Coping with HFMD... again

If you're like me, you think Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) is like the chicken pox - a viral infection you (generally) only get once in your life if you get it at all. You would be wrong. Turns out, it's more like the flu - lots of different strains, lots of opportunities for you to contract it over and over again. Most adults will have developed an immunity after so much exposure, but little ones are still susceptible. Like N. And guess what time it is? Yup - summer and fall is HFMD season. Yay... and here we go again.

via Baby Center

First of all, I will say it is much easier helping N cope with this when I'm not suffering from HFMD myself. It's also a little easier having some experience under my belt. Even before I finally accepted the fact that we were going through this all over again, I got out my anti-HFMD arsenal.

Thank goodness for Magic Mouthwash and children's liquid Advil. I hate keeping my kids medicated, but N has been responding really well to these. There really is no real medication for HFMD - in this way it is like the chickenpox. Your goal is just to keep your kids as comfortable as possible until the virus works its way through. I should say at this point that I am NOT a doctor, and you should call yours if you suspect you or your child has been infected with HFMD. Most the time HFMD will pass in about 7-10 days, but it can occasionally get pretty serious so you don't want to take a chance.

N's been a pretty tough little trooper these past few days, and we're almost through it. The sores seem confined to her mouth and her diaper area this time, so there's no painful blisters on her feet or hands. I'm hoping we don't deal with this virus again, but I guess I really have no guarantee. On top of all this, and before I was really sure what was wrong with N, I took the kids to a park where it went from overcast and mild weather to incredibly HOT. My poor little girl got a heat rash on her arms and legs (which she has never had before), which only added to her discomfort.

Fortunately, that cleared up within a few hours. The plan is to keep things low-key as we ride out the last few days of this virus and hope no one else in the house falls victim. I know I had a bit of a panic attack considering I might I have to go through this again myself. So far, no one else has shown any signs, though.

I hope you're all healthy! Let me live vicariously through you and tell me what fun plans you have for this week.