If you remember our encounter with HFMD, you’ll pray hard that it won’t happen again.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is not funny when it strikes your child.
Last Saturday, K was downed with fever in the evening. It subsided the next day but he suffered from sore throat after which.
The symptoms were the same as HFMD’s initial symptoms – minus the blisters on the hands and the feet.
“Oh no, not again! Could it be HFMD?” I thought.
K had difficulties eating so I cooked something soft (or soupy) the entire week. He had to skip school for 3 days.
Tending a sick child is fine but the worst thing is when the sickness is spread to other siblings.
On Wednesday, J started to feel tired and she was downed with mild fever.
To make things worse, she has exam for two weeks starting last week.
Fortunately, J’s fever was over in a day and she felt okay after a night’s sleep.
We didn’t see doctor but we encouraged J and K to have lemon drink and honey.
The virus/bacteria is highly contagious though. A friend visited us over the weekend and both of his children were downed with similar symptoms. One of them is only 2 years old. Poor thing.
My friend brought their kids to see a doctor and the doctor said the virus belongs to the same HFMD family.
Time is the best healer. The disease lasts about a week and K has recovered now. J’s sore throat has improved and I guess she will be fine in a day or two.
Though it’s not exactly HFMD, but the pain the kids have to go through is almost the same.
You might ask:
“Since we are already on healthy diet for some time, how can J and K fall sick so easily?”
To be honest, I don’t know the answer.
What I can say is, as parent, we have done our best in terms of what to feed the children. However there are STILL things we can’t control such as when they will fall sick.
As such, don’t beat yourself up or feel guilty if your child is sick. You have done your best based on what you know.
Fortunately, my wife and I are spared from this ordeal.
More parenting tips in “The Nonconformist’s Guide Parenting.”
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