A TEENAGER nearly died after her BRACES triggered a life-threatening heart infection, her mum believes.

Leah Kitchen, 15, had her train-tracks tightened as per usual, but a week later was struck by a high-temperature, chills, a headache and muscle aches.

When mum Andrea took her daughter to an out-of-hours nurse near their home in Hull in the middle of the night, medics told her they suspected flu.

But the 42-year-old became more worried when Leah became confused and forgetful.

Blood tests at Hull Royal Infirmary revealed an infection, with doctors initially fearing the 15-year-old had been struck by meningitis.

But when a lumbar puncture test and MRI scan ruled out that deadly bug, doctors had to look elsewhere.

The MRI revealed an infection on Leah's spine, which had reached her brain and caused two mini strokes.

Mum Andrea said medics also found traces of metal from Leah's braces on her heart.

Doctors diagnosed Leah with endocarditis, a rare and potentially lethal infection of the inner lining of the heart.

It tends to be caused by bacteria entering the bloodstream and travelling to the heart muscle.

Andrea said she believes the metal from Leah's braces caused the bacteria to enter her daughter's bloodstream.

"You don't think something like that will happen to you," she said.

"In something like that, you think the worst case scenario.

If this makes just one person think of the signs. If it is caught quickly, it doesn’t have to get to this stage

"You think, 'oh my god something is going to happen to my baby'. This kind of thing changes you as a person."

Leah was transferred to Leeds General Infirmary on Friday, December 1 last year, and underwent open heart surgery the next day.

Andrea, who lives with her partner Ian Moses, 53, and his daughter, Ellie Moses, said: "We were on the bed and she just asked how we'd got there.

"The doctor asked her when her birthday was and she didn't know. Then after five minutes it came back to her.

"They took me to one side and said they would have to operate immediately, but they would have to prep for surgery which would take two and a half hours.

"I had to sign a form to say that if anything happened to her during that time, it wouldn't be the responsibility of the hospital.

"I was up there on my own until my mum and dad came, which was just enough time to see Leah go down to surgery.

"I was just thinking, 'please be fixed, please be fixed'.

"In hospital, you get wrapped up in a kind of bubble and you have nothing to think about and manage to shut down everything outside of there."

After the longer five-and-a-half hour operation, Leah spent a further eight weeks in hospital and was put on antibiotics until she recovered.

She spent her 15th birthday in hospital and was allowed home for Christmas Day before going back in on Boxing Day.

MORE ON HEART CONDITIONS

She finally came home on Monday, January 15 – but doctors have told her she will need check ups for the rest of her life.

Andrea said her daughter is now, "90 per cent back to her normal self".

She said: "She tires a lot more easily now, which is recovery I think. She had her first full week back in school last week.

"She'll be under Leeds general for the rest of her life. We have a six week check up and that will go to every three months, to every six months to then once a year."

Andrea and Leah, who has started fundraising for the Children's Heart Surgery Fund, now want to raise awareness of endocarditis.

Andrea said: "My main concern is the children who have braces, but it can happen from piercings and tattoos too.

"If this makes just one person think of the signs. If it is caught quickly, it doesn't have to get to this stage."

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