This morning I woke up with these guys. This was two nights in a row of sleeping together. Not because I was talked into having a slumber party, but because my little ones came down with this dreadful sounding illness of Hand Foot Mouth Disease, and they were needing extra love, care, and attention (click on the name and you can read all about it). So, if you didn;t read the article, it's virus and it's highly contagious.
Apparently, it is a pretty common childhood illness, and if it weren't for reading recent posts about this on the 2012 Triplet Moms group that I belong to, I probably would have made three visits to the doctor. Fortunately, I was a bit aware of the signs and symptoms and with a phone consult with their pediatrician office, it was determined we could safely blame it on this. No visit requirted and there is no treatment for it. Just measures to treat the painful sores in their mouths and discomfort from their fevers.
So who was first? Susannah was Mid morninf Friday. She has just gotten back from the park and she felt warm. Yep, she had a fever. The rest of the day was a fever, malaise, pain in mouth, no appetite. She also had some unsuspecting tiny little raised bumps on her behind, but I blamed it on the park. But when they flowered out all over her behind the next day along with a few on her chin, I was beginning to become suspicious of this nasty virus. Soon to follow was Kathleen. .. and then Reagan who slid into home base mid day Monday.
How are things looking now? They are needy and clingy and in and out of being irritable and crying. I have been alternating with Motrin and Tylenol, and it does help a tiny bit. Susannah has the most blisters all over her body and the classic signs of bumps on the bottom of her feet and palms of hands and fingers (but she also has been the most tolerable), They all have sores in their mouths and on their tongues and today Reagan has the most sores on his tongue. Not a whole lot of eating for any of them. To be expected, but they are drinking. Milk products seem to be the best at not irritating their sore mouths. This can last anywhere from 7-10 days so looks like we have some ways to go before we can start smiling again.
In spite of feeling so lousy, they cry to go outside and when I get to the point of feeling like crying myself, we do go out for a walk or blow bubbles and toss some balls around. This has helped with distracting them from being so uncomfortable, at least for short periods of time, like seen here this morning tyring real hard to feel good.
We also have gotten pretty good at figuring out how to be held at the same time, which they have been wanting a lot of when at home. Two of them each get a leg and one gets the middle. This requires a wide space. The recliner doesn't really work so good anymore. Either the floor, couch or bed has worked.
Now that this has happend, I am thinking how July has been an odd kind of month for the kids, I mean in terms of being sick, it really has been. Did I mention that both the girls were in the hospital at the same time earlier this month for a upper respiratory illness and were on continuous nebulizer treatments. Yep, what are the odds of that happening? Kathleen went in first and then Susannah followed the very next day. It was a bit of "please do not let this kind of thing ever ever happen again" feeling. And I trust that it won't More on this later. But for now. Be well. Wash your hands frequently. And be happy for this day.
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