Hi there! Thanks for reading my introduction. I am so glad that I have found this community!

I am just now starting to really research GERD and it seems like almost all of Ethans problems could be caused by it and I was hoping for some confirmation to that posibility.

Here is a brief run down on his history...

4 months - Constant LOUD stridor - Put on Albuterol and Pulmicort
6 months - Refered to Ped Pulm - No Asthma - Attempted Bronch, unsuccessful, suspects tracheomalacia
8 months - Confirmed tracho and laryngo malacia - pumicort 2x per day and albuterol as needed. Sleep study showed mild apnea - no treatment
17 months - Stridor returned with a vengence - Switched to Flovent 2 puffs 2x per day, Duo Nebs and albuterol as needed
19 months - completed second sleep study and showed Central Apnea - starting 1/4 liter oxygen during sleep tonight...

Ethan also aspirates thin liquids and I thicken everything to nectar consistency.

Is it possible that some of his breathing problems will get better once the GERD is under control? Are there any exercises that I can do with my son to help strengthen his breathing? Is there anything that I can do to help aleviate(sp?) the apnea? Is this something that he might outgrow?

Finding out that he has to be on oxygen was really a hard blow for me today...

First of all...:hug: . It sounds like you needed that after the results of the sleep study.

The easy answer to your question is yes. Some of his breathing problems should get better when the GERD is under control. Specifically, when he is not refluxing, he won't aspirate so frequently. When he's not aspirating, he will be less likely to get pneumonia, bronchitis, etc. During a reflux episode, GI contents back up the esophagus and into the pharynx (back of the throat). This can also leak through the vocal cords into the trachea and lungs (aspiration).

The reflux could also be keeping the soft tissues of the airway inflamed and swollen causing some of the stridor. The Flovent (a steroid) minimize the inflammation/swelling, and the albuterol may help to relax constriction, easing the stridor. Have any of the doctors mentioned surgery to correct the tracheomalacia? That can be an option for severe cases that aren't outgrown.

As for the apnea...they confirmed central apnea? In central apnea, the brain "forgets" to send the signal to breath. Unfortunately, there isn't a magic cure for that. The oxygen will certainly diminish the hypoxia related to those episodes, but it won't remind the brain to send that signal. In premature infants, we use caffeine as a stimulant to help stimulate the drive to breathe. I'm not sure that would be an option for older infants/children. Did your doctors have any suggestions besides the oxygen?

Thank you for your quick reply! And thank you for the hug!

Unfortunately, the sleep study showed no obstructive apnea, only central. At one point his sats dropped to 80. His doctor so far has not suggested anything other than the oxygen. We were just in the hospital on Wednesday because he had ear tubes put in and he was still on the monitor while I was feeding him a bottle. The entire time he was drinking from the bottle his sats dropped to 85. I still have him on the bottle due to swallowing problems. He aspirates thin liquids so I thicken everything to nectar consistancy. They have ordered a monitor for me to do spot checks on him at home. They said that if his sats continue to drop during the day he may have to be on oxygen 24/7. I'm so scared right now.

I looked up central apnea on the internet and I really couldn't find much information regarding toddlers. What info I did find talked about heart problems/stroke etc which Ethan doesn't have. Thank God!