Gabryś does not remember what he dreamed of when he fell into a coma for 1.5 months. Gabryś does not remember how his skin was covered with painful ecchymoses. Because Gabryś is only 1 year and 8 months old. Gabrysia's mother remembers it all. And the most by the name: meningococcal sepsis. Because she was the one who almost took her baby from her.
Emilia and Mariusz were very happy with the arrival of Gabrysia. They waited for him for several years, not losing hope after successive unsuccessful attempts to enlarge the family. When Gabryś appeared, the eldest son of Emilia and Mariusz had already finished vocational school, and the younger had entered the difficult period of teenage rebellions. - Both older sons hid he althy - recalls Emilia, Gabrysia's mother. - And the youngest had a very serious illness at the beginning of his life.
The fever suddenly appeared
I remember THIS Thursday very well. Gabryś was then 1 year and 2 months old, and he was already everywhere. It was the older son who noticed that Gabryś started to "lie down" in the evening. I thought it was because of sheer fatigue or growing teeth, but just in case I measured the little one's temperature. He had a slight fever, so I gave him medication and went to sleep.
At 3.00 at night, the thermometer already showed 39 degrees. Experiences with two older sons told me that this might be temporary. I gave Gabrysia an antipyretic suppository and cold compresses. The fever dropped to 37.9 degrees. Reassured, I went to sleep. When, as usual, I got up at 4.30 to prepare my family for the new day, I first looked at Gabrysia. The fever rose again, and on one of my son's legs there was a strange, bluish ecchymosis, which over time began to "spread" over his whole body. I grabbed the phone and called the ambulance.
It's a miracle that he got to the hospital alive
Examination of Gabrysio by rescuers took longer than waiting for an ambulance. They made a preliminary diagnosis: it could be measles and ordered the immediate transport of the son to the hospital in Działdowo. However, they could not bring Gabrysio to the hospital, because the facility did not have an infectious diseases ward. Doctors from paediatrics examined Gabrysia in the ambulance and found … sepsis, or sepsis. It was necessary to transport Gabrysio to the provincial children's hospital in Olsztyn.
We would have waited too long for a helicopter, so we went thereambulance. We reached Olsztyn, 80 km away, in less than 40 minutes. We found decent people on our way. It has not happened that someone blocked our passage. Gabryś got his first medications, he was still conscious then and was playing with the oxygen mask. On the spot, the doctor clarified the diagnosis: sepsis caused by meningococcal infection. And it's advanced. - It's a miracle that such a small child in such a serious condition came to the hospital alive - said the doctor.
Stable but still under threat
Gabrysia was placed in an intensive care unit (ICU). The sepsis was still progressing, which was evident from the bloody bruises all over the son's body. There were also abscesses on his skin. His circulation was failing, so they put him on a respirator and an artificial kidney, and put him in a pharmacological coma.
I couldn't be with Gabrys in the NICU all the time, so I traveled to Olsztyn every morning. After each night, I thanked that no one had called from the hospital and said it had happened … the worst. My son was still in a state of multi-organ failure and life-threatening, but he was circulatory stable. Every day, however, I was still getting new information about the devastation that sepsis and meningococcus were causing in Gabrysia's body.
If only he would live …
Gabrysia's skin was rescued with special dressings and transplants. It was worse with the legs … Gabryś underwent a total of 7 operations. First, surgeons removed the dead tissue, then amputations were necessary. I knew that they were doing everything to save every little bit of bone. I gave consent for each procedure. I didn't think how Gabryś would live without legs. The most important thing was that he should be alive at all … Gabryś kept both thighs and a knee on his left leg.
Where did these meningococcus come from?
This is unknown. Maybe some of us, Gabrysia's closest ones, "wore" them in their throats? Or maybe he got infected on the playground from another child? Meningococci are spread by airborne droplets. So it was enough for Gabryś, like every toddler his age, to take a spoon or a toy used by someone else in his mouth. They did not test us, but within 24 hours of diagnosis, we, as a family and all people in hospitals who came in contact with Gabrys, were given an antibiotic.
There is a fee for meningococcal vaccination. I did not think it would be needed since my older sons did not have any additional, paid vaccinations and did not get sick. And the meningococcal vaccine should be reimbursed. The pediatrician mentioned to me that in 20 years of work, she had only 3 children who survived a meningococcal infection. We vaccinated Gabrysia right after he lefthospital, and we had to pay for the vaccination anyway.
Sad balance sheet
Gabryś was hospitalized on November 9, 2022. He spent 2 months in the ICU, including 1.5 months in a coma. Then he was transferred to the pediatric ward for convalescence. We left the hospital on February 7 this year.
The coma, subsequent anesthesia and "heavy" medications did not cause any consequences for Gabrys. He develops intellectually and emotionally properly. The kidneys started working. It is worse with the liver. It is not known whether a transplant will be needed in a few years … The scars after abscesses and skin grafts, most of which are present on the arms and legs, fade away. The infection spared Gabrysia's mouth. There are only two small marks on it that will become invisible with time.
We are starting the rehabilitation of the legs. It is not known yet when we will be able to put on the first dentures, but it is already known that there will be many of them. Gabrys will grow, and they will not. We are just establishing the rules of cooperation with a foundation that will support us financially.
I wish he would not remember this …
We had great care in the hospital in Olsztyn, but I left this place faster than I entered. I was worried if Gabryś would remember the house. Fortunately, only at the beginning was he confused. Favorite toys, familiar equipment and faces quickly helped him find himself.
Little is just starting to talk. Single, simple words: mom, dad, baby. At the age of less than 2, he learns to walk for the second time in his life. He doesn't whine when he can't get up. He can do what he can, using his hands and shifting his whole body. It is also not surprising that other children walk differently than he does. She will start asking questions later. I am not afraid of them. I remember everything and tell him … because I hope that this meningococcal nightmare will not be remembered by my son …
Do you know that…- Every 10 Poles are meningococcal carriers.
- Meningococcal disease causes invasive meningococcal disease (IChM), which occurs as sepsis or sepsis with meningitis.
- The course of invasive meningococcal disease is rapid - it can be fatal within 24 hours.
- The first symptoms of this disease are easy to overlook because they resemble a cold.
- Invasive meningococcal disease most often affects children under the age of 5.
- Vaccinations are the best way to protect against invasive meningococcal disease.
- Meningococcal type B is responsible for the majority of infections in Poland and among children in the first year of life (almost 70%).