A mum-of-five has issued an urgent warning about this year's cold and flu season after a common virus landed her 21-month-old daughter in hospital.
Baby Matilda caught RSV from her four-year-old sister and if her parents hadn't been on top of her deteriorating symptoms it could have killed her.
The common virus presented as usual for the cheeky toddler, according to her mum Justine Ilarda.
She had a little cough and a runny nose but was still running around the house, eating and drinking and otherwise acting like she wasn't sick.
Twelve days later she was rushed into surgery to have fluid drained from her brain.
Speaking to FEMAIL, Justine said doctors warned her of the risks associated with putting a baby under a general anaesthetic while sick.
But not doing so could be far more devastating.
'There was risk of her going into sepsis or getting meningitis of going into organ failure if we didn't,' she recalled.
'We were terrified.'
Matilda started deteriorating nine days after she picked up the virus.
'She started holding her ear, complaining it was sore,' Justine said, who was quick to take her toddler to the after-hours GP.
She was told that while her ears may be red, they weren't infected. As a result, they were sent swiftly home.
The next day the usually chirpy toddler held her head in her hands and screamed. She had a fever so Justine decided to bypass the GP and headed to the ER.
'The doctor in the ER told us her ears were infected but there is not much you can do for ear infections as they are usually always viral. He gave her Panadol and Nurofen and she perked up so he was happy to send her home,' she said.
But his boss intervened and gave the family antibiotics before they left.
They went straight home and started the course. Justine assumed her baby would perk up in a few hours, but she didn't. She was in excruciating pain and was lethargic so they raced back to hospital.
The doctors did tests and confirmed she had RSV like her older sister, but other tests caught their attention so she was admitted and put on IV antibiotics.
'That same day both her ear drums perforated. She was in a lot of pain. If she wasn't sleeping she was crying in pain,' Justine said.
The Ear, Nose, Throat specialists were called in and after poking and prodding, and her parents noticing her ears were sticking out more than normal, they decided to do a CT scan.
It revealed her infection had spread to the bone.
'They said the risk of meningitis was huge and she needed emergency surgery to remove as much of the infection as possible,' she said.
Justine has five daughters aged between 1 and 15 and they are rarely sick. Most of them have never even needed antibiotics.
'We had to put our trust in the doctors that they were doing what was best for her. It was one of the most terrifying days of my life,' she said.
'The doctors took a guess with the antibiotics and were right. If they got the antibiotics wrong or we waited one more day to take her to hospital I can't even imagine how scary the situation would have ended up.'
Justine said she shook for four days while her baby was critically unwell.
'The day after the surgery she made eye contact with us, smiled, and asked for a banana. I could finally breathe again,' she said.
The mum still breastfeeds Matilda and says that helped them both get through the experience. It gave the little one nutrients and comfort when she couldn't eat and while doctors were poking and prodding her.
'I am very grateful she received the right treatment and is back to her usual cheeky self,' she said, adding that the viruses this year appear to be extra nasty.
'If your little one is sick please keep them home,' she urged.
'What can be mild cold-like symptoms for one kid could be life threatening to another.'
Read more 2024-07-27T03:28:43Z dg43tfdfdgfd