Three-Year-Old Girl Almost Died From Toxic Shock Syndrome After A Cat Scratch

A three-year-old UK girl has almost died after a cat scratch led to her developing the deadly toxic shock syndrome (TSS).

Lilanna Batstone was only two years old when she had chickenpox last month. Her mother, Kelly Batstone, 35, from Taunton, Somerset, said Lilanna felt ‘itchy and uncomfortable’ but it didn’t affect her that much.

One day, Lilanna was playing with their family pet kitten, Chanel, when it scratched one of her spots on her neck.

Ms Batstone noticed that the spot was redder than the others but she thought nothing of it.

However, in the morning of October 29, Lilanna was screaming in pain.

“At 12.45am, she woke me up. She was holding her neck and saying ‘Ow, ow, ow!’,” Ms Batstone said. “I switched the light on and saw there was a huge lump on her neck, about the size of a £2 coin. It had come up in just a few hours.”

Instantly, Ms Batstone knew something wasn’t right and so she rushed Lilanna to the hospital.

Arriving at A&E at Musgrove Park hospital, in Taunton, Ms Batstone said that Lilanna was still happily running around the waiting room, but after an hour, she started vomiting and became lifeless.

Doctors immediately worked on Lilanna as her veins were already collapsing and her body was covered in rash.

An hour later, Lilanna was stabilised and doctors explained to Ms Batstone that Lilanna had developed toxic shock syndrome (TSS), which is caused by bacteria getting into the body and releasing harmful toxins.

As Lilanna was recovering, she was transferred to a general ward where she stayed for five days, including her third birthday.

“I only knew what toxic shock syndrome was from reading about it on tampon boxes, as tampons can cause it. I didn’t realise it was something kids could get. It was frightening because, although I didn’t know much about it, I did know it was really serious,” Ms Batstone said.

She also said that they were fortunate that Lilanna’s doctor immediately diagnosed the problem when she treated another patient with the same symptoms months before. “The doctor who diagnosed her said we were lucky, because it’s quite rare, and they don’t always spot it quickly. Luckily, our doctor had treated a patient with it a few months earlier, so she recognised it straight away. If it wasn’t for that doctor, I don’t think Lilanna would be here today,” she said.

Now, Ms Batstone, who is working with the charity TSS Aware, is sharing her story to raise awareness on the symptoms of the condition. She said that although Lilanna’s chickenpox spot became an easy entry to TSS-causing bacteria, anyone could potentially be affected if they have a break in their skin.

“I would advise anyone who experiences symptoms – which include a high temperature, a headache, chills, muscle aches, a sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea, a widespread sunburn-like rash, the whites of the eyes, lips and tongue turning bright red, dizziness or fainting, breathing difficulties, confusion and drowsiness – to go straight to hospital.

“It might just be a cold or flu, but it’s not worth taking the risk. If you get treatment quickly, you can make a full recovery,” she explained.

Source: Dailymail.co.uk