healthmedicinet

• Ashton Hutcheson was taken to the doctor by his mother, Shanna, 21, when he developed stomach pains and sickness
  
• Ms Hutcheson was told he was constipated and was given medication
• When he didn’t improve, she begged a paediatrician to check him again
• Ashton was found to have an enlarged liver and a rapid heartbeat
• He was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy which causes the heart muscle to become stretched and weak meaning it can’t pump effectively
• He now needs a heart transplant but there is only a 50% chance of him surviving the operation
  

By
Emma Innes

PUBLISHED:

13:02 EST, 9 December 2013

|

UPDATED:

13:56 EST, 9 December 2013

A mother has told how her three-year-old son has been given only a 50 per cent chance of survival just weeks after doctors first diagnosed him with constipation.

Ashton Hutcheson was in tears with constant stomach pains and sickness, but despite several visits to the doctors, his mother was told there was nothing seriously wrong with him.

But after a week of sleepless nights, his mother Shanna Hutcheson, 21, begged a paediatrician to check her son again.

Ashton Hutcheson, three, was taken to the doctor by his mother, Shanna, 21, when he developed stomach pains and sickness. Ms Hutcheson was told he was constipated and was sent away with medication

He found Ashton had an enlarged liver and a rapid heartbeat and advised him to be rushed to hospital.

After a series of scans and checks, it was discovered Ashton had a rare condition called dilated cardiomyopathy and his heart was operating at just five per cent capacity – barely keeping him alive.

As a result, he will now need a risky heart transplant.

Ms Hutcheson said: ‘He’s the only kid in Scotland to have the condition, as it normally only affects adults, but I will be complaining about the doctors.

‘They basically left me at home for a week with him fighting for his life and it’s just not good enough.

‘We’re now waiting for a heart donor to be found, but they’re saying it is 50/50 whether he’ll survive the operation or not – it’s horrible.

When Ashton’s condition did not improve, Ms Hutcheson (pictured) begged a paediatrician to check him over again and he was found to have an enlarged liver and an excessively fast heart beat

‘Ashton’s condition means only five per cent of his heart is actually working – it is basically just keeping him alive and no more.’

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a condition which causes the heart muscle to become stretched and thin meaning it cannot cannot pump blood around the body effectively.

Ms Hutcheson, from Aberdeen, says the news knocked her for six and admitted she couldn’t have kept herself together if it wasn’t for the support of her mother, Deborah Hutcheson, 42.

She said: ‘My mum has been such a great help to me. She was just as worried about Ashton when he had a sore tummy and was being sick.

‘We were both convinced there was something wrong with him, so I took him to a doctor, but he said “no that’s just constipation” and we were told to go home.

Ashton (pictured in hospital) was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition which means the heart muscle becomes stretched and thin preventing it from beating effectively

‘Ashton got worse and I tried to get a doctor to see him a number of times for a whole week, but they said just to keep on giving him the medication they had given me.

‘Eventually I said “I’ve had enough of this” and demanded to see a doctor again.

‘A paediatrician came around and found that Ashton’s heart was beating a too fast and his liver was enlarged, so he got us into hospital straight away.’

After being admitted to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI), Ashton was given echocardiography and an ultrasound.

He was then diagnosed with stage two dilated cardiomyopathy and flown by air ambulance to the intensive care unit at Glasgow’s Yorkhill Hospital.

Ashton is now waiting for a heart transplant but his mother has been told there is only a 50 per cent chance of him surviving the operation

Ashton spent eight days in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow in the intensive care unit and high dependency unit before being driven back to ARI in an ambulance for another three nights.

Ms Hutcheson said: ‘The doctor at ARI explained Ashton’s condition had deteriorated to stage three by then.

‘He then told me that he would need a heart transplant, which will be carried out at a hospital in Newcastle.

‘When I found out that he needed a heart transplant I just kept thinking he was going to die.

‘The doctor sat me down to tell me and I just started screaming and crying.’

Ms Hutcheson now faces an agonising wait
as a heart donor for Ashton is tracked down, but she is worried the
operation won’t come quick enough as her son battles for survival.

Ms Hutcheson said: ‘When I found out that he needed a heart transplant I just kept thinking he was going to die. The doctor sat me down to tell me and I just started screaming and crying’

She said: ‘The operation could be any time from now until the New Year.

‘He’ll be going down to Newcastle soon for a couple of days to have tests done, but we have no word on the op yet.

‘I’ve been told there’s a chance his body could reject the heart, but the main concern at the moment is getting him fit enough for the operation as the medication he’s been taking is making him sick and they couldn’t operate on him at the moment anyway because he’s too thin.

‘I just want to appeal to people and highlight how important organ donation is.

‘I want everyone to go and sign up because it could save a life.’

A spokesman for NHS Grampian said a complaint about Aston’s treatment had not been received and that he would encourage his mother to register her concerns through the complaint system.

To find out more about organ donation visit www.organdonation.nhs.uk

WHAT IS DILATED CARDIOMYOPATHY?

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a disease of the heart muscle which causes it to become stretched and thin.

This means it is unable to pump blood around the body effectively.

The condition can be inherited but it can also be caused by viral infections, uncontrolled high blood pressure, problems with the heart valves, excessive alcohol consumption and pregnancy.

The disease can cause fluid to build up in the lungs, ankles, abdomen and other organs – this collection of symptoms is known as heart failure.

The most common symptoms of dilated cardiomyopathy are shortness of breath, swelling of the ankle and abdomen, excessive tiredness and palpitations.

There is no cure for the condition but treatment can be used to control the symptoms and to prevent complications.

Treatment options include medicine to control the heart rhythm, a pacemaker and an ICD – an implant which gives the heart an electric shock if it slips out of a normal rhythm.

Source: British Heart Foundation

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