The Fight Will Soon Be Over

At four months, we first noticed Zayzay snores like a grown-up. Most people have said that it is just normal for babies to snore; they call them “noisy breathers”. And because it was the first time we see a baby snores loud, we were even amused to hear the sound coming out from his mouth.

For most babies, it is common to get sick. Colds, cough and fever are just common sickness that little angles get, as they grow older. Again, as most people say, this is normal for them. And of course, there is asthma.

At one year and four months, Zayzay had a terrible sickness. He had cough, fever and asthma. We have to rush him to the hospital in the middle of the night. He stopped breathing and the color of his skin already changed. Doctors said he had terrible asthma at that time. So he had to stay in the hospital for three days.

This stop breathing experience, the snoring, the hospital confinement, made me think that it is not normal or it is just asthma. I know doctors know very well because they are professionals and they should know. But parents should know better when it comes to the feelings with their children, how they feel when they are sick. They are always by their side.

It’s not that I don’t believe to the doctors, but given the benefit of the doubt, I researched the Internet why my son sleeps that way. And for over two years, I doubted my son has asthma, but has sleep apnea.

Every time my son gets sick and we consult the doctors, I always try to tell them that I doubted our son has sleep apnea. But most of them, the family doctor, the pediatrician, the neurologist, have told me that sleep apnea is something that could not be told easily. It will take a lot of time and money to diagnose our child with sleep apnea.

But we never stopped looking for the right professionals who would feel the way we feel about our son. Who will talk about sleep apnea with us deeply. And we are fortunate that we found them.

The pediatric and pulmonologist we met for the first time had a lot of experiences with children who had problems with their sleeps. So we talked a lot and she listened. She referred us to a surgeon whom she worked many times with patients, children with sleeping problems. These two doctors confirmed that our son is actually having obstructive sleep apnea.

Now comes the big problem with me as the father. The surgeon has recommended surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids. These are the part of his throat that makes our son snore and stop breathing. And this operation, he said, needs a lot of money to be done.

I seek help to raise funds. I talked a lot with my friends and relatives. I talked a lot on the Internet, on social networking sites and other online communities that I joined. It took a lot of courage and humility to do it. It took me days and nights in front of the computer, trying to reach more people, more hearts, who will feel helping us with our son.

Prayers came in and so as assistance. They came from different places of the world, different races and religions. And they came in as overwhelming but isn’t enough. Even though, I thank God for the support that we have got from those people.

But what made our hearts, as parents, feel better after a lot of sacrifices for our son is the message from a television program who got interested to help us. Hopefully, with this show, our problem with our son will come to an end.

Thanks Be To God.

We Are Just Unlucky To Be Poor

For almost a month now of trying to get help for the surgery, we have already collected almost 20% of the total estimated cost. Still too far from it. But we are very hopeful to get at least 40 to 50 percent by next week, so that we can already set the date for the procedure.

We are very thankful to the Lord that you are there, supporting us with our prayers. I even said one time, if only prayers could pay the hospital bills, then I guess the surgery have long been done. But of course not, hospital is a business. And we are just unlucky that we need their help for our child and that we are poor.

Anyway, here is the list of sites where you can also find us.

1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Blogger
4. Youtube
5. myLot
6. Wish Upon A Hero


And here are the list of ways you can send your donations.

1. Bank of Phil. Islands
2. Land Bank of the Phils.
3. Paypal
4. Western Union


You can contact us through:

email: neildc68@yahoo.com.ph
mobile: +63.922.221.6929


Magiting: Survival Against Apnea
Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines

We Should Not Wait For A Sleep Study

Our son Zayzay always have cough and colds, keep coming almost every month, just like today for almost 2 or 3 days now. We decided to see a pulmonologist so that even tuberculosis issue will be given an end to our worries.


So we found one who seems to be the perfect medical practitioner for our child, after so many doctors who checked him. And we told her everything, his health history, from he was a baby who snores loudly, and so on. And so she is convinced it is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) for all the symptoms of it are present with our child.

But this, she said, still have to be referred to her most trusted ENT doctor who will reconfirm the OSA. She said she worked with this ENT several times and had their last team-up with a patient whom they done an operation, removing the tonsils.

She also added that sleep study is not necessary at this time or we are not supposed to wait for the study be done or something more serious might happen to the child. We should not wait for a sleep study, she said.

By this time, it is not yet final that the operation will really be necessary, but the pulmo-pedia looked at it as very much necessary, although she said, the ENT doctor will have the final say about it.

Let's see what will the ENT doctor will have to say once he see Zayzay. If he will find operation is unnecessary then it's good. But if not, we have to work more harder to raise the funds for the operation.

Medication for six months

We came about an hour after the clinic opened. We were at number 17 in the list but when we arrived, there were only 4 patients in the waiting area, so we thought we could be attended to at about an hour. But after two hours, there were more patients arrived and we never called until four hours of waiting. There seems to have some problems with their system. We though that even if we were last in the list, they could find ways to at least insert us in between patients, but we were wrong. My wife got pissed off, so she got out of the clinic for some air.

Well, after four hours, it was our turn. And everything was talked about for our little angel. And it turned out good and going better.

We have to continue the medication. There is the "montemax", the "aerus", and the "steam inhalation". The doctor added on more thing, nasal spray. She found out that Zayzay is responding well with the treatment of his sinusitis, so that's it, we will just continue giving him these medicines until the sixth month.

If the treatment will going to be great, the doctor said, we could be spared of with more expenses, specially for the operation to remove his tonsils. She don't want to do this, in the first place.

Well, until the next update...

What the laboratory tests reveal

January 6, 2010. This day revealed that according to the laboratory tests, Magiting only have thick sinusitis, that the doctor said, it a bit easy to treat, Blood tests showed that he is fine, but the x-ray results showed sinusitis at his nasal airways. Practically, causing him to breath hard, that could be the cause of choking.

His apnea is not clear this point of time, as the doctor said, we still have to attend to sinusitis, for say, six months. Until then, if the situation is still the same, we have to go for the sleep test.

So far, our little angel is doing fine, although the snoring is still there, which is the one thing that we really have to get rid of.

But anyway, medication is on going, and so as the steam inhalation regularly.

And good thing, we have no problem with him in taking the meds.

Why Do Babies Snore?

According to my friends from myLot, snoring babies is not much to worry about, unless it is really too loud and disturbing. Sometimes it is due to nasal congestion so they do not breathe through their mouth.

Like most parts of their bodies, which are still immature, babies are noisy breathers in general. Their nasal passages are still narrow and usually filled with bubbly secretions.

Baby snoring is basically just a sound produced by soft tissues as air passes in. As they grow older, as well as their nasal passages, and as he learns to swallow excess saliva, snoring should subside.

Some said that babies' snore as they still have to develop their respiratory system and they still need to learn how to breath properly.

Snoring may also be due to the babies' facial and throat structure. Some snoring in babies maybe caused by an abnormal structure in their nasal passages. Enlarged tonsils also cause older people to snore but rarely happens to infants.

Some environmental factors consider for being a constant snorer is second-hand smoking or pollution or socio-economic problems in the family.