Tuesday, March 25, 2014

And The Diagnosis Is. . .

Coxsackie virus, aka hand, foot and mouth.  Apparently, one of the preschools here has a massive outbreak.  Not coincidentally, I'm sure, we have many friends and acquaintances who send their kids there.  We're not sure yet exactly who SB contracted it from (our other friend indeed had impetigo last week), but since there seems to be a big outbreak going on in our area, it could have been anyone.  Since we did a lot of socializing this weekend (mostly BEFORE she had any symptoms, but while she was likely contagious), I've warned as many people as I could.  Now I am just keeping my fingers crossed that our friends' kids stay well.

I talked with one father who said "you know, my daughter has had a weird rash for three days now."  Since my daughter played with her on Saturday, then showed symptoms on Monday, I don't think she could have given it to SB, but yikes.  This outbreak could be HUGE!

There isn't any treatment, other than Tylenol.  It's a relief that we can give it to her, though.  Overnight she developed tiny spots all over her hands, and she kept waking up crying and telling us how much her face and hands hurt her.  I didn't want to give her anything, since we weren't entirely sure what we were dealing with.  But after a quick trip to the doctor this morning and a quick diagnosis, we now know.  A dose of Tylenol later, she's a happy girl again, and tearing around the house.  Unlike some kids, she has no fever.  So, we have to quarantine her for about a week (no park! argh!  Good thing we bought that bouncy house for her birthday), and it should pass in about that time.

Of course, the big question is whether poor Miss M will get it.  She came home with a fever today, which COULD be a sign she is coming down with the virus.  But it so far seems more like a cold, and she woke frequently last night due to SB's crying.  Fingers crossed that she doesn't get it!

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