My Second Son's Kawasaki Disease - Part 1

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Tomisaku Kawasaki, who dedicated his life to researching Kawasaki disease, a mysterious illness that primarily affects children.
I hope a morning drama will one day tell the story of Dr. Kawasaki's life!

In mid-March, my 9-month-old son developed a fever of 40 degrees Celsius.
No one else in the family was sick, so it didn't seem like an infectious disease.
I calmly thought it might be roseola infantum.
However, he was much crankier than usual for roseola infantum, so I carried him on my back or in my arms all day long.

He didn't seem to be able to sleep well at night, and I was sleep-deprived, carrying him through the night.

At the pediatrician's office, all tests were negative, and since he only had a fever, the doctor said it might be roseola infantum.

I agreed! and only received antipyretics.

However, the next day, the high fever didn't subside, and a rash appeared. I had been carrying him on my back until just before, and he was sweating a lot, so I thought it might be prickly heat developing so quickly. But three hours later, the rash spread rapidly, and the BCG scar turned red. I immediately suspected something else and rushed to the pediatrician's office just before closing time.

"There's a strong suspicion of Kawasaki disease. I'll write you a referral now, please go to the general hospital in Takasaki immediately," I was told.

In my baby care diary from my infancy, which my mother kept, there was an entry that said "might be Kawasaki disease." My mother told me that she had been worried about a suspected case of Kawasaki disease. Thanks to that, I had some preparation for Kawasaki disease, so I was able to calmly and quickly head to the hospital.
I'll omit the details of what Kawasaki disease is, but what's crucial is that treatment begins early and how quickly the fever can be brought down affects the prognosis. Knowing this, I rushed to the hospital.

Immediately after that, he underwent tests, was diagnosed with Kawasaki disease, and promptly began receiving intravenous immunoglobulin. Since his blood test results weren't good, a steroid drip was also started.

Especially the bloodshot eyes, red lips, and swollen tongue are significant characteristics not commonly seen in other diseases.

Immunoglobulin preparations reportedly don't work for about 10% of children. I spent a restless night, hoping it would work. Fortunately, his fever dropped by midnight, and I felt relieved.

After that, we monitored him to prevent a relapse, and the steroid IV continued for two weeks. Since I'm breastfeeding, I had to stay with him. If a relapse occurs, there's a risk of coronary artery aneurysms and lasting complications, so even if he seems to be recovering, he couldn't be discharged easily.

It felt like a very, very long time.