According to the Mayo Clinic “Hand-foot-and-mouth disease — a mild, contagious viral infection common in young children — is characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. Hand-foot-and-mouth disease is most commonly caused by a coxsackievirus.”
Mayo Clinic goes on to state, “There’s no specific treatment for hand-foot-and-mouth disease. Frequent hand-washing and avoiding close contact with people who are infected with hand-foot-and-mouth disease may help reduce your child’s risk of infection”
I’m not certain what a coxsackie is but if it is those little balls kids kick around with their feet they should be burned! The little balls not the kids!
The past week has been a very painful experience dealing with ‘Hoof and Mouth’ disease in our family. Daughter Sarah and I caught the contagious viral infection from grandson Joshua. (The cardboard pirate.) Together we have gone through the rotating states of discomfort, texting our progress back and forth. My memory files are filled with precious shared experiences with our daughter. Often out of the blue one of those memories pops up on the screen of my brain’s computer bringing smiles, joy and laughter. This bonding experience will not be one of those pleasant memories. When I think of bonding with my daughter this is not how I imagine the experience.
The Mayo Clinic says…mild! We couldn’t walk. Trying to motivate on foot was like walking barefoot on gravel for me and walking on Legos barefoot for Sarah. I couldn’t pull on socks and shoes.
The Mayo Clinic says…mild! Our hands hurt so much we couldn’t open medicine bottles, or candy wrappers, or milk cartons. It was painful to hold silverware while eating chicken soup. It was nearly impossible to hold the soup bowl due to the painful sensation to heat. Sitting here on the healing side of this disease my fingers feel like leather on the keyboard.
Lastly, the virus moved into our mouths and throats. Even chicken noodle soup went down with difficulty. I also couldn’t talk without pain. You know how much I like to talk. How rude. We didn’t have much of an appetite. Even a few bites of Key Lime Pie assaulted my sore mouth. You know how much I like to eat. What a revolting development.
The Mayo Clinic reminds us to wash hands often. It hurt to wash hands and face. Really.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that the disease is common in young children? I guess I should be thrilled being included with a younger age group. But, leave me out the next time, please!
Our friends, Bruce and Narda came to Florida for a family vacation from Pennsylvania. We planned to get together for one evening while they stayed in the land of Mickey Mouse. Our friends made reservations at a resort twelve minutes from our house so getting together was going to be a piece of cake. Someone must have been playing with a coxsackie because the fever hit Sarah and Me the night before our date with the Pennsylvania friends. The fever came with projectile hurling for Sarah and rotated with chills for me. Twice, I was laying on a hot pad covered by three quilts and still couldn’t get warm. Sarah made her first of two visits to the emergency room.
We had to cancel the dinner date. There was a complication in that I didn’t have Bruce’s cell phone number. I called the resort but was unable to contact Narda and Bruce’s room. As a back-up I left a message with the desk. “Do not come for dinner because I am deathly ill.” Was the message. My Jane laughed out loud at my choice of adjective for the disease. Forty-four years of marriage and all I get is some laughter from my lifetime lover. Geez!
Sarah and I looked for cell phone numbers and I sent a note on Facebook to Bruce and Narda’s daughter Rachael to get the word to our friends. Eventually, we made electronic contact and avoided handing the coxsackie off to them. We never were healthy enough to hang out with our friends while they were in Florida.
Eventually I contacted my siblings and informed them I was suffering with ‘Hoof and Mouth’. They were all appreciatively sympathetic without laughing at me.
If you are hanging out with some friends and someone suggests kicking around a cocksackie…pass!
See you next time.