Hand/Mouth/Foot Disease

Hi mom,
My kid had it, and his friends too. Don't be too worried, she'll be okay. It takes a few days and then it is back too normal. Though I understand how you'd feel, especially with you first baby, a little pain and suffering they can handle and it toughens them up. Perhaps she would enjoy a popsicle for hydration? I believe you can buy special ones in the market for babies that are sick. Hang in, and I hope Amber feels better soon!

Best,
M. M.

Hi S. -

Hand, Foot & Mouth disease (also known as Coxsackie Virus) cannot be treated with an antibiotic, since it is a viral infection. That being said, there is a concoction that my doctor prescribed when my son Pete (now nearly 15 months old) contracted the virus about a month ago: it contains Benedryl, Maalox and Lidocaine (which is a topical anesthetic/analgesic, it basically numbs the pain). You need to get a prescription for it, so call your doctor. It's not a miracle cure, but it helps them temporarily and is better than nothing. You swab this on the inside of the mouth to help numb the pain of the sores; in addition, you can alternate giving your daughter Infant Motrin and Tylenol to maintain a steady level of pain management - these drugs do not interact with one another; just follow the directions your doctor gives you. Pete's doctor had us giving him infant Motrin in the morning, then Tylenol a few hours later, then the Motrin (at the proper interval - 6 hours later, I think), then Tylenol, etc. It helped keep Pete more comfortable and his fever down.

A couple of things to note about Coxsackie Virus - not all kids show symptoms of it, but all are exposed to it. It is very common, and can run rampant through day care centers, but not everyone is aware when their child is exposed to it, since some people only have a sore throat. Once you are exposed to one strain, you are immune (you may come down with another strain, however). Coxsackie is highly contagious, but is generally not seen in adults (since chances are, we've already been exposed to it); you want to make sure to keep her away from other children (and out of day care) until she has been fever-free for at least 24 or 48 hours. Your daughter may develop a red pinpoint rash on her hands and feet; this is normal. If you get the concoction I described above, try giving your daughter Pedialyte right after swabbing her mouth, to try to minimize the risk of dehydration. You can mix it with apple or grape juice, but try to avoid acidic fruit juices since they will sting her mouth. Milk is also good, and will hurt less. My son didn't drink anything for an entire day - once we swabbed his mouth, he sucked down his bottle and had some Pedialyte and apple juice.

Call your doctor, ask about the concoction, and check on the Motrin/Tylenol schedule. Pete's virus lasted about 5 days. Good luck - hope that Amber is feeling better soon!

B.

Hi S.,

Unfortunatly there really isn't much you can do. Both of my children had the same thing when they were little. You could try and give her freeze pops. I believe that they Pedi-sure makes one. That will help keep her hydrated and the cold might help with the discomfort. It should pass in a few days.

The doctors can't perscribe an antibiotic becasue its a viral infection not a bacterial infection. It wouldn't do any good.

Good luck. I hope she feels better soon. I know how helpless you feel when all you can so is wait for an illness to pass.

One other point to note- you child can not come in contact with any pregnant women while having the virus. It can be very dangerous for the fetus.

Sounds like your poor little girl is feeling horrible. My girlfriend's little girl got this also. All you can do is the best to keep her a comfortable as possible. It is a viral infection so antibiotics do nothing. For antibiotics to work, the infection must be bacterial in nature.

Just keep an eye on her hydration level. If she is not peeing like normal, eyes seem a little sucken in and have dark circles, etc....call your doctor.

Good luck and I hope she's on the mend soon.

Hi S.,

Yes. It is very common in small children and actually it's the other way around. They pick up the virus by their hands touching their feet and put in their mouth. It's also contagious and that is why it tends to run rampant in nursery schools, etc.

It is a virus. Unfortunately, there is no antibiotic for viruses. Fact is, it's best to let her own body build up immunities as that makes her stronger as she gets older to ward off other infections. A virus is like a "cold" per se. No antibiotics ward off colds. Antibiotics are only for infections and should be used liberally so that the body does not adjust to it. Your seeing a nation of more "sicker" adults because back in the 50's and 60's doc's prescribed pennicillin for nearly everything so many adults now have a resistance towards antibiotics. Your doctor is doing correct.

