- Ms Birtwhistle, 38, developed small blisters in the late stages of pregnancy
- She and doctors believed that they were harmless insect bites as there were no other symptoms accompanying the itchy bumps on her hips
- But as soon as baby Lucas, now 6, was born he suffered seizures
- Raft of tests eventually showed he had contracted the HSV1 cold sore virus from his mother which had caused him to develop meningitis
- Rare complication has left Lucas with cerebral palsy but he is thriving at school and is now able to walk without the help of a frame
By
Rachel Reilly
10:12 EST, 17 July 2013
|
11:46 EST, 17 July 2013
A pregnant mother who was told her rash was a harmless insect bite, passed on a virus which led to her unborn baby developing meningitis and later cerebral palsy.
When Victoria Birtwistle, 38, from Middleton near Manchester, noticed itchy bumps on her abdomen and hips, she presumed they were insect bites.
She visited her GP and obstetrician to make sure they were not signs of a more serious problem, but they too believed that she was simply exhibiting the symptoms of a nasty cluster of stings.
It was not until her son Lucas, now six, was born that she discovered she had caught the cold sore virus and and passed it on to her unborn baby.
When expectant mother Victoria Birtwistle, 38, noticed itchy bumps on her stomach and thighs she and doctors presumed they were insect bites. It would not be until several weeks later that she would discover she had caught the cold core virus and passed it on to her unborn son, Luke, now six
‘When I first saw the rash they looked like horsefly bites and I was just given cream for them,’ said Ms Birtwistle, who developed the strange blisters when she was 35-weeks pregnant.
‘I didn’t have any other symptoms. I suppose I felt quite tired but I was heavily pregnant and I had developed high blood pressure so it seemed natural I wouldn’t feel great.’
Ms Birtwhistle, who works for British Gas, applied ointment and carried on as normal.
But when she gave birth by caesarian section at Fairfield General in Manchester, a seemingly unrelated health emergency occurred.
‘When Lucas was delivered he was whisked away because he didn’t take his first breath properly – he was totally silent. That moment felt like the longest few minutes of my life,’ she said.
Lucas eventually started breathing normally and his Apgar score – a measure of a new baby’s vital statistics to work out how healthy it is – came out as being very healthy.
But that evening Lucas let out an unusual bloodcurdling wail.
‘I can’t describe how shrill it was – it was like nothing I’d heard before. He sounded as if he was in incredible pain and started to go blue,’ Ms Birtwistle said.
Ms Birtwistle and her family called for help, but by the time they arrived Luke had returned to normal – he seemed quite happy and was bright pink again.
Ms Birtwhistle first noticed there was a problem when Lucas let out a blood-curdling scream and turned blue. he did this several time before doctors realised he was suffering with seizures. It was not until later that they would find it had developed meningitis
Lucas suffered with seizures for many months after he caught the cold sore virus and developed meningitis. The repeated fits have left him cerebral palsy and brain damage
A nurse told Ms Birtwistle that this was common, particularly with babies that had been delivered by C-section.
She said that they often had mucous on their lungs and they’d soon stop making the noise and breathe normally.
But the shrill scream returned and soon became routine over the next few days.
Each time a doctor was a called, staff reassured the new mother that her baby was healthy – especially as he seemed fine by the time they arrived.
It was not until Lucas screamed while a doctor was in the room that action was taken.
‘The doctor said “Is that the scream he is making each time?†and I said it was. At that point he said my baby needed to be taken to intensive care,’ remembered Mr Birtwistle.
Until recently Luke walked with a specially-made frame which helped to support his weight. He can now walk by himself but is still unable to run or jump
What Ms Birtwistle didn’t know was that the sudden shrieks were a sign of infant seizure.
Lucas was transferred to North Manchester General Hospital where would spend the following 10 weeks.
His health deteriorated rapidly and
the number of seizures had increased. Over the following few days he
experienced between 20 and 30 seizures a day.
As a cautionary measure he was put on a cocktail of antibiotics to kill off any infection that might be triggering the seizures, as well a number of anti-epilepsy drugs to stop the fits in the short-term.
Doctors carried out a raft of tests on newborn Lucas, but results kept coming back normal.
Eventually
they carried out a lumbar puncture which showed that he had traces of
the HSV-1 virus – or cold sore virus – in his body.
Despite his ongoing health problems, Lucas loves school (pictured in his uniform). His mother said that his favourite thing to do when at home is to watch people sing – particularly on the X factor, The Voice or on Youtube
Ms Birtwistle said: ‘I was totally shocked. How could a newborn have caught the cold sore virus within hours of birth? Not only that, but I’d never had a cold sore in my life.’
But the doctor’s diagnosis prompted ms Birtwistle to remember the strange rash that had developed several weeks previously.
Doctors then concluded that the small red blisters that had spread across the lower half of Ms Birtwistle’s body was almost certainly a rare manifestation of the virus.
Lucas is pictured here with his scaffolder father Lee Wilson, 34. Doctors said the chances of mother Victoria passing on the virus to her unborn son Lucas were just one in 100,000
The doctors explained that Ms Birtwhistle must have caught the infection for the first time during her pregnancy and it must have manifested itself in the strange rash.
They explained that there was a one in 100,000 chance that she could have passed the virus on to her son.
This had in turn caused him to develop meningoencephalitis – a swelling on the parts of the brain called the meninges and the cephalus.
It is thought that this swelling or the initial infection that damaged Lucas’ brain and caused him to develop cerebral palsy.
Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the brain, which normally occurs before, during or soon after birth.
Causes of cerebral palsy include infection in early pregnancy, a difficult or premature birth, bleeding in the baby’s brain and abnormal brain development.
