Read on Twitter
Please make duah for my little one. She’s not feeling very well and not getting enough fluids so we brought her to the hospital to get a drip going.
It’s been a long day and night but inshallah they’ll sort this out soon
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏🏼" title="Gefaltete Hände (mittelheller Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Gefaltete Hände (mittelheller Hautton)">
It’s been a long day and night but inshallah they’ll sort this out soon
Hey guys, I appreciate all the messages and duahs.
She was admitted to the children’s hospital late Monday night cos she was having difficulty eating and had lost a lot of muscle tone. They were concerned about her not being able to breathe because her muscles were so weak.
She was admitted to the children’s hospital late Monday night cos she was having difficulty eating and had lost a lot of muscle tone. They were concerned about her not being able to breathe because her muscles were so weak.
This is a baby who just a week ago showed signs of wanting to walk (I swear I’m not exaggerating) and now she couldn’t even hold her own head up anymore.
She couldn’t latch on properly or swallow food well.
Her poos weren’t as regular all of a sudden.
This was all very alarming.
She couldn’t latch on properly or swallow food well.
Her poos weren’t as regular all of a sudden.
This was all very alarming.
The number one question we got from all the doctors who saw her in the ER was:
When last did she have formula & has she ever had honey.
She’s exclusively been breastfed only, and even though I’ve eaten honey, it’s never been near her.
All her symptoms pointed to: infant botulism.
When last did she have formula & has she ever had honey.
She’s exclusively been breastfed only, and even though I’ve eaten honey, it’s never been near her.
All her symptoms pointed to: infant botulism.
The doctors were confused because she had never been exposed to either usual culprit. They kept asking for second opinions from other doctors just to hear what they thought. Everyone suspected the same thing but couldn’t explain why she had it.
Eventually we got doctors from infectious disease involved. They examined her and also agreed that it’s most likely botulism.
While we waited for a room for her, they were busy making a case to the county Department of Health to get a medication called BabyBIG, an antibody.
While we waited for a room for her, they were busy making a case to the county Department of Health to get a medication called BabyBIG, an antibody.
Botulism occurs in nature but babies under 1 are vulnerable to it.
Infant botulism attacks the babies motor nerve functions which is why her muscles seemed so weak all of a sudden.
But this also includes the muscles around her lungs, which is why it can be so dangerous.
Infant botulism attacks the babies motor nerve functions which is why her muscles seemed so weak all of a sudden.
But this also includes the muscles around her lungs, which is why it can be so dangerous.
It’s also very rare, which is why the medication had to be retrieved from the county health department. They only keep a couple of doses available so a case had to be made for her to get it, based on her signs and symptoms.
The test they do to check for it would take a few days.
The test they do to check for it would take a few days.
It’s a single-dose medication that works against 2 strains of the toxins the botulism produces. There are others but it would be ineffective against those.
And if she didn’t in fact have botulism, there wouldn’t be any negative side effects of her getting the babyBIG.
And if she didn’t in fact have botulism, there wouldn’t be any negative side effects of her getting the babyBIG.
We got to the hospital around 2:30pm and within a couple of hours she was approved for babyBIG.
It arrived around midnight and was administered that same day.
Thankfully we live in California, where babyBIG is housed.
Had we been elsewhere it would’ve taken ages to get to her.
It arrived around midnight and was administered that same day.
Thankfully we live in California, where babyBIG is housed.
Had we been elsewhere it would’ve taken ages to get to her.
Alhamdullilah straight away the next day we saw an improvement in her.
Even though she was still extremely weak, we could already tell it was working.
Her whole demeanour seemed so much better.
She was more alert, she was responding to people around her; she seemed hungry!
Even though she was still extremely weak, we could already tell it was working.
Her whole demeanour seemed so much better.
She was more alert, she was responding to people around her; she seemed hungry!
This tiny almost 4-month old baby now had a team of about 16 specialist doctors all monitoring her throughout the day, including neurologists, virologists, occupational therapists, the infectious disease team, & several nurses, all interested in her well-being.
We’re so grateful!
We’re so grateful!
It would take a few days for the results to come in but everyone noticed an improvement in her, and they were optimistic about the diagnoses being correct and hopeful that there wouldn’t be any other complications.
Today we got the confirmation that it WAS botulism.
Today we got the confirmation that it WAS botulism.
We also got told that she had one of the 2 strains babyBIG works against.
This is significant because there are several strains. Had she had any of the others, getting treatment for it would’ve been a nightmare because it’s not easily accessible.
This is significant because there are several strains. Had she had any of the others, getting treatment for it would’ve been a nightmare because it’s not easily accessible.
Treatment for the other strains are held by the State Department.
They keep a couple doses under cold storage because it’s meant to be used in case there was ever an act of bio terrorism.
I don’t even want to imagine how long she would’ve been without treatment waiting for that!
They keep a couple doses under cold storage because it’s meant to be used in case there was ever an act of bio terrorism.
I don’t even want to imagine how long she would’ve been without treatment waiting for that!
Alhamdullilah she’s doing so much better.
The doctors all confirmed that there won’t be any long-term effects of this.
The medication will be in her system for a few months, likely long enough to protect her from contracting this again somehow.
The doctors all confirmed that there won’t be any long-term effects of this.
The medication will be in her system for a few months, likely long enough to protect her from contracting this again somehow.
They kept reiterating that there wasn’t anything we could have done to prevent this from happening.
Honey and formula are the usual culprits but it’s not always the case.
It was simply a freak occurrence and she got unlucky.
I’m just extremely grateful she’s going to be okayhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙏🏼" title="Gefaltete Hände (mittelheller Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Gefaltete Hände (mittelheller Hautton)">https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🙌🏼" title="Erhobene Hände (mittelheller Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Erhobene Hände (mittelheller Hautton)">
Honey and formula are the usual culprits but it’s not always the case.
It was simply a freak occurrence and she got unlucky.
I’m just extremely grateful she’s going to be okay
