A mum has issued a warning of what Strep A signs to look out for after her daughter was hospitalised and left unable to walk.
Kadie Dolphin, 37, first noticed symptoms of the infection in her daughter on November 8 - it was only a few hours later that she was rushed to hospital. Fortunately, Nancie Rae Dolphon, six, recovered from the infection with Kadie stating that she is back to her normal bubbly self.
The mum-of-five has shared the experience in order to help other parents recognise the symptoms in their own children.
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"The doctors said that it being caught early was the reason she got well so quickly," Kadie said. "I was absolutely petrified to be honest - at the point where she started to turn really bad, we didn’t know what it was and it felt like it took forever to find out what was wrong.
“The doctor was saying that the swelling was coming up before her eyes, [Nancie Rae] was swelling right before us, the doctor said we really are concerned and it was then that I thought ‘oh god’. The worrying thing is that I didn’t know what was going on - I was looking at her thinking ‘am I going to walk out without my daughter’.”
Kadie, a healthcare assistant, from Warrington, first notice something was wrong with her daughter on the evening of November 7. Nancie had come downstairs at 6pm complaining of an itchy belly.
When Kaylee inspected it, she noticed there was a small mark resembling a mosquito bite on her tummy and her knee. She gave her daughter an anti-histamine and thought nothing more of it until the next morning when Nancie came down with a high temperature and a rash.
“On November 7, my daughter finished school happy and healthy – she’s a livewire anyway, she’s crazy,” said Kadie. “About 6pm she came downstairs and said ‘mummy my belly is itching’, it looked like she had a little bite.
“Because she’d been out playing, I assumed she had been bit by a mosquito and had a reaction. I gave her an antihistamine but the next morning the rash was all over her belly – it was a weird, flat rash and she was very hot to touch.”
Kadie attempted to get an appointment with the GP but nothing would be available until the following evening. As Nancie's condition got worse, Kadie decided to take her to Halton Urgent Care where she was seen by a doctor.
On arrival, she was given Amoxycillin antibiotics and blood samples and a throat swab were taken to be tested – at which point she was diagnosed with a Strep A infection.
Kadie said: “I went to Halton Urgent Care and said I thought it was a reaction so one doctor gave her a Piriton but another doctor said it wasn’t typical for an allergic reaction.
“She was swelling up before our eyes – a couple more fingers were swollen up, her lymph nodes were swollen, there were lumps in her throat and her legs were hurting. We went to Warrington Hospital and they started her on Amoxycillin, they had to take 11 vials of blood from her.
“She had lost the ability to walk, every joint was swollen up, she was completely red and still had a high temperature – that was when they took a throat swab for Strep A. Throughout the night the medicine wouldn’t kick in and they kept coming back saying she’s not getting better – she was kind of awake but she was very floppy and couldn’t hold herself up.
“Amoxycillin is useless to Strep A, so they changed from steroids to penicillin.”
Nancie received penicillin via an IV drop, however, due to the high concentration of the antibiotic, it left the youngster with a burning sensation in her arms. Nancie was left unable to walk or talk as she remained in hospital for two days.
Thankfully, after 48 hours, Nancie's condition began to improve as the swelling reduced. Kadie said: “The care given has been fantastic, I can’t fault the NHS whatsoever - they were absolutely amazing and really on the ball.
“For a six-year-old she’s quite tiny anyway and this infection has ravished her body but she's back to her normal crazy mental self.
“She’s wild doesn’t give us a minute's peace, once she’s opened her eyes she won’t shut up.
“All we keep hearing about is the children passing but that’s not all it is, she’s home and fine now, as awful as it was, we need to build immunity.”
The NHS website says the main symptoms parents and caregivers should look out for are:
- Flu-like symptoms such as a high temperature, swollen glands, or an aching body
- Sore throat
- A rash that feels rough, like sandpaper
- Scabs and sores
- Pain and swelling
- Severe muscle aches
- Nausea and vomiting
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