I Am Not a Hypochondriac

Well, maybe I am a little.

I mainly tend to take a small illness and think I have something very serious. Like I think I have typhoid, scurvy, or meningitis--and I really have a simple cold.

Last Tuesday Cade was sick. He had a fever for a few days and was totally irritable. So, I took him to the doctor since we were leaving Wednesday for New York. The doctor checked his ears and listened to his lungs and declared him healthy. Said he probably just had a cold. We left the doctors office and Cade screamed for the next 6 hours. Screamed. Loudly. It was sad and frustrating.

Wednesday he wasn't much better and we had a full day of traveling. He screamed on the plane. We quickly became the family that the rest of the passengers complain about when they get off the plane. It was embarrassing. I was so glad by the time we got to NY. Meanwhile Jim complained about some bumps on his hands. I blew him off saying it was probably from the gym. I had Cade to worry about.

Thursday Cade seemed a little better, but the time change and new faces made him a little cranky. He screamed through most of the viewing. That was tough. We left early. I noticed that I had bumps on the back of my hands. Didn't hurt...just itched a little...I told Jim to keep his bumps to himself and not give them to me and didn't think of them again.

Finally on Friday Cade was happy. He was my sweet boy again. Sure he had a fit here or there, but was consolable...distractable. He was so good during the long funeral service. I was so relieved. That night my mouth started hurting. I thought I had eaten too many salt and vinegar potato chips.

By Sunday when we left NY, my mouth was covered in little red sores. Not pleasant, I know. Isn't for me, either. I remembered my friend Jaime telling me about when her little boys had Hand Foot Mouth Disease. I looked it up on-line and quickly the puzzle pieces fell into place.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common illness of infants and children. It is characterized by fever, sores in the mouth, and a rash with blisters. HFMD begins with a mild fever, poor appetite, malaise ("feeling sick"), and frequently a sore throat. One or 2 days after the fever begins, painful sores develop in the mouth. They begin as small red spots that blister and then often become ulcers. They are usually located on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks. The skin rash develops over 1 to 2 days with flat or raised red spots, some with blisters.

I am pretty sure that Cade had HFMD. He was so miserable and didn't eat anything much for like 4 days. He had a fever and was irritable. His worst day was Tuesday...On Wednesday, Jim had the bumps on his hands...by Thursday I had the bumps and then the mouth sores on Friday. Classic presentation.

So, although I do have a tendency to over exaggerate my illnesses, this one is for real. And I even had a doctor confirm it. Okay...the term "doctor" is an exaggeration as well. I had the PA at my doctor's office confirm it. Of course, she kept calling it Fifth's Disease--which is a completely different virus and presentation. And she called it that AFTER she looked up HFMD. Oh dear. This is the same PA who gave me a prescription for "Miracle Mouthwash" to help with the pain of the ulcers but didn't put lidocaine to numb my mouth as one of the ingredients. Makes you wonder...