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Tag: sickness

  • This Mama Knew Something Wasn’t Right

    Where do I begin? Our baby, Sienna-Rose has always been so unsteady with her balance.. we thought nothing of it at first. We assumed it was down to being short sighted and having a double squint! She was still hitting all of her milestones on time. Nothing to worry about right?

    Wrong.. fast forward to January the 30th 2019. Sienna has her injection and we were pre warned there would be a fever. She had the fever.. followed by sickness, unsteadyness, lethargy and a high temperature. We firstly rang our GP who recommended calpol and lots of rest. The sickness still came. After a few weeks of constant sickness and crying we took things further. We took her to A&E who did their checks and diagnosed “gastritis” she was prescribed a course of amoxicillin which she did dont take down neither did it fix the sickness.

    We returned to our childrens walk in centre only to be told the same thing.. “gastritis” again she was prescribed a stronger form of antibiotics only for her not to take down again.. then the motor neuron issues took place. Sienna was showing clear signs of balance issues and could no longer walk/crawl/sit upright. She was very lethargic and hot. We went to A&E for the third time just to be told her immune system was weak and that some babies take longer to recover than others.

    Weeks went by while she rapidly reclined. She was soon stuck in a corner of the sofa watching TV and sleeping all day. We tried to contact our health visitor but she left the service and forgot to transfer her notes over to the new health visitor who didnt know she existed. I came to the end of my tether and broke down to the lady in the weigh in clinic who took my concerns seriously. She refered her to paediatrics but we wasnt going to be seen until June.

    7th of May came, I rang 111 (emergency service information) because Sienna couldn’t lift her head from her shoulder and was struggling to straighten her back. I was told to wait for a phone call of a paediatric doctor. They finally rang back 2 and a half hours later. They asked if she was still tilting to one side. She wasnt. So they told me to keep an eye on her and bring her in if she did it again!
    Friday the 10th of May 2019 Sienna fell off the sofa. She bumped her head and her eyes rolled back. I didnt bother phoning. I took her straight in. I lost all faith in the emergency phone services/GP/Health visitors. When we arrived then again didnt believe what I was saying, when she was too poorly to move and her cry was weak. Eventually the most amazing doctor came and spoke to us. She listened to everything. Even wrote it all down. She measured Sienna’s head and demanded an urgent MRI. 
    11th May 2019 We had our diagnosis. Within 2 hours of the MRI. We was taken to see the consultant. He broke the news Sienna has a tumour just a slight bit bigger than a golf ball in the back of her brain. We were heart broken. She had an external shunt fitted to drain the mass of fluid on her brain. In 48hrs they collected 650ml of spinal fluid from her head stabilizing her condition ready for her operation 14/06/2019
    Surgery day came, they’ve so far removed what they think is all of the tumour.. 

    17/05/2019
    We had the results! Had a meeting with the consultant..
    This Mama Knew Something Wasn't Right
    This Mama Knew Something Wasn’t Right

    Good news – They’ve gotten rid of 95% of the tumour. 
    Bad news – Its defiently a stage 4 aggressive medulloblastoma. The 5% that remains is attached to a membrain that the surgeon didnt want to remove as it would effect her brain development. In two weeks time she will have chemotherapy.

    We expected this outcome.

    Still doesn’t stop the pain, anger and emotion. I know she is a strong ass girl who will kick cancers ass! 

    I want to raise awareness about the earlier detection of a brain tumour especially in children. Because nobody should have to suffer what Sienna-Rose did! For months she was miss diagnosed. All it takes to diagnose is an MRI brain scan! Here are some symptoms to look out for..
    – Involentry eye movement
    – Tilting of the head 
    – Growth of the head 
    – Vomiting and nausea 
    – Lack of interest in food 
    – Poor movement 
    – Behaviour changes 
    – Unable to hold balance/Regression in milestones!Even if you think it’s not.. request to be seen my a neurologist to rule out a tumour! Earlier detection means better treatment and a higher survival rate! Trust your gut instincts and if you feel something is wrong, please fight until you find out what is! 
    – Sienna-Rose’s Mum xx

     

  • Morning Sickness – Tips & Tricks!

    Pregnancy, it can be one of the most amazing experiences of your life, the feeling of growing your very own tiny human in your belly is wonderful! But not all aspects of pregnancy are particularly enjoyable.

    Morning sickness, its let’s be honest, it’s horrific! Some women suffer morning sickness very occasionally, others get it every day for the first three months, and then there are some mothers like myself who suffer morning sickness everyday for the duration of the pregnancy.

    Doctors can subscribe tablets which help the sickness, but if you’re like me you’re not overly keen on taking medication whilst pregnant.

    So instead here are a few home remedies which might help you get through your morning sickness.

    ☆☆GINGER☆☆
    This root is meant to help settle your stomach and some women do swear by it. You can have it in many ways; ginger tea, ginger biscuits or ginger ale/soda.

    ☆☆MINTS☆☆
    Much like the ginger mints apparently help to settle the feeling of queasiness so some extra strong mints or a pack of polos could help you get through the morning sickness months.

    ☆☆DRY TOAST☆☆
    I know the idea of eating anything while you’re feeling sick can fill you with dread, but dry toast isn’t to help take away that sickly feeling.

    ☆☆FRESH AIR☆☆
    If you’re feeling like you’re about to spill your lunch the idea of going anywhere isn’t very nice but some new scenery and some fresh air in your lungs can do wonders.

    ☆☆LITTLE & OFTEN☆☆
    Having a big meal is near on impossible when you’re feeling unwell, but an empty stomach isn’t helping either. So why not try eating small meals more often, don’t let your stomach get too empty and don’t fill it up completely either.

    ☆☆MOTION SICKNESS BANDS☆☆
    It’s quite common that women that suffer from motion sickness are likely to also get morning sickness, so why not try the bands that go on your wrist to help combat motion sickness to try to help your morning sickness.

    If you’ve tried everything you can think of but that morning sickness is still too bad and you can’t get over it don’t be afraid to see your doctor or speak to your midwife. Sometimes no matter what we do we need medical intervention so don’t feel like you have to suffer in silence.

    Have you tried any of these remedies?
    Did they work for you?
    What tips would you give an expectant mother to help her deal with morning sickness?
    Let us know in the comments.