"Yesterday was the worst day ever. But we were lucky."
Sam Phoebe Gravener has been through a terrible ordeal with her young son, George.
She wanted to share her story with us in the hope that sharing her story would spread awareness about this condition.
"I have a 3 year old too, and all three of us got a little poorly. Nothing major. I had a sore throat, Fred had a cold and George was a bit chesty with a temperature. As any parent, I gave him some calpol and put him to bed. He was a little bit sick but nothing that would sound alarm bells."
The next day he wasn't right. Normally, he's up at the side of his bed chatting away and shouting for me. He was laid in EXACTLY the same position that he had fallen asleep in the night before. I straight away knew something wasn't right as he normally wriggles all over the place in his sleep," she explained.
George hadn't been himself for a few days, so Sam decided to go to the doctor, where her son was diagnosed with a chest infection, and put on antibiotics.
Sam explained that despite the doctor's diagnosis, George still didn't seem right: "He went to bed at 7pm and I had to wake him at 12:30 yesterday. He literally couldn't stay awake for more than a few seconds."
This brave mum trusted her instincts and went back to the hospital with her gorgeous son - where she discovered that his condition was more serious than originally thought.
"We went to the Out Of Hours doctor who did all the obs, eyes, ears, temp and said that while everything seemed 'normal' she could see he wasn't right as he was so lethargic and struggling to focus."
The family headed to the hospital, where little George was put under observation for three hours.
"They were going to discharge us when my partner mentioned George was very limp. He was reexamined more thoroughly at which point the Doctor basically prepared us for the worst. We were told that it could be Encephalitis, it could be a muscle condition such as Guillen-Barrè syndrome or it could be meningitis."
Sam said she really had no idea what would happen next.
After an invasive spinal tap examination, George was diagnosed with Viral Meningitis, and the doctors immediately started him on an intense course of antibiotics, anti-virals, and an IV just in case there was anything else that would show up later.
That was the Saturday night, and by Monday George was completely still again and the doctors examinations revealed no reflexes in his muscles at all.
After an MRI, it was discovered that the infection which caused the meningitis had also got into the part of George's brain which controls the central nervous system and muscles.
The little trooper had to have a feeding tube put in in case his swallow wasn't working and countless blood tests.
Thankfully, little George is now on a slow road to recovery, and is back his gaining muscle strength and ability
However, doctors have warned that it may take anywhere from three months to two years until he gets full control back.
Sam shared her story with us for an important reason.
"Even if one mum doesn't feel like she's overreacting, then our experience has helped someone. We were so lucky. It could've been so much worse."
Trust your instincts mums, better safe than sorry.
