He's going under- again.

Andrew, that is. He'll be going under general anesthesia for the 4th time in his short 2.5 years to remove his tonsils and adenoids. And I'm not looking forward to it.

I've been noticing Andrew having episodes of sleep apnea, primarily when he's laying on his back. Not major episodes, but they're concerning none-the-less. After doing my own research and questioning other moms of kids with DS about this subject I decided to talk to Andrew's ENT about having a sleep study done. A sleep study involves hooking electrodes to the patient and monitoring breathing activity and oxygen saturatons while the patient sleeps overnight at the hospital. No, I didn't think that sounded like a lot of fun either! I met with Andrew's ENT this morning and we went over the list of sypmtoms I've noticed.

I asked about doing a sleep study to find out where Andrew was 'apnea-wise' and what course of action, if any, to take. The ENT said he wouldn't bother with a sleep study for Andrew. He said that, from the information I presented, he sees no reason to bother with the study when he's certain we'll wind up doing a T&A anyway. (T&A = tonsil/adenoid removal) Basically, why put the kid through a miserable night only to find out what we already know- those tonsils need to go.

So, the nurse should be calling me back tomorrow sometime with the prospective surgery date. While Andrew is under his ENT will also check out his ears to determine if he requires another set of tubes. Killing 2 birds with one stone, so to speak.