It’s cold and flu season, which can be a difficult time for families. When your kids get sick, the biggest concern is usually that they’re going to spread their germs to everyone they come in contact with. We know how severe the flu can be — kids can be stuck in bed for a while with high fevers, chills, body aches, and more. But every so often, they can end up getting sicker as a result of flu complications. Mom Ashley Geuther took to her TikTok to warn other parents about these complications after her daughter suddenly got sick while recovering from the illness. What her daughter had was rare, so the mom’s using her platform to raise awareness.
Geuther posted a video on her TikTok back in October, showing her daughter in the hospital. In the clip, the girl is walking on her tiptoes as she pulls her IV pole around the room.
“As flu season begins, please remember to listen to your kids and watch closely for complications,” she captioned the video. “My daughter, Victoria, had Influenza A and started complaining of leg pain. By the next morning, she was in severe pain and couldn’t bear weight on her feet.”
The mom went on to explain that her daughter was diagnosed with benign acute childhood myositis, one of the “rare” flu complications. “She was admitted to the hospital for monitoring to prevent serious issues like muscle breakdown, which can lead to kidney damage,” she added in the caption.
@ashleygeuther As flu season begins, please remember to listen to your kids and watch closely for complications. My daughter, Victoria, had Influenza A and started complaining of leg pain. By the next morning, she was in severe pain and couldn’t bear weight on her feet. She was diagnosed with Benign Acute Childhood Myositis, a rare flu complication. Because her labs were abnormally high, she was admitted to the hospital for monitoring to prevent serious issues like muscle breakdown, which can lead to kidney damage. Thankfully, after a week, she made a full recovery and was able to walk again. I’m sharing our story so other parents know what to watch for. ❤️🩹 #fyp #flu #michigan #momlife #influenza ♬ ominous – insensible
Geuther spoke with Newsweek about her daughter’s sickness, explaining that her 9-year-old daughter had pretty typical flu symptoms. To her, “nothing that seemed alarming at first” about the illness. Eventually, Tori’s fever broke, and the mom assumed she was on the mend.
“When the fever broke after a few days, I thought she was turning a corner. Then suddenly she started complaining of intense pain in both legs,” she said. Because her daughter was still recovering, the mom figured it was “just normal soreness” from having the flu. But things kept getting worse.
“She told me the pain was deep in her muscles and that it hurt too much to stand. She said her legs felt too weak to support her,” Geuther shared with Newsweek.
She took her daughter to urgent care, but doctors “didn’t seem concerned” when she pushed for tests. They told her Tori needed hydration, rest, and pain medication, going so far as to suggest the girl was ready to go back to school.
“She tried to get up for school, took one step and dropped straight to the ground because the pain was so unbearable when she put pressure on her feet. I immediately carried her to the car and took her to the ER. That was the moment I knew this was something serious,” Geuther said.
At the ER, doctors performed blood work and a urinalysis, which led to the benign acute childhood myositis diagnosis. According to the National Institutes of Health, the rare disease typically occurs after a viral upper respiratory infection such as the flu.
A case report published by the NIH explained that the disease can be hard to diagnose because not many clinicians are familiar with it. It usually affects children (mostly boys), with symptoms lasting for about a week.
“This completely caught me off guard. I had never even heard of this kind of complication from the flu before. It was scary and very unexpected,” Geuther explained to the magazine.
Her daughter stayed in the hospital for monitoring, receiving IV fluids and pain management. On TikTok, Geuther shared that after a week, Tori “made a full recovery” and was walking again.
