:( Hand-foot-mouth Disease

Both my boys have had it. They were not very sick, and the doctor said that there was no point in keeping them home because all kids will get it anyways.

Both my twins and I had this at the beginning of the year. In small children it shouldn't hurt that much but if you catch it as an adult, believe me it's the worst pain especially on the soles of your feet. It is rare in adults though, guess I was just lucky lol.

I kept us isolated for a full week and tried to keep their temperatures down as much as possible. Their appetites weren't too good so they got all their favourites just to make sure they ate, also they had mostly mushy foods as it seemed painful for them to swallow. The spots took about 3 weeks to completely fade.
I changed all bedding every other day and just let them sleep as much as possible. Also I had wipes all round the house to try and contain it and windows open for fresh air as much as possible.

Oh and any doctor that encourages a contagious child to mingle is an absolute disgrace. I'm all for building up a child's immune system but one of my twins has febrile seizures and thanks to this illness which gave her a high temperature, she had a seizure and ended up in intensive care for 2 days. So no, please don't allow your children to pass this on. What my daughter has is more common than people think.
Good luck, it will all be over soon.

Ah, sorry to hear this. HFM is highly contagious. My kids were not allowed at daycare until it cleared up, and so I think you should keep your child at home for a few days.

If you know anyone who is pregnant who may have been exposed, let the person know and keep your daughter (and son) away from anyone pregnant for a few days until the symptoms clear. For most people it's a quick virus and a minor nuisance but it can cause fetal complications if a pregnant woman catches it.

HFM is a mild viral illness that most children get in infancy or toddlerhood. Is your son older than your daughter? If so, chances are good he's had it (symptomatically or not) and is now immune.

I do think you're supposed to follow the usual virus protocol and keep her home for 48 hours, though.

Sorry! My three yo DS just recovered from this last week. No appetite, 104 fever. No rash until the fever cleared. Then two days lAter rash oh on his hands and feet.

One day after his rash appeared, six yo DS came down with a fever, 103, and the rash appeared the next evening. He is still recovering, but we have been going out since he was fever free for almost two days.

Younger DS has been fully recovered since Sunday and the rash is fading still...

When my son had this, I was planning to visit family out of state. Knowing he was getting better, I wondered when it would be safe to visit. I called a SIL who is a nurse to ask her. I was concerned about our elderly grandmom especially, but she warned me that one BIL was taking medication that lowered his immune system (or something) put him at risk. You need to be careful who your daughter is around, and watch your son for signs. My son, as usual, had a high fever and only bumps in his mouth, not hands.

My son had this a few weeks ago, Doc said he picked it up from the beach. No symptoms other than the spots on his hands/fingers. All in all spots lasted about a week total and neither of my other two children caught it. If the spots have been there for a few days the contagious period is done according to my doc so change the sheets now. I just got lysol spray and did a "sweep" of the house