You know what's worse then having a child with liver disease? Having a child with liver disease who is sick.
I know Ashley has a liver disease but when Ashley is sick I don't know if it's because of her liver disease or because she is "normal" sick. The problem with Ashley is when she is sick she doesn't normally run a fever, she is also hard to diagnose and treat. You can't just say to a child with liver disease who is complaining of a headache,"here take this Tylenol and you will feel better in a few hours. " Treating a child with liver disease who is sick is not easy.
Imagine if Ashley was running a high fever. For parents of "normal" children you can give them Tylenol or Motrin to bring the fever down. As a parent of a child with liver disease, I can only hope that a tepid bath will help comfort Ashley. Yes, we can give Ashley Motrin but only when a tepid bath does not help and only if Ashley's platelet count is above 80,000. Tylenol is an absolute No-No for liver disease children who are pre-transplant.
If Ashley has a runny nose, sinus infection, etc. I can't just give her any over the counter medication, I have to make sure it is a medication that won't adversely affect Ashley's liver enzymes. If Ashley has strep throat, or an ear infection, we can't just give her any antibiotic; mainly because she is allergic to penicillin products and because many antibiotics will adversely affect her liver enzymes. This is where Google becomes my best friend. Even if the adverse affects are temporary, we have no idea what damage is being done to her liver while on the medication so do we risk her liver for the sake of an ear infection?
I think I like dealing with just Ashley's liver disease. So GERMS, if you are listening stay away from MY DAUGHTER!
I know Ashley has a liver disease but when Ashley is sick I don't know if it's because of her liver disease or because she is "normal" sick. The problem with Ashley is when she is sick she doesn't normally run a fever, she is also hard to diagnose and treat. You can't just say to a child with liver disease who is complaining of a headache,"here take this Tylenol and you will feel better in a few hours. " Treating a child with liver disease who is sick is not easy.
Imagine if Ashley was running a high fever. For parents of "normal" children you can give them Tylenol or Motrin to bring the fever down. As a parent of a child with liver disease, I can only hope that a tepid bath will help comfort Ashley. Yes, we can give Ashley Motrin but only when a tepid bath does not help and only if Ashley's platelet count is above 80,000. Tylenol is an absolute No-No for liver disease children who are pre-transplant.
If Ashley has a runny nose, sinus infection, etc. I can't just give her any over the counter medication, I have to make sure it is a medication that won't adversely affect Ashley's liver enzymes. If Ashley has strep throat, or an ear infection, we can't just give her any antibiotic; mainly because she is allergic to penicillin products and because many antibiotics will adversely affect her liver enzymes. This is where Google becomes my best friend. Even if the adverse affects are temporary, we have no idea what damage is being done to her liver while on the medication so do we risk her liver for the sake of an ear infection?
I think I like dealing with just Ashley's liver disease. So GERMS, if you are listening stay away from MY DAUGHTER!
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