Hand, foot and mouth disease, slap cheek virus, scarlet fever - just to name a few of the colourful and exotic sounding childhood diseases that I’m learning more and more about all the time! They sounds like a list of old testament blights or a page from a medieval medical handbook but are daily life for us with babies or toddlers! Before kids, the only health issues likely to arise were a dose of the flu or a hangover (sometimes masked as gastro)!
Poor Little Bro has been diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth disease, the symptoms of which are blisters on, you guessed it - the hands, feet and mouth. I commented to DSO that I haven’t seen anything so veterinarian since Dr Ob walked into Big Sis’ birth wearing gum boots (true story)!
Seriously though, Little Bro is doing ok as he has a very mild dose. Basically just ulcers without the high fever. The most inconvenient thing is that he can’t drink from his sippy cup as it pushes on his sores - so he has to consume all liquids on my lap with a straw delicately perched in his mouth. We’ve also had to cancel all social arrangements involving other kids until his blisters go away, so its looking like a long slow week!
Big Sis is perfectly fit and healthy and slightly bemused by the cancellation of all her regular play-dates. I heard her yelling to the neighbors over the fence today that we couldn’t go to the park because Little Bro has blisters - so at least she doesn’t feel any stigma!
childhood illness, hand foot and mouth virus, sick kids
May 23rd, 2007 at 11:13 am
I remember an outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease at Miss M’s creche. It coincided with her getting a new pair of shoes, and blisters on her feet. After kissing them better, I soon realised they weren’t blisters as much as signs of the “disease”, when my mouth was suddenly filled with the same ones. I also like the way it’s called a disease when it’s actually a virus.
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Mmmm, the adults of the house haven’t “fallen” yet - I was very relieved when the doctor said its not a problem for pregnant woman, despite what the internet says (apparentlt some of the sources out there are dodgy!)
May 23rd, 2007 at 3:50 pm
As if pregnant women don’t suffer enough not being able to eat small goods and sushi - is there no respite from worry!