hand foot mouth review

Since we are seeing so much hand foot mouth lately I thought I would do a little review.
Hand foot mouth is a very common illness that most kids get once during childhood. I have seen a few rare patients who don't seem to hold the immunity and have had it more than once, but they are the exception.
I also do see some parents who get it (and are quite miserable)
It is a virus. Time will fix it. Unfortunately there is no magic pill for this one.

I actually like to call it Hand Foot Mouth and Butt, because in my experience kids often get blisters on their Butts as well as on the hands and feet.
Some kids have mild congestion and fevers as part of this.
It is a very variable illness, meaning that one child will not look very sick and another can feel wretched. The lucky ones might simply have a mystery spot on the hand and that is it! Most of them are better within a week.
I have found that the kids with the most mouth involvement are the most miserable. In extreme cases the mouth sores are so awful that they don't want to eat or drink and can have a risk of dehydration. ( watch for decreased energy and urine output)
If your child has a lot of mouth sores, tylenol and or advil are very appropriate for pain relief even if they don't have a fever.
Offer cool creamy and soft foods ( hooray if you have breast milk).
Avoid anything acidic or sharp, like orange juice or tortilla chips.
Smoothies are great. I like an over the counter medication called glyoxide that can be applied by Q-tip to affected areas ( if your child lets you anywhere near them!)

The exposure period for this is usually about 3 days to a week. In other words, if your child was exposed on a Monday...they may start to show symptoms as early as Thursday but if a week goes by without anything happening you are probably out of the woods.
On the other hand, If you child has the illness. They are contagious as long as they still have blisters or a fever and perhaps can shed the virus for a week or 2 after wards.
If your child is happy and eating and has no fever but has a few blisters I would try to keep them away from a new born or someone with a compromised immune system, but it seems excessive to expect you to keep your kids out of daycare if that is the only symptom.
Good hand washing is key to avoiding this.
making sure the shared toys are cleaned frequently.
Bottom line, don't freak out..this is a rite of passage. Call as needed!
Nurse Judy