Experiences of Hand Foot and Mouth disease?

[cakesonatrain]

I have Google-diagnosed DS (2.1) with Hand Foot and Mouth.
Spots with blisters mostly hands, feet and bum, but also smaller ones (just red, not blistered) on arms and legs and a couple in mouth. I've not seen any mention of the spots spreading to arms and legs though, which is making me doubt it.
He's tireder than usual, and had a bit of a cough last week. No temperature, and very giggly boy just as normal.

Surprisingly to me, DD (6mo) shows no signs yet. HF&M is supposed to be very contagious, and he's often all over her, as toddlers are. His first spots appeared on Thursday, but we thought it was just irritation from going swimming every day. Definite blisters on his hands and feet, just red spots elsewhere, and he doesn't like me wiping his bottom. One manky nappy today, but been ok until that.

Does this sound like HF&M?

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Hi there - this thread is a little old. [[https://www.mumsnet.com/babies/hand-foot-and-mouth-disease-in-babies
If you want to find out about hand, foot and mouth disease in babies, we’ve got lots of information here]]. MNHQ

[MrsIcarus]

My DS had it at 11.5 months and wasn't particularly poorly with it. Our GP prescribed Piriton at bedtime to help relieve any discomfort.

[cakesonatrain]

Sounds like we're just getting off quite lightly then. Will look out for the toenails!

[tazmo]

Hi my son seems to have a line of ulcers on his inner mouth tonight and he's tired and got a temp of 38.6oC. Does this sound similar? Only one spot on his hand so far. Does he need to stay off school? He is 5.

[cakesonatrain]

Could well be. Don't know about school though.

[ilovepowerhoop]

if he has a temperature tomorrow then yes keep him off school

Health Protection Agency say there is no need to exclude unless there are large numbers of children affected by it

www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947358374

[tazmo]

Hi yes if he has it, he's only got it in his mouth. He seems too ok after Calpol but tonight he said he has not a too good headache and he's taken HIMSELF off to bed for a change. He does have ulcer type things on throat and tonsils so can't work out if that or tonsillitis (which he's had before but he seems too well for tonsillitis). Does anyone know if ulcers appear in throat too?

[turningitaround]

Hi,
Brief update: well, the trainee doctor said it wasnt hand, foot, mouth but mild chickenpox and DD2 could go back to school tomorrow (!?!). Am totally unconvinced (by diagnosis and non-existant quarantine), but there you go ...
Hope your little one doing OK too!

[fishandlilacs]

My gp said that Chicken pox almost exclsusively begins with the first spots appearing on the torso. With HFMD it starts in groin, mouth or hands and feet. They also wont scab over with a crust if they are HFM but will if they are CP.

The first GP i saw when my son had HFMD misdiagnosed thrush because it was in his groin and nappy area first and down his legs, especially round his knees.

A handy bath for both skin conditions is to use bicarb, seasalt and lavender oil if you have handful of each and 6 drops of lavender.

[cakesonatrain]

Are your DD's spots going crusty, turning? If they appeared on thurs wouldn't they by now if it was CP? I seem to recall that pox-spots are yellower than hfm spots, but I could be misremembering.

DS is less whingy today, but still pretty tired. The spots on his feet that were mostly blisters this morning were looking a bit like bruises by bedtime. They look like they must hurt, but he was very happily dancing to a selection of eighties hits this afternoon :)

[cakesonatrain]

...and now DD has spots :(
Explains why she barely slept for an hour without waking me up all night.

[turningitaround]

Spots a bit crusty, but still red. It's so not chickenpox ...
I've been running a temperature the last 36hours which I expect is related (usually pretty fit), but DS1 and DD1 fortunately seem fine.
DD2 is OK, a bit clingy and very tantrumy but that's pretty much normal.
How are you doing?

[RubyrooUK]

My son had it (at maybe somewhere between one and two years old). He was so ill with a 40+ degree temp that he was sent to A&E. He didn't have many large spots (they presented more like tiny tiny bumps) but apparently his whole throat was covered in the ulcers as far as the doctor could see. She said at the time "he must be in horrible pain" which made me feel terrible. Funnily enough, it was much much worse than his bout of chicken pox a few months later.

My friend's son got it with almost no symptoms apart from the spots. He wasn't ill at all. Then his dad caught it and was very unwell. It seems to affect people so differently.

Hope your son feels better soon.

[cakesonatrain]

No crustiness on the spots here, they're just sort of going bruisey.

DS is still pretty much ok, thanks, but his mouth was bothering him a lot at teatime, which it hasn't seemed to before. He has got one big ulcery spot on his tongue, which looks horrid. For some reason cream crackers are preferable to most other food
DD has fewer spots so far, but her sleep has been terrible and she has become the trumpiest creature on earth. That might be weaning-related though, it's so hard to know!