Worried about my toddler after reading about kawswaki

[Fightingtobepositive]

Posting for traffic. I’m so sorry but I’ve been at my whitsend after reading about kawswaki disease.

my toddler spiked a fever of 40 on Thursday wasn’t eating and had red eyes so went to a&e he was checked over said it was conjunctivitis and swollen tonsils probably viral, monitored for a bit then we came home. They told us to keep on top of rotating nuro and calpol. So we have it’s been helping although the fever still doesn’t get under 37 and not under 37.7 for long. So since then I’ve noticed his neck feels swollen slightly and after dr Google I’ve seen kawswaki and now can’t get it out of my head. He was really lethargic grumpy and tired yesterday eat hardly nothing and today he seems brighter and playful and has eaten a little more. Still having the temps but seems generally better than he has been… am I being completely unreasonable in worrying about KD I just can’t get it out of my head. Between the red eyes which have now gone and the swollen neck (could this be glands) I’m an absolute rack. I suffer with anxiety anyway but when it comes to my little one I get obsessed.

https://www.societi.org.uk/kawasaki-disease/

My now 22 year old son had late diagnosed KD when he was a toddler. It has left him with heart damage so you have a right to be worried.
Has he got a strawberry tongue, red cracked lips? With KD it is a temperature lasting longer and they can be very grumpy.

Just for your information, a temperature of up to 37.7 is normal in children. I hope your toddler is ok x

@DeerWatch no he doesn’t. It’s the slightly swollen neck and the red eyes that has me worried. The red eyes have gone now they only lasted 2 days we had eye gel for conjunctivitis and it’s worked or seems to have? Also the obvious which is the temperature. It started Thursday and creeps up as soon as the calpol/nurofen run out
but he has had a good day today. His temp is currently 36.6 in bed asleep (the lowest it’s been) he seems to be improving 🙏🙏🙏 but still can’t get it out of my head now I’ve read about it.

im sorry to hear about your son. I hope he is doing ok xx

@fishonabicycle really? I thought over 37 was on the rise?

@DeerWatch does the temperature go down after calpol/nurofen or is it persistently high?

I’m really sorry this happened to your son @DeerWatch. Thank you for posting this link - I have young DC and had no idea KD was so common.

OP, since your son is feeling better already it seems unlikely BUT there’s no harm in calling the GP and asking about KD. I remember our NCT teacher telling us that if we suspected an illness (eg sepsis) to ask the doctor “prove to me it’s not sepsis” - get them to explain exactly what evidence there is to be able to rule it out. Try not to worry - most kids get a scary fever at some point, but do trust your gut.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fever-in-children/

have a look at the NHS guidance on fever in children. Over 38 is a fever, 37 is absolutely completely normal.

@Mannikin thank you. Well that’s good. It does come down to that. But if I stop the calpol/nurofen mix it goes over 38. So still worried. I really can’t get these things out of my head. It’s just the temp along with the other symptoms mentioned that keeps me thinking. And I know there are possible causes to like he had bad throat so will have swollen glands and by chance has conjunctivitis too. But after reading I’m bloody petrified. I don’t know what to think.

If it helps my son has fever and complications. When I googled it also came up with Kd. The same came up for me when my daughter had a chest infection.

I brought it up to the dr and they said it wasn’t that.

always trust your gut and ask.

Hope your little one gets better soon. It’s an awful time of year for it.
my son currently has a aching tummy and really not himself. Feel terrible for them

@Sausage77 thank you. I really hope this is the case. But also worry that when they have consistent medicine it can hide true symptoms. It’s why I always second guess giving it. But was told to to keep temp down.

One of the diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki disease is a temperature every day for at least 5 days - so at the moment he wouldn't fit the criteria. Swollen glands in the neck is common with any sort of upper respiratory tract infection - it is one of the criteria for Kawasaki but also very common in normal viral infections

If you're concerned call 111 they'll talk you through his symptoms

@sallysparrow157 yes I guess. I didn’t mention he had a temp starting a week last Thursday which went Monday/Tuesday but then obviously can act this week. Not sure if it’s a different illness. It’ll be 4 days tomorrow. Hopefully it’ll be gone by then 🙏🤞

@sallysparrow157 yes I am trying to talk sense into myself and think of course his glands would be swollen with a throat infection. But I’ve never known to feel his actual neck feel slightly swollen

@VanilleA i will ring first thing I think. I need to ask.

@Sausage77 Even all these years later I always make sure everyone I know with young children is aware of KD. When my son was eventually diagnosed it was considered rare but it is becoming more common.

Is he eating and playing a little, OP? If so, that's a good sign.

My DD had Kawasaki when she was 5 - 15 years ago now.

She had a constant temp of 40 that would hardly go down with nurofen / capol on cycle, red eyes, red tongue, dry lips, rash across her body and was almost rigid - could hardly walk and didn't move in her bed.

It wasn't very well known then - she was kept in for IV antibiotics at first as they said it was bad tonsillitis.

Then admittted at a different hospital 4 days later.

She was in for two weeks, given immuglobin IVs, and had regular cardio checks for a few years after. All fine.

If you think your little one isn't getting better, try hard to insist on more checks.

I'm sorry that your child has had lasting problems, @DeerWatch.

We were just fortunate that the second A&E we went to had an Asian paediatric consultant on call that night. (This was early 2000s). He'd seen many cases but not many in the UK.

Obviously none of us have seen your child. But I agree with sallysparrow157 that he does not meet the diagnostic criteria. Also, every child I have seen with Kawasaki's was bloody miserable, so if he's already perking up and starting to play again, that's a really reassuring sign.

@Fightingtobepositive The fever lasts longer than most illnesses and I really remember my normally placid toddler was very cranky and didn't want to be cuddled.
We were really lucky, he has been left with one dilated coronary artery and needs life long follow up, cholesterol checks, healthy diet and exercise but it could have been a lot worse.

teeth?? think horses not zebras

Hi all thank you for your responses. We are today home from hospital. I mention KD and after hearing his symptoms they had already thought of it. We were admitted. He showed most of the symptoms by Sunday. They did bloods and heart scan which were normal apart from crp which were only slightly raised. The doctor was very thourough and so torn on what to do for the best because as we know there’s no one specific test. But she came today and seen my little on on his feet and playing and gave him another check over and said she’s slightly swaying away from KD because he’s improved slightly, his scan was ok and his platelet count was normal. But she did reiterate that she can’t be sure and if we wanted to go ahead she would support us. But from her side she is slightly swaying to a nasty virus.

he had symptoms cracked lips but no strawberry tounge. Wouldn’t walk for an entire day but no swollen hands and feet. I’m obviously still a bag of nerves wondering if the right decision has been made. Any information on the tests etc done would be so appreciated ❤️

Boosting the post. Still can’t get this out of my head. After all the tests surely it can’t be KD?

When you were admitted @Fightingtobepositive, they usually give you so many hours (usually 24-48 hours) open access to go back if you have any more problems. I would call the ward and tell them your concerns and see if your DS needs to be reviewed again. This way, you will bypass the long GP / ED wait.

Is he still unwell OP? If you’re worried I’d always err on the side of caution with young children and take him back in

@Boatshoes @Zanatdy
hes actually improving every day. He’s even asking to go to the park today. Still tired and crashing quicker than usual. But all symptoms gone. I just can’t get out of my head that it was. They did the ecg heart scan etc in there and concluding slightly that it wasn’t KD but said they can never be sure. But after seeing all those symptoms over the last 11 days even now gone I just can’t stop thinking what if it was? I’m so anxious xx