Whew!!

The volume of calls is very, very high, and I am struggling to keep up. Thanks for your patience. Helpful to the front desk is to keep any messages to a sentence or two.

This week we have-

---Hand Foot and mouth, a nifty little virus, usually with fever, but can come without, characterized by sores in the mouth and on the soles of the feet, palm of the hand. It spreads rapidly and every child usually gets it at least once. Your child is not contagious after the sores have crusted over and the child feels well.

Treatment usually includes ibuprofen or acetaminophen for fever, cool creamy foods usually are tolerated well.

It is already warmer than usual here in the Bay Area, so really offer those drinks! Especially if your little one has a fever.

----We continue to have a tummy bug as well with vomiting. Rest, clear liquids, when the clear liquids stay down, then you can move to the BRAT diet (Bananas, rice, (white or rice cereal) apples (really applesauce is best) and toast (white bread, no butter). This is a time to stock up on non-food items like jello (pick a light color as it is less likely to stain your couch). As long as we can keep kids well hydrated, they usually pull through without needed medical care (like anti-emetics and IV fluids). Remember that breastmilk is considered a clear liquid.

---I continue to see some vial rashy thing- fever (100-103), when the fever breaks the child gets a rash on the torso (it creeps a few other places too). If the fever breaks and then the rash comes, it is usually viral in nature, an is a sign that the virus is on its way out. Kids can return to school when they are fever free for 24 hours and _feel well_ even if they still have the rash on the trunk. Rashes that come _with_ a high fever need to be seen.

Love to all!!


Nurse Charity