We are well

I am pleased to say I'm back and my son has fully recovered from meningococcal bacteremia.

He had the initial flu like symptoms that I treated like any mother with whiny sons - gave him some panadol  and sent to bed. After a rocky night where he was obviously sick (he had headache which was quite severe- Clue number 1)  and a bit delirious he seemed to settle down and by all appearances sleeping... When I finally decided that he should have a drink and went to rouse him he lifted his head but had no real cognition and pupils were dilated. This alone was enough to cause me to be alarmed and advised my husband we needed to get him to hospital.

I initially thought we might be able to get him there ourselves but trying to get a 6"4 boy dressed  and his general state propelled us to call for an ambulance. Whilst they came I further noted a rash (Alarm bells!!) on his inner wrist which we notified the ambulance crew about...they were pretty quick to suspect meningococcal and called for backup from a senior and were able to administer antibiotics prior to transport to hospital.
Their quick thinking probably saved my sons life and at the minimum his limbs.

It didn't take long for the rash to become more pronounced and just goes to show progression of the illness can be very quick once it has taken hold.( the ambulance crew marked the rash with texta and within minutes it had progressed beyond the drawn line)  usually those that die from meningococcal are those that do not have family or friends looking out for them. If in doubt call for an ambulance..better to be told there is nothing to worry about than loose a limb or life.

We are very fortunate to live near a major hospital and the crew notified them on their soon to be patient. He spent a matter of five minutes in emerg before being whisked away to intensive care. Luckily he responded well to antibiotics and damage has been kept to a minimum. Even so, it is hard to watch your ventilated son and know that you won't know the effects/ damage of the illness until he is extubated. I was so scared he would relapse and that the course of antibiotics wasn't enough to keep the bacteria at bay. And may I say it is exhausting to spend all that time worrying- harder than going to work!

I am so thankful that we have such excellent health services in Australia and I pray that our government does not erode away at its core and essentially destroy a life saving service (budget cuts can cost lives). So a blanket thank you to all those whom participate in health care services and know that each day a family will find your efforts invaluable. Remember to treat the family as well as the patient, a hello and an identifier (who you are) can mean a lot to a worried family.

A big thankyou to all my lovely friends whom showed their concern and took the time to care.

Good health to all . xx