Posted: Dec 30 2008, 06:59 PM
The Littrells Say, "Thank You!"
Dear HHC Fans,
Before being admitted Baylee had been treated for or thought to have had; strep throat, hand, foot, mouth disease and erythema multiforme. After receiving a biopsy, blood tests, an EKG and 2 echocardiograms, Baylee was finally diagnosed with A-Typical Kawasaki Disease. We would like to stress A-Typical because Baylee did not have text book symptoms of any of the viruses they thought he had.
Kawasaki Disease causes inflammation in the coronary arteries as well as the walls of the small and medium sized arteries throughout the body. Unfortunately Baylee's coronary arteries were effected. He received an IVIG, which is a treatment to bring down the inflammation in his coronary arteries. Baylee will be closely monitored for the next 6-8 weeks by a Pediatric Cardiologist to see if the treatment was effective.
We want to thank every one who prayed for us as well as all of the emails and phone calls. Your love and support means so much to our family. The Hospital Staff were absolutely amazing. They made an extremely difficult time in our lives as comfortable as possible.
We are humbled by the love and compassion that people have for our son all over the world, thank you.
Brian and Leighanne Littrell
For more information: Visit ABCNews
Source: http://www.healthyheartclub.info/
--------------------
Posted: Jan 9 2009, 06:19 PM
Brian and Leighanne Littrell Urge Parents To Follow Their Instincts
In late November and throughout December, Backstreet Boy singer Brian Littrell and his wife Leighann were living a nightmare as they watched their 6-year-old son Baylee Thomas Wylee succumb to a mysterious illness. While he was ultimately diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki Disease, the diagnosis did not come without significant pressure from his parents. The couple have spoken out about their ordeal to OK!, and their message is simple. "If you feel like something is wrong, follow your instinct," Leighann says. "Doctors don't know everything."
Around his birthday on Nov. 26, Baylee fell ill with diarrhea, nausea and enlarged lymph nodes. A trip to the doctor yielded a diagnosis of strep throat and a prescription for Amoxicillin, but his condition continued to worsen. While the family was in Kentucky celebrating an early Christmas with Brian's relatives, Baylee spiked a fever of 103-degrees and developed blisters in his throat as well as a rash. A return trip to the doctor resulted in a diagnosis of hand, foot and mouth disease based on the blistering, while the rash was attributed to a reaction to the antibiotic.
Suspecting something more was to blame, Leighann recalls that "the rash looked like a chemical burn" and had gotten so severe that Baylee's eyes "were swollen shut." Feeling "frustrated" because "there is no way you can believe a doctor who is telling you to go home and this will go away on its own," the couple took their son to the emergency room –only to be met with more resistance.
"Baylee had said he had been feeling these little heart murmurs -– he calls them 'heart sparks.' So Brian and I wanted him to have an echocardiogram. The doctors rolled their eyes, like, 'They're just being paranoid parents.' But the results came back and showed damage to his coronary arteries, and inflammation. He was finally diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki disease."
Baylee underwent an intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment to repair the damage to his heart, and the couple should know in six to eight weeks whether it was successful. "It's the only shot to cure Kawasaki," Leighann notes. While he is currently "running around in his Batman costume, feeling so much better" and displaying a "fantastic" attitude, Baylee is still somewhat restricted in what he can do – which is tough for a 6-year-old. "The other day, Baylee said, 'I just want to be normal, Mommy,'" Leighann shared. "Right now, he can't do a lot of cardiovascular activity, but he can practice his karate."
"He also has to stay away from people who are sick because his immune system is weak."
Determined to turn the experience into something positive, Leighann feels that the doctors who handled Baylee's case "would never run an echocardiogram unless we insisted." To that end, the couple hope to help other parents who push for testing that the medical community deems unnecessary. Adds Leighann,
"We'd like to set up a fund for children who need extra medical testing, when insurance won't cover it. I hope our experience can help another family."
Source: http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/01/02/bri...ncts/more-23831
--------------------
OK! Exclusive: Brian Littrell’s Family Nightmare
Former Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell and his wife, Leighanne, were confronted with the horror of an unknown disease, as their 6-year-old son, Baylee, broke out in a full-body rash in early December, with blisters in his throat and a 103-degree fever.
