Coxsackie (Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease)

Hello, world of strange childhood illnesses! We have arrived. Yes, Izzy is no longer my sweet, innocent baby who has only been sick with ear infections. Saturday, my sweet little daughter became the BIG 18 months old. And, to celebrate, she sprouted a lovely and mysterious rash and had a low fever. Rashes are new to our household, so I did what any good mom would do. I panicked! I took pictures of the rash, posted them on FB for my friends to help play doctor and identify what this mysterious rash could be. Strawberry allergy, strep, fever-induced rash, yeast infection by the diaper line...I was sure it was one of those. Until someone mentioned Hand, Foot, and Mouth. The more I looked at pictures of it and read about it, the more I realized that this is probably what she had. Except that it wasn't the right season for it. 

So, again, I did what any good mom would do. We drove to Urgent Care on Sunday to have them identify the rash! There's something to be said about an 18-month old drooling excessively and playing with the toys in the waiting room there. Nobody wanted to be near her, not knowing what she had. She was a trooper. She had two strep tests done, two people looking all over her rash, checking her mouth and throat. She cried, but she made it through. The diagnosis-Coxsackie. It's very contagious to kids under 10 and pregnant women. So, she hasn't been at my friend A.'s this week, since she had two kids plus takes care of another friend's son (who now also has H,F, and M, since Izzy shared). 

It's been an interesting adventure. I'm thankful that the mouth sores weren't too bad. They can coat the mouth and throat with ulcer-like open sores. Thank goodness her sores were few and short-lived. But her knees blistered and are all scabbed over now. Poor girl has scabs all over and looks like she has Chicken Pox. I guess this is just preparing me for all the other rashes and childhood illnesses that just sort of appear. It definitely tested my decision-making skills, as the true reason for taking her to Urgent Care was to keep her from being dehydrated, since she wasn't drinking very much at all. 

We all learn from the decisions we make and the adventures we take. I'm blessed to have a husband who worked through my own panicking over the rash and the lack of drinking milk. With my first experience with viral childhood illnesses almost behind me, it's on to the next adventure, whatever that may be.