A MUM has been praised after realising a faint red mark on her son’s wrist could be a symptom of potentially deadly sepsis.
Ewan Ruddy, eight, fell over during a zoo trip and hurt his hand but it was not until the mark appeared a week later that mum Alexandra got really worried.
Doctors quickly confirmed that Ewan had a sepsis infection, a condition which kills around 15,000 people in England annually.
Thankfully, Ewan was placed on antiobiotics and has already made a full recovery.
But Alexandra, 41, a law firm director from Jersey, posted about the family’s terrifying ordeal on Facebook to warn others.
She posted on June 2: “A week or so ago the littlest fell over at the zoo. He took quite a bashing but once we got home I cleaned him up.
“I rang school on farm school day to make sure he washed his hands after digging and I tried hard to ensure it was kept clean (hand and elbow). He’s an eight-year-old boy however.
“The wounds didn’t look infected- they’d got bigger so I was concerned but they weren’t gunky etc. Yesterday on our way to the beach he showed me his hand.
“I wasn’t happy as I noticed red tracking down his vein. I then checked his elbow – the same. I took him down to the out of hours feeling a bit silly but when the doctor saw it he commended me on recognising it and getting down ASAP.
“This is blood poisoning/ sepsis. It isn’t something you can ‘leave’ until Monday when the doctors are back in the office.
“Thankfully the antibiotics are working and he is well in himself! If you spot this red line running from a wound along the vein get yourself/your child seen straight away. Hopefully my post might help someone the way my friend’s post from two years ago helped me.”
The picture shows a small red line going from the bottom of Ewan’s forearm and stretching to his wrist.
There is also a black mark on the red line which was made by the doctor and told Alexandra if the mark increased width, to bring him back.
Alexandra’s post has been shared more than 35,000 times and also racked up more than 14,000 likes.
There was also multiple comments from Facebook users who were glad Alexandra flagged this up to them.
Clíodhna Malorey said: “Wow scary, thanks for posting and glad he’s on the mend!”
Nikki Llewellyn commented: “Gosh, well done Alex for spotting it and getting medical attention. Glad Ewan is recovering well.”
Tracy Nicholl-Clarke said: “Oh my goodness, well done to you for getting it checked and for highlighting it, hope he’s all ok.”
Speaking today, Alexandra said she knew the mark was something to act on, but didn’t realise the severity of it.
She said: “I wasn’t actually that shocked,but just didn’t think it was as serious as that.
“My friends told me to make people aware as the wounds weren’t very gunky. A couple of them wanted me to share it and it just snowballed from there.
“It’s an example of social media being used for good. Ewan was at school on Monday and then took part in a triathlon the following week.”
Dee Carruther, who set up Mannin Sepsis after her 18-year-old daughter died from the condition, praised Alexandra’s quick response.
She said: “Most Mums will know when there is something wrong with their children. I think we’ve got to take it into our own hands and ask more questions from our doctors.
“It was called the hidden killer, but we’re getting better at spotting it and treating it quickly.
“People need to look out for the symptoms and go with their gut if they feel unsure.”
