Unanswered

Back in July we were told Camden had sleep apnea. In August we had his tonsils removed to clear up the obstructive part. In October we went back for his follow up sleep study. These results showed he still has central sleep apnea, which is basically were the brain forgets to tell the body to breath.

After following the advise of two different doctors, I drove two tired boys(and a mom for that matter) 35 minutes to see the only "sleep specialist" in Arizona. Before the doctor even sat down, or shook my hand, or introduced himself, he told me there was nothing he could do for Camden. It took everything I had inside of me to stay sitting in his office and not walk away right then demanding my money back. After a grueling 10 minutes I left even more frustrated than before stepping foot in that office.

The specialist took my money and far too much of my time, just to tell me Camden's sleep study results were abnormal. The results clearly stated Camden had 12 central events and 132 spontaneous arousal's in 8 hours of sleep. I didn't need him to tell me that was abnormal, I'm aware. Afterall, I'm the one getting up with him 5+ times every night for the last year and a half! That's what they taught you in school? You definitely got your money's worth, you should be proud.

After leaving his office almost in tears because of my frustration, I called my pediatrician. I asked him if I was pushing an issue that didn't need pushing. My son is a normal, healthy 2 year old, and I never would have taken him to a specialist had I not had this sleep study in the first place. But because he needed his tonsils out, and the insurance needed a sleep study to prove that, here we are. My pediatrician was just as frustrated as I was. He was at a loss for words. He told me he would talk with a few neurologists and pulmonologist and together with our ENT figure something out.

This is one of the many parts of parenting that was in fine print when I signed up.

I'm not looking for a grim diagnosis. I'm looking for an answer other than "your son is a pain", as to why his study was abnormal. If I drove a car with a problem I could fix, I would. If Camden has a problem that can be fixed, I want to know how. If it can't be fixed, why not? Will it go away on it's own? Is it something neurological?

I have a few questions that need answering and then I'll be fine. I'm anxious to hear from the pediatrician.