This is my son’s story the most terrifying time in his life and mine as a mother.
He was studying hard for his leaving cert, they had only few weeks before it began. He came home one evening snuffling, “Think I have a cold, felt awful at school, had headache all day couldn’t concentrate with it, mum,” he said. So he went up to bed and I gave him Panadol for the headache and told him sleep for a while.
I checked on him after an hour. He had developed a temp at this stage and didn’t want the curtains open as light hurt his eyes. But I really didn’t pass too much heed as this can be symptoms of flu or throat infection which he would get now and again. He also said he felt like he was going to puke, so I said then you must have an infection, we’ll bring the doc in the morning and not let it get any worse at this stage. He just wanted to sleep, so I made him drink loads water and left him to sleep.
At about 8 that night I heard him call me, “get something, I’m going puke”, he shouted. So I had a small bin I gave him, he did and it was just green water. His whole body was boiling and his feet and hands were freezing. My bf said his feet are like ice and his shoulders were so hot to touch. He was near crying. The pains all over his body was unbearable, he said. So my bf and I said, right this doesn’t look good I’m bringing him to casualty.
It was busy as usual there. He could barely walk with pain everywhere and the bright lights were killing his eyes. He had a 40 temp and just wanted to sleep. They said that we’d be waiting a while. So we did, but he was deteriorating in seconds, so I kept saying to nurse, “he’s so bad please get someone to look at him”. So they eventually did and he was taken to be assessed.