NEWPORT baby Levi Trotter, who spent the first week of his life battling meningitis, will undergo an operation next month to have a feeding tube fitted into his stomach after doctors discovered he is unable to swallow.

The one-year-old, of Pill, who had pneumococcal meningitis after he suddenly stopped breathing at his home, is due to undergo the operation on October 31 at the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff.

The youngster has already been diagnosed blind and deaf in one ear after battling the disease and also had to undergo an operation in September last year to fit a permanent shunt to drain fluid from his brain.

The Argus reported in May how Levi’s parents Amber Collins and Aly Trotter were then dealt with a further blow when doctors found little Levi was having difficulty swallowing due to complications fromthe meningitis and would need the stomach operation.

The family found out the date for the surgery this week.

Miss Collins said: “I’m happy we have a date but at the same time I’m not. He’s going to be really unwell after it and will be in intensive care for a week.”

Miss Collins said the operation with Levi will be more complicated than normal as there is a risk his shunt could be punctured. Surgeons will therefore have to remove his shunt, carry out the stomach operation and replace the shunt.

The family also recently found out that Levi also suffers from a condition called basal ganglia which affects his muscles and limits the movement in his body.

Miss Collins said: “He has had a lot thrown at him but he is still a happy baby.”