Blake Prebay
ASMP Advocate
Blake’s story as told by his mother: At just 3 months old, Blake was letting me know that he wasn’t feeling well. After dropping his older siblings off at school, we were running our errands and managing our typical routine. Blake wasn’t his typically happy self. He wasn’t eating, he was sad and uncomfortable and overall seemed unhappy. As the morning progressed, he became more irritable and even moaning in discomfort. A call to our amazing pediatrician with my concerns led to a discussion of having Blake looked at in the Emergency Department at the hospital. She could tell from my observations that this wasn’t a visit to the doctor’s office but get to the ER quickly.
As I arranged with my friends to manage the other children so I could take Blake to ER; my pediatrician spent her efforts researching the symptoms I had described and was preparing to help with diagnosing his condition.
Upon arrival at ER, the assessment of Blake’s condition ranged from the flu, to potential appendicitis, to bowel obstruction, to infant colic. Vital were taken and blood drawn to aid in assessment. When an extremely low wbc, white blood count, came back, the attending ER doctor recommended sending Blake home because they thought he was recovering from fighting an infection.
While we weren’t comfortable with this, our pediatrician overrode the ER and admitted Blake with concern that his wbc was so low because he couldn’t produce enough to keep up with a current infection, not that he was depleted from fighting an old infection. A spinal tap was ordered, and Blake was admitted.
The next hours were critical as the infectious diseases doctor, aka Hero, pleaded for time to grow the culture from the spinal tap while placing Blake on a broad-spectrum antibiotic to hopefully curtail the unidentified infection. While the various Surgeons were desperate to help and arguing for exploratory surgery looking for causes, appendix, bowel, intestines. Blake continued to decline and exhibit extreme pain and lethargy. IVs were started, nutrients and fluids were given along with the general antibiotic.
Eventually the culture grew enough and in the middle of the night it was confirmed, Blake had meningitis. Neisseria meningitides bacteria was present in his spinal fluid. Additional spinal taps, heavy antibiotic and morphine protocols were started on Blake at 3 months of age.
After a long week of hospitalization, spinal taps, IV placements all throughout his body, eventually landing the IV in his head. Blake improved and was discharged. He luckily doesn’t remember this part of his life, but he does respect and appreciate the efforts to help others with prevention of all Meningitis diseases. Know the symptoms. Advocate for answers and when possible – GET VACCINATED.