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Tonsils, Tossing and Turning
Can a Tonsillectomy Help a Child With Sleep Problems?
By Teri Brown
Annie Drohan, an elementary teacher from Torrance, Calif., knew something was wrong with her young daughter, Meghan. She'd been a particularly noisy breather since birth. Family members even called her "little snort" because of how loudly she drank a bottle. Drohan's doctor told her not to worry, that many babies are noisy breathers. But Drohan couldn't stop worrying, especially since little Meghan always seemed to be sick with colds and infections.
"At around 2 years old, she started taking Zyrtec for allergies as the doctor thought this would help to keep her from catching colds, getting sinus infections and ear infections," says Drohan. "In the meantime, her breathing was beginning to sound like a pug dog on a good day!"
Dorhan took Meghan to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Her adenoids and tonsils were large, but didn't warrant surgery at that time as they peak in size between 3 and 5 years old. Meghan snored loudly during the night with apnea and suffered from many sinus, ear and throat infections often requiring more than one round of antibiotics to get her healthy.
"She went to kindergarten and was exhausted every day even though she was put to bed on time every night," says Drohan. "She fell asleep after school daily. She did well in school but had difficulty with daily tasks from being tired."
Meghan was finally scheduled to get her tonsils and adenoids removed. According to her mother the transformation has been nothing less than amazing. "She hasn't had a single antibiotic since the surgery and has only had one cold in an eight-month period," says Drohan. "Meghan has an incredible immune system now. Even Meghan understands the importance of her surgery and how it has changed her, for the better!"
