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Original poster

Hand foot and mouth

45 replies

sombrilla · 12/10/2021 19:30

Shamelessly posting for traffic…

Please can you tell me your experiences with hand foot and mouth? DS1 is almost 4 and had a temp on Tuesday then just a few spots on mouth and hands on Friday. Baby DS 11 months then had temp on Friday and erupted in a full body rash on Saturday. Went to Dr who confirmed hand foot and mouth.
I have had a very sore throat and mouth since Sunday and have a persistent and painful cough (have taken Covid test and it is negative). Any experiences/idea of when it might get better? Baby is very uncomfortable and I am very tired with being ill plus waking up more in the night to see to ill baby. We all also had colds the week before so this is week 3 of being ill.
Also my husband was away for work but came back for 2 nights before going away again. What are the chances he will miraculously escape catching it from all of us? He works at heights and really needs to be well and present.

OP posts:
Badgergirl123 · 12/10/2021 21:19

I posted a similar thread recently OP, it was just me who had it (DD's nursery was rife with it) and it was awful! Two days in bed with a fever and mouth covered in ulcers, spots on hands and feet that drove me nuts with the tingling and itching BUT it was all over in less than a week. You have my sympathy!! Flowers

Flev · 12/10/2021 22:42

DD had it aged 13 months - we were stumped and took her to the walk-in centre as she clearly wasn't well. Ironically she had a rash in other places but not her hands, feet or mouth. She was miserable and whiny for a couple of days then perked up.

DH caught it from her and was pretty rough for a week or so, but I didn't get it at all. No idea why - it was over Christmas and we had the same level of contact with her.

immersivereader · 12/10/2021 22:45

HORRENDOUS.

Sorry for the capitals but god it was bad. DD had it twice, the second time she was almost hospitalised. Terrible sports, all over her body, it lasted about a week. Awful.

I had it too, the itchy hands was incredible. I didn't sleep for three nights because of the itch. Nails dropped off a couple of months later. Had it on my feet too.

MindyStClaire · 12/10/2021 23:02

Think DD1 has had it three times.

First time she had lots of spots but was otherwise fine, GP confirmed HFM and not chicken pox.

Second time the skin on her face got infected and she needed an antibiotic. GP said infected eczema but then she developed more spots on her hands and feet and it was going around nursery so I think it was HFM. She had the nail peeling thing afterwards.

Third time she had painful spots in her mouth, made worse by tripping and biting the inside of her lip. Think she had a fever too,I know she was off a few days.

None of the rest of us caught anything noticeable any time.

thinkfast · 12/10/2021 23:14

When I had it in my mid 30s it lasted about a week. My blisters were all in my throat- none external. Good luck op

Akushla123 · 12/10/2021 23:31

Gosh these stories are all making me very glad we are keeping our son off! I hope anyone currently suffering from this gets better quickly (especially the little ones).

littlemisslozza · 12/10/2021 23:52

Two of mine had it when they were nursery aged and had some spots which blistered and were a bit tired and grumpy. Easily mistaken for chickenpox initially. Just for a few days, still able to play etc and recovered well.

I thought my middle DC had also had it but I'm not so sure now. Last year, he caught it aged 11 and was much more poorly than his siblings had been. Had over a week off school (he'd only ever had one day off before that). Itchy, tired, high temperature, spots which blistered, painful to walk as blisters on feet. Ulcers in mouth meant he couldn't eat properly. It was miserable and it took him a good few weeks to lose the fatigue too.

Given the choice I think it's one of those common childhood illnesses that you DO want them to get when at nursery as it's often much more unpleasant if you catch it as an older child or adult. The rest if us must have had immunity as we didn't catch it.

ittakes2 · 13/10/2021 00:57

My son had it 3 times (apparently there are two strains) and both his twin sister and me got it once and my husband never got it.

Holskey · 13/10/2021 01:37

My ds caught it from nursery but recovered quite quickly. Neither I nor do caught it. They allow children to attend with it and nhs website says children can continue to attend school.

immersivereader · 13/10/2021 02:01

Weird, I've never actually heard of a bloke catching it

🤔

ThinWomansBrain · 13/10/2021 02:07

www.nhs.uk/conditions/hand-foot-mouth-disease/

sheusesmagazines · 13/10/2021 06:09

My 2 year old just had it. Was quite ill with a fever/lethargy/not eating for 2 days, then the spots came up (mild around nose, mouth, hands and nappy area) and he started to feel better over the next 3. Went back to nursery after 5 day.

I’m pregnant and didn’t catch anything. DP got a sore throat/cough that is still lingering 2 weeks later, no sores.

NavigatingAdolescence · 13/10/2021 06:12

I caught it from DD and was absolutely floored for 3 weeks.

SteveArnottsWaistcoat · 13/10/2021 06:51

2 of mine had it. I never caught it so must be immune, thankfully. Neither did DH.

I know a guy who got it from his son and he was absolutely knocked for 6! It’s a nasty one but sounds like chicken pox.

Interestingly none of my kids have had chicken pox. They’ve all been exposed too.

Fruitteatime · 13/10/2021 06:57

My DC cam down with it whilst we were away with family; none of the 6 adults or older DC got it from him. I vaguely remember my older one already had it as a toddler. He struggled to eat for a few days and had temperature, followed by mouth ulcers and finally spots on his hands, pretty much a day between each symptom appearing and then by day 5 was starting to eat again. It was a miserable few days but it passed relatively quickly. We did keep him off from his childcare as there is someone there who is very vulnerable.

Original poster
sombrilla · 13/10/2021 08:31

Thank you for all the solidarity it has made me feel oddly better. It’s truly awful but we are day 5 and starting to feel a bit better so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully we all have gotten some sort of immunity and will only have to do this once.
I think there are so many nasty bugs going around after the last year of isolation, everyone around us seems to be ill. FlowersGinandBrew for everyone.

OP posts:
EmmaOvary · 13/10/2021 14:11

South London here. 16 month old caught it and symptoms were a very angry, crusty rash and red spots around bum and legs. Fever lasting only a couple of hours, lethargy a couple of days. Started getting spots on feet but they disappeared before really appearing. As for pain, hard to say as he couldn't tell us but he was more clingy. He never got the mouth ulcers so quite a mild case.

CrankyFrankie · 13/10/2021 14:22

Liquid piriton saved the day in our house x

TheVolturi · 13/10/2021 17:50

Well, five days from the start of my dd coming down with it, ds age 7 now has it. Seems to come on really suddenly, they both started with exactly same symptoms, headache, sore throat, temp and just feeling terrible. He's a really tough lad but his temp is 39 and he's curled up in a ball feeling awful. Poor kid.

TheVolturi · 13/10/2021 17:50

Just to say, it's confirmed by the fact that he's got spots in house throat!

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