29 January 2024 , 15:49
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A mum has told how her three-year-old son went "limp and stone cold" during a seizure after having a slushy.
Victoria Anderson, from Port Glasgow, Inverclyde, said she was scared that her youngest son Angus would die when he collapsed after having the iced drink. The youngster was rushed to hospital where doctors said he suffered glycerol toxicity and his blood sugar level went very low.
The 29-year-old was out shopping on January 4 with two of her children when Angus requested the raspberry-flavoured drink from the local corner shop. And then just half an hour later, he fell unconscious in another store.
The mum-of-five said he went "limp and stone cold" as paramedics began working on him. And then after being rushed to hospital, staff told Victoria that the slushy had caused glycerol toxicity - leaving Angus in a "drunk-like" state.
Victoria is warning other parents about the dangers of slushy drinks and glycerol toxicity. The Food Standards Agency issued new voluntary industry guidance on glycerol in slush-ice drinks in August 2023, advising that they should not be sold to children four years of age and under.
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
Dad Sean and mum Victoria with Angus, three, and Archie, five (Kennedy News and Media)
Angus was unconscious for two hours (Kennedy News and Media)At very high levels of exposure, glycerol intoxication can cause shock, hypoglycaemia, and loss of consciousness, according to the government body. Victoria said: "Angus had never had a slushy before. This was his first time. His brothers had had them in summer as a treat before.
"After drinking the slushy, we went into another shop and Angus kept saying he wanted to go home. He moaned again and I said 'we're going home now, just another couple of minutes'. We walked around the shop a bit more and as I turned around I could hear him moaning again.
Angus became ill after eating a slushy (Kennedy News and Media)"I thought he'd thrown himself on the floor having a temper tantrum, but when I looked his eyes were at the back of his head and he was having a seizure. He went limp as anything. I started screaming 'somebody get me an ambulance'. I thought I'd lost him. His body went stone cold."
Paramedics rushed to the store and said Angus' blood sugar levels were dangerously low and he was taken to Glasgow Children's Hospital. There, Angus was unconscious for two hours while doctors undertook tests to determine the cause of his episode.
Angus pictured with all his family (Kennedy News and Media)Victoria continued: "He was unconscious for about two hours. It was the scariest thing I'd ever experienced. He was well that day - there was nothing obviously wrong with him. There's nothing like this in the family.
"I was scared he would die, considering the way he went down and how limp he was and how unresponsive he was. They gave him a jab in the leg and he wasn't even flinching. When he woke up, he was still going in and out of consciousness. I think he was exhausted too.
"They'd asked what he'd eaten and drank that day and I told them about the slushy. The doctors said the slushy had caused glycerol toxicity. His blood sugars went very low. It's not something I'd ever heard of before. There was definitely a link to the slushy."
Victoria would like to see a ban on the slushies. She said: "I think slushies should be banned altogether or at the very least there needs to be a warning sign for under-fours. But this could potentially happen to any kid of any age. I'll never buy slushies again. You just don't know what's in these drinks."