BENTON, Ark. — The after-effects of COVID-19 are still being studied. Some live with symptoms for months after recovering from the virus, and others develop unusual symptoms.
A Benton family wants to share their story as a word of caution for parents.
"They said, 'I know you have a lot of questions, but we don't have a lot of answers,'" Karen Maxwell said.
Not exactly what a parent wants to hear when their child is hospitalized with mysterious symptoms.
Her daughter, 16-year-old Molly, recently had COVID-19. She had very few symptoms and thought she was out of the woods until new, severe symptoms showed up: high fever, swollen lymph nodes, stomach pain, and intense fatigue.
"I didn't think it was the flu," Maxwell said. "[Molly] kept saying that her stomach hurt really bad but she couldn't really explain it."
Molly was admitted to Arkansas Children's Hospital where doctors ran test after test trying to figure out a diagnosis.
"Her cardiac enzymes were way off, blood work was way off, and she had inflammation of several major body organs," Maxwell said.
Doctors finally landed on a diagnosis of MIS-C: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children. It's a rare condition that's been seen recently in children after they've had COVID-19.
"Your immune system is fighting off COVID even if you didn't have symptoms," Maxwell explained.
"With MIS-C, their immune system continues to fight, and it kinda goes into overdrive."
Doctors treated Molly through an IV with blood thinners and steroids to reduce the swelling around her organs. She was sent home after five days with more steroids and blood pressure medication.
The Maxwells said it's important families know the signs to look for after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
"If you don't go [to the hospital] you could end up having a heart attack or something," Molly said.
The CDC has been tracking cases of MIS-C since May. There have been cases reported in 47 states, including less than 10 documented cases in Arkansas.
"I know it's a small percentage of kids that they've seen so far that have this, but I do think it's emerging," Maxwell said.
"Watch your child in the weeks and months after they have COVID."