Patient Stories
Sutter Neurosurgery
Ryan – Removing Tonsils Cured Sleep Apnea
Modesto Christian elementary schoolteachers could see there was something wrong with little Ryan. He was well-behaved, with his pencil in hand and looking right at the teacher, but when they looked into his eyes, they could tell he was just "spaced out." Ryan's self-esteem was shot and was lucky just to earn C-minuses. The school set up a parent-teacher conference and told Ryan's father, Michael, and grandmother, Kathy, that he must have a bad case of attention deficit disorder and to have him put on ADD drugs before starting third grade.
However, his parents didn't see any signs of ADD at home. Instead, their son always seemed to be fatigued and suffered from leg pain and migraines. Doctor after doctor weren't able to diagnose the problem and referred them to pediatric specialists. Finally, in June, Susan Maki at Sutter Gould Medical Foundation called with a referral to a pediatric neurologist who had helped her son with similar health issues: Amer Khan, M.D. at the Sutter Neuroscience Institute and the Children's Center at Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento.
Immediately, Dr. Khan could see that Ryan had unusually large tonsils, and he figured that they were causing Ryan to have sleep apnea. A sleep study confirmed the diagnosis.
"When the teachers said they could see in his eyes that he wasn't really there, it was because Ryan's brain was asleep," Ryan's grandmother Kathy said.
In September, Ryan had surgery to remove the tonsils and adenoids. Today, Ryan no longer has migraines or leg pain, and he is able to focus on his teachers. His grades have been raised from C- to A's and B's.
"My son and I looked at Ryan the other day and said, 'We've got our baby boy back,' " Kathy said, fighting the tears. "Before, we were so worried and were thinking the worst. We wondered if he had ADD, if he had autism and we just didn't know it. He was so depressed. But now it's like night and day. He's smiling, happy, playing. He's got his life back. We thank God for Dr. Khan giving us the right diagnosis."
Dr. Khan, who specializes in sleep disorders and epilepsy, says he sees many young people with similar sleep disorders, and many times the tonsils are a major part of the problem. ENTs (ear, nose and throat specialists) don't like to remove tonsils anymore because they believe it is an unnecessary operation. However, for some children, it's critical that they be removed.
"This is a huge problem, and I think we are just seeing a small number of the kids who have sleep issues that can be correctly diagnosed and cured," Dr. Khan said. "Instead, they're being diagnosed with ADD, anxiety, depression, autism, and doctors are giving them ADD and even psychological drugs. I believe there are hundreds if not thousands of these children out there."