My son almost died from this little recognized condition.

[dixiegrrrrl]

Wanted to share it so others could file the symptoms away in their minds...

this happened some years ago and the "kid" is just now putting it all together and telling me the entire story,
which certainly makes my heart skip some beats.
I came THIS close to losing him, as it turns out

Here is what he wrote:
He was in his 30's....

I woke up one morning with a tiny itch in my throat (dammit. can't be sick today. have 6 aquariums to service).
I had a number of dentists as clients.
During the day that my throat was blowing up, I stopped by one of them to ask (because I was getting puffy under my tongue) if he knew what was going on. This was probably noon-ish. He took a look, and gave me some painkillers to take later, if it got painful.

I distinctly remember, at ten that night, holding two percocets in my palm, looking at them, considering popping them and going to bed. At this point, the flesh under my tongue was beginning to swell a little. I was really tired.
A funny tickle in my brain made me call an oral surgeon who was a friend of mine. He got out of bed and looked at me at his office, and told me to go to Overlake's emergency room right away, because I had something he'd never seen before, but remembered from Med school. It was called Ludwig's angina.
I was in emergency surgery at 11 PM. After which they called dad: "Just operated on your son. We think he'll probably make it." Woke up, couldn't talk at all for 2 weeks. lost 35 pounds from my 165 pound frame. Had a drain tube hanging outta my throat for several months, and had to go to the doc every two days to have him snip the stitches, pull the drain tube out a couple of centimeters, and re-stitch.

Look that one up. That funny tickle, and Robert (Bob) Dixey, saved my life that day.
But I remember holding those pills. I would not have woken up.

Poor guy had no medical insurance then either.
He is fine now, a few years later.
Like most "kids" he has a habit of telling me stuff long after the fact, thinking maybe that I will shriek less.

Nope..doesn't work that way.

[nessa]

1. Wow. It's scary how fast things can turn serious.

Thanks for sharing.

[postulater]

2. Good reminder. A UW Madison student just died

of bacterial meningitis this week.

He was in the class of my daughter's friend.

Immunized, boostered but still sudden onset and dead within a couple days.

Scary.

[Mira]

3. Oh how terrifying to your entire system.

I can't imagine how hard that was to find out, and how grateful you are now. Thanks for the information, and taking the time to tell us.
I know you feel the grace of having escaped a different outcome for him, and for you.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. This is my "heart" child.

I cannot bear to think of him being hurt in any way.
This info he emails to me tonight, and my mind flashes back to that time, when I knew very little of the severity of it, since I was hundreds of miles away and could not get to him easily, and he had emailed me to "not worry, don't bother to come"...
Sigh....

[Mira]

14. Sending you a huge hug, enjoy it while you count your blessings n/t

[Mnemosyne]

4. Sometimes it is way too close. Glad he's ok now!

[gateley]

5. Thank you -- and give him a big hug from us all!

Whew! So glad he listened to that little voice!

[niyad]

7. I just googled this condition--thank goodness for your son's friend.

Ludwig's angina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ludwig's
Classification and external resources

Swelling in the submandibular area in a patient with Ludwig's angina.
ICD-10 K12.2
ICD-9 528.3
DiseasesDB 29336
MedlinePlus 001047
MeSH D008158

Ludwig's angina, otherwise known as angina ludovici, is a serious, potentially life-threatening cellulitis[1][dead link], or connective tissue infection, of the floor of the mouth, usually occurring in adults with concomitant dental infections and if left untreated, may obstruct the airways, necessitating tracheotomy. It is named after the German physician, Wilhelm Friedrich von Ludwig who first described this condition in 1836.[2][3] Other names include "angina Maligna" and "Morbus Strangularis".

Ludwig's angina should not be confused with angina pectoris, which is also otherwise commonly known as "angina". The word "angina" comes from the Greek word ankhon, meaning "strangling", so in this case, Ludwig's angina refers to the feeling of strangling, not the feeling of chest pain, though there may be chest pain in Ludwig's angina if the infection spreads into the retrosternal space.

The life threatening nature of this condition generally necessitates surgical management with involvement of critical care physicians such as those found in an intensive care unit.[4]

. . . .


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig%27s_angina

[siligut]

8. Wow, I am surprised that the dentist wasn't concerned with his airway

Even if he didn't have a diagnosis, health professionals should always think of the airway. Good thing your kid knew Bob Dixey.

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. Me too, airway latency is drilled, drilled I tell ya.

[Beacool]

9. I had never heard of Ludwig's angina.

Thanks for sharing you son's story. I'm glad that he's now alright.

Did your son have a dental infection? It seems to be the main cause of Ludwig's angina

[dixiegrrrrl]

12. More than likely, he has had tooth problems.

certainly is something to file away in the back of the head, isn't it?
And to encourage anyone with a toothache or infection to be alert.

[Beacool]

19. Yes, it is.

There are so many things that are not common and one doesn't realize they exist.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. Glad he's fine

And thanks for teaching me a new one.

[Warpy]

13. It's usually cellulitis arising from a primary infection elsewhere,

usually an abscessed tooth that's been left untreated.

It used to be more prevalent before we got things like novocaine to make dentistry merely unpleasant rather than excruciating.

Any swelling of the lips, tongue, throat, or inside the mouth needs a visit to the ER, as does any cut or puncture wound that has an expanding area of redness around it. Cellulitis is always potentially fatal. Sometimes it can be handled with oral antibiotics. Other times, it needs fast IV treatment.

[Joe Bacon]

15. That's why you MUST have dental cleanings and checkups at least every six months.

Because of my diabetes, my dentist now cleans and checks my mouth every 4 months. Time and time again, he's caught developing problems.

I can't emphasize to everyone the importance of deep cleanings and checkups.

And I'm one of those who agree with Alan Grayson that dental coverage needs to be included in all health insurance policies.

[DesertRat]

16. Scary, glad he's okay

Good thing he listened to that "funny tickle" in his brain that encouraged him to call the oral surgeon. We should all listen to those signs our bodies send us. Thanks for sharing.

[ErikJ]

17. Moral of story: If no health insurance be friends or vendors of dentists or doctors.

[laundry_queen]

18. My ex's friend had either this or something similar

All I know is he told me he nearly died from some kind of infection in his throat. As it slowly closed off his air, he started to be deprived of oxygen and had problems staying in reality. His phone rang and it was his mom. He answered it and was acting super strange so she called his next door neighbor who went to check on him and found him completely out of it. The neighbor called the ambulance and he was in surgery quickly. He's totally fine now but it was a close call.

Scary to think how quickly one illness or accident can take those we love. Makes me appreciate every day I have with my kids.

[dixiegrrrrl]

20. Wow....one lucky phone call, eh?

Funny how a simple twist of fate can save a life......

[LuvNewcastle]

21. Glad he's doing better, dixiegrrrrl.

[dixiegrrrrl]

22. Thank you..

This was awhile back, he just now told me the entire story of how serious it was.