Phobia of hand foot and mouth (and other bugs)

[Starry4321]

I have a one year old. I definitely have a bit of anxiety around getting ill/the feeling of being ill - I hate it! It’s actually got a lot better over time, most probably through exposure to lots of viruses with having a child.

The one I am dreading is hand foot and mouth. It’s circulating in our area and our baby has a bit of a fever right now and I’m freaking out it’s hand foot and mouth. I also have a fear that I’ll get it and be somehow be too ill to look after my baby.

disclaimer - we have had normal colds and flus this year and I was still able to power through. I think this is definitely a bit psychological.

Would love some reassuring stories of people who had kids who got it and it wasn’t that bad or you didn’t even catch it from them 🙏

I got hand foot and mouth for my ds and it was only two spots on my hands. That was all, did not feel any difference.

Almost everyone I know who got it from their kids had it very mild.

My husband on the other hand got a really bad case and it was all over his feet and scalp. But he grew up on another continent and his family never heard of it so I'm thinking he never got exposed to the virus when he was younger.

Also he said it was just inconvenient, slightly painful to walk and itchy. But it was gone in a week.

I've had it it wasn't fun but it goes and was better than the vomiting bug

DH had it but I avoided it. It wasn’t pleasant for DH but it was few of uncomfortableness. He ate a lot of tzatziki because it was nice on his throat. The first vomiting bug DC brought was worse. Not least because DH was moaning about how bad the stomach cramps were, which just weren’t even registering for me. We both had it and weren’t well. You still manage to look after your baby it just involves a lot more TV, ready meals and taking turns to sleep.

They’re going to bring something horrible home. More than once. Make sure you always have paracetamol, calpol and rehydration sachets in. Try to have a meal in the freezer for you and DC that can be shoved in the oven or the microwave. Depending on the bug, the person who is least sick will probably have to venture out for plain foods or soft foods. You might eat ready made mash for a few days and your house will be a mess but it’ll pass.

Its just a minor virus and some spots. Why the drama?

My kids have had it so many times I’ve lost count and I’ve never caught it from them.

Wait until Norovirus pays you a visit 🤮

I had it two weeks ago. I felt flu-ey for an afternoon, then better the next morning. Got a bit of dry skin on my finger tips and one spot on my foot.

You will have had HFMV as a child, you have antibodies and white blood cells that know how to fight it off. And there's a good chance your little one - if/when they catch it - will be spotty but fine :)

My 8mo currently has it and has really surprised me by being totally fine. Lots of spots but has been ok in themselves and their usual happy self during the day. We only had one night of fever but it passed quickly. So for us it's not been too bad luckily but it is one of those things that's almost inevitable they'll catch if they're but you just get through it like any other virus.

HF&F is like colds in that there are so many strains, and they range from mild to rotten. We've had three brushes with it, first time dd1 was 1, and it made her really quite miserable for 3 days, I caught it and had it for the full 10 days, not fun but I was able to care for my daughter the whole time. Dd2 has brought it home twice, ages 4 and 5. Dd1 missed it the first time, and had very mild symptoms the second. I didn't catch it again.
The horriyfing pictures that come up on Google of massive tongue ulcers are very much the worst case scenario, and not the common experience.

It's really just random tbh. DD1 was barely affected, I caught it quite badly and had a mouth full of ulcers and couldn't eat, but it was 'bad' for less than a week. DD2 got it badly, but again, a few days for the worst and it was over. It's just one of those things, like all these kid ailments. Get the Cpox vaccine if you haven't already though - you can pay privately. That's one nasty illness off the list at least.

My son had it last month quite badly,- it lasted about a week and we were with him all day every day and neither me or DP got it.

I caught it and it wasn’t a barrel of laughs. But I think your fear of it is worse than the reality. You have coped with worse. You have coped with pregnancy and childbirth.

My 8mo had it two weeks ago - not bad at all, just a few spots on his hands, feet and outer ears! Nothing in his mouth and he didn’t seem affected. We didn’t catch it off him.

It varies so please don't stress yourself out about worst case scenarios. My son had it and it was upsetting as it was hard for him swallowing but he is definitely the sort of child who is very sensitive to lots of things and doesn't take illness well. My daughter on the other hand had it at a similar time and it wasn't nearly as bad.

I had it and it hurt my feet loads. I couldn't walk it was so painful, but I secretly enjoyed the fact that I had to lie on the sofa for a week and make my partner do everything.

DD, 3yo, recently had it for the second time but apart from the spots had no other symptoms this time. My husband caught and got quite a lot of blisters but was ok and not unwell and me and DS, 11mo, avoided it all together. It's really not as bad as you fear. I thought it was going to be horrendous but neither time has been that bad.

My son had it when he was about 3, bad snotty cold with a few spots around the mouth. He wasn't bothered at all, I got a mouth full of ulcers which I assume was the HFM, but that's it really

My DD had a mild case of HFM recently but she wasn’t too bothered by it and didn’t need time off nursery. We have had so many other worse illnesses from nursery and I get much more anxious about sickness bugs and fevers.