After numerous tests and three misdiagnoses, the couple asked doctors to perform an echocardiogram, which showed damage to Baylee's coronary arteries. It was determined that Baylee suffered from atypical Kawasaki disease. He's been released from Atlanta's Scottish Rite Children's Hospital after receiving treatment, and now Brian and Leighanne are reaching out to other parents. "If you feel like something is wrong, follow our instinct," says Leighanne, who talks to OK! about the fight for her son's life.
OK!: How is Baylee doing, now that he's home?
Good. He is running around in his Batman costume, feeling so much better, and his attitude is fantastic.
OK!!: When did he first get sick?
Around his birthday, Nov. 26. He felt nauseous and had diarrhea. His grandpa also noticed his lymph nodes were a little swollen. Baylee wasn't running a fever, so we let him have his party. We went to the doctor, who diagnosed him with strep throat and put him on amoxicillin.
OK!: But the symptoms didn't go away?
We spent an early Christmas with Brian's family in Kentucky. On the way back home, Baylee had a fever of 103. We took him to the doctor, and he had blisters in his throat. He was diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease, a viral illness that causes blisters. But he developed a rash on his body, and the doctors then thought he had erythema multiforme, a reaction to the amoxicillin. We got home, and the rash looked like a chemical burn; his eyes were swollen shut. We went straight to the emergency room.
OK!: What were you thinking at this point?
Well, you're frustrated. There is no way you can believe a doctor who is telling you to go home and this will go away on its own. But Baylee had said he had been feeling these little heart murmurs – he calls them "heart sparks." So Brian and I wanted him to have an echocardiogram. The doctors rolled their eyes, like, "They're just being paranoid parents." But the results came back and showed damage to his coronary arteries, and inflammation. He was finally diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki disease.
OK!: What's next for Baylee?
We have to monitor his heart for six to eight weeks, until we know the IVIG has worked: It's the only shot to cure Kawasaki. The other day, Baylee said, "I just want to be normal, Mommy." Right now, he can't do a lot of cardiovascular activity, but he can practice his karate. He also has to stay away from people who are sick because his immune system is weak.
OK!: What advice would you give other parents?
Doctors don't know everything. They would never run an echocardiogram unless we insisted. We'd like to set up a fund for children who need extra medical testing, when insurance won't cover it. I hope our experience can help another family.
The Littrells Say, "Thank You!"
Dear HHC Fans,
Before being admitted Baylee had been treated for or thought to have had; strep throat, hand, foot, mouth disease and erythema multiforme. After receiving a biopsy, blood tests, an EKG and 2 echocardiograms, Baylee was finally diagnosed with A-Typical Kawasaki Disease. We would like to stress A-Typical because Baylee did not have text book symptoms of any of the viruses they thought he had.
Kawasaki Disease causes inflammation in the coronary arteries as well as the walls of the small and medium sized arteries throughout the body. Unfortunately Baylee's coronary arteries were effected. He received an IVIG, which is a treatment to bring down the inflammation in his coronary arteries. Baylee will be closely monitored for the next 6-8 weeks by a Pediatric Cardiologist to see if the treatment was effective.
We want to thank every one who prayed for us as well as all of the emails and phone calls. Your love and support means so much to our family. The Hospital Staff were absolutely amazing. They made an extremely difficult time in our lives as comfortable as possible.
We are humbled by the love and compassion that people have for our son all over the world, thank you.
Brian and Leighanne Littrell
For more information: Visit ABCNews
Source: http://www.healthyheartclub.info/
--------------------
Posted: Jan 9 2009, 06:19 PM
Brian and Leighanne Littrell Urge Parents To Follow Their Instincts
In late November and throughout December, Backstreet Boy singer Brian Littrell and his wife Leighann were living a nightmare as they watched their 6-year-old son Baylee Thomas Wylee succumb to a mysterious illness. While he was ultimately diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki Disease, the diagnosis did not come without significant pressure from his parents. The couple have spoken out about their ordeal to OK!, and their message is simple. "If you feel like something is wrong, follow your instinct," Leighann says. "Doctors don't know everything."
Around his birthday on Nov. 26, Baylee fell ill with diarrhea, nausea and enlarged lymph nodes. A trip to the doctor yielded a diagnosis of strep throat and a prescription for Amoxicillin, but his condition continued to worsen. While the family was in Kentucky celebrating an early Christmas with Brian's relatives, Baylee spiked a fever of 103-degrees and developed blisters in his throat as well as a rash. A return trip to the doctor resulted in a diagnosis of hand, foot and mouth disease based on the blistering, while the rash was attributed to a reaction to the antibiotic.
