Hand, Foot, and Mouth

Poor sweet Carson has been feeling pretty awful this week.   I noticed when I put him to bed Monday that he felt warm.  He was still warm when he woke up and did have a low grade fever (100.5 rectally).  He was otherwise still acting normal so I figured maybe it was the batch of teeth currently trying to break though. He seemed to confirm this by not eating and pointing to his mouth. By the late afternoon though his temp was 102.5.  Not teeth!  As I put him to bed that evening I noticed a sore on his tongue.  I was not real excited to see that.  I got a flash light and found 4-5 more lesions on the back of his throat.  My poor, poor baby.

He has a pretty mild case of hand, foot, and mouth.  No lesions on his hands or feet but he does have large swollen cervical lymph nodes, swollen gums, and 5-10 lesions on his tongue and throat (hard to tell as he is NOT eager to have anyone look in his mouth).  His fever broke after 48 hours.

He's tolerating it pretty well during the day although won't eat anything besides crackers.  But nighttime  has been very difficult.  He did much better last night but Tuesday and Wednesday he was up all but three hours each night (or restless and on my chest if not completely awake and crying).

Thankfully, Erik and Lainey have been spared.  We are not out of the woods yet though as the incubation period is 3-7 DAYS!  Plus, it is spread best through saliva and Carson drools more than a St. Bernard so I am sure my house is coated from head to toe in Coxsackie virus, despite my best efforts to keep it clean.  Lainey also decided to test her immune system by taking 2 big gulps out of Carson's cup on separate occasions.

Being housebound for a week with a  grumpy sick baby and a husband who is out of town on his 7-8 day work "vacation" isn't my idea of fun.  But, all week I keep thinking about my poor dear brother who suffered through the worst mouth sores ever (plus lots of other crap) and has essentially been house or hospital bound for 8 months, which helps remind me how good my life is even during the crummiest of weeks.

That being said, please pray that Lainey and Erik stay healthy!!

If you want to learn more about Hand, foot, and mouth go here.

To see photos of Erik when he had hand, foot, and mouth go here and here.  Poor, poor Erik!

And photos of Carson's sad week are below!

 Can't sleep and so sad!

 Still trying to smile

 Sitting up and crying with his eyes closed.

 Tipped over and crashed on my chest!

Carson shared a bed with me for 2 nights.  

He finally relaxed enough around 3 AM each night and slept the rest of the night in his bed.

I hope you've all had more fun than Carson this week!