The diagnosis is in folks. The pediatrician called me yesterday with glee in his voice..."Your son has Toxocara!" Yayyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!! What in heaven's name is "Toxocara" you might ask? Well it's not a Death Metal Band from Europe, but instead a type of parasite that lives in the soil, put there by dogs and cats. And just why are we gleefulthat he has a parasite? Because it's not LEUKEMIA.
You know you've been warned not to let kids play in sand boxes? But you really didn't know what they could get from it? Well folks, Toxocara is what they could get. A potentially harmful parasite (permanent eye damage). Not really many symptoms of this parasite, just elevated white blood cell count and eosinophil count, some vague abdominal complaints, low grade temp, etc.
Toxocara eggs are found mostly in soil where dogs and cats frequent (uh, that's just about everywhere folks) and they are microscopic and they could be potentially fatal in rare cases. We don't know where he got it and will never find out. Of course I've been doing profuse research which I won't bore you with, but some interesting tidbits...15% of commercial potting soil contains Toxocara eggs, it's found in sand boxes, playgrounds, yards, brought into your house on shoes. The only way to diagnose it is a blood test because stool tests won't pick it up. They say it's rare in humans but common in dogs and cats. What can you do to prevent it? De-worm your puppy as soon as it's indicated. Keep your pets on routine de-worm medication, especially PUPPIES. Wash hands after playing in sand and before eating. Don't let your kid eat poop.
(We now have OCD of the handwashing variety...........)
While this past week was harrowing, at least we know (despite how disgusting it may seem that a parasite is in our midst) that our son will live and will not have to go through years of chemo or bone marrow transplants. Our lives will return to normal but with a greater appreciation of it's fragility and a stronger respect of Mother Nature and her little microscopic devils.
Respect Your Mother,
Amber
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