8.18.2005

sounds like an STD

functioning on 2 hrs sleep. hershey good. long. sunburn. had tiny bit of chocolate while there, bought $75 worth to bring home. rode rides. got wet. had altercation with camp teens from brooklyn re: linejumping. ate at 50s style diner in hershey (the town). good trip.

came home to a cranky, feverish baby. the crankiness reached literal fever pitch at about 2am, when I finally told sean to call the pediatrician. the fever wouldn't go down, she was screaming, and she wouldn't nurse, which is odd for her. we took turns quieting her down. sean took her to the doctor today, and it turns out that she has coxsackie virus, which is also called hand foot and mouth disease. the kind she has is the herpangina variation - luckily (I guess) not the kind that gives you blisters on your hands and feet. (lord knows I've had enough of that myself.) this kind is blisters in the back of your throat. babycenter.com describes them, and I'm going to say this verbatim, as "truly horrific to look at." she's just miserable. she insists on being held, is whiny, has a ton of snot pouring from her nose, refuses medicine, and is just generally extremely cranky. want to know what to do for a baby that has coxsackie? nothing. or, more specifically, wait. it takes about 10 days for all symptoms to go away. just in time for the weekend!!

we had to get a doctor's note saying she's not contagious anymore to allow her to go to daycare tomorrow. though they will have to post that a child in the infant room contracted coxsackie, and notes will have to go to all the children. so bella's got a scarlet C. though I'm sure it's daycare that gave her the fucking virus, but whatever. kids get stuff. they get over it. it's life. it won't be the last thing she gets from daycare, and plenty of kids not in daycare get it too.

anyway...it may be allergies or sympathy pain, but I have a headache and a sore throat.

I swear, sometimes I'm totally one with the universe and I display a positive attitude. seriously. please believe me.

10 validations:

Jen said...

That disease sounds nasty! I bet you can't wait to dig into that $75 worth of chocolate!

lonna said...

Oh poor Bella. It went around Dermot's daycare and by some miracle he didn't get it. He got something related, but it was no big deal. Dermot's been sick a lot at day care too. I tell myself that he gets over it quicker because of the breast milk, but who knows?

At least you guys had fun in Hershey, right?

Missuz J said...

Soph's had that one twice. It sucks SO BAD! I truly wish I could come hold her for a while and give you a well deserved break.

Is she old enough to have the pedialite pops? That's about the only thing Soph would eat when she had that stuff.

Katy said...

Oh, poor Patrice, I would be over there to give you a break in a heartbeat if you know, it was even slightly plausible. (How would everyone feel about a blogger reunion?) Seriously though, I hope you and her get feeling better and I'm glad you had fun.

NME said...

I feel so bad for Bella - and for you. I hope her symptoms become less severe quickly and that you get some sleep.

Glad you had a good time at Hershey Park.

Kathryn said...

Oh no poor baby Bella! Sore throats really suck.

Unknown said...

My girls had that when were in North Dakota twice. Yes, they got it daycare once, and then I think they got it at a birthday party. They got the blisters on their hands and feet. They haven't had the mouth blisters yet. Poor Bella :( I hope you get some sleep. I know how you feel.

Glad you enjoyed Hershey and bought some chocolate so you can enjoy later:)

mrs. awesome said...

hope you and bella feel better soon. you can really pick that up anywhere, and lots of kids get it. don't stress; it's just a rite of passage, like the chicken pox. :)

Kodi said...

I'm so happy your trip to Hershey was fabulous. I feel so bad for poor Bella. It is so hard to be comforting for 10 days with zero sleep. Hang in there.
Kiri used to get Strep throat 4 or 5 times a year, and her throat would be so sore she could hardly swallow water. It's scary, and hard. Good luck. Thank God your hubby can help out.

Stine said...

Man, poor little thing. Bless your heart dealing with it all. Here's to some respite soon.