Help Dealing with Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease (Coxsackie A Virus)

    

***I am not a doctor. The information I am sharing is from personal experience only. You should always seek medical advice and confirmation from your doctor before assuming your child has this virus or any other medical condition.***

'Tis the season once again for Hand Food & Mouth Disease (A.K.A. Coxsackie A Virus)! I am active on and with all sorts of mom groups and it seems that this virus is coming back with a vengeance this summer in lots of communities. So, in making lemonade out of what was lemons for me a while back, I thought I'd share my experience and knowledge with you, for you to consider and to discuss with your doctor should you think your child has this virus.

Unlike its name, this is not a disease, but is actually a virus. And not unlike any other virus, it needs to run its course. My son had this twice within a few months of each other a few years ago and the first round was so brutal that the doctors at our family health clinic told us it was the worse case they have ever personally seen. Most children, so I'm told, have the worst part of the virus for 1-3 days. Ours lasted for 10 days. And that's not including getting rid of the rash entirely either. The second time he had it, it was over and done with in about 2-3 days, with minimal discomfort, "easy peasy" as my son would now say. (Ya right!)

In our experience, it came on practically out of nowhere. He was fine in the morning and then early afternoon he got a high fever and got super cranky. It was a Friday afternoon and I thought that maybe he was getting an ear infection as he had no other indicators besides the fever and crankiness. So we took him in later that afternoon, and when they routinely checked his mouth, they could see tiny little pin prick type marks on the inside of his mouth and on his tongue. We would  never have noticed it initially as the dots were so small, seen only when a flashlight was shone inside.

The night wore on and the rash on his hands, feet, lower legs and inside the diaper started. It was so itchy for him and the Benadryl seemed to do little for it. And then the mouth sores turned into blisters. That was when the "real" discomfort and pain started. Just when you thought the blisters were going away, you'd see new pin prick spots forming in a different area of the mouth, letting you know that you were far from done with the virus!

During the time that the blisters were forming and bursting, he would not eat, and would drink barely anything. And I mean ANYTHING! Not water, not treats like pop, chocolate milk, pudding or ice cream. All he could do was cry and lie around lethargically, while drooling excessively. When he would close his mouth, it would put pressure on the blisters, causing even more discomfort, so his mouth would be wide open just drooling all over. It was horrible to see him in such pain. We were piggy backing Tylenol every few  hours with the Advil for the pain, which we had to force feed him via a medication syringe. It was the only way to get it down! How upsetting it was to see him in so much pain and then have to hold him down and force feed him the meds. We had to do that very carefully, only giving a few mls at a time to the inside corner of his mouth with the plastic syringe so that he would not choke on it, or spit any of it up. Otherwise we'd have no idea how much of the pain reliever he would have actually gotten down.  And then we'd apply Calamine Lotion to the outer rash on outer body, which also didn't do too much to alleviate the itchiness.

That was, until I cam across another mom on a parent forum who had amazing advice. She told me about Magic Mouthwash. (This link gives various combinations, but is for adults FYI.)  It was a prescription preparation that was originally made for children with mouth sores from cancer treatments. (Or so she told me.) It is now used occasionally for other sores in the mouth. My doctor had never heard of this, nor my local pharmacy, so I contacted the pharmacist at the pharmacy inside The Hospital for Sick Children and inquired with them. They faxed me their "recipe" for it, which at that time was a combination of Benadryl, Mylanta and Lidocaine. (It might be something different now.) I brought that in to the doctor. She provided me with the prescription and I had to take it to a compounding pharmacy to get them to mix it up for me. (This is sometimes not covered by drug plans, so be sure to inquire.) To use the Magic Mouthwash, you'd either have to take a Q-Tip and dab it into the solution and apply to the sores in their mouth, or allow them to swish it around in the mouth and spit it out if they were old enough and willing to do that given their pain level. While it's not 100% the answer, it is something that is helpful in numbing the pain inside the mouth for a while.

With regards to the itching, that mother also told us to bathe our son frequently throughout the day in the Aveeno Medicated Oatmeal bath mix that can be bought at any pharmacy type store. (Hope Aveeno appreciates this free plug! LOL) You just have to make sure it's this Medicated one designed for poison oak, rashes etc. It comes with individual pouches inside the box and we would put about 1/2 a pack into a few inches of water. (Depending on your child's ages and size, you'd have to adjust the amount of oatmeal and water after consulting with your doctor and/or pharmacist to ensure that this is compatible with your child - and NEVER leave your child unattended in this bath or any other bath!) We would do this several times per day and it was the only thing that seemed to mostly alleviate his itchiness, in addition to the Benadryl and Calamine Lotion when he got out of the bath. Then it was back again for another oatmeal soak a few hours later. (Note: Make sure to rinse your tub out after each bath, otherwise you will end up with small clumps of oatmeal that is brutal to clean afterwards - trust me! Even if it is all absorbed into the water, the oatmeal will settle while the tub is draining - and as if you need anything else to do while this is all going on!)

Once the rash started to dry up, it got very dark and noticeable and eventually got a bit scaly until they finally faded away. At this stage, a salt water bath with just a bit of epsom salts or something might also be helpful in healing up the rash on the outer skin, but NOT in the mouth, as that would lead to stinging. His fingernails also started to peel a while after the rash went away, but that did not bother him (or us!) in the least. Once the last of the mouth sores were starting to clear up, it was much smoother sailing. Can I get an Amen?!

He started willingly drinking chocolate milk. We don't usually buy this, but this was definitely at "special" occasion if you will, and we let him go to town on that for a while as he really needed to get re-hydrated. Dehydration is usually the biggest concern with this virus due to reduced amount or refusal to eat/drink.  One thing to very mindful about is not to offer them juice or any other beverage or food item that might be acidic, as this will sting their mouths causing even more pain. Just think of something like mustard or vinegar when you have a canker, only a million times worse, I'm sure. Ouch!

This virus is spread via feces, pus from the blisters, saliva or other droplets expressed through coughing, sneezing an/or drooling. It is most prominent in kids under 5, although anyone older than that can get it (and yes, that also means you, so wash those hands man!). It is quite contagious and it is said that the infected person is usually the most contagious during the 1st week of the virus, but it is theoretically contagious for weeks afterwards. It usually starts off with a fever, which it did in our case, and then moves on to the mouth blisters which then ulcerate, and the rash that can be on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, legs and groin area. (In our case it was also up the wrists and parts of the arm as well, and around the outside of the mouth.)

For those who are in the midst of it, I wish you quick healing. For those of you who are scared or concerned about getting it, the only real thing that I know of is to practice good hand washing techniques family-wide, especially after diaper changes, as well as during and after going to places where other kids typically frequent. And for those of us that have already experienced this dreadful virus, may that be the last the time we ever experience this ever again!

And to the virus, I say loudly "GO COXSACKIE YOURSELF!"

***** These views are mine, and mine alone. As with anything, you are responsible for assessing whether this item and/or activity is safe and suitable for your specific needs. InfoMommy does not make any warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, and assumes no responsibility and/or liability for any actions taken as a result of this blog post.*****