Hand, Foot, and Mouth - McKinney,TX

My son who is 18 months old just got over hand, foot, mouth disease. He had high temp, grouchy, not eating, & blisters to his hand, feet, and bottom. It is very contagious. Dr. Wiley told me that I needed to keep him home for atleast 5-7 days. There is not much you can really do about it, but to ease his pain he told me to use 30 ml or 1 oz of Maalox and 1 oz of liquid Benadryl. Mix them together & I gave him about 3/4 teaspoon. It worked great. It coated his mouth and his throat. It did make him sleepy, but that is probably what he needed too. Gray wouldn't eat, but would drink great. So we did juices, applesauce, ice cream, & popsicles. Dr. Wiley said that they could get it from anywhere. Some kiddo's are just carriers and don't get sick. It could come from the grocery cart too. Remember to do good handwashing and cleaning. Try to also keep his hands out of his mouth. I know it is hard to do, but it's important. Hope this helps. Good luck.

K.

My son had this when he was little, it was not fun. It lasts about a week or so, but the fever is just a few days. He had sores in his mouth so it was difficult getting him to drink his bottle. If the Dr. didn't give you anything for him to take to numb his mouth so he can eat try orajel. This is just a virus that everyone can carry so he could have picked it up anywhere.

C.

Oh my I feel for you. My son had this when he was about 8 months old. It is absolutly miserable. If you never had it as a child then expect to get it, I did and so did my sons father. We did all we could to keep him comfortable, everything for no clothes to rotating tylenol and motrin. As for us getting it, wow, it was horrible. its kinda like if you never had the chicken pox as a kid and you get exposed its that much worse as an adult. We were all plum pitiful! It lasted almost 2 weeks for all of us. The doc gave my son some medicine that numbs his mouth so he could eat since he had the sores in his mouth too! I had no idea how he got it either since he wasnt in a day care and was at home with me all day. I wish you luck and if you have any questions feel free to message me!!

My daughter got that when she was 18 mths old. Our church has a preschool. She didn't attend the preschool but when we went to sunday school they used the same rooms. Apparently, the school had an outbreak and that is where we figured she got it from. But the one thing I learned with my daughter - kids will get things whether it be from church, school or touching the grocery cart at the store. You can only teach your child good hygiene and take simple precautions as sanitizer & teaching your son to not touch everything he sees.
I really don't remember how long it lasted, maybe 3 -4 days.
My daughter was pretty content on laying around watching cartoons.
By no means, does this mean your day care isn't clean. You just kind of have to take things in stride.

Kids can get this anywhere and can be the "carrier". They are usually less sicker kids in school i they get it younger. The pediatrician should have given you advice for a benedryl and maalox mixture for the mouth.

Its very common. Its a shocking name for such a simple virus. They get through it within 7 days. I just gave my little one Tylenol and she was fine. Hang in there!

Hey C.,

My oldest has had it twice and my baby just got it. It is transmitted through poor had washing, saliva, or if the blisters pop and that fluid is injested by another kid. They are most contagious for up to a week after the feaver. There really isn't any way to prevent it especially since the blisters don't appear for 2-3 days after the feaver most people don't initially realize how sick their kids are. The mouth blisters are what seem to bother my kids the most. I just fed them cold or cool soft foods so as not to irritate their throat. Mine have always felt better as soon as their throat clears up even if they are still having outbraks on their hands and feet.

Hope that helps,
J.

My daughter had this for her 1 year birthday. We did oatmeal baths (Aveeno) for a few days and just kept her covered so she wouldn't touch her legs or feet. It only lasted a few days, so it wasn't anything unmanageable. Just try to keep his hands out of his mouth, keep his hands clean. Also be sure to put lotion on his hands so they don't get dry from all of the washing.

