry test last week. As far as sleep studies go, this one was pretty easy - she only had to have the pulse ox monitor taped to her toe, unlike her previous level 2 studies which required over 30 different wires all over her body.
When he ordered this study, her ENT said not to do the study if she was sick - just to cancel & reschedule. I normally don't worry too much about colds, but I tried to be a little more careful about not exposing her to any germs & was even more careful about washing hands than usual in the 2 weeks before. I was so happy when we arrived in the city for her sleep study & she was not sick at all. About 1/2 an hour before bedtime, I thought K sounded a little congested, but by then it was a little too late to back out, especially on a suspicion of a cold, so I went ahead anyways. She did not sleep well that night & especially in the early evening, sounded congested. I watched the monitor for half the night, I think & she had a few definite periods of apnea. Sure enough, the next morning, in the bath, copious amounts of discharge came out of her nose & she has since developed a cold. GREAT!!!!
I realize sleep apnea is a very important problem & can cause a lot of problems, but so can a general anaesthetic as noted in this study by the Mayo Clinic. However I am worried that we will have to make these decisions with a sleep study that was affected by the congestion caused by her cold.
I won't hear the results for at least a couple of weeks, but I'll update when I know more.
If your child has to have a sleep study soon, here is a link to my post on Surviving a Sleep Study
I started this blog hoping to inspire other parents to help their children with Down syndrome reach for the sky! My daughter was reading words, before she was 2 years of age & reading books by 3.5 years. I believe kids with Down syndrome can do amazing things if we give them the right tools. I truly believe high expectations can make a tremendous difference in the lives of our children!
Sunday, October 16, 2011
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