Hand Foot & Mouth! Aarghh!

[slightlycrumpled]

Hi DS has had this since Tuesday and has barely eaten since then & not at all today. I'm AT&T wits end. Is this normal with hfm does anyone know?
He is drinking but only from a bottle, which he never has during the day normally.

Calpol, nurofen regularly. I don't know what else to do.

AT&T what???!!! Bloody phone!

sorry bout your DS.
have you been to the doctors?? how old is he?

Thanks. He is 18 months. Spoke to gp on phone on Wednesday who said it's just a virus & will go on it's own. Just hard when he is refusing all food.

My son was 10 months when he had it and didnt eat for a while - can't remember how long. Daughter 15 months has it at the mo and hardly ate for 2 days is back eating again now though. I caught it off my son and it makes your mouth very sore so not surprised they won't eat tbh. My daughter also wanted just milk in a bottle! Am sure he will be ok as long as he is drinking - I would not pressure him too much to eat - partly as I sometimes wonder if sons fussy eating comes from having hand foot and mouth as he had finally started to sort of eat solids normally before having it ( slow weaner) and he's been fussy ever since!

you can give him difflam mouth spray, get ye to a chemist pronto. About £6 and you spray according to weight.
It will give him some relief in mouth. My DS had this terribly, wouldn't even suck his dummy.
If he had it since tues, I would say you are nearly over the worse. It really is HORRIBLE mild childhood virus my arse

Thankyou . Feel a bit better knowing we are perhaps over the worst.

You're right there is bugger all mild about this. He can't use his dummy, his bottom is raw and none of us has slept for three nights !

Hi feel your pain - dd1 had this all over half term and kept us awake for 5 nights running. I did take to docs who basically said Calpol but try and syringe into the back of the throat to avoid mouth blisters, use Difflam spray - which dd says was the only thing that helped - and to use antiseptic cream on the hands and feet when the blisters burst to avoid secondary infection.

Its bloody awful going through it but if its any help, with dd she appeared to get better overnight - went from really poorly and complaining to eating properly and bouncing off the walls within about 12 hrs.

Hang in there I reckon you're through the worst........

DS had this last week. Gave him lots of pain killers and just babied him a bit. He's 20 months. Bottles of milk, baby porridge, cake and ice cream. He was definitely over the worst of it 7 days after the first spot appeared.

When my dd had this she survived on yoghurt and ice cream for a few days - just let him have whatever he'll eat that won't sting the sores - it won't hurt for a few days and obviously regular pain relief. hth

Sympathies - my DS had this aged 15 months and ate nothing. He went back to milk like a newborn to the point were he had milky 'chicken korma' poos again .

'Tis rubbish, but it passes. I hope your LO is better soon.

How is he slightly crumpled today?

If his hands and feet are sore/itchy, you can use calamine. I caught it off a child at school (I teach) and had it very severely. I couldn't even pick up a cup or walk, the blisters on my hands and feet were so bad. Calamine helped. Is he itchy? Can you use piriton syrup or is he too young?

Hi, just coming back to this. Thankyou for asking after him, he is much much better thank goodness.

I can honestly say that hand foot & mouth was by far the worst 'normal' childhood virus that any of my three have had! He was really poorly, but almost as suddenly as it arrived it went. He has today eaten us out of house and home. His older brothers were horrified at hid table manners today !
Thanks again.

God, awful typing there! Going to blame that one on needing to take out my contact lenses as they've gone funny.