Sleep Study- Take Two!

As you may recall, Etta had a sleep study (almost exactly) a year ago. We didn't actually meet with the ENT/get the report until October. Well, turns out she doesn't breathe well when she sleeps and the doctor recommended at that time that she have her tonsils and adenoids removed. This surgery is so common in the Ds community that it's simply referred to as the "T&A" (get your mind out of the gutter!). I'm not REALLY sure why, but I asked if we could wait until she was three. I think it was because I wanted to know the status of her neck stability before they gave her general anesthesia. Which makes a little sense because there are intubation issues in children with the AAI neck instability and they (our kids with Ds) aren't tested for this until they are three. On the other hand, many many many children with Down syndrome have surgery before they are three...

Anyway, he agreed that we could wait until this summer. BUT, since it has now been a year since her last sleep study they wanted a follow-up study done. Not too sure why since we'll be having her t&a in July, but I guess to get a more recent baseline (they usually make you go in about 6 months after the surgery for another sleep study to make sure the surgery helped).

So, Wednesday night Etta and I drove up to Nashville. I didn't let her take a nap that day and she was half asleep by the time we arrived, but she managed to perk up once we got checked in and she could run around the hotel room (which, by the way, was the EXACT same room they put us in last year). Our technician was really nice and he had her hooked up by about 8:45 and E was asleep by about 9:10... snoring away. (I actually think her snoring/skipped breaths is worse, I guess we'll see.)

She actually slept through the night this time (last time she woke up anytime the technician would come in- which is often). This time they were even able to tape the nasal cannula to her face and she didn't wake up. The only time she woke up was when they had to come in so we could get the wires untangled. While she slept pretty well, I didn't get much sleep at all! She rolled around/moved around A LOT. I suddenly remembered why we stopped co-sleeping. I woke up to her feet in my face more than once. I woke up every time that technician came in the room (about 6 times). Also, this pregnant lady had to get up about three times to pee. THEN, he came in at 5am to unhook her.

YAWN!!

So, I gave E a bath to wash all the gel out of her hair and sticky stuff off of her face and then she wanted to eat goldfish crackers and watch cartoons while I got myself dressed.

We were home by about 7:30. Etta fell asleep about 15 minutes before we got home, but once we were here she seemed okay.

She seemed okay enough to take to school (it's only for three hours). Around 8:30 I loaded her and her backpack (with a packed lunch) into the car and she started crying. It was a sad, sleepy cry. :( So, I unbuckled her and carried her to her bed and she slept for three hours! She got up a little after noon and had lunch and we went to Publix (where I saved 44% with coupons! woot!).