Upcoming medical appointments

Sam has several doctors appointments coming up in the next few weeks.

November 21: Pediatric Ear Nose and Throat consult (ENT). Kids with achondroplasia tend to have problems with fluid collecting near their ear drums due to their unique anatomy. Jack had a huge problem with fluid and had to get tubes as early as they allow because he failed his hearing test substantially.

I would like to be very proactive with Sam due to our family history and his diagnosis. Additionally, ENT can evaluate if Sam is having any issues with sleep apnea. He has had a lot of problems sleeping during naps, so we want to make sure it isn't due to sleep apnea. He also refused to sleep flat until the last few weeks. Something like 75% of kids with achondroplasia have issues with sleep apnea. I am going to request a sleep study unless they give me a *very* compelling reason to wait.

December 1st: Pediatric Neurosurgeon consult. Sam had an MRI a few weeks ago that showed more than the average amount of narrowing to the foramen magnum. Some narrowing is normal for kids with achondroplasia, but from what I understand his is a bit tighter than normal. We will learn more from the Neurosurgeon. He comes very, very highly recommended by both my boss and a coworker. I imagine this appointment is to set up a follow up plan over the next few years.

December 7th: Physical Therapy consult. Sam has at least a moderate case of torticollis and some flattening of his head on his favored side. We will meet with PT to determine how bad his case is and what we can do to try to improve his use of the other side. I really would like to avoid having to put him in a helmet when he's older. While torticollis seems to be more common in kids with achondroplasia due to their large heads, it isn't directly related to his dwarfism.