2 of my kids had hand foot mouth about a year ago. MISERABLE. Feed them liquids with a medicine dropper. Sugar hurt so no popcicles. Milkshake with a spoon. Yours is too young but straws hurt. I guess sucking on a bottle may hurt also. Our spots were mostly in the mouth and on the thumbs because they are both thumb suckers. I think it lasted about a week. My kids were 2 and 3 at the time so my situation was different from yours. We did not have any throwing up just fever and pain. I would keep the Motrin and Tylenol going so he can rest and take advantage of the nice warm snuggly baby. I always secretly enjoyed the fevers because they are so warm and snuggly.
We have had 2 or 3 rounds of hand foot mouth. Someone told me that you are only supposed to get it once like chicken pox. Our first 2 rounds were very mild so hopefully this last full fledged round knocked it out of their system. We picked up ours just from playing with friends who had been exposed. Apparently very contagious. If you are nursing wash breast after each feeding and use disposable pads.
Good luck.

My children have had it but not severely and it didn't last long.

I am not sure if this will be repeat info for you or not....

IT is highly contagious and around everywhere. We have had it twice---fun huh? Well, the only thing we did for comfort was motrin and mix a concoction of benadryl and maalox. Whatever is a safe dosage of benadryl, do a 1:1 ratio of that with maalox. That coats their mouths so that it is not so raw. I would do this about 30 minutes before feeding time so that they would eat, otherwise they would not eat well. Eat lots of soft smooth things too until it heals some.

Hang in there.....

Most likely he didn't even get it from the home day care. It was probably the grocery store, play area, someone who held him, church, or you could have even brought it home from work w/o any symptoms.

Well, I see that you have a lot of responses, but I just want to assure you that this is very common, HIGHLY contagious, and almost impossible to avoid. This went around elementary school last year, and there was hardly a kid who didn't get it. It lasts a while-- it could be weeks before it completely goes away. My daughter caught it, and I caught it as well, maybe from her or maybe from volunteering at school. We had awful rashes on our bodies (get worse with the sun), and she did run fever. It basically just has to run its course.

You can find lots of info. about this on the internet. It is caused from a highly contageous virus called the coxsacie virus(not sure I've spelled that right). It is common in childcare settings or anywhere there are groups of small kids. I got this virus a few years ago after visiting my sister who has 5 boys. I felt like I had been run over by a truck for 3 or 4 days, ran a fever, but had no vomiting. Just as I started to feel a tad better I got little tiny blisters on my fingers and a few of my toes. People also commonly get these in their mouths too. I continued to feel better. I think it only lasted a week or so. I did get this virus again the following two years, though the cases were lighter. I don't know if I was rexposed or if the virus was hanging around dormant in my body, as viruses sometimes do. Hang in there and give your little guy lots of love. I know it is so, so hard to see him sick and feeling miserable.
Also, your sitter, could keep a very clean house/area and this will still sometimes get passed around.

My son had hand foot and mouth and it was the worse case our dr had ever seen of it. it is a VERY common child hood disease and VERY contagious. it is spread any where, shopping carts, almose any where you could touch you could get it. Adults are mostly immune to this it is a child hood disease.

Just wash hands all the time and keep a pump bottle of antibacterial cleaner in your car...

you could have one bump with this or bumps all over the affected areas and people can spread it with out even knowing they have it...

Hi C.,
I googled the hand, foot mouth disease (HFMD) and found the following:

HFMD outbreaks in child care facilities occur most often in the summer and fall months, and usually coincide with an increased number of cases in the community.

CDC has no specific recommendations regarding the exclusion of children with HFMD from child care programs, schools, or other group settings. Children are often excluded from group settings during the first few days of the illness, which may reduce the spread of infection, but will not completely interrupt it. Exclusion of ill persons may not prevent additional cases since the virus may be excreted for weeks after the symptoms have disappeared. Also, some persons excreting the virus, including most adults, may have no symptoms. Some benefit may be gained, however, by excluding children who have blisters in their mouths and drool or who have weeping lesions on their hands.

If an outbreak occurs in the child care setting:

Make sure that all children and adults use good handwashing technique, especially after diaper changes.

