Mother, 26, warns against Britons buying hot tubs in lockdown
Mother, 26, warns parents against buying hot tubs in lockdown after her daughter, 7, almost died from catching an infection in the water which caused three ‘pus-filled abscesses’ on the brain
- Jemma Hamilton, 26, from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, warning against tubs
- She believes her daughter Amelia, seven, picked up an infection from the water
- Amelia had pus-filled abscesses on cerebellum putting pressure on optic nerve
A mother is warning against buying hot tubs in lockdown after her daughter almost died from an infection, which she’s believed to have caught from dirty water.
Jemma Hamilton, 26, from Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, claims her daughter Amelia picked up the infection from the family’s hot tub – despite being extra careful to keep it clean while checking the water pH daily.
The seven-year-old contracted an ear infection in May 2018 – four months after the family bought their brand new hot tub – and was treated with antibiotics by her GP.
Within a week her symptoms has subsided, but Amelia started to complain about being dizzy and seeing in double vision while her mother noticed she had lost a lot of weight and was squinting.
Seven-year-old Amelia Hamilton contracted an ear infection in May 2018 – four months after the family bought their brand new hot tub
Jemma took Amelia to see an optician, but within two days they had been referred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow for specialist treatment – with doctors warning that Amelia’s condition was life-threatening.
The little girl spent two months in hospital after doctors discovered the cause of her sudden vision problems were three pus-filled abscesses on her cerebellum putting pressure on her optic nerve.
But despite being ‘fighting fit’ and healthy, Jemma is now speaking out about her daughter’s infection to warn others, who may be contemplating a hot tub in lockdown, of the risks.
The mother-of-one shared her daughter’s experience online this week in a post that received more than 28,000 reactions, shares and comments.
Jemma, 26, (pictured) took Amelia to see an optician but within two days they had been referred to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow for specialist treatment
Amelia in the hot tub which her mother claims was the source of the infection (left). The little girl spent two months in hospital after doctors discovered the cause of her sudden vision problems
‘It was a harrowing experience. I am so glad it can do something positive now, she said.
‘My mum cleaned the hot tub every day. She used the pH strips too. It wasn’t as if we were letting her get in dirty water or anything like that.’
Jemma said that doctors told her they believed the infection had travelled to Amelia’s brain through water.
Doctors could not state for definite that the infection was caused by the hot tub but given the fact it was the only standing water Amelia had been in, which is likely to have harboured bacteria, medics were led to believe that was the cause.
‘It’s been water in the ear that has caused it,’ she said. ‘She hadn’t been swimming or anything like that. The only thing she was in was the hot tub.
The first brain scan showing the abscesses (left). The third brain scan after the abscesses cleared (right)
Jemma revealed how the family got rid of the hot tub following the incident and it took Amelia around 18 months to go swimming again
‘They said that’s what it could be, especially as they are high risk for bacteria. It was really difficult to hear because you think to yourself, ‘I really shouldn’t have put her in it.’
‘You feel guilty. You ask yourself the questions so many times – could I have changed something by not letting her in it?
‘You would just drive yourself crazy if you asked yourself that all the time.’
Jemma revealed how the family got rid of the hot tub following the incident and it took Amelia around 18 months to go swimming again.
She said: ‘We got rid of the hot tub when she ended up not well. It took her about a year and a half to go swimming again at all. We are a lot more vigilant now and make sure her ears are clean and dry.’
Amelia had weekly MRI scans and hourly checks to monitor her motor skills and reflexes while three different antibiotics were administered to her through a drip.
Amelia having an MRI scan (left). Jemma said: ‘Amelia was really brave. She was never really that scared’
The former nursery teacher claims that Amelia only has happy memories of being in hospital – but for Jemma it was the ‘most frightening time of her life’.
Jemma, who is a full-time student and bartender, said: ‘The first time they told me she had something wrong with her brain her dad wasn’t with me and I was in the room on my own.
‘I remember freezing and the words they said to me after that just didn’t go in. It was as if I couldn’t process it at first. It was horrible.’
She continued: ‘You get that gut-wrenching feeling that the world is ending. That’s your baby. She is everything to me. It was absolutely horrible.
‘Amelia was really brave. She was never really that scared. I think kids are just really resilient though. They do just take it in their stride.
Jemma with her daughter Amelia (left). Jemma is studying to become a biomedical scientist and hopes to help other families suffering from infections (right)
‘She only remembers the positive things. She doesn’t ever mention the scary things that happened to her.
‘She had three abscesses on her cerebellum. They didn’t want to operate or anything as it was right in the middle of her brain and it was a really difficult operation.
‘It’s definitely impacted everything we do. We are so safe now when it comes to medical things.
‘The minute she’s got anything wrong with her we are a bit more paranoid now. You would just never think this would happen from something so innocent.’
And now Jemma is studying to become a biomedical scientist and hopes to help other families suffering from infections.
The former nursery teacher said she wanted ‘a complete career change’. Jemma said: She added: ‘I would love to one day be able to find a new antibiotic or find cures for other infections’
Jemma said: ‘When Amelia went into hospital I had already restarted my higher English so I was on my way to university, I just didn’t know what I wanted to do with it.
‘Previously I was a nursery teacher so I knew I wanted a complete career change. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, to be honest.
‘It wasn’t until she was in the hospital that I realised I wanted to do something with a medical background.
She added: ‘I would love to one day be able to find a new antibiotic or find cures for other infections. That gave me the push to go ahead and do it. I’m in my second year at university now.
‘It all worked out really well. I don’t mean that I’m glad it happened, but positive things have happened since then. I hope someday I can help save someone else in the same situation.’
WHAT IS A BRAIN ABSCESS AND HOW IS IT CAUSED?
A brain abscess is a pus-filled swelling which can occur when bacteria or fungi enter through an infection or from a severe brain injury.
It is a life-threatening condition and symptoms include:
– Headache – often severe which is located in a single section of the head
– Confusion or irritability
– Muscle weakness, slurred speech or paralysis on one side of the body
– High temperature
– Seizures
– Feeling or being sick
– Stiff neck
– Blurring, greying or double vision
Three main ways of a brain abscess can develop:
– An infection in another part of the skull including an ear infection, dental abscess or sinusitis which can spread directly into the brain
– Infection in another part of the body which can spread into the brain via the bloodstream
– A severe head injury which cracks open the skull allowing bacteria or fungi to enter
Source: NHS.uk
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