Update on EN

No more Sickling

It is so hard to believe that almost a year ago, I wrote this post. A year ago, our illness journey with our little EN had just begun. After a long holiday in a London Winter, our baby girl started to get sick. A stuffy nose, turned into a cold and flu which turned into tonsillitis brought on by an immune deficiency. What a journey it has been - through tears, prayers, injections and sleepless nights - dare I say that it is over.

Our little girl is now happy and healthy!!

After months of her immune injections and being house bound (no birthday parties, no play dates, no baby classes), EN still managed to get tonsillitis eleven times from January to September. She was treated with nine doses of antibiotics - we didn't treat the last two infections as she had become immune to the antibiotics.

By September, her immune levels had increased slightly, and our paediatrician suggested we see a specialist ENT, and he had asked for a special request to have her tonsils removed before the age of two. The ENT met with us and explained that eighteen months is very young to administer a general anaesthetic for so long as well as the low immune levels run a higher risk of infection in the hospital but after looking in her throat and seeing the terrible state of her tonsils, he agreed.

So in October last year, little EN spent the morning in hospital having her tonsils and adenoids removed and inserting grommets into her ears. Being so young, she was none the wiser and she was an absolute little trooper. She lay on me for most of the morning, cuddling whilst we waited for her sedative, giggling in her high state once administered and then I lay her on the theatre table and kissed her goodbye as she slipped into the anaesthetic sleep. The 45 minutes of the procedure were the longest 45 minutes of my life - sitting in a waiting room, watching the clock tick away. But eventually I saw her being wheeled out and minutes later, heard her cry through a very painful and gargled throat. She spent the next hour coming round and being very disorientated, kicking and screaming and unfortunately, blood coming out her nose and throat but by midday, we were on our way home.

The week following the op wasn't as bad as most made it out to be. She ate and slept and was her usual self. But on day 10, she developed a throat infection in the fresh wound, she stopped eating and drinking and was terribly miserable - and due to her dehydration, we were admitted into hospital over night. 24 hours of an IV drip of fluids and antibiotics to fight the infection, we were home again and on the final road to recovery.

We are beyond delighted to report that little EN has been home, happy and healthy and free of any medication, IV drips and antibiotics for 2,5 months. She has started talking, has started school (which is full of germs) and she has spent the Summer outside in the sunshine and playing with her friends - being the toddler she is now allowed to be.