Does your kid snore? They shouldn't.

As a dad, I have watched my daughter sleep hundreds of times. As a baby and a toddler she'd fall asleep on my chest, I miss it. She's ten now. I'm lucky if she crawls into bed when she's feeling ill.

When she was 2 years old we took her to an otorhinolaryngologist (Ear Nose and Throat specialist). We were concerned about the size of her tonsils, clinically visible and almost touching, they seemed to be abnormally large compared to the rest of her. She also always made noise while sleeping! Usually snoring, but always a heavy audible breath. The ENT told us to wait and see, she may grow out of it, or grow with them. There was no talk of why they may have been so large, there was no talk of why she was a mouth breather. Me, in my youth as an R.D.H. believed everything doctors told me. So...Let's wait and see.

The spring after she turned 5, Ella started spiking fevers. They would last a day, maybe 2 and then go away. A congested kid, a mouth breather, we assumed it was constant playground grime she was bringing home from school or daycare. She never really complained about them and it wasn't a high grade fever to be too concerned about. , But then they became more frequent, maybe one every week or so, always lowish grade, hovering around 99.C or 100C. While inconsistent in frequency, we had bloodwork done and there was a concern with her white blood cell counts. Elevated.

Thus began our brief relationship with Sick Kids Hospital. Every few weeks Ella's mum would take her to sick kids and blood would be taken and every time her levels would be elevated. A seemingly normal kid with normal energy, but there was something wrong.

Her other dad took her a couple times, but I avoided it. I'll own that. I did go finally to one of the appointments. I remember sitting in the waiting area where you wait after the blood is taken. It takes an hour or 2 for results so you wait in this big room with television, and it's a whole bunch of parents and kids, just waiting. Babies, toddlers, older kids. Some in treatment, some not. I had a moment where I wasn't distracting myself from the possibility of what could be happening to my child where I was staring blankly at the kids with alopecia (no hair) who were making crafts with the volunteer. I started to weep. The volunteer noticed and caught my attention. She smiled at me and mouthed from across the room "Are you ok?" and that was enough to bring me back to distraction. In that moment, somewhere between fear and loathing I confirmed that I only want the very best for my daughter. Whatever it takes. Ella's blood work didn't change much, so back again in a couple months to check again...

In October of that same year, I was coming on my first year anniversary working in a clinic that focuses on sleep dentistry and TMD disorders. An overwhelming year, I had only scratched the surface of what I know now about airway and facial development.

The dentist had recommended Ella see an ENT again about her tonsils, which were still huge. She advised that her airway was compromised. Ella's facial development was always a concern for me. I have narrow arches etc, so I simply assumed she took after me and we'd be looking at orthodontics when all her permanent teeth came in. She also had moderate crowding and was wearing her baby teeth flat.

I concurred with the DDS and we booked her with another ENT. I went to the appointment and the Dr. said if we wanted to, we could try a nasal spray first. I advocated the concern about her tonsils will affect her overall facial development and he said we could take the tonsils and adenoids out as an option. We as parents decided it was the best option. In retrospect, getting to the source of why her tonsils were so HUGE might have been a better first step, but I don't regret it. I only knew what I knew at that point.

The very first night after the surgery Ella's mum laid in bed with her watching her. There was no noise. It was weird. Within days of the surgery Ella started to complain that everything was too loud. Within weeks she shot up inches in growth. What changed?

Her sleep.

A few weeks after surgery we went to sick kids for blood work. everything came back normal.

Here's what I think happened, Ella managed to go under the wire for a long time and always probably had some sort of ear infection she was fighting that finally came to a head causing the fever spikes. The moment we took out her tonsils and adnoids the infection cleared up and her hearing was affected. She was getting more oxygen and sleeping through the night and started to grow. All that growth hormone that gets release in deep sleep started doing its job. I'm not a doctor, but I will forever be convinced this is what happened. Had we dealt with her tonsils early on, we would have never ended up at sick kids.

Now, because Ella was a mouth breather, she habitually does it. OMT will change that for her. We've expanded her upper arch with the help of ALF orthodontics and her tongue wil fit in her upper arch. She has to learn how to put it there still though. She has no trouble breathing through her nose, she just doesn't know how to do it.

I have a couple points to this rambling entry. If something doesn't seem right, ask questions. If your child is snoring or grinding their teeth, there is an underlying issue related to the airway and oral facial development. If your doctor passes it off, ask someone else.  Doctors only know what they know and none of us know everything!

Sleep is an important tool for growth and development. Sleep breathing disorders have been linked to asthma, attention deficit disorder, depression, obesity and more. All of these health issues and concerns in a child could potentially be eliminated if the airway is addressed.  The body will adapt.  We can't live without air.

Breathe easy.   There is help.

​J.

originally published April 2018