Thoroughly wash and disinfect contaminated items and surfaces using diluted solution of chlorine-containing bleach.

No specific treatment is available for this or other enterovirus infections. Symptomatic treatment is given to provide relief from fever, aches, or pain from the mouth ulcers.

Hi C.,

My family actually just had this last week. I think my 4 month old son got it from the grocery store. They get sores on the back of their throat and can get them on their hands and feet also. Be careful because it is highly contagious. My husband and I both got it and it is horrible. I would give him lots of liquids and something to suck on (like a pedialyte popsickle). The good news is that it lasts 5-7 days and it is over. Make sure to wash your hands really well after changing his diaper, wiping his nose, etc. The high fever should only last for a day or so. Hope this helps. :)

My daughter got Hand, Foot and Mouth when she was about 10 months old, she 2 1/2 now. It lasted for about 7 days. She didn't have fever or vomitting, just those nasty litte blisters. I rubbed clear caladryl on the areas that had the blisters and washed EVERYTHING!! She wasn't too affected by them. The Dr. recommended that she stay home until the blister scabbed or popped, that way she wasn't contagious. She got it from my neice, who got it from a military day care. I hope your son feels better!

ugh!! im sorry!! my kids have had this twice!! after a few days he should be fine as far as fever and discomfort go, just keep him well hydrated so you dont have any issues with that, popsicles even though they are messy are good along with nice cold formula if he will take it cold, just anything cold and soothing would be good, as far as the blisters on his feet and hands it takes about a week or depending on how severe. i think i lysoled eveything for weeks after!! ive heard this is very common, but gross virus! so good luck and i hope he recovers quickley! oh and as far as where he got it, it could be anywhere! my kids stay at home and im a neat freak and i wipe everything down with lysol and colorox products like crazy so who knows how some kids get this!

C. -
My daughter had hand, foot and mouth when she was just over a year old. She goes to daycare so I'm sure she picked it up there. The worst part of it is the sores that come out - however, they didn't seem to bother her too much or itch - except the ones on her feet. I used the Aveeno baby lotion after the bath to soothe her and that seemed to work. The sores lasted about 10 days from the first time I saw them. They are also very contagious - she gave it to her cousin when she had the fever - no sores had appeared yet. My daughter didn't seem to get any sores in her mouth - but I have been told that is very painful and they won't eat. For that I would just give motrin first and then try to have them eat after the motrin has kicked in.

good luck -
J.

my first son had it, but he never ran a fever with it. he just had the spots. things you wouldnt even think of cause this. like the shopping carts at the store. the dr. office, the playground equipment, toys. does the baby sitter wash the toys?
i don't think it lasted a couple of weeks. i'm not sure its been almost 5 years ago. i think my son got it from the shopping cart, make sure you antibacterial the seat and grips before you put him in it.

Hi C.,
Here's some info I found online about HFMD:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/revb/enterovirus/hfhf.htm

1. "...HFMD caused by coxsackievirus A16 infection is a mild disease and nearly all patients recover without medical treatment in 7 to 10 days. Complications are uncommon. Rarely, the patient with coxsackievirus A16 infection may also develop "aseptic" or viral meningitis, in which the person has fever, headache, stiff neck, or back pain, and may need to be hospitalized for a few days..."
Sounds like recovery in 7-10 days without any treatment for non-"aseptic" versions except treatment of symptoms (see #2).

