Sleeping during a Sleep Study? HA! (Understatements and Good News)

Our son is an awesome little trooper! He did so well yesterday and last night for his Polysonogram (Sleep Study) and Esophageal Reflux Study.

I have to say, you all must have prayed hard for us. Elijah handled the whole ordeal like a brave little boy and was such a sweetheart.

Granted, it wasn't fun (that's probably an understatement). We are definitely glad it's over.

To start the day, the diagnostic technicians put a reflux sensor through little man's nose into his esophagus (that's what you see taped to his nose in the pictures). Elijah didn't like it (that's probably an understatement). He didn't like being held down, nor could he understand why I wouldn't let him down from my lap afterwards. He fussed...a lot (that's probably an understatement).

Eventually, the little guy resigned himself to the fact that he wasn't going to be able to get down from my lap. We spent all afternoon and evening in a rocking chair playing with toys. What a trooper! I was glad that we were allowed visitors (something we didn't know until the last minute). Aunt Karen dropped by for a couple hours and daddy came after work. All in all, the day went by pretty fast.

Then came time to sleep. Ahh...sweet sleep. Right before bed, they attached a whole bunch more tubes and sensors. Um, we didn't get very much sleep (that might be an understatement). Elijah, who has been sleeping through the night in his own crib more often than not, was up about 50 times (okay, that might be an exaggeration). In the middle of the night, they pulled a bed into our room so that Elijah could sleep with me because he was so restless. That helped, but neither of us got much sleep. Poor guy. I was having a hard time sleeping. I can only imagine trying to sleep with all that stuff taped to me.

BREAKING NEWS! YAY!!!!! I got a call from the sleep doc as I was writing this (we weren't expecting news for a couple of weeks).

There is good news and bad news...The good news? Elijah doesn't have sleep apnea! Woohoo. Happy dance time!

The bad news? Elijah has pretty severe reflux...which, honestly isn't that big of a surprise. The great thing is that his reflux isn't causing apnea, which is what worried us. So, there you have it. A test summary and results all at once. This is really, really good news. Now we just need to figure out what to do about his reflux. We'll be waiting for a report from the GI doctor.

Even with all that stuff attached, our little dude managed to give us a cheesy smile. What a sweetheart our boy is! Who can resist that cute little face?

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Sleep Study - Tomorrow

I am so not looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow morning (the 29th), at 11 am, Elijah's sleep study starts. Yes, his sleep study starts in the morning. That's because he's having a Polysonogram Study AND a Esophageal Reflux Study. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

To start off the day, Elijah's going to have a tube (sensor) placed into his esophagus through his nose. I am feeling sad about this already. He's not going to like it (um, neither would I!) and I'm not going to like watching it either.

I just finished packing Elijah's and my overnight bag for the hospital. It's a weird sensation packing for a night at the hospital. I wish I was packing for a fun excursion - like a water park...Elijah would like that. The overnight excursion we are going on...I'm pretty sure Elijah isn't going to like it.

But, of course, I'm aching for some answers to his sleep issues. We need to get this resolved and so I'm anxious to get this study over with.

There's a lot of reasons that I dread this experience. The memories it stirs up is certainly one reason; I'm not exactly looking forward to seeing our little man attached to a whole bunch of wires, which will definitely remind me of darker NICU days. But, the thing that makes me the most nervous is the fact that Elijah won't be able to move very much. This little man loves to walk and he loves movement. If he's not walking, he'd like to be in a swing or in a stroller. 18 hours of watching movies, reading books, playing with toys (and hopefully sleeping) while sitting in a crib is not Elijah's idea of fun. Really, though, what (almost) two year old would find staying in bed all day fun? Add that to Elijah's visual issues and his fine motor delays and it seems kind of like torture. And mommy? She's not going to be able to save him. And that's going to see like torture too.

We covet your prayers for tomorrow. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers, because I'm pretty sure the only way we'll get through the next day and night is if God grants Elijah a calm spirit (and me too!).

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