Well, we made it 13 months without anything but a well-baby visit to the pediatrician. Ok, minus the CT scan for the bump on his head that turned out to be just fine. The point is, we made it this far without him getting sick. I guess that reign had to end sometime!
Sunday was rough - he didn't feel well and had a fever and was (understandably) pretty clingy. And that's really unusual for him. That night was awful for him. He was up and crying really hard from 12 until 3, slept for a few hours, and was up crying again around 5:30. Poor guy was just so uncomfortable - he wouldn't nurse because his mouth hurt so badly. He was super drooly and at one point threw up because he was crying so hard. Oh, and he cut a new tooth in the middle of the night, too, so that I'm sure didn't help!
Monday was similar to that night in that he was super drooly and needy, but he wasn't crying nearly as hard. I started to see some spots on his hands and feet, legs, arms, and diaper area. I thought it might be the chicken pox, but that seemed odd, since it's a highly vaccinated disease these days. In the midst of everything, my angel neighbor showed up at my door with a giant Diet Coke for me and a Gatorade for DJ. I pounded mine and he took a few sips of his.
I called my mom a few times (because she's a nurse, I call her a lot for baby health advice), and she said she'd call the pediatrician. I didn't want to be one of those moms who called in every time her kid
sneezed, so when she said she'd call, I took that as the ultimate permission. They said to bring him on in. The doctor took one look at him and gave me the verdict. Poor guy has Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. She showed me the roof of his mouth - the back of it was covered in small white blisters. No wonder he felt so awful! I was obviously bummed he got it (I blame the play place at Burger King), but at least I now know what it is and what we're in for.
The treatment for HFM is basically take a pain reliever and good luck with that, so we hunkered down. I got some cold soft foods for him like ice cream, yogurt, and Jello, but so far, he hasn't wanted any of that. Monday night we gave him an oatmeal bath to help his skin feel a little better and some Motrin. He slept from 9 until 4 (thank the
heavens - I was beyond tired) and then got up and wanted to play with Deg until just after 5. He got back into bed with us and slept till 9. He was obviously exhausted, too (minus the mid-night need to terrorize his toys).
Yesterday was a great day. I'd say his personality was back 80-90%. He hasn't had a fever since Monday night and was up playing and doing his dance moves and being generally quite happy. He looks worse, though - he has hundreds of bumps on his hands, arms, legs, feet, and diaper area. They don't seem to bother him, though. He wouldn't let me check his mouth, but it had to be doing better for him to be up and at 'em like that, though it's probably not all better, because I can't get him to eat anything but breastmilk - not even a French fry, and he never says no to that! We gave him another oatmeal bath, and he actually came running with me and my friend Tina (we run when it's dark because it's so hot - did I tell you that I'm training for a half marathon at the end of September? I must be crazy). Bless the person who invented jogging strollers. He enjoyed the ride for about 3
1/2 of the 4 miles we did. I carried him and Tina pushed the stroller while we walked the last half mile. He was a trooper, but was ready for bed. I would have left him with Deg, but the office called, and he had technology to fix. (Super Deg to the rescue!)
He didn't need any Motrin tonight for either fever or pain, and got to sleep around 11 ( because of his late start to the day, his afternoon nap was at 5, so bedtime was later tonight) and got up around 2 to nurse and then passed back out in our bed, which to be honest, is pretty typical. I know, I should work on that. Judge all you want - it is what it is.
Long story short, he's doing really well, all things considered. As soon as the bumps go away, he'll be ready to party with his friends (Tina told me her girls are dying to see him and asked if I would let them play with DJ through the window - how cute if them!). Obviously we'll keep an eye on him, but it seems like we're past the worst of it. The bumps are surfacing today and are looking less nasty. I'd post pics, but honestly, no one wants to see that. It's a bummer deal, for sure, but it's really mild compared to what a lot of kids have to go through. Plus, it was about this time last year that we were doing the whole CT scan business for the bump on his head, so maybe he's just gearing us up for a yearly something-or-other. Let's hope not, and let's hope his health record continues to be as impressive as it has been!
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