[KKR213]

My son had a bad fever and I took him to the doctor's on Friday and she said it was Hand Foot Mouth. She said keep him hydrated and give him tylenol which I did today. He fell asleep at 8ish and woke up crying about a half hour later. I gave him some more tylenol and 3 popsicles. He went back to sleep at 9:45 and has since woken up crying two more times. Is this normal with this virus? Any advice on what else I can do to make him feel better?

[StefB]

It's just a miserable thing, isn't it? My daughter had it a few months ago. She wanted to be held most of the time, day and night. Cold foods and time were the only advice I was given.

Sorry you and your son are dealing with this. Hang in there...

[isabel41206]

Isabel had this a few months back and the blisters in her mouth really hurt so I called the doc who called in a prescription for a numbing medicine and that was a god send..she was able to rest sorry can't remember the name but dr should. it is for older kids but he said to just use a little as it taste bad/bitter. tylenol/motrin every 3-4hours and cold foods. hang in there. hugs.r

[mildredjohn]

it is normal and the most miserable virus for a baby or a kid who can't understand it. My two babies had it couple of week ago and the girl was waking up eery night for 6 nights three or four times screaming of pain.

I will recommend you too to use for bedtime Chloraseptic for Kids. It helps them with the mouth area (kind of numb sensation) which is the most difficult one. It worked great for us and my cousin who's baby was infected by ours.

Keep him sperate from other children, because the doctor told us that is very easy for kids to get it than adults.

I hope your baby feels better.

[laylasmom]

My son had this at 1 1/2. It is miserable!!! Our doctor said to mix liquid tylenol with maalox. It helped a bit but it was very difficult to get him to take it. The only think he would eat was ice chips and a little pudding. Good luck, I hope it passes quickly.

Janie

[mcnay1]

Oh, I feel like we are experts with HFM. My youngest son has only had it once, but my older son is a magnet for it and has had it at least 3 times. It is miserable! If he has already had the fever and the blisters are appearing, you all are just about through it...but unfortunately, in the middle of the worst part. Im sorry to say... You can also try to get some nighttime orajel. It seems to last a bit longer. Alternate the tylenol and motrin so you keep in front of the pain a bit. We also try to get our kids pediasure when they have HFM. It provides some nutrients to get them through this time when they just dont feel like eating. Good luck!

[joyloo]

My DS has it right now too! It is miserable isn't it?! I feel so helpless because I can't take away the pain for him. He only has the sores in his mouth thankfully but the sores are really bad. He keeps taking my finger and putting it into his mouth to show me it hurts. I have been giving him Motrin & Tylenol but the Tylenol doesn't seem to work as well. He is so much better after he takes the Motrin but it seems to wear off after about 3 hours- way too soon to be giving him another dose. It is also hard to get him to take the Motrin because he is in so much pain. His Dr. told me to make sure he stays hydrated and let him eat whatever he will eat and not to worry about nutrition right now. He said that they usually will eat cold sweet things like ice cream, milkshakes, etc. All DS seems to want are Goldfish crackers and cookies ( not exactly soothing to the throat but whatever ).

Hang in there. PM me if you need someone to commiserate with LOL!

[jking5344]

My daughter had HFM when she was about 18 months. It was the worst illness she's ever, ever had! It lasted about 5 days. She had a fever over 100 the entire time - and she couldn't swallow medicine because her sores covered her tongue, gums, and throat. I had to get her suppositories with acetaminophen and insert them every few hours to keep her fever down. She screamed every time she tried to swallow - even water. She also had the sores on her bottom, so she screamed in pain every time she went potty too. Her tummy would growl and she'd beg for food and then as soon as she put anything in her mouth she'd scream in pain and scrape it off her tongue and out of her mouth. We tried ice cream, mashed potatoes, baby food, etc. etc. Nothing helped. It had to run its course. From what I read the younger kids are when the get it the worse the symptoms are.

Good luck. You and your little guy are in my thoughts today. Keep us posted.

Jessie

[akasohappy]

Our son had it at 2.5.
He was miserable also.
The doctor told us to give him Maalox for the mouth sores. I really don't remember if he swished it or actually took it orally.
He was pretty bad for about 3 days.
Sorry to hear your little one and some others are not feeling well.

[KKR213]

Thanks for all the responses. John did wake up a few more times crying in the night. He is not eating much. I tried yogurt this morning and he cried after the second bite. So I gave him 2 ice pops and water.

Joyloo - the only other thing he is eating is animal crackers. He asked for them and I figured he wouldn't eat them but he said they made him feel better.

It stinks when you can't make it all better. Hope your little one is feeling better soon too!

[LRA]

Oh I feel for you. Carlos had it in April and it was really bad. I took him to his Dr and was told that his gums had even gotten infected also his entire throat, tongue and cheeks had sores all over. He gave him a prescription for zovirax (sp?) and also a Lidocaine/benedryl/maylox mixture to help with the pain plus tylenol and or motrin. Carlos refused to take any food and would not touch cold stuff so thank God I have not taken him off the bottle because otherwise he would have become dehydrated or starved. Ours lasted 2 weeks. His friend got it and only had a fever for one day and had a total of 5 sores on his hands and feet, nothing in his mouth. It seems to vary with everyone. I would suggest asking your Dr about these meds because that was the only thing that seemed to help. I did nothing but lay in bed and hold him for almost 2 weeks. Once the sores healed his gums were still tender and would bleed just from him drinking his bottle...it was pure h....

I am sooooo very sorry that you are having to go thru this. I swear this was worse than the rotovirus or pneumonia he has gotten.

[joyloo]

Yes! DS will only eat the animal crackers too! Maybe because they can melt in your mouth? He was better today than he was yesterday so there is hope. I find the key is staying on top of his pain medicine. Alternating between the Tylenol & Motrin did seem to help. He was actually feeling well enough to jump in puddles today.

Joy

[riverview]

Dentist rec. here:
1/ask dentist for miracle mouthwash
2/ rinse in betweeen with any OTC meds which coat the stomach, you can swish and rinse as many times as you want as she isn't swallowing.
3/ do not rec. oral sprays of any kind as this can cause the blisters to open up and spead like wild fires!!
4/ tylenol
5/ any ice type thing you can eat or suck on to decrease the pain.

again... no sprays!! and it will burn~~~~~~

[kiecho4]

We took Clay to ER with a fever and rash on Memorial Day and was told what he had. He drank milk and some pediasure and that was about it the whole 7 days. Yes keep alternating the tylenol and motrin. It was bad and he was miserable. Just give him alot of TLC and keep the tylenol and motrin going and whatever he will eat. It will get better I can promise that!!!

[Waiting4OURBOY]

Ben had it and the doctor told us to do the whole Maalox/Benedryl mixture that someone else mentioned. He hated it, but it did help to numb his mouth a little and help with the pain. He kept the sores for a lot longer than the fever. I hope your little one gets better soon!