Hand, Foot and Ouch

Most people I know have never even heard of Hand Foot & Mouth Disease.  Not to be mistaken with Hoof and Mouth Disease, Hand Foot & Mouth is "a mild, contagious viral infection common in young children (and) is characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet"

Well, let me tell you, this so called 'mild' virus has had my husband couch-bound for the past 4 days.

It starts with a text message from your husband saying that he has a sore throat.  And then, part way through the day, he gets hit by a truck.  Or maybe he just felt like he was hit by a truck...  Then you come home to find him sitting in a 30 degree vehicle, shivering.  You know right then that it's going to be a long night!

Step two of Hand Foot & Mouth is the fever.  Like a good wife, I made him a nest on the couch so that he could alternate between shivering and boiling in peace while I lonesomely went to bed by myself.  Yeah, yeah, yeah!  Of course I looked after him!  Geez... I brought him water and Gatorade and chicken noodle soup and ice packs and Tylenol all evening.  And THEN I went to bed and left him to suffer alone on the couch.

Step three is tricky.  You start to get a foot rash but mistake it for a sneak attack of athletes foot while your immune system is run down and you're all hot and uncomfortable.  Don't be fooled.  And for the love of all things good and holy, do not, DO NOT, put athletes foot spray on it!  Unfortunately, I wasn't there to see the reaction firsthand, (one of us has to work), but apparently it went from bad to worse in about two seconds as the rash spread and blistered faster than hubby could wash the stuff off his feet.  Definitely not athletes foot.

So, that's two days of your life wasted on this 'mild' viral infection.  Day three is spent laying on the couch, unable to get any sleep, as the rash blisters and burns and itches and spreads.  It then starts to appear on the palms of your hands, and a few other uncomfortable places.  And a search for some relief begins.  We now have a full assortment of creams, ointments, sprays, salts, antihistamines, and other concoctions meant to help sooth and relieve itchy, burn-y, rashes.  Most of which don't work very well.  Funny thing - you'd expect to find some helpful advice on the internet.  But alas, Hand Foot & Mouth is a MILD infection and there is no specific treatment other than a suggestion to rinse with mouthwash if the sores in your mouth get irritating.  Mouth sores are the only thing the poor guy is not suffering with!

Day four is more of the same.  Hopefully, the rash has finally reached it's peak and will start healing now.  But of course, by now his feet are so raw and sore he can hardly walk and the rash on his hands has spread enough that he doesn't want to touch anything around the house for fear of leaving a trail of contagion everywhere he goes. 

The moral of the story is that Hand Foot & Mouth might be a mild virus in children, but it can be a real bugger in adults, so make sure to get your kids exposed to it when they're young!  If your kid gets it, have a party, invite all the neighbourhood kids - they'll thank you when they're older.


What works
Apparently, nothing, really.  I suppose that's why the great Google gods can't offer a decent treatment.  However, through trial and error, Dave has found a few things that offer temporary relief.  If you have found this blog because you yourself are looking for some relief, I promise nothing, but I hope these suggestions help, and maybe you could leave some of your own in the comment section:

- Wrap your feet in ice packs.  Helps with the burning, but leaves you cold after awhile.

- Soak your feet in cool salt water.  Water by itself doesn't do much.  Epsom salt water feels really good while your feet are in it, but dries out the rash too much when you take your feet out - leaving them more painful than before you soaked them.  Try plain ol' table salt in water.  It seems to reduce the red inflammation and doesn't dry out the area too much. Unfortunately, Dave never did find a comfortable way to fall asleep with his feet in a bucket of cool water.

- I had a Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist recommend Aveeno eczema cream, which seemed to work for a bit, as long as you don't mind reapplying it on every half hour or so.

- He then tried some Lanacane first aid spray with mixed results.  It sort of numbed the pain for quite awhile, but didn't do much for the heat and burning.

- The winner so far is Webbers Vitamin E first aid cream.  It seems to work for a couple hours before he has to reapply it.  Maybe he'll actually get some sleep tonight.


What didn't work
- The same Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacist suggested a product called Buro-sol Antiseptic Powder.  Apparently it's a God-send for people suffering with poison ivy, but Dave's rash wasn't itchy enough to really benefit from it.  It was sort of a *meh* moment.

- Diaper rash cream (15% zinc).  Calamine lotion.  Polysporin.  They feel great going on, but once you stop applying them (ie: after 30 seconds), the burning returns.  I'd like him to try some heavy duty diaper rash cream with 40% zinc to see if that works any better, but we haven't got there yet.

- Tinactin athletes foot spray and cream.  Just.  Don't.

- Any type of cortisone cream.  Dave didn't try this, he didn't have to, it's not recommended for use on rashes caused by viruses.  Something about the steroids in it slowing down the healing process.  I don't know; Google it.  The pharmacist told me 'no'.

Also, even though you're trying to be the good patient and want to clean up after yourself, don't go wiping down the bathroom sink with disinfectant wipes with your rash-covered hands.  You will feel pain.  Lots and lots of pain.