NOT Chickenpox Afterall!

This afternoon I took James to the local Health Nurse to confirm whether or not his rash is, in fact, chickenpox. She took a look at it, and I was a little surprised when she said, "This doesn't really look like chickenpox to me". She then said that she really didn't know what it was, and asked a couple of the others in the office what they thought. The on-site paramedic thought it looked like swimmer's itch. I left with no real answer, and I didn't like that, so I called my Dr. I found out she was away for a few days, and I didn't want to wait that long to find out what James had. So, we packed up and headed into Winnipeg to see the pediatrician at the walk-in clinic. Luckily for us, there was only one other child in line ahead of us, so we only waited about 10 minutes. The Dr. took a look at James, and I mentioned that I also thought he had a sore throat. She took a look at it, and immediately said confidently, "Oh yes, he has Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease - it is going around the city right now like crazy".

Hand, Foot & Mouth is very contagious, and usually only effects children. The rash appears on the hands and feet, and often there are sensitive sores that form in the mouth. It is a virus, so there is nothing he can take. We can give him Tylenol for the pain of the mouth sores, and keep doing the same thing as we were doing for chickenpox. So, I have my final answer - and now we just have to avoid public places, because he may be contagious for up to a week. I'm glad I know what it is, and that it is so common. Unfortunately, it now looks like James will be getting that chickenpox vaccine afterall!