Hand, Foot, Mouth Disease (HFMD)

I guess being a mother tends to expose you to outbreaks in an unexpected ways.  Whether it is HFMD, chicken pox, measles or what not, these are the times when your motherhood skills get tested to the max.

My girl has unfortunately contracted the HFMD after 2 days of free trial pre-school class.  Again, I am not keen to name the school for privacy reason and the reason I am writing this is not to complain about them.

She came home with a slight fever on the second and last day of the trial class.  Then the fever escalated and became higher and she was very cranky and clingy and all that.  By midnight, she suddenly broke into hives.  I think I have mentioned about this in the previous post.  

The next day (Thurs), I brought her to the clinic to check out and doctor said it was viral fever.

But on the following day (Fri), her feet had few blisters, her hands had some and her mouth had few.  Thank God it was very mild episode of HFMD.  So took her to the doctor and was informed that HFMD usually starts with a fever but not sore throat or runny nose.  Then the blisters will come out the next day after the fever subsided.

I spent the entire Saturday, quarantined together with her in our bedroom.  But I didn't take care of myself and didn't realise how contagious this virus can be.  I still kissed her and touched her sores without washing my hands.  My bad.

On Sunday, I suddenly came down with fever and quite high too.  I kept on popping panadols the whole day.  Towards the evening, when the fever still haven't broken, I drove myself to a 24 hour clinic to get some consultation, worrying that it might be HFMD as well.  By that time, my throat was hurting.  Doc just said it's some bacterial infection and prescribed me with antibiotics and some mouth gargle and lozenges.

On Monday, I was on MC and still feverish every 4 hours.  My throat hurts like mad and never experience anything like it before.  It wasn't even like phlegmy or runny nose or cough.  The pain in my throat is so much that I can't swallow my own saliva without pain.  Eating and drinking became my worse nightmare.  Swallowing is so painful.

On Tuesday, I decided to check it out in the hospital.  Doc did some blood test since I was still having fever for 3 days now and did a nasal swap.  Ruled out dengue and influenza A.  Again was told it is just a nasty sore throat with white spots and gave me a throat spray and more gargle and more paracetamol.  By now the throat was like killing me, so much that I wish I can eat without going through the throat, which is impossible.  The pain was worse than anything in my life, even worse than labour or any surgery which they can give you anesthetic to numb the pain but this one, nothing.  I had to bear with the pain with every swallowing of saliva.  I was eating soft food and surviving on ice cream and mee hoon.  Even porridge hurts like mad.  I asked the Doc if it is HFMD and again she ruled that out too as there wasn't any blisters or sores on my hands.

On Wednesday, I was still on MC and fever has finally subsided.  But now, I saw something new.  A sore in the mouth, 4 on the left foot but none on my hands.  Could this also be HFMD?  I kept on looking for answers in Google and saw the images but it is not the same as the one I had.  None of them mentioned about the painful throat sores.  Just mouth blisters and all that.  

Today, I am back at work despite the pain still in my throat and I still can't swallow well.  I don't know whether it is viral or bacteria or HFMD.  But this is honestly something that I never had in my life before.  I looked inside my throat on my own with a torchlight and saw big huge white spots and now I know why it is so painful.  It's like having sores in the mouth but this one in the throat.  You know how painful mouth sores are right?  This is in the throat, where every food, every drink goes into.  I am still on soft diet and lost 0.8kg within 3 days.  It drives me nuts.  Really!  My antibiotics finishes tomorrow and if I still don't feel better, I am going to the clinic again.

Meanwhile, my little girl has fully recovered.  I called up the pre-school with good intention to inform them that she has HFMD, hoping they will at least disinfect the place to prevent more cases.  Principal was very defensive and said it is not at their place and that it takes 1 week for the virus to incubate before the outbreaks.  I don't know.  I am not a doctor.  The weekend prior to that, she was at home and didn't go to any places and then the preschool was the first.  So, I really don't know where and when.  Principal kept saying no other kids has got it and asked if I am interested to sign her up.  Wow!  

I have very much decided that I prefer a preschool with open air playground and sun.  Not indoors as the circulation of the air is quite poor.  

And I am still in pain.