Reality TV star Jessica Wright has issued a plea to parents to trust their instinct after her son was rushed to hospital in an ambulance. The former The Only Way Is Essex star took to Instagram to share how toddler Presley suddenly became “limp and lifeless” last Tuesday.
She said he had been refusing food and then being sick during the night and had even taken to going in his parents bed which he didn’t usually do. He also developed an “horrific cough” along with a temperature.
At that point she said “my mother’s instinct kicked in” and she took him to A&A. But despite a trip to hospital he was sent home as they ‘couldn’t hear anything suspicious in the lungs’.
Less than a day later the mum was left facing every parent’s nightmare when the two-year-old was “more lifeless than ever”. She said he had no colour in his face and had not eaten for 48 hours.
When he fell asleep she dialled 999 and the terrified mum says she just “wanted to collapse” after a 999 call handler told her to get a defibrilator as she waited for an ambulance to arrive. Fortunately the ambulance was there within eight minutes and Presley was rushed to hospital where he was found to have RSV.
Now she is urging parents to trust their instinct if they believe something is not right. Writing on the social media channel she said: “This past week has been a tough one for my baby boy & our family.
“I wanted to share what happened, to reiterate how important it is to go & get them checked when your gut knows something just isn’t right.
“It began last Tuesday when he suddenly became limp & lifeless, refusing food & then throwing up in the night. He’s been in our bed every night since (something he’s never really done that much).
“This sickness turned into a horrific cough , with a temperature, until finally on Friday my mother’s instinct kicked in & I took him to a&e. He was sent home as his observations after another dose of nurofen were ‘ok’ & they couldn’t hear anything suspicious in the lungs.
“At this point, for 48 hours he’d had a temperature & his breathing was rapid, especially during the night, which frightened me beyond belief. Saturday came & he was more lifeless than ever, with no colour in his face still, & hadn’t eaten in about 48 hours.”
Jess said his cough refused to let up and she called her mum and husband asking them to get there immediately saying she could sense something wasn’t right. The worried mum then dialled 999 and the paramedics realised the tot had RSV.
She said: “I could do was cling onto him hoping he was going to be ok. The lady on the call also told me to go & find a defibrillator, & it was at that point I honestly wanted to just collapse.
“He went to hospital with a throat steroid given in the ambulance, which calmed the coughing down but now he was back asleep & his oxygen dropped. I was terrified in that ambulance, something I never want to happen again.
“At hospital, he had a top up of the throat steroid, (the max he could have) and within a couple of hours, his coughing calmed right down. After 4 very scary & long hours, we saw a doctor & he found that he had crackling at the bottom of his right lung , so a chest/lung infection.”
She said the youngster started taking antibiotics and the doctor told them to take him back if he didn’t improve within 48 hours. Jess added: “48 hours later & he’s up playing with his horses & animals again, has eaten little & often & has his cheeky laugh back.
“To say I’m relieved is an understatement. I guess I’m just trying to say, don’t wait, go to the hospital & get them checked because you never know how these things can escalate & thank god for the doctors & nurses that helped us. Now time to watch my baby be the funny little boy he always is & let him go back to his favourite place, the farm.”
Symptoms of RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of coughs and colds, especially in young children. RSV infections usually get better by themselves, but can sometimes be serious for babies and older adults.
According to the NHS symptoms of an RSV infection usually start within a few days of getting infected. Most people only get cold-like symptoms, such as:
- a runny or blocked nose
- a cough
- sneezing
- tiredness
- a high temperature – signs include your back or chest feeling hotter than usual, sweatiness and shivering (chills)
Babies with RSV may also be irritable and feed less than usual. If RSV leads to a more serious infection (such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis) it may also cause:
- a cough that gets worse
- shortness of breath
- faster breathing or long gaps between breaths
- difficulty feeding (in babies) or loss of appetite
- noisy breathing (wheezing)
- confusion (in older adults)
The NHS advises: “Cold-like symptoms are very common in babies and children. They’re not usually a sign of anything serious and should get better within a few days. But get medical help if you’re worried your child is seriously ill.”