Children with cerebral palsy often have other related conditions including epilepsy, learning difficulties and sensory problems such as blindness.
Ms Birtwhistle said son Lucas is a very happy boy but that he exhibits slightly obsessive tendencies. He is particularly fond of his school’s headteacher, Mr Barnes, who he likes because he uses a megaphone at playtime
Lucas was put on a strong dose of
acyclovere – the active compound in many over the counter cold sore
remedies – to fight the infection.
Soon after his diagnosis, doctors discovered that Lucas had also developed cerebral palsy when he was unable to clench his fist.
Since then Lucas has made slow but steady progress. He has managed to hit his milestones although he didn’t crawl until he was 18-months-old and he didn’t learn to walk until he was three.
But he is happy, Ms Birtwistle said: ‘He’s never going to be like other kids his age but he’s such a cheerful child and that’s all that matters.’
One charity that has made life much easier for Ms Birtwhistle is Brainwave, a charity that specialises in helping children with disabilities and developmental delays.
‘I don’t know what I’d have done if I didn’t access to them, said Ms Birtwhistle. ‘They are so supportive and helped make feel like I know I’m moving in the right direction with Lucas.’
- For more information visit brainwave.org.uk
Share or comment on this article
-
Chinese dance students perform ballet gymnastics display -
Bill Maher booed for Zimmerman joke -
GRAPHIC CONTENT: Pensioner shoots dead black neighbor, 13 -
Korean woman filmed being abused in nightclub by westerners… -
Big dog VERY unsure about tiny kitten -
Beyonce to fan: Put that camera down and sing! -
Air Force captain’s shocks family with scuba homecoming -
Nancy Grace’s Zimmerman ‘churros’ jibe -
Some Red Neck Heaven skin at ‘Anything But Clothes’ party -
WARNING GRAPHIC: Three gored in Pamplona’s Running of the… -
LISTEN: Queen is hoping for a grandchild before her… -
Surprise! Sons reunite dad with his first car
-
Florida’s ‘First Lady’ of tax refund fraud gets 21 years in… -
Tragedy as heavily pregnant former Olympian suddenly… -
‘I’m his girlfriend’: Rev. Al Sharpton dating 35-year-old… -
Mother of late billionaire Bruce Wasserstein’s love child in… -
David Letterman’s audience hurls BOOS at liberal comedian… -
Pedophile who ‘stabbed mother to death while her daughter,… -
Trayvoning, the latest disturbing social media trend… -
Texas town changing nudity laws to make body paint… -
Nationwide Boycott: Rolling Stone labeled a ‘total disgrace’… -
‘I had sex with my cat and everyone knows’: Crazed woman,… -
‘I don’t want my mommy to be dead’: Girl, 8, watches as her… -
Pensioner, 76, found guilty of murder in fatal shooting of…
The comments below have been moderated in advance.
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
As per previous – what a gorgeous little boy. Wishing him a happy life.
windymc
,
surrey,
17/7/2013 23:35
Report abuse
Lucas is a gorgeous little boy and so happy! Vickie is an amazing mum to him, he really is a little star:-)
northern girl
,
Manchester,
17/7/2013 23:08
Report abuse
I think mums to be should be made aware of the dangers the same way we were warned about other conditions. As a sufferer I know that I will always have the virus in my system and if I pass it on that person is stuck with it too, so no kisses, no shared towels etc when I have an outbreak. I had no idea it had more serious implications.
May
,
Glasgow, United Kingdom,
17/7/2013 23:02
Report abuse
And let me guess the doctor that missed this rare illness is now being sued? Isnt that what most people do nowadays when things go wrong?
jambala
,
surrey, uk,
17/7/2013 22:40
Report abuse
Did she never have chickenpox in her life then? That’s the same virus
little_leroux
,
Milton Keynes, UK,
17/7/2013 22:18
Report abuse
What a handsome young man. I know his future is bright.
Katie
,
Ireland,
17/7/2013 22:13
Report abuse
This sounds like a terrible dose of bad luck. I don’t suppose anyone would think of a cold sore if you had a rash on your tummy! But the little boy’s lovely – and he’ll bring his own rewards. Just keep encouraging him. My son has cerebral palsy and Asperger’s as a result of either his premature birth, one of the 7 times he “died†in intensive care, the 3 blood transfusions and 2 weeks of UV light for severe jaundice, or something else that happened around his birth, and he was very late meeting his milestones – but at 35 he has 4 degrees, has travelled over a large part of the world and every continent except Antarctica, and works in Washington for a UN body. They do often catch up, and try much harder than children without problems.
bebe
,
High Wycombe,
17/7/2013 22:09
Report abuse
The anti viral is actually acyclovir not acyclovere! This is the problem with HSV, doctors are clueless when it comes to it, my own included, who told me I didn’t have it and that it was a non contagious virus, when I in fact did. They need to be better educated on this considering so many people suffer from it. Beautiful little boy though wish him all the best x
Stacey
,
FromNewcastleLivesInManchester, United Kingdom,
17/7/2013 22:02
Report abuse
What a beautiful baby and growing into a lovely boy, it’s very sad what has happened but I’m sure his mum wouldn’t change him for the world it’s just terrible to hear such horror stories still happen I’m sure he will carry on growing into a lovely boy
jilly
,
London,
17/7/2013 21:57
Report abuse
Can’t really blame anyone about the infection but the hospital could have acted sooner and with more regard to the parent’s concerns when he was crying out instead of assuming that it was something trivial.
Me
,
Pottyboro,
17/7/2013 21:55
Report abuse
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.