I thought I was just picking my daughter up from school with a tummy ache – it was much more sinister
A mother has revealed her horror after her six-year-old daughter’s abdominal pain was revealed to be a rare genetic condition.
It all started when mum Betty – who declined to give her last name – received a call from her daughter Esmee’s school saying she needed to be picked up because of a stomach ache.
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Esmee was also vomiting and had blood in her urine.
After an initial visit to her local hospital, a pharmacist advised Betty to call 999.
When paramedics arrived, they decided to take Esmee to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
The youngster was subjected to several tests, including a urine sample.
To Mother Betty’s dismay, the results showed that Esmee’s kidneys had failed.
She was then taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she was sedated, ventilated and dialyzed.
Esmee was then diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), a disease that allows antibodies to attack your cells.
It can affect any organ in the body, but in Esmee’s case, it attacked her kidneys.
Luckily, she was able to take a life-saving drug called eculizumab.
Only a few days later, Esmee had recovered sufficiently to be taken out of the filter and transferred to a regular infirmary in Nottingham.
Betty is still thinking about the ordeal she went through with her daughter.
She said: “It was a very scary and horrible time for us but the counselor was so reassuring and professional so we knew we were in good hands.”
Thankfully, Esmee was released just in time for Christmas last year.
She still has to take life-saving medication every two weeks and her family is learning to live with her illness.
But Esmee is now back at school full-time and has been able to resume swimming and soccer lessons.
What is kidney failure?
Acute kidney failure occurs when your kidneys are suddenly unable to filter waste products from your blood.
When your kidneys lose their filtering ability, dangerous levels of waste can build up and throw your blood chemistry out of balance.
Acute renal failure usually tends to develop quickly and is most common in people who are already hospitalized, particularly the critically ill. It can be fatal and requires intensive treatment, but many are also reversible.
Symptoms can include:
- Decreased urine output
- Fluid retention causing swelling in your legs, ankles, or feet
- shortness of breath
- fatigue
- confusion
- nausea
- weakness
- cardiac arrhythmia
- pain or pressure in your chest
- Seizures or coma in severe cases
Betty decided she wanted to raise money for the hospital.
When she heard that her friends Martin and Kirsty were taking part in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, she decided to take part.
They hope to complete the 25-mile hike in just under 12 hours and are also hoping to raise £5,000 for the hospital.
Betty, from Rotherham, South Yorkshire, said: “We initially called her crazy until we decided we were crazy too.
“Then some of our friends and family members decided to join us and we are now a team of nine.
“The group chat is filled with links to hiking boots, screenshots of our hikes and training tips for this amazing challenge.”
The mother-of-one added: “Not only did you save Esmée’s life but you took such good care of us and were a tremendous support at such a traumatic time.”
Phoebe Marriott, a fundraising assistant for hospital events, said: “Yorkshire Three Peaks is a really special event and it’s amazing to see people taking on such a huge challenge.
“We are very grateful for the support of Team Esmée; your fundraiser will help Sheffield Children’s continue to provide incredible care for children and young people.”
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https://www.the-sun.com/health/7462003/daughter-tummy-ache-more-sinister-kidney-failure/ I thought I was just picking my daughter up from school with a tummy ache – it was much more sinister