Sleep study

Well last night was our sleep study with Lucas and I am sad to report that we didn’t make it through it. Here is a recap of our evening:

Lucas only had one nap yesterday so he was really tired by the time we got to the children’s hospital at 7:30. I filled out the paperwork while Scott fed Lucas his oatmeal and sippy cup of milk. When it came time to actually get Lucas to sleep, that was a disaster. Lucas was overly tired and in a new place where all he wanted to do was explore so it took a lot of hardwork and finally strolling him around to get him to sleep. It was 9 by the time we got him in bed.

Scott left for home, I got ready for bed and the nurse started attaching the many, many electrodes to Lucas’s body. It was difficult watching all of these things being plugged in to Lucas but I knew it was for a good purpose and would help us figure out what is going on inside his head and body while he is sleeping.

Just as the nurse was finishing up, Lucas stirred, tried to roll over onto his side and started crying pretty hard. He recognized that something was different and I believe it startled him. He started shaking all over and screaming pretty hard. He then proceeded to rip out almost all of the electrodes from his head and face. It was very tough because I had to make a decision pretty quickly. The nurse moved all the remaining electrodes so that I could pick Lucas up and rock him but that didn’t stop the crying or his attempt to pull out the remaining plugs. The nurse was calming and helped me asses the situation. She could wait until I had gotten Lucas back to sleep and then reattach the plugs but unfortunately this might happen every time Lucas went to move or stir.

The whole reason we were conducting the sleep study is because Lucas wakes frequently throughout the night and often screams without ceasing for up to 2 hours. How in the world is he supposed to know not to rip out the very instrument helping us determine what is wrong?

So with a heavy heart and a lot of frustration, I told the nurse that we would pack things up, head home and call the neurologist in the morning to discuss our other options.

Thank you for your prayers as I know that the Lord has a plan for us.