A MUM is sharing shocking photos of her son after she gave him ibuprofen for a common virus.

Verity, from Essex, doesn’t want other parents making the same mistake as her, after her boy, Tommy, almost lost his life.

Tommy caught chickenpox – a virus most children pick up before the age of two – in June.

Although he seemed his “happy joyful self” at first, he soon went downhill and medics advised Verity to give him paracetamol. 

But when he continued to worsen over a couple of days, the mum-of-three decided to get a second opinion.

She said Tommy “wasn't keeping any food or fluids down”, his temperature was “through the roof” and he was very sleepy.

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Verity said: “When we arrived I explained the situation and how Tommy was etc, a male nurse told me to help with the temperature he could have ibuprofen and calpol together.

“I questioned this and he told me it was an ‘old wives tale’ and you shouldn't believe everything you see on Google.

“He also said ‘in all his time working in a hospital he's never seen ibuprofen react to chicken pox’.”

Ibuprofen is not recommended for chickenpox by the NHS or any other medical body.

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But Verity said she was reassured her son would be fine, and trusted the medic, so gave Tommy some ibuprofen.

“A few hours went by whilst we waited for the doctors to give us a 24 hour pass and I noticed a mark on Tommy's belly,” she said.

“I showed the nurse and he told me it was nothing, and could just be another chicken pox forming. We left the hospital and returned home. 

“The following morning at 6am was when everything changed.

“Tommy woke up to what could only be described as a bruise on his belly, but by 8am this bruise was turning black. 

“I called my doctor who saw us right away. He confirmed he was infected and drew around the marks to see if it spread.

“It did, and by 4pm his entire belly was swollen, black and blue.”

CPR Kids, a first aid service in Australia who shared Verity’s post, said such a serious reaction is rare.

It said using ibuprofen to reduce the pain of chickenpox may lead to necrotising soft tissue infection –  “a serious, life-threatening condition that requires immediate treatment to keep it from destroying skin, muscle, and other soft tissues”.

“These infections can progress rapidly if they are not aggressively treated,” CPR Kids wrote.

Symptoms of the potentially fatal condition include a wound that appears more painful than expected, or with fever and chils.

The skin around lesions may be hot to touch or very sore, and lesions may ooze a grey smelly liquid.

Doctors attempted to give a very poorly Tommy an IV line, but struggled. They injected “four lots of antibiotics straight into his little thighs”, Verity said.

The next day, an IV line was inserted and Tommy started an intense course of antibiotics and fluids. 

Verity said the doctors confirmed that “Tommy should NEVER have been given ibuprofen and that he is very lucky to still be here”.

“If he would have had one more dose, it could have been fatal,” she added.

Verity said Tommy, her “little warrior”, is getting better every day but is not completely healed.

She posted her ordeal on Facebook so that “this doesn't happen to any other babies”.

Chickenpox can be treated at home, where a child or adult should stay if they get the bug to avoid spreading it.

The NHS says you can give paracetamol for pain, but not ibuprofen "unless advised to do so by a doctor".

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Pharmacists can help provide cooling creams, gels or antihistamines.

One of the reasons it gives for calling 111 for advice is if "the skin around the chickenpox blisters is hot, painful and red".

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