When our children are young, it is practically a given that they will come down with chickenpox. Although it is something we would like for them to avoid, it is often inevitable. When Haley’s son Lewis came down with chickenpox, several doctors prescribed children’s ibuprofen. It is an anti-inflammatory medication that is commonly prescribed for that purpose. Haley filled the prescription and gave the medication to Lewis.
What Haley was soon to realize is that children’s ibuprofen may be perfectly normal for treating other conditions but it is not something that should be taken for chickenpox. After giving her son ibuprofen, his health started to decline. His temperature was on the rise and the pox became painful and blistered. The doctor still claimed that it was a normal case of chickenpox but Haley had the common sense to investigate it further.
As it turns out, it was not a “normal” case of chickenpox, Lewis had contracted septicemia. He was admitted to a children’s hospital in Liverpool, but only because Haley was persistent and took her child to the hospital on her own.
Haley went through this horrible ordeal with her son but she now wants other parents to know about the dangers of taking ibuprofen for treating chickenpox. She shared the images of the reaction her son had to ibuprofen, and they are below.
As of now, her post on Facebook has been shared more than 400,000 times. According to the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, doctors and parents both need to be more aware of the risks associated with ibuprofen when using it for chickenpox.
WARNING: These images may be disturbing to some viewers.
“Chickenpox is going round again can I please remind people NOT to give your children nurofen/ibuprofen,” Hayley wrote on her Facebook page.
“4 different doctors from our local (out of hours) prescribed it for Lewis as we couldn’t get his temp down.”
“This type of medicine is an anti inflammatory, it reacts with chicken pox making them go deeper into the skin tissue.”
“It was only wen we took Lewis to Alder Hey because the doctors from our hospital kept sending him home saying it was ‘just chicken pox’ we found this out. He ended up with septicaemia and was admitted straight to Alder Hey as soon as we arrived there.”
Symptoms of septicaemia include: sudden high fever with chills; nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; abdominal pain; shortness of breath; and rapid heart rate. It can be treated with antibiotics, but early treatment is essential.
“Only because we persevered an took Lewis to a children’s hospital off our own back was he ok. This could have ended up so much worse if it wasn’t for those doctors at septicaemia and their advice, care and knowledge. Only use CALPOL for their temps.
It does actually state on the nurofen website not to take this medicine with chickenpox. (We discovered this after it happened) But when our doctors prescribe it, who are we to question it??”
Fortunately, Lewis is recovering from this issue. Due to the public outcry of Haley, it is being recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence that ibuprofen is not used for chickenpox any longer.
We appreciate that Haley took the time to speak out so that other children could avoid this potential problem.
Make sure that you post this for your friends on Facebook, it may just stop some needless suffering
Via: Little Things