Mother seeks clearer medical info

Roman Daniell (left), who needed oral surgery, with his mother, Jenny, and brother, Silas. Photo / Greg Bowker

Auckland mother Jenny Daniell wants information about children's healthcare to be clearer and easier to access.

Ms Daniell lives in Kelston, West Auckland, with her partner Paul Amani and their two children, Roman, 7, and Silas, 5. Both boys are pupils at St Leonards Rd School.

She said both her children had healthy and active lifestyles. Ms Daniell insists on her children having breakfast at home in the mornings - usually Weet-Bix - while their lunches are packed and taken to school.

A typical lunch includes a filled roll or sandwich, three pieces of fruit, a pottle of fruit yoghurt and one treat - a packet of chips, a muesli bar or biscuits.

While they don't play sport outside of school, both swim every morning at school and Roman trains for cross-country every Friday.

However, one health scare for the family has been complications from Roman's asthma.

He has to use a Ventolin inhaler four times a day as part of his asthma treatment.

Ms Daniell believes that better advice from doctors and specialists would have prevented her asthmatic son from needing serious oral surgery because she was never told about the need for Roman to rinse his mouth out after using his inhaler.

"It would have been really nice to know that because it would have prevented the whole situation really," she said.

The subsequent build up on his teeth and gumline led to his gums rotting, which required two major oral surgeries to reconstruct his mouth, "drain out" his bottom jawline and remove several baby teeth. Roman's mouth was now fine, apart from a few gaps in his teeth.