A Scots mum is urging parents to ‘trust their gut’ after her school boy son was left just hours away from losing his eye following a major Strep A infection. Lochlan McDonald was rushed in for emergency surgery to drain a 3.5cm pocket of bacteria from around his eye at the Wishaw General Hospital just days before Christmas.
The eight-year-old, from Carluke, South Lanarkshire, had preseptal cellulitis which was putting pressure on his optic nerve and causing severe swelling around the socket. After having the infection drained, the twin was put on an intensive course of IV antibiotics and thankfully allowed home on December 23.
Mum Ellis Neill, 27, told how they initially thought Lochlan had a viral infection and conjunctivitis but became alarmed when she noticed the swelling and redness spreading. She said: “He had a temperature and was complaining of a sore tongue so I took him to the doctors and we just thought it was a viral infection.
