She was 11 months old.
We took her to the pediatrician immediately, and he told us to go home and
give her some infant tylenol and motrin and she'd be better in a few days.
She wouldn't eat or drink, and was very sleepy.
The next morning, she got a rash all over her body.
We took her back to the doctor and he diagnosed her as having roseola, and sent us home to take more tylenol and motrin.
The third day, she woke up and her eyes were bloodshot and swollen.
Another call to the pediatrician.. and he said she had conjunctivitis in both eyes,
and it was all part of the virus... She'd be better soon.
She still wouldn't drink or eat anything.
He told me to give her teaspoons of water every 15 minutes..
She was getting weaker, and would barely stand up by herself.
The fourth day, Danielle would barely wake up..
This was the fourth day of a fever of over 102 degrees,
and her fever wasn't responding to the tylenol or motrin at all.
I had gone through 9 bottles of infant tylenol and 5 bottles of childrens motrin by the 5th day.
She looked horrible.. I wanted to cry whenever I looked at her.
We hadn't slept in days, and she was so miserable.
Everytime we moved her, she would scream.
(We learned later that Kawasaki causes "arthritis" in all the joints.
It was hurting her to move her little bones)
I kept in touch with the doctor the whole time, and the morning of the 6th day,
he had her admitted to the local children's hospital.
It seemed the virus had caused a condition called "Kawasaki Disease".
This is a pretty rare disease.
We were told that only 3,000 children a year get this in the U.S.
and of those 3,000 - 1 out of 6 is a girl..
(so that means less than 500 girls each year in the US).
This "syndrome" seems to start out as a virus,
and one doctor described it as a "computer glitch" in her immune system,
that releases too many antibodies to fight the virus,
and the antibodies start to attack her own body.
The main problem with Kawasaki Disease is that it can cause a coronary anuerism..
or "ballooning" of the arteries in the heart.
Danielle received a saline IV immediately in the hospital because she was dehydrated..
Then, she received a 10 hour IV called an "IVIG" that dripped medicine into her system.
The doctors described this as a "reset button" that would reset her system
and stop it from making antibodies.
She had the IVIG overnight, and in the morning, she was almost back to normal.
Her fever had finally subsided, and her rash and conjunctivitis were gone.
She got up and ate pancakes and applesauce after not eating for seven days.
We took her home later that afternoon.
While in the hospital, she had to get a EKG and an Echocardiograph on her heart
to see if there was any damage. The pediatric cardiologist gave us the clean bill of health for now, and said that he couldn't find any damage, but we will have to continuously monitor her heart condition. We also have her on asprin therapy.. (one baby asprin every day) to thin her blood and help with any heart problems.
We had one little setback where her fever shot back up over 102 degrees, but that was the day after she came home, and she's been all right since.
Please contact us if you know anything about this disease.
We are always looking for more information
and we are having a hard time finding it.
Even when we ask the doctors, we seem to get different answers to our questions each time.
Thanks for reading our story.
The criteria are:
* A fever that lasts five days and is unresponsive to tylenol or asprin
* A rash
* Red, swollen extremities
* Reddened eyes
* Swollen lymph nodes
* Changes in the lips and mouth
Kawasaki Disease: The Race for an Answer
The Race for an Answer: High Speed Connection
The Race for an Answer: Low Speed Connection
This is an incredible link for parents - giving stories and information from others that have gone through the same thing. Please check it out!