2. "No specific treatment is available for this or other enterovirus infections. Symptomatic treatment is given to provide relief from fever, aches, or pain from the mouth ulcers"
Sounds like tylenol and maybe topical pain reliever for the sores? Lots of hugs while wearing a surgical mask? We keep a supply for times like this so can always hug our 2 boys (or whomever is sick). Local drug store will have them. If not, I found them at locally-owned pharmacy (either Texas Star Pharmacy, 3033 W Parker Rd # 100, Plano, TX
###-###-####, texaschronicpain.org,‎
OR Taylor Drug & Medical, 930 W Parker Rd # 520, Plano, TX 75075, ###-###-####, but can't remember which one).

~~~
I'd never heard of HFMD before reading your question and learned a lot. Thanks for posting it.

I already encourage my 3 year old to always wash his hands and now am so glad I do. Next week he starts KDO for first time ever (late start for us...), and I'm worried he will end up sick for the next 3 months bc little exposure to everything going around...Fingers crossed he continues to wash his hands at school. K

C., a lot of diseases/sicknesses are "air-borne", and there is no defense for a lot of illnesses, that children, as well as adults occur. But, your best defense, is to keep your little one's nutritional level elevated with vitamins, good foods, lots of fluids, proper rest, and adequate clothing for our Texas climate!~ You guys, will be fine, have a great day!

No fun.... My daughter had hand, foot, and mouth when she was 3, and I kind of freaked out when the doctor diagnosed it. My understanding from the things that I learned in school was that it was a rare disease. Upon further research, I discovered that the virus that causes it is actually very common. Most kids will have been exposed to the virus by the time they are about 6, but not all will show symptoms. So basically, even though the other children at daycare appeared to be just fine, they could have been carrying the virus even though they were asymptomatic. The good thing (if there's anything good about it!) is that once a child has been exposed to the virus, they will usually be immune for the rest of their life! (Similar to chicken pox) The bad thing is, since it's a virus there's nothing to do but treat the symptoms (mostly fever) and wait it out. My daughter pretty much just wanted to sleep and not eat for a week. That's a little trickier though with a 9-month-old. Obviously just keep him hydrated. I also remember that she got REALLY constipated, but I think that was just a side effect of everything else. Good luck!

C.,
you have had a lot of great advice and now know that this is a very common virus and many kids get it. It is also contagious. I haven't seen it mentioned here so I thought I would pass on there is a study done by the CDC and apparently this is another one of those disease's commonly passed on by touching and handling of grocery shopping carts without good handwashing or cart protection. Look for a non alcohol hand cleaner to keep in your purse and cover those carts when your kids are in them.
K. @ The Nestingplace

Both of my kids had it and there isn't much I found you can do for it. It is a virus and it just has to run it's course. Luke warm baths help and don't worry if the child doesn't want to eat, just try to keep liquids going down and form even frozen. With our first child this lasted a full week, but with our son it wasn't as long. My prayers are with you as we have been down this road twice.

My Son and daughter both had this about a year ago. It's very painful and they have sores in the back of their throat. I can't remember exactly where they got the name Hand foot & mouth but I read alot about it online when my kids were diagnosed because I had never heard of this in my life. It takes about a week to go away and my daughter really struggled with eating so I only let her drink liquids that she said helped her throat. I know a 9 mnth old can't tell you what helps his throat but for some reason with my daughter, it was Pepsi and she never drinks coke!
My kids are not in daycare and yes it can be picked up anywhere. It's a virus and very contagious. It's alot more commom in children then adults.
Good luck to you and I hope he gets better soon!

My son got this when he was almost 2, but must have had a very light case of it. He was better within a week and was never really sick. One of his playmates at the babysitter had it much worse and was out for 2-3 weeks. It's very common and pretty much unavoidable. The good thing is, once he's had it, he won't get it again. It's one of those viruses that creates immunity. The incubation period for it is about 21 days, so he could have gotten it from anywhere and everyone he's been around has been exposed to it already.

My son had this when he was about 6 months old and he hadn't been anywhere other than the grocery store and Target with me. I don't think you can avoid it - it's just something they pick up.

I'm thinking it lasted about a week (maybe). My son is 3 now so it's hard to remember. That was the first time he ever got sick though and he was pretty miserable. I just held him A LOT. I'm not sure if juice is a good idea since it's acidic and might sting his throat. Popcicles, etc., might help.

