Hit by the bug

The bug has visited our home. I was sick last week - lost my voice and a bad cough. Then Rowena felt sick (still is), with fever and a persistent cough, now Harvynna is getting it.

When I sent Harvynna to school, I noticed that the school was quite empty - many children have been absent. Poor Harvynna actually slept through her Taekwando class yesterday as she felt very tired. Today, she hardly touched her breakfast. (something very rare with her). With all the virus and health issues going around, it's quite worrying.

On a brighter note, Harvynna passed her Taekwando exam and now has a Yellow belt. She is quite upset as we told her that Rowena has a black belt! We told her that Rowena goes for Taekwando class everyday while Harvynna is at school, so she progressed really fast. And when we asked Rowena to show us what she 'learnt', she actually showed us some Taekwando moves!!

Sick days

Both the girls are sick, sick, sick. I dont really know how it started. They were both fine on Friday. Then on saturday, they were still fine. We went out to Mid Valley, and Rowena started coughing and kept asking to be carried. I could hear her panting whenever she talks. So we went back home for her to rest. Once she woke up around 6pm, she cried non stop and was breathing very fast. No fever, though. Gave her some cough syrup and tried to put them to sleep by 8. Harvynna also self-claimed to be sick and started coughing on purpose. By 10, Rowena was really miserable. She cried non stop, did not eat and kept pointing to her mouth, saying it was painful. I looked inside and did not see anything. so she stayed up the whole night - sleeping for 10 minutes, waking up, then sleeping again. This pattern carried on the whole night, so I was awake with her, while everyone else slept peacefully. sigh.

Next morning, she still kept on crying and was extremely clingy. I was at wits ends thinking of a doctor that might be opened on a sunday. I did not want to bring her to a normal GP, as I knew she was quite sick and needed proper treatment. I called my friend who is a paediatrician at Prince Court, and she said that Rowena needed to be put on the neubolizer immediately. Any hospital would be able to do that. Luckily I remembered Dr altaf in TTDI and called them up by chance. Looks like they are the only paed I know opened on sundays. rushed her there, waited for almost 3 hours, as the queue was horrendous. He finally saw her, and confirmed that the passage in her lungs had narrowed and had difficulty breathing. All the phlegm made it worse. She got better almost immediately after the neuboliser. And she said ' Aunty put on my mouth - Nice'. I want go again'.

Early this morning, Harvyyna was coughing non stop and breathing fast as well. She woke up in the morning and got ready for school. After I got dressed, I saw her sitting on the floor, looking so weak. Poor girl. I told her forget school and take a rest at the babysitters house.

Rowena is not happy now that Harvynna is sick, since all the attention has shifted to harvynna. she told her ' NO!, You not sick. I am sick, ok, I went to doctor. You dont take my medifern (medicine)' Poor Harvynna was too sick to reply her.

Does Harvynna have HFM?

When we went out for birthday dinner last weekend, Harvynna felt down and hurt her lip, but it was just a bruise and it turned red. A couple of days later, the bruise turned into a blister and hurts her. Yesterday, when I took the girls out for dinner, she told me that she cant eat because her tongue hurts. Apparently, the maid at the babysitters house told her that there are 'bengkak' on her tongue.

I checked her tongue and saw about 3 sores on it and she finds it difficult to eat. In the meantime, she had fever for 2-3 days especially at night and a cough, which I thought she had caught from Rowena. She was also tired and wanted to sleep early all the time which is really unusual with her.

I checked her hands and feet and her whole body but there was nothing there. So I am wondering if it is HFM as she does have the symptoms. Or is it from the fall?

I took this except from the ever famous Dr Greene and this is what he says:

(I highlighted in green what I can see in her)

Introduction:A miserable child who has lost interest in eating solids? Perhaps the child has hand-foot-mouth disease.

What is it?

Hand-foot-mouth disease is a common childhood illness featuring mouth sores,

fever, and a rash. Similar-sounding “foot-and-mouth disease” is a disease of cattle and is not related to this condition.Hand-foot-mouth disease is usually caused by a virus called coxsackievirus A16. However, many children with coxsackievirus A16 infections do not have all of the features of hand-foot-mouth disease. Some have no rash, some have no mouth sores, and some even have no fever. A variety of other viruses in the Enterovirus family can also cause hand-foot-mouth disease (the coxsackieviruses are enteroviruses).

Who gets it?

This disease is most common among young children but is seen with some frequency up until puberty. Adults can get it, but this is much less common. Once people have had coxsackievirus A16 they are generally immune, but they could get another case of hand-foot-mouth disease from one of the other, less common viruses. Most infections occur in the summer or early fall, with the peak between August and October in the northern hemisphere.

What are the symptoms?

Children with hand-foot-mouth disease usually start to feel crummy 3 to 7 days after they were exposed. Often, the first thing parents notice is their children’s decreased appetite for solids. Children may also have a fever and a sore throat. A day or two later, many children develop sores in the mouth. They begin as small red spots on the tongue, gums, or mucous membranes. They may blister or form ulcers.A skin rash may also develop over a day or two, with flat or raised red spots. Unlike with many rashes, the spots are often found on the palms and soles. Also, it is common to have the rash on the buttocks. Often, the red spots will form tender blisters (although not on the buttocks). Unlike with chickenpox, the rash does not itch.Usually the rash disappears and the child feels better within about 1 week.

How is it diagnosed?Usually the diagnosis is made based on the history and physical exam. Lab tests are available for the coxsackieviruses and other enteroviruses, but they are not usually necessary. Hand-foot-mouth disease is sometimes confused with strep throat, which can also begin with a fever and sore throat. It is sometimes mistaken for chickenpox because they both have blisters. It might be confused with any of the childhood exanthems. Also, many children with hand-foot-mouth disease are diagnosed with ear infections because the eardrums may appear red.

How is it treated?

Antibiotics do not help with hand-foot-mouth disease. The important issues are pain relief and plenty of fluids. Cold liquids and popsicles can be soothing for a child’s sore throat.