HFMD

HFMD stands for Hand Foot Mouth Disease; and it has infiltrated the Lenz residence. When Evan came over on Saturday for the birthday celebration, he actually had HFMD, but we didn't know it. Belinda called us Monday after their appointment with their pediatrician who diagnosed him.

After our conversation and a quick search online, we knew what to expect. We were hoping that we wouldn't come down with it, but were not going to be surprised if we did.Tuesday was fine, but Wednesday, I noticed a blister on my right palm. Then, I found one on my toe and then another on my right ring finger. As for Andrew, I noticed a blister on his left hand first and then another on his right hand. They are tiny red spots smaller than an ant bite. The blisters hurt me a little at first, but the pain goes away.

Andrew started to become disinterested in eating and drinking, both of which are common symptoms. He didn't have much of an appetite, but we have been able to get him to eat rice soup, Jell-o, and ice cream. Most kids don't want to suck as it hurts their mouths because of the blisters, so they don't like sippy cups or straws. Drew also didn't want to nurse at all--so you know it must be bad then! So, we just let him drink straight out of cups. We have been trying so hard to make him drink and keep him hydrated especially since he wasn't eating very much.

Andrew still normally sticks out his tongue when I ask, so I was able to see a bit into his mouth, but not very far back. We were able to see one red spot on his tongue. But then I noticed a few red areas in the back of his mouth in a photo I took with him and Papa. My poor baby! :( My throat has been a bit sore, but I don't see any spots in my mouth yet. Andrew has run warm a few times as a fever is also common with HFMD, but nothing a little Tyenol couldn't cure. He sleeps okay at night. He wakes up a few times crying, but we have been able to put him back to sleep somewhat quickly. It's been more challenging not having the ability to nurse him to sleep, but we have managed luckily. One thing that helped was having a sippy cup without the valve on hand so he could drink when he wanted.

The virus is supposed to run its course in a week. Andrew seems to be already on the mend. Daddy and Mommy say that he might have Granddad's threshold of pain when he bumps his head or falls or whatever. But with this illness, some kids are inconsolable. But Andrew hasn't been too bad. He has been a little whiney, but not too bad...very understandable under the circumstances. But like parents, especially first time parents, we worry so much about Andrew. He doesn't know what is going on; and he can't tell us what hurts him. He has been a trooper for the most part. It also sucks that we are limited to what we can do to help him. They don't give antibiotics either. It's not like we can just give him warm tea or throat lozenges for his throat. As for me, I am pretty much okay now--not too much ill effects from the virus itself. More so, it's just been fatigue due to lack of sleep. But it hasn't been too rough on me at all. Fortunately, Daddy has gone unscathed. I guess he had it before or was able to fight it off.

Here are pictures from today: (1-3) Andrew enjoying a push-up to sooth his mouth; (4-6) Andrew and Papa (I also have cropped the picture to zoom in so you can see the boo boos); and (7) the blister on my right palm. As you can see, he's in good spirits--that's my happy boy! Not even a stinky virus can keep him down!