Friday, August 21, 2009

Hand, Foot, and Mouth (arms, legs, and throat)

This week is the busiest of the year in my professional life. Orientation/new student check-in, is huge at any university, but at a small private college it can make or break you. On the second Monday of Noel's daycare career I got the dreaded sick phone call. He was running a fever and generally miserable. I picked him up and kept him in my office until Chris could come get him to take him home. The long night we spent convinced us to head on in to the doctor where he tested positive for Strep throat. Glad to have a diagnosis and some medicine we endured our second sleepless night confident the drugs would kick in and we would sleep soon.
How wrong we were. Wednesday evening, the rash that had been mild on his legs was spreading all over his body and in his mouth. To be honest, we thought it was mild but with Noel's dark complexion it is very hard to tell. Thursday found us at the Pediatrician's office once again where he was diagnosed with Hand, Foot and Mouth syndrome. A viral infection that manifests itself in the form of blisters on, you guessed it, the hands, mouth, and feet. They can spread to the calves and fore arms but that is actually where Noel's started.
I am happy to report we got our first full night of sleep last night and I didn't find any new blisters this morning. I am so thankful my sons have an amazing father who takes such good care of them when I just can't miss work. Noel should be fully recovered by Monday and we will in all liklihood have to begin the daycare readjustment process all over again.

3 comments:

Cecilia said...

Poor baby, I'll pray he gets to feeling better soon!

Tami said...

Caleb got that, right when he got to the toddler room, actually. It went away pretty fast, but right when we thought we could take him back, a new blister would appear! Ugghh! They wouldn't let us go until they were all crusted over. It was a pain. I guess he was also out for about a week. I hope he feels better soon!

Bill & Stacie said...

Meredith got that too, but the funny thing about the disease is that once the blisters appear, they aren't contagious anymore so by the time you really realize they are sick they have infected others. Glad he is getting better though!