Good luck- I know it's hard work when the babies are sick.

Hi C.,

You have gotten alot of great advice. I just wanted to reiterate the information that Kelly K gave you about the Children's Bendadryl and Maalox. My daughter got this when she was 2 1/2 yrs old and had really bad sores in her mouth and was very uncomfortable. My son got it this past Christmas and he was 21 months. I used this concoction both times. With my son I noticed this signs early on and started this medicine. He did not get a bad case of this. I don't know if the medicine helped that or not, but it does provide some relief to the child. I hope this doesn't last to long for you.

M.

My son got hand foot and mouth disease his first week in daycare. I can't be sure he got it there though. It can be transmitted through shopping carts, high chairs at restaurants and the like. My son DROOLED like nothing else!! My pediatrician recommended a solution of childrens benadryl mixed with maalox. I gave him one teaspoon of that solution, but I can't remember the proportions of each med (1 ounce of each comes to mind). You may want to ask your pedi about it if he didn't suggest it. It helped with the pain, inflammation of his throat. The symptoms took about 10 days to go away as best as I can remember. Hope this helps. Wishing your son a speedy recovery!

My daughter got that when she was at an in-home daycare. It's highly contagious, so your son could have gotten it anywhere.
I don't remember it being that big of a deal for my daughter. We had been through Rotovirus twice by then, so HFM was nothing! Just follow the advice listed by the prevsious poster, and your son probably will be fine. Kids always seem to fair illnesses better than we do!
If it's any consolation, my daughter was sick like crazy the first year of her life because she was in daycare. However, she's almost five now, and since that first year, she hardly ever gets sick. Last Thanksgiving, everyone in our family ended up with that awful stomach virus, even my brother and stepmom had it. My daughter was the only one who came out unscathed. I think it has a lot to do with the immunities that she built up that first year in life.

This is one of the worst childhood diseases in the sense that there is so little you can do for your baby to make him comfortable. Tylenol doesn't seem to do much good and it is very painful. Popsicles help the pain in the mouth and throat some, warm seems to make it worse. Oragel is also okay.
This is viral and your baby could have picked it up absolutely anywhere, so don't worry about the daycare. Just watch the fever and keep it down even if you have to do cool baths (remember that cool to a fevered baby is not really that cool-about 100 degrees will bring down a high fever) and be patient.

I don't think you can do anything to prevent your child from getting sick. And, it helps build an immune system. My son got this last summer. He had terrible sores in his mouth. Poor little guy. Make sure you tell every parent of children that you saw within 48 hours before the symptoms that their child was exposed. Good luck!

Hey!
I have heard of this disease because a couple of my friend's children had it, but m ine never did. I know most moms say it is very common, but it can actually be prevented quite well with proper handwashing after changing diapers, wiping a nose, after eating, etc. It is spread through nasal and throat discharge and feces(a.k.a. poop:)), so taking precautions like sanitizing and washing hands makes a big deal. In my case, the daycare my kids go to is very, very clean and the ones my friends go to is not, so I think sanitation has a lot to do with it.

C., go to Wikipedia and it will help answer most of your questions. I'm a nurse, but it pretty much spells it out for you. Don't worry, just keep your little one comfortable!
C. M

Web MD is always a good source for info on any condition.

Hand, foot and mouth is a fairly common childhood disease.

You could get it just from changing his diaper. Make sure you wash your hands often and get as much info as possible on the condition.

Hi C., do a google search to find more info, this is the first one that came up for me.

http://www.healthtouch.com/bin/EContent_HT/cnoteShowLfts....

My daughter that is now 4 has had it 2 times. Both times it lasted about a week. Fever reducers and baths in aveno,for the rash, helped. Her dr told me that if you take them out in public at all they can get it. It's just one of those things that happens.

My daughter when she was about 4 got that also. I had a hard time explaining it to my boss why I needed to take off. I was floored to hear that she had it. She was in a very good daycare and could not figure out how she got it. I found out that she probably got it from her fecal matter. For instance when she wipes and does not wash her hands and then she puts her hands in her mouth. My daughter is the type of child that never gets sick either. She is 10 now and going through puberty. AAUUGGHH.