DS1 (3yo) has night terrors and coughs a lot when asleep - since he was born!

[schroedingersdodo]

DS1 has slept for the whole night for 3 times in his life. He is 3y3m and screams and wakes up every bloody night since he was born. Several times every night.

When he was a baby, he would scream and THEN wake up, but hv and gps told me to sleep train him (they didn't believe he wasn't just "waking up and crying to call me").

Years passed and I found out the technical name for what he has in "night terrors" - he screams and screams without waking up. He also coughs a lot and snores.

He has bags under his eyes all the time and complains about being tired since morning.

After insisting a lot I got him to the gastroenterologist (I thought it might be reflux), who told us to give him omeprazole for a month. Didn't help. The next step would be an endoscopy, which is done with GA in children, so not a simple exam.

Now I'm trying to push for a sleep study as it looks like sleep apnea. (sleep apnea can cause night terrors). It's not easy to be referred to a proper sleep study, spending the night in the hospital, etc. We've seen an ENT specialist who refused to refer him and told me to book another appointment with the leader of the clinic. Which will take several weeks, of course (I waited for 3 months for the useless consultation).

I'm at the end of my rope. Over three years with no sleep is not fun, and it affects DS1 behaviour as well. Every time a GP or specialist fobs me off it takes several months to get to see someone else.

Does anyone have an idea of what it may be?

Any suggestions?

We have private healthcare (pruhealth) but they refused the referral from the GP saying it was a "chronic condition" (as DS1 has this problem from birth). Which is not true, of course (we haven't found out what is wrong yet, which is something completely different from "chronic condition").

I'm so angry at everyone now.

(posted this previously in General Health, but hoping for useful comments here as well. TIA)

[schroedingersdodo]

Does anyone have an opinion or suggestion?

[NothingsLeft]

The poor sleep, cough and bags under eyes made me think allergies.

DS has a cows milk and soy allergy and has all three. The bags are called allergic shiners if you wanted to google. He also does the crying in his sleep thing from pain I think.

[schroedingersdodo]

Nothingsleft, thanks for your comments. We have already cut all milk and dairy, but it didn't help... And we don't eat any soy.

DS1 doesn't eat anything with food colourings, either.

Did you change you DS diet? Did it help?

[redundant]

i don't have anything useful to add I'm afraid, just wanted to sympathise - our 26mo sounds a bit similar though obv younger. He is seeing a private ENT, although he has improved hugely over the summer. He has only slept through a handful of times, and used to be what we called 'feral' when younger - just absolutely beside himself when he cried - violently so.
He's had glue ear and also used to be terribly congested/wheezy etc - you could hear him snoring from downstairs. His glue ear seems to have cleared and at the same time the snoring, adenoids type thing.
I really sympathise, I can only suggest insisting your GP refers him. good luck x