Meningitis Hero
My blog this week doesn’t relate to my business of Touch and Feel products, but it’s an extremely important topic nevertheless and one that is very close to my heart.
My inspiration and my hero, my son Tristan, has not only has been dealt with a vision impairment but he also has recurring meningitis.
So I want to share with you his story of Meningitis, which I hope will spread awareness of this horrid illness.
I would just like to confirm that I am not a doctor or health professional. I am a Mum. A mum of a very brave meningitis survivor!
Meningitis is an infection that affects the membranes - called meninges- that covers the brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis develops when bacteria gets into the bloodstream from the sinuses, ears, or other parts of the upper respiratory tract. The bacteria then travel through the bloodstream to the brain.
His story begins at birth
Tristan was born via c-section and had trouble breathing due to fluid on his lungs. He also had a very high temperature. He was whisked away to the Special Care Unit and put on oxygen in an incubator. They took some bloods, and they came back with Streptococcus Meningitis and he was put on IV antibiotics.
We spent a week in hospital; the antibiotics did their job.
His next episode of Meningitis happened after his 6-week immunisations. 2 days post immunisations, we were back and forth to the GP with high temperatures and wasn’t keen on feeding. The GP put it down to the immunisations and told us to give him some panadol.
On the 3rd day he was extra sleepy, wouldn't eat, and still had crazy high temps and panadol wasn't working. He disliked being handled.
Tristan was a grey colour. I picked him up and he screamed the highest pitched scream I had ever heard. It was a scream that will haunt my dreams for the rest of my life.
His hands and feet were icy cold, yet the rest of him was burning hot. His eyes were squinting in the light and he was arching his back. I knew that he was seriously ill.
I took him to the emergency department and they acted quickly and efficiently. I told them his symptoms and he was hooked up to IV antibiotics straight away. Next came blood tests, chest X-Ray and a horrific lumbar puncture.
A lumbar puncture is when a sample of spinal fluid is taken from the spinal canal. The sample of fluid is examined and then sent for laboratory testing. A lumbar puncture is important to confirm the diagnosis of Meningitis, and to show which germ is causing the illness.
The results came back quickly and it was bacterial Meningitis.
He was given 3 types of antibiotics and was isolated under high observation.
That afternoon he stopped breathing and he went blue. Alarms went off and a rush of people came into his room. They put an oxygen mask on him and made the call for him to be transferred to the children's hospital with an intensive care unit.
There wasn't there wasn't room for me in the ambulance due to the incubator and extra paramedics. It was unknown whether Tristan would even make this short trip, for which I was told to prepare for the worst. I waited in the parents’ room while they did everything they could to save him.
The room was empty, dark and cold and I was all-alone, begging god to save my baby. My husband, a FIFO worker was desperately trying to work out how to get to us, from 1000’s of miles away.
4 days later, he came off life support and was put on high flow oxygen and we were transferred to the high dependency ward. The Antibiotics were doing their job again, and had saved his life.
The next 3 occurrences of Meningitis happened when he was 5 months, 13 months and 23 months old. All three had different symptoms. The first was projectile vomiting – over and over again. The doctors at the emergency department were sure it was just a gastro bug, but to be on the safe side decided to do a lumbar puncture. The results came back with Viral Meningitis.
The second was a febrile seizure, a purple pinprick rash and a high fever. The emergency department did another lumbar puncture. The bug didn't grow into a known Meningitis but they classed as a viral Meningitis.
The third case was a rash on his tummy, but this time looked more like a heat rash, swollen glands, diarrhoea and high temps. Once again my little guy had to go through another lumbar puncture, another unknown case of viral Meningitis.
So here we are today, Meningitis free for 1 year but with a recent immune deficiency diagnosis, it begins to make some sense.
Tristan’s story is out of the ordinary. Meningitis unfortunately isn’t as rare as it used to be, but recurrent Meningitis is.
You don’t need an immune deficiency to get Meningitis. Anyone can get it, just like a cold or the flu.
But this isn't just all about Tristan.
It's about every single child, here and everywhere. I count my blessings everyday that although Tristan has been to hell and back he has survived. Too many children haven’t.
So what can you do to help prevent Meningitis?
•Have the whole family fully immunized
• Practice hygiene
• Keep your children off school and at home when they have a contagious illness
• Learn and remember the signs and symptoms of Meningitis.
The two most important things I have learned from my experiences with Tristan is
1. Trust your instincts
2. Act quickly
Today, I have provided a link for some more information from The Meningitis Centre in Perth, which I hope you will find useful. I have also included a video that i made of Tristan's journey to spread awareness.
Terms and Conditions
All content provided on this blog is for information purposes only. The Sensory Child makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.
The Sensory Child will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The Sensory Child will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. These terms and conditions of use are subject to change at anytime and without notice.
