“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,” the mum wrote in the caption.

What followed was days of the wound appearing infected and gunky. “Yesterday on our way to the beach he showed me his hand,” the mum wrote. “I wasn’t happy as I noticed red tracking down his vein. I then checked his elbow – the same.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

”I’ve been in two minds whether to post this but my husband convinced me as he said if I hadn’t been here he wouldn’t have realised. I am sure there are other parents who wouldn’t either and the only reason I knew is because it had happened to a friend’s son 2 years ago and she had shared. 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 8 yr 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 get your child is seen straight away. Hopefully, my post might help someone the way my friend’s post from 2 years ago helped me ?” This red line is called Lymphangitis. This means the infection is in the lymphatic system and it causes red lines from the wound that travel in the direction of the nearest lymph gland. If treated quickly, the condition can be mild but if left untreated, complications can occur, and the condition can become very serious. When the infection crosses over into the bloodstream, like it did for this boy, it’s known as sepsis. Well done to this quick-thinking Mama for noticing that something wasn’t right and seeking urgent medical care for her little one. We’ve put together a fact sheet on sepsis so you can be aware of the signs to look out in your bub. Click our link in the bio to download ?

She then took her son to an after hours GP “feeling a bit silly” but when the doctor saw the wound he “commended me on recognising it and getting down ASAP”.

Thank God she did, because it turned out that her son’s wound had *lymphangitis, developing into a case of blood poisoning, but “thankfully the antibiotics are working and he is well in himself”.

The mum said she had only known something might be wrong because it had happened to a friend’s and encouraged other parents to be aware.

“If you spot this red line running from a wound get your child seen straight away. Hopefully, my post might help someone the way my friend’s post from two years ago helped me,” she wrote.

Many thankful parents took to the comments section to thank the mum for sharing this crucial piece of advice.

“This is sensational. I had no idea about this thank you for sharing,” one person wrote, while another added: “Definitely should be shared. I had no idea and now I’m aware.”

(*Lymphangitis occurs when there is an inflammation in the lymphatic system, causing a red line to go from the wound to the nearest lymph gland. The condition can be mild if treated quickly, however, if untreated it can develop into sepsis or blood poisoning which can be fatal if not treated in time.)

Signs to look out for in your child include fast breathing, skin that is pale, blotchy or bluish, a rash and being sleepy or confused.