Toddler now snores... large tonsils, sleep apnea?

[weresupermonsters]

Son is almost 3 and has been snoring now for the last 4/5 weeks. His tonsils are huge and almost touching and I have had a gp look at them who said that some kids have large tonsils and may correct itself and it's not an issue?
But now I'm not so sure? He snores every night, loudly, and normally wakes up a couple of times every night.
What are the chances the tonsils are causing sleep apnea? And will a gp just blow me off again? (I am probably over cautious with him since he was very I'll when he was 1)

Thanks

If its been a couple of years and the snoring seems new then talk to the GP again.

I’d go back to a different GP and say that it’s disturbing his sleep.
Then insist on an ENT opinion.

My DS had that (he also had reflux and would wake 8 times a night). The ENT specialist said they would need to be removed but we had to wait as 3 was too young.

When we went back 6 months later they'd decreased in size and he didn't need the surgery. Ita a very invasive surgery.

How is with eating? Can he chew and swallow pieces of meat?

Mine also snores and is very snotty. She needs grommets though so they are doing that, tonsils and adenoids all at once.

I’d push for an ENT referral. Snoring in a young child isn’t normal and will affect quality of sleep. DS had his tonsils and adenoids removed and it made a huge difference to his sleep.

DS had the operation at 2.5. ENT had no problem with his age.

My sister had both of these. The doctors said the same until she started choking when eating. She almost died once it was petrifying... she then was referred to have them out and has had no problems since x

Thank you everyone. It's nice to know I'm not being a total paranoid worrier. I've sent an e consult to gp requesting a referral and should get a call tomorrow hopefully.

Those whose kids have been through it. What's next steps- a sleep study? What's that like?

And actually having tonsils removed? The thought of that really worries me my poor baby

Insist on an ENT referral. Our DD had them out at just over 3, though only because the waiting list was huge. The surgeon didn’t bother with a sleep study- he could see from the size of the tonsils there was an issue. I think we had a video of it too and showed him.

He said about half of the time when removing tonsils it was sleep apnea and the other half recurrent tonsillitis, even though our GP (who referred without issue) had apparently never seen a case of large tonsils without infection.

It does naturally resolve by 6 or 7, as the child grows faster than the tonsils, but the surgeon said that it is so dramatic on sleep tha5 he had kids who were considered to have ADHD who were cured of that because it was actually just lack of sleep. And that the educational impact etc was terrible so he strongly recommended surgery.

DD was underweight, had poor hearing, dribbled loads and we all got a terrible sleep. It was fixed overnight- even with post surgery swelling and discomfort she slept and ate better immediately after surgery than she had in months. Push for a referral. I hope you get it.

DD was the same. She used to get very tired in the afternoons too.

When she was 4 I got a sound clip of her snoring, she had pauses in her snoring just like in the apneoa videos I’d seen online.

We went to a private paediatric ENT (luckily DH had family health insurance through work) and he said her tonsils and adenoids were both large and although individually they might be ok, together they were almost closing off her airway at times. No sleep study was required, just the video clip I’d taken and him looking up her nose with a camera tube (numbed first so she didn’t feel it).

Both tonsils and adenoids were taken out and she’s had a huge improvement in energy and night waking even since. So glad we had it done. I don’t know if we’d have got the same on the NHS, as we didn’t try.

The op isn’t as invasive and painful as it used to be as there is a new method that leaves the last few mm of tonsil in place, this makes it safer (iirc) and recovery is quicker. DD was absolutely fine with just regular calpol/ibuprofen afterwards.

Thank you so much for your response @starryeyedsnowgirl
He's 3 in a few weeks, his sleep is definitely disturbed, he's waking for water lots too which I think may be because his mouth is so dry sleeping with it open. He also can't sleep with his dummy any more because of it.
They are absolutely massive his tonsils!
It's the snoring that's the worst tho and I've taken lots of videos so hopefully I don't have to push them too hard.
I swear he was sent here to test me. 3rd child and the only one that's ever been in/to hospital and quite a few times in his little life.

www.ent4kids.co.uk/what-is-sleep-apnoea this page is from the website of the ENT we saw, there is a sound clip here, its exactly what DD sounded like.

He's been referred to ENT today. Dreading to think how long the wait list is !

My boyfriend has large tonsils that affect his breathing whilst asleep - he can't lie on his back, but is OK if he lies on his side. He has a CPAP machine. It may correct itself, it may not. If its any comfort I had my tonsils removed aged 5 and it was fine. Sore, but no complications.