hand, foot, and mouth disease

[Xahm]

How long did the discomfort stage last for your kids? Also, am I right that after fever is gone, they are no longer contagious?

Dd3 came down with spots yesterday after having 2 fussy nights, and by yesterday evening it was clearly HFM. (Exposure one week before appearance of spots) He has a bad strain: spots concentrated on fingers and hands, feet, and mouth, but also over face and legs. He is fine with drinking and even eating some. General good spirits currently and said it's nohurting so much now. As he seems on the mend, dd 4 has some spots now, but only in the more conventional places. I'm hoping our six month old will somehow be protected by the magic of breastmilk. (I may have a very mild case or be a hypochondriac, but I saw a few spots in my mouth)

Please tell me that the worst passes quickly. I haven't slept much in the last three nights and, of course, this is one of dh's weekends out of town.

[maize]

From the CDC re: contagion

 

"Generally, a person with hand, foot, and mouth disease is most contagious during the first week of illness. People can sometimes be contagious for days or weeks after symptoms go away. Some people, especially adults, may not develop any symptoms, but they can still spread the virus to others."

 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/hand-foot-mouth/about/transmission.html

[Xahm]

I guess that's why my ped's web page basically answered that question of contagion by recommending lots of hand washing and pointing out that it's a mild illness.

From the CDC re: contagion

 

"Generally, a person with hand, foot, and mouth disease is most contagious during the first week of illness. People can sometimes be contagious for days or weeks after symptoms go away. Some people, especially adults, may not develop any symptoms, but they can still spread the virus to others."

 

 

https://www.cdc.gov/hand-foot-mouth/about/transmission.html

[Shelly in IL]

My college aged son infected my high school son at a week in. Their skin on their hands and feet all peeled off and they lost finger and toe nails. Just an FYI.

[Xahm]

 

Gee, thanks, haha. My little ones will freak out if that happens here, but I think they'd adjust quickly.

My college aged son infected my high school son at a week in. Their skin on their hands and feet all peeled off and they lost finger and toe nails. Just an FYI.

[DesertBlossom]

All of my kids had this a couple weeks ago. For each of them, they had 2 full days of high fevers and sore throats and felt absolutely awful. It took 9 days to get through them all so it was a rotten week. The only reason I knew it was HFM was because my 16 month old developed sores inside his mouth and light spots on his hands and absolutely refused to eat or nurse for 2 days. Otherwise my other kids didn't develop any obvious signs that it was HFM.

 

Later, when talking with some homeschool friends, it had gone through their families too.

[EKS]

My college aged son infected my high school son at a week in. Their skin on their hands and feet all peeled off and they lost finger and toe nails. Just an FYI.

 

Yikes!  

 

(I'm very glad I didn't know about this possibility when my son had HFM twice in the same year.) 

[LLMom]

My 11 year old had it in the fall. Her fingernails and toenails did not fall off until a month later. I didn't realize this was the cause until I went looking.

[TravelingChris]

My youngest had this when she was middle school age.  She managed to get a different weird virus every summer we lived in Northern VA.  I think it was because of the time she spent at the pool around little and big kids.  One year it was fifth disease, one year it was hand, foot and mouth, and the last year it was mono.  None of my other kids or the adults here got any of them.

[Spryte]

DS and I had this horrible case of HFM one summer. It was mild for DD, but DS and I both had terrible cases. I thought he was exaggerating the pain until it hit me. Oh, it was agonizing. :(

 

We lost our finger and toenails about 4 weeks later. That was right after our fingers, toes, and any other affected spots peeled horrendously. DS hands had strips of dead skin just hanging off, it looked awful. Be mentally prepared.

 

He and I are both immune compromised though. DD's case was the textbook mild case. Lucky girl.

[Garga]

Fingernails fall off? What? Is the area underneath super sensitive and hurt horribly without the nails to protect it? Or was there something underneath growing to protect the area before the nails fell off??

 

ETA: Just googled it and it doesn't hurt necessarily, so it's not like when your nail peels down too far accidentally and the nail bed underneath is sooo tender and it hurts to touch it.

Edited April 2, 2017 by Garga

[Xahm]

Y'all are great at relaxing a worried mom home alone with three little ones. I asked for it, haha

[Shelly in IL]

Perhaps it hits the older people harder? Because my boys were 20 and 17 and they had it badly

[Spryte]

Maybe so.

 

DD was a mild case - she was a baby. DD was a child, maybe 8, I was an adult. DH didn't catch it. But like I said, DS and I are both immune compromised so we're not a good gauge.

 

OP, hang in there.

[AnnE-girl]

Dd had it last fall. It wasn't that bad, and none of the rest of us got it. She had a sore throat and fever and was a bit lethargic for a couple days, then the sores appeared. She was allowed back at regular activities once her fever was gone for 24 hours.