Breathe holding / excessive sighing

[BlueBumedFly]

I am not sure if to post this here or in behaviour.

My 5 year old has always had irregular breathing as she gets more tired. She sort of holds her breathe momentarily then lets it all out with one go, then again and again until I go quite mad. She has done it since she could sit up. This last few weeks it has escalated and now we have excessive sighing and trying to 'over breathe' all of the time, only about an hour before bed though.

Any ideas please? Thanks.

That doesn't sound quite right. What does gp say?

Not a lot but I guess I should try again. She has always had allergies but not ever noticed any breathing issues other than this when she is tired. Dinner tonight had no allergens that I know affect her and as she is allergic to topical anaesthetic I'm damned if I'm putting her through any more blood tests unless 110% necessary. However, it is getting worse so ill try again.

How is her breathing when she is asleep? Does she snore/snort?

Snores and grinds her teeth ... Tell me tell me ?

I am wondering about sleep apnoea now you have mentioned the snoring.

I think a referral to a paed would be good- they could at least rule it in or out. IIRC it is far more common in children with allergies.

Check this out and see if it rings any bells:

www.patient.co.uk/doctor/obstructive-sleep-apnoea-in-children

What about allergy/intolerance, digestive problems, fussy or messy eating, bedwetting, speech problems, mouth breathing, bloating, ear trouble, gap between front teeth, sleeping probs?

How did feeding go ? (breast or bottle). Any probs when you introduced solids?

Am thinking tongue tie and possibly high palate and sleep apnoea.

Thank you narmanda and mawbroon.

In answer to questions, allergy and intolerance - yes, digestive probe - yes, bedwetting, speech probe - no, mouth breathing - yes, bloating - yes, ear trouble - yes from 0-3 years, no tooth gap, sleeps extremely well apart from when ill and then has night terrors (between 5-12 a night).

Feeding terrible, wouldn't breast feed no matter who tried to teach her, bottle feed EBM for 4 months +, weaned SO late as she vomited constantly with reflux.

Is this making a pattern you recognise?? I've always wondered about the night terrors too, they are so sudden and so distressing for all concerned.

Also, both her half sisters have had to have the tonsils and adenoids out....

sounds to me like she is v likely to have enlarged tonsils and adenoids as a result of allergy. That can cause apnoea. I would take your points to GP.
tongue tie sounds likely too.

Does your DD have a milk allergy?

Yes, I completely recognise the picture.

I would put money on tongue tie!

Tonsils and adenoids may also be enlarged, common with tt too.

I suggest that you join the tongue tie babies support group on facebook.

I learned the hard way that the NHS doesn't do joined up thinking and saw respiritory for ds1's allergies, dietician for his restricted diet (also had intolerence), ENT for ear trouble, gastro for stomach problems, GP for various other things. All too damned specialised and nobody was looking at the big picture.

The underlying cause of all his problems lay with posterior tongue tie. a lip tie and a high palate (caused by the tongue tie). He is also undergoing orthodontic treatment (he's 7) otherwise his teeth will be an ortho disaster and he'll need extractions to get them all to fit when he's older.

I joined the FB group and we now have the help that we need. It's a closed group, but just request to join and wait for admin approval. At first glance, it seems all about babies, but there are plenty on there with older kids too.

I really thank you both for your time and consideration with my post, I really do appreciate it. I'm going to book a drs appt tomorrow as DD also had an allergic reaction today to an antiseptic wipe (quite nasty, hives etc) so lots to talk about.

Narmada - she had an egg allergy until a few months ago (2.5-3 so not anaphylactic but not fun), was lactose intolerant at birth and required medication, and also has ezcema with wheat. She was on reflux medication for 12 months. She is allergic to penicillin and atopic esters (like tetracaine etc.)

Generally a very happy bright frenetic child though :)

Oh the irony, we have been up half the night with DD with a raging temperature and sore throat, off to docs, my bet is toncilitis ...

Oh the wee lamb. Hope she's feeling better soon x

Definitely tonsillitis - been given two weeks of antibs as she in penicillin allergic so one dose is never enough. Dr was totally dismissive of any other thoughts around other issues. Will wait until I know he is on holiday and see someone else in the practice....

Good idea. Sorry about the tonsillitis. But I think it adds weight to your concerns. Honestly, some GPs are absolutely rubbish.