A mother has spoken of her horror after finding her three-year-old son covered in black vomit and ‘lifeless’ when she went to wake him up.
Leanne Smith, from Hull, feared her son Freddie just had a common sickness bug until he started to pass blood in his urine.
He eventually had two emergency operations after part of his intestine telescoped into another section, putting his life in danger.
Mrs Smith found him lying upside down on his bed covered in thick, black vomit after she went into his bedroom to wake him up for nursery one morning last month.
Terrified, she dialled 999 and an ambulance rushed Freddie to Hull Royal Infirmary’s paediatric emergency department.
Leanne Smith, from Hull, feared her son Freddie had a common sickness bug until he started to pass blood in his urine
He eventually had two emergency operations after part of his intestine telescoped into another section, putting his life in danger (pictured at Hull Royal Infirmary)
Mrs Smith recalled the ordeal, which happened in November: ‘He was limp and floppy. He was lifeless and it was terrifying.’
The delivery driver made a frantic phone call to her husband, Phil, who made his way back from work.
With no improvement in his condition, Freddie had an x-ray and then an ultrasound which showed intussusception.
The condition is normally found in babies aged 18 months to three years old, where a segment of intestine turns inside out and causes bowel obstruction.
Three hours later, Mrs Smith watched Freddie as he was wheeled into theatre.
However, his condition failed to improve and a further x-ray revealed intussusception had occurred on the other side of his body and he required more surgery.
Mrs Smith found him lying upside down on his bed covered in thick, black vomit after she went into his bedroom to wake him up for nursery one morning last month
Mrs Smith recalled the ordeal, which happened in November: ‘He was limp and floppy. He was lifeless and it was terrifying’
Mrs Smith said: ‘He had wires everywhere. He had gone from being my perfectly happy and healthy little boy to being a child who couldn’t even sit up.
‘We just kept thinking what we were going to do and what was going to happen to him.’
Doctors believed the problem was caused by inflamed lymph nodes caused by an infection in Freddie’s body, so started him on antibiotics and on the road to recovery.
Just over a week later, Freddie was allowed home to begin his countdown to Christmas.
His parents have thanked staff at Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust for their efforts in saving their son.
Mrs Smith said: ‘They were absolutely amazing. They cared for him like they loved him rather than him just being a random little boy.
‘One nurse even phoned in on her days off to see how he was in the early days when he as really, really ill.
‘Every single person who dealt with us was fantastic.
‘A special shout out needs to go to Miss B (consultant paediatric surgeon, Sanja Basaraic), who managed to find out what was wrong with him the second time around.’
The delivery driver made a frantic phone call to her husband, Phil (pictured with Freddie), who made his way back from work