Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFM) ... OH MY!

Life never has a dull or suspecting moment in our house these days. Of course there is so much to be grateful for ... but just when we thought we were in the acceptance and swing of our new life on bed rest with helpers ... surprise strikes again! Caroline got sent home from daycare yesterday after taking a weird morning nap and then throwing up all of her lunch (thanks to mom for the last minute pick up, as Scott was out of town at an offsite in Portland ME). When she got home we noticed a high 99 degree temperature, so we gave her some Tylenol and put her down for a normal (yet late) nap. She slept from 2-5pm but woke up in a good and happy mood, but didn’t eat much for dinner. She has slept extremely well during the night for the last few nights, but we didn’t think too much about it, just assumed she was extra tired from playing hard all day long. Well, this morning when she woke up I noticed her hands had some raised red spots on them. About an hour or two later when my mom changed her out of her footy pajamas I noticed the same raised red spots on her feet (see picture below). I thought of HFM immediately, but when I Googled the symptoms it said sores in the mouth – which I didn’t see when I looked with a flashlight. Needless to say I called the pediatrician as asked if she could be brought in by my (fabulous) Mum to seen. Sure enough, she has the “classic case” of Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease! There are sores far in the back of her throat that I couldn’t see, which would explain her lack of appetite over the last few days and likely triggered the throwing up she did at daycare. Caroline has had a fairly normal day, aside from having a short one hour nap. Overall she is in good spirits and playing with Daddy just fine tonight.

We do not know how Caroline got it. She hasn’t really been out to public places, given the nature of our family dynamics these days J. We don’t believe there is anyone at daycare who had it, as no others have shown symptoms. Chances are, it is a fluke that somehow it was passed on to her by an adult dormant carrier. HFM is like the chicken pox, where you typically only get it once as a child and are immune as an adult but can still be a passer with germs. As for being contagious, we are being told she could have been contagious for 3-7 days before she even started showing symptoms. The doctor told my mom that she should only have a few more days of the rash and once it goes away she is no longer contagious. We have company this weekend with Auntie Ashlee and Uncle Adam coming to town, and of course the Jack, Jill and Jill celebration… so I am hopeful she be rid of this yuckiness by the end of the week … that we don’t catch it and on with the show!!

If you are interested in more of the details on HFM, see this link. http://www.babycenter.com/0_hand-foot-and-mouth-disease_1614.bc

These pictures dont really do it justice ... but you get the idea.

My poor baby :-(