‘Post-Covid infection left my baby like this...’
MOTHER WARNS PARENTS AFTER TOT’S ILLNESS ORDEAL:
A MUM has warned other parents after her baby fell seriously ill with an inflammatory syndrome linked to coronavirus.
Elle Adams’ son, eight-month-old Lewis, has spent the week in hospital crying in pain due to the Kawasaki-like disease.
His lips have been so swollen they have been pouring with blood and he has needed several invasive treatments.
“He has been a little wreck of himself”, his worried mum Elle said from his bedside at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Lewis, who is normally a ‘happy, healthy, chubby little boy,’ first developed a fever last Sunday.
He became ‘irritable’ and lost interest in food and milk, the 40-year-old said. By Monday, he developed spots on his cheeks.
“We didn’t think much of it, but by the evening it had spread”, Elle, from Ashton-under-Lyne, said.
A scar from a vaccination turned into a ‘pinky orange lump,’ and the rash began developing on other parts of his body – in folds of skin around his neck and on his ear.
“At that point we phoned 111”, Elle said.
She was told by the operator to take Lewis to A&E at Tameside Hospital.
Elle, a teacher who has been on maternity leave, had heard about an inflammatory, Kawasaki-like disease called Post-Covid-19 Inflammatory Syndrome. It is a condition that mainly affects children under the age of five and is thought to be a delayed immune reaction to coronavirus.
“At the back of my mind I thought ‘please don’t be that.’ That was just at the back of my mind, I thought it wouldn’t be that, just an infection”, she said.
Lewis was tested for coronavirus, a standard procedure for children going into hospital, and the result came back negative. He was moved into an observation room and his rash became worse – as parts of his body became ‘bright red and swollen.’ The baby was given Piriton to stop the swelling as it looked like an allergic reaction.
Lewis was also given antibiotics and medics told Elle he could be suffering from sepsis.
On Wednesday his whole body went bright red and he ‘looked like he had been in the sun all day.’
He was given an IV drip with antibodies for several hours, which brought the rash down.
Medics undertook a number of blood tests. They showed that Lewis had ‘really high markers’ for inflammation, which they believed could be a post-Covid-19 immune response.
Lewis was moved to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for specialist care.
The blood tests, the rash and the fever all pointed to signs that Lewis was suffering from the Kawasaki-like disease. A test showed Lewis had antibodies for coronavirus.
Medics monitored his heart as the condition could cause a heart attack.
“This is why it is so scary. It’s the things you can’t see happening. They were constantly monitoring his blood pressure, his heart rate, and he had a heart scan”, Elle said.
The scan showed no damage, she said.
Lewis had another round of the IV drip medication on Friday night.
Over the course of Saturday, the rash on his legs and arms have gone away.
“He seems to be perking up, his fever has come down”, Elle said.
He is still in hospital, but is showing signs of improvement, she said.
Lewis will need further checks and he will take aspirin for six weeks to protect his heart. He is also on steroids.
Only one parent is allowed to stay with Lewis in hospital due to the lockdown, meaning Elle’s fiancé Simon is at home looking after their three-yearold daughter Lydia.
“It’s been really scary, but very reassuring, due to the care he has received,” she said.
Elle would urge anyone in doubt about a rash or illness to call 111 like she did. “I think you know your own child, but if they are unwell, make sure you do notice, and just ask for help. They have seen it before at the hospital”, she said.