The Amazing Twin Adventure

We had to take Will to Egleston last night for a sleep study. He didn't mind having 9,000 little probes attached to his head, but he absolutely hated the nasal cannula and pitched quite the screamer. At one point the tech came in and told he had desatted (oxygen saturation levels dropped) and they were putting him on oxygen. They wouldn't tell me how low his sats had dropped or how long it had lasted. This was really distressing because he never has desats at home. It was a very long night and Will was fussy because he was really gassy. The doctor came in around 5 am to discuss the results. He told me that they put him on oxygen because his sats dropped to 75. This must have been right after his fit because he never drops that low. Plus, I know what he looks like when his sats seriously drop and that did't happen while he was sleeping. The doctor also said he had several apnea events where he either stopped breathing or had obstructed breathing. I'm not sure that this was completely accurate either since Will has a tendency to hold his breath when a gas pain hits. This breathholding could be interpreted as apnea. So all in all, I'm not convinced that their results were a true representation. And the doctor really couldn't explain why his sats never go below 98 at home, but yet, they're seeing major desats. He just told me that their equipment is more sensitive. But he also said that none of this is unusual in infants, particularly preemies. And that it's not at all surprising in a child with a compromised airway. He wants Will to be on a small amount of oxygen at night while he's sleeping. He'll just have to get used to sleeping with the nasal cannula, and that's really no big deal. The doctor thinks he should only need oxygen for a couple of months, so nothing too tragically bad.
Tomorrow I am nurseless, and it will be my first full day of going it completely alone. Think good thoughts for me!