Suspecting something more was to blame, Leighann recalls that "the rash looked like a chemical burn" and had gotten so severe that Baylee's eyes "were swollen shut." Feeling "frustrated" because "there is no way you can believe a doctor who is telling you to go home and this will go away on its own," the couple took their son to the emergency room –only to be met with more resistance.
"Baylee had said he had been feeling these little heart murmurs -– he calls them 'heart sparks.' So Brian and I wanted him to have an echocardiogram. The doctors rolled their eyes, like, 'They're just being paranoid parents.' But the results came back and showed damage to his coronary arteries, and inflammation. He was finally diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki disease."
Baylee underwent an intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment to repair the damage to his heart, and the couple should know in six to eight weeks whether it was successful. "It's the only shot to cure Kawasaki," Leighann notes. While he is currently "running around in his Batman costume, feeling so much better" and displaying a "fantastic" attitude, Baylee is still somewhat restricted in what he can do – which is tough for a 6-year-old. "The other day, Baylee said, 'I just want to be normal, Mommy,'" Leighann shared. "Right now, he can't do a lot of cardiovascular activity, but he can practice his karate."
"He also has to stay away from people who are sick because his immune system is weak."
Determined to turn the experience into something positive, Leighann feels that the doctors who handled Baylee's case "would never run an echocardiogram unless we insisted." To that end, the couple hope to help other parents who push for testing that the medical community deems unnecessary. Adds Leighann,
"We'd like to set up a fund for children who need extra medical testing, when insurance won't cover it. I hope our experience can help another family."
Source: http://celebrity-babies.com/2009/01/02/bri...ncts/more-23831
--------------------
OK! Exclusive: Brian Littrell’s Family Nightmare
Former Backstreet Boy Brian Littrell and his wife, Leighanne, were confronted with the horror of an unknown disease, as their 6-year-old son, Baylee, broke out in a full-body rash in early December, with blisters in his throat and a 103-degree fever.
After numerous tests and three misdiagnoses, the couple asked doctors to perform an echocardiogram, which showed damage to Baylee's coronary arteries. It was determined that Baylee suffered from atypical Kawasaki disease. He's been released from Atlanta's Scottish Rite Children's Hospital after receiving treatment, and now Brian and Leighanne are reaching out to other parents. "If you feel like something is wrong, follow our instinct," says Leighanne, who talks to OK! about the fight for her son's life.
OK!: How is Baylee doing, now that he's home?
Good. He is running around in his Batman costume, feeling so much better, and his attitude is fantastic.
OK!!: When did he first get sick?
Around his birthday, Nov. 26. He felt nauseous and had diarrhea. His grandpa also noticed his lymph nodes were a little swollen. Baylee wasn't running a fever, so we let him have his party. We went to the doctor, who diagnosed him with strep throat and put him on amoxicillin.
OK!: But the symptoms didn't go away?
We spent an early Christmas with Brian's family in Kentucky. On the way back home, Baylee had a fever of 103. We took him to the doctor, and he had blisters in his throat. He was diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease, a viral illness that causes blisters. But he developed a rash on his body, and the doctors then thought he had erythema multiforme, a reaction to the amoxicillin. We got home, and the rash looked like a chemical burn; his eyes were swollen shut. We went straight to the emergency room.
OK!: What were you thinking at this point?
Well, you're frustrated. There is no way you can believe a doctor who is telling you to go home and this will go away on its own. But Baylee had said he had been feeling these little heart murmurs – he calls them "heart sparks." So Brian and I wanted him to have an echocardiogram. The doctors rolled their eyes, like, "They're just being paranoid parents." But the results came back and showed damage to his coronary arteries, and inflammation. He was finally diagnosed with atypical Kawasaki disease.
OK!: What's next for Baylee?
We have to monitor his heart for six to eight weeks, until we know the IVIG has worked: It's the only shot to cure Kawasaki. The other day, Baylee said, "I just want to be normal, Mommy." Right now, he can't do a lot of cardiovascular activity, but he can practice his karate. He also has to stay away from people who are sick because his immune system is weak.
OK!: What advice would you give other parents?
Doctors don't know everything. They would never run an echocardiogram unless we insisted. We'd like to set up a fund for children who need extra medical testing, when insurance won't cover it. I hope our experience can help another family.
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