Welcome to my site, my name is Jess Indaja. I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes after struggling with my weight throughout my teen years and adulthood. My doctor informed me about all of the dangers associated with my diet and exercise habits. I was encouraged to change the way I ate and moved in an effort to reverse my blood sugar problem. I made the changes, but still struggle with controlling my blood sugar. After going through this trying situation, I decided to make a site that may help others with problems associated with type 2 diabetes. I will discuss diagnostic procedures, treatments and medical research concerning this disease. I hope you visit often and learn all you can to control your type 2 diabetes or help others with this condition.
Hand, food, and mouth disease, often referred to as HFMD, is a treatable virus that most often seems to affect young children. It seems to spread the easiest during the fall and spring. Although HFMD is treatable, it can be tough on your child. Here are three tips to help your child get through the experience of having HFMD without too much pain.
#1 Fever Reduction
The first thing that you need to do is focus on getting your child's fever down. HFMD is usually preceded by a fever before the spots primarily associated with the disease will begin to appear on your child's body. When your child first starts to develop a fever, you need to get them into the doctor, especially if you know your child was exposed to HFMD at their child care center.
You can treat this like a typical fever. You will want to give your child the appropriate dose of child aspirin for their age and size that your child's family doctor has instructed you to give. You will also want to make sure that your child is getting plenty of liquids to keep them hydrated. During this time period, it is also really important that you don't allow your child to come into contact with other people, especially other young children. When your child has the fever that precedes HFMD, that is when they are most likely to pass this disease on to someone else.
#2 Pain Reduction
Once your child's fever breaks, the discomfort is just beginning. The marks that have begun to appear on their body are most likely going to develop into blisters. These blisters are going to be primarily located on their hands, feet, and inside of their mouth, as you would expect based on the name of this disease, although they could also develop blisters on other parts of their body. These blisters can get quite large and be filled with water. The blisters can be really uncomfortable for your child to deal with, especially because their ability to walk, do things with their hands, and eat are all going to be impeded by the blisters.
Numbing cream should be provided by your doctor to be put on the blisters that are on your child's skin. You may also want to put mittens over your child's hands, so they don't continually touch the blisters, and put large, loose socks on your child's feet. A pair of your socks will probably do the job. For the blisters inside of your child's mouth, you may want to give them a chilled teething toy, even if your child is long past the point of normally using one. This can cool off their mouth and take their focus off the pain in that location. You can also let your child hold a chilled washcloth over their visual blisters; this could provide some relief and allow your child to feel like they are fighting back against the pain that they are experiencing.
#3 Feelings
Your child is going to be in pain for a while. First, they are going to potentially have a high-grade fever for a few days, followed by days with blisters on their body that they are not supposed to touch. If your child is verbal, talk to your child about how they are feeling. Ask your child where it hurts and try to give them a cold washcloth for those areas.
Explain to your child what is happening to them. Let them know that right now they have blisters, but their body is fighting hard to heal them. Soon enough their blisters are going to disappear and they are going to feel fine again. Continue to communicate this to your child; it can be hard for young children to think about the future, so continuous communication is key. This will help your child realize that this pain is not going to stick around forever, and that they are going to get better. If your child has been sick before, you can refer to that experience or a time when either you or your spouse was sick. This will help your child better conceptualize what is happening to them.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease can be painful for your child to deal with, but with the right treatment, your child will be able to get through this experience.
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