A thirteen-year-old girlwhich started vomiting after complaining of abdominal pain, ended up in a coma on the devices. When Felicity-Jo Rowlett started experiencing nausea and pain, her mother Natalie-Anne thought it was just a simple stomach bug, she writes.
However, the pain became unbearable, so her mother Natalie-Anne took her daughter to the hospital, where she spent the night. However, a month later, the 13-year-old teenager fell into septic shock and ended up in the intensive care unit (ICU).
She ended up in a coma and had to be put on life support. “It was the most difficult time in our lives. Everything changed in a single second. Felicity-Jo is usually a loud, social girl. When she walks into a room, you know her right away,” said Natalie-Anne.
“The silence that followed as she lay intubated in the ICU was deafening. It was heartbreaking to see such an energetic girl reduced to absolute immobility. It felt like we were stuck in an endless nightmare. My biggest fear is that he will lose his spark before he can fulfill his potential.” she continued.
Felicity-Jo was initially diagnosed with gastroenteritis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines). She was advised to stay hydrated, and since she “came to life” a few hours later, doctors did not think further examination was necessary.
However, in mid-March, the teenager collapsed from pain. “She had eaten her dinner the night before. But in the morning she woke up, she was writhing on the ground and screaming. It was a total flash of shock and inexplicable horror,” recalls Natalie-Anne.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the doctors discovered that was born with congenital scar tissue in her intestines. According to the charity Guts UK, these so-called adhesions are usually asymptomatic or cause only mild discomfort – but for others, such as Felicity-Jo, they can be immediately life-threatening.
The tissue developed into intestinal obstruction, which led to infection and subsequent sepsis (blood poisoning). The girl had to be resuscitated put into artificial sleep, in which he remained on the devices for two weeks. After waking up, she had to undergo two emergency operations to remove the damaged tissue and part of the intestine.
Her doctors they removed a stoma (outlet from the intestine) and after two blood clots were discovered, she was prescribed blood thinners. “I really thought it was the end. It was horrible. Seeing your own child in such a critical condition is every parent’s worst nightmare.We have to take everything minute by minute because her condition is constantly changing. The impact on the whole family is devastating – especially for our eldest daughter. It is extremely difficult to explain to her why the nurse is so sick and why we are now so far from home,” adds Natalie-Anne.
Since the family had to leave home and cannot work, they were hit by serious financial problems. Therefore, they decided to start a collection on the platform GoFundMe. They hope it will help provide stability and ease the “overwhelming pressure” of unpaid bills when they return home.
Last week Felicity-Jo had to go into the operating theater again. During the emergency procedure, the doctors discovered that her intestine, of which she had only 85 centimeters left, was tied in three knots. “The chief surgeon with 27 years of experience commented that he had never seen anything like it in his career,” revealed her mother.
“It is at the moment again in the intensive care unit, connected to pulmonary ventilation and sedatedwhile her body fights another fungal infection. Doctors hope that after removing the knots, they will be able to close the intestine for good. It’s really a lot for her little body, but I know she’s in the best hands. And my feisty little girl won’t give up without a fight,” she said with heartbreaking words.
