Photo by Sergiu Vălenaș on Unsplash
Every mother loves to spend time bathing and grooming their baby. It is a moment of fun and relaxation that both the mother and the baby look forward to. However, a medical diagnosis that requires a mother to not bathe her baby for as long as 111 days can be both saddening and depressing, as it takes away a special part of the mother-child bond.
Reddit user u/rowlakel expresses her happiness with tears of joy, as she could finally bathe her baby after 111 days without a bath, due to his cancer diagnosis.
She narrates that her baby boy was diagnosed with cancer, and was required to not have a bath while medications were being administered to avoid the risk of infection. After his cancer diagnosis, a central venous catheter (broviac) had to be placed in his chest for chemotherapy to be administered.
According to the American Cancer Society, intravenous catheters are used to give medicines, fluids, or nutrition into the bloodstream. This is done by placing an IV line or catheter through the skin into a vein. It may also be called infusion therapy. Infusions such as immunotherapy, anti-nausea medicines, antibiotics, chemotherapies, and several others can be given via an intravenous catheter.
She goes on to narrate that after the intravenous catheter was placed in her baby's chest, the instruction was to not allow it to get wet because of the high risk of infection, since the catheter goes directly into the heart.
Azura vascular care says that swimming or taking baths is not recommended while an intravenous catheter is placed due to the risk of infection. "Infection is a serious complication and can lead to sepsis, shock, and even death."
She had to improvise a normal bath for a sponge-type bath while the procedure commenced. In her words, "He was only able to have these sponge-type baths. They were the worst!"
After days of treatment, the broviac was no longer required, therefore, it was removed since his cancer was responding well to chemotherapy. The risk of infection was also too high for it to be left in his chest for an extended period. "He had surgery last Tuesday to take it out," she said.
While user u/rowlakel is happy that she's finally able to bathe her baby, she's also glad that her son is making great progress and responding to treatment.
Sources:
To ensure the accuracy of the information presented in this article, the following sources were consulted:
- Reddit post
- Everything You Need to Know About a Central Venous Catheter
- Intravenous (IV) Lines, Catheters, and Ports Used in Cancer Treatment
First published on https://original.newsbreak.com.