I would really push the pedialyte popscicles. (freezepops) that will help to prevent any dehydration. Keep fluids in her to keep her hydrated. Mainly water, pedialyte powders to "sweeten it up". By the way, of my 3 children my daughter was the one who had everything and anything "gross". lol. She had hand foot mouth disease, impetego, a ring worm on her leg, some strange rash after chicken pox (in which they called in the Center For Disease Control) head lice twice in elementary school, ticks, and many bee stings! LOL Yes...she put me through the ringer with the "gross stuff"...but is a fine healthy young married woman now who is also a nurse. Take care and keep us posted.

My son had this last summer (he is almost 2 now). they also did not give him antibiotics and I had to squeeze pedialyte into his mouth via a medicine dropper every few minutes. It did not last long at all and after about a day he was feeling better to drink some by himself. I hope your little one feels better. I know it is the most difficult thing to see them not feeling well and not able to understand why. Good luck!

I'm lucky enough to say that my son never got this very common disease. However, as a nurse I will say for certain that if it is viral, antibiotics are useless. Over-use of these drugs has caused many antibiotic-resistant infections to surface. That said, there are anti-viral meds out there too. Your pediatrician would know for sure if they are appropriate. Just do your best to keep her comfy, and this will pass. Maybe some benadryl or hydocortisone would at lest keep the rash under control. Ask your doc about proper dosages. Hang in there!

Hi S. -- Unfortunately this is a very common virus for little ones. My girls had it, along with my nieces in NY state. We all followed the same treatment and they were fine. Apparently antibiotics are only prescribed for infections, so viruses have to run their course. It's just hard to watch them feel so uncomfortable. Hang in there!

Hi S.!

My nephew had the same virus and it is extremely common. He was a year old when he caught the virus and he was unable to swallow, eat, etc. He cried for 72 hours straight and had a really high temperature. Unfortunately, all you can do is keep the temp under control and try to get any kind of liquid in them. It will work its way out of her system but it isn't fun at all. Hang in there!!!

Hello,
I feel badly that your daughter is having a hard time with the symptoms of Hand, foo, mouth disease. Unfortunately, there really is not much at all you can do besides what the dr. already told you. I have worked in child care for over 25 years, and have seen many cases over this time. Just make her as comfortable as possible and it will go away soon!
S.

Hi S.!

My daughter had this at the age of 6! It was a miserable period of time....and one of the things that I think helped was alternating meds. My doctors have recommended this for high fevers that are difficul to keep down. I just give her tylenol & motrin every 4 hours. Not both....I alternate. Tylenol, then Motrin, then Tylenol, then Motrin. I find that really helps in those difficult times when the fever just keeps coming back full force at least an hour before the next scheduled dose of Motrin. Another thing I did was give her lukewarm bubble baths. I've never been an advocate for having bathtime be play time...something about spending any extended amount of time in a pool of her own dirt....it just grosses me out. Plus, when my children were younger my doctor advised me that extended periods of time in dirty bath water can actually lead to infections. So, when I do allow her to have these rare bubble baths, she LOVES it! I can get her to stay in there for a good 20-30 minutes...just long enough for the water to cool down & at the same time bring her body temperature down! That Hand Mouth & Foot virus was one of the worst things I'd ever experienced with one of my children....the only one that beat it was when my daughter (same daughter) had a DOUBLE bacterial conjunctivitis. Her eyes were swollen completely shut & I had to literally pick her up & carry her around the house to do things....like go to the bathroom! Poor thing! She was laid up about 3 days with that. The doctor had her on eye drops and steroids for it. That was the worst ever....Between those two infections, my daughter has become a lot more careful about washing her hands and not touching her face. She used to have a bad habit of putting her hands in her mouth & eyes....which is exactly why she's the only one in our family that ever contracted all of the weird viruses & infections!

Best of luck!
-W.