Hannah update and a little more.

Thursday I took Hannah to her cardiologist for the first time in three months.  I think that is the longest we've gone without stepping foot in his office since my first visit last March.  When he walked into the room he asked if we missed him, I think Hannah did a little, it's no secret she loves all the attention.

She weighed 13 pounds according to their scale, and if you're more into kilograms she gained a whole kilo since her last appointment, not to shabby.

The ECHO was a little hard to do this time.  Hannah loves the tech that does the ECHO so she was talking up a storm and trying to roll around and help her with the ECHO, you know, grabbing the wand thing and her hand, eating the cord, kicking.  So the images they got weren't the best, but we tried.  Dr. Christensen says the tricuspid valve still leaks, it was kind of hard to see how much because she was so wiggliy.  We just have to wait and see if the valve stops leaking as she grows.

Dr. C wants to see her in 5 months.  They don't schedule appointments that far out, so we will be getting a reminder card in the mail about a month before she's due.  I cheered a little, we have reached the "reminder card" stage!

Hannah is ten months old, she is dragging herself all over the house.  Her newest favorite thing to do is "crawl" around the coffee table in the family room.  She is eating really well and loves to stuff fruit puffs in her mouth.  Her physical therapist and I are trying to get her to crawl on all fours and teach her how to sit up from lying down.  She loves bath time and swimming, splashing in the water is awesome!

Can you see her scar? Yup, it's pretty faded and hard to see in person too!

Kindergarten graduation

Eli is still my busy little guy.  He loves Legos, I have yet to step on one in the middle of the night but I'm sure it's coming.  He is a typical three year old, one minute he is my sweet little boy who is so helpful and the next he's throwing a fit on the floor.  Good thing he is so cute.

Abby is loving summer so far, although last night she asked me what day school starts.  Jeremiah bought her a razor scooter for finishing kindergarten and she loves riding around in the cul-de-sac with the other kids.  This summer I think she may grow gills, or at least 2 inches.

I have almost fully recovered from my hand foot and mouth disease, I'm just dealing with peeling hands right now.  I'm still working on spring cleaning and purging the house.

Jeremiah is getting the hang of the working at night/sleeping during the day cycle.  It was easier before we had kids.

My birthday is on Wednesday, we're planning on going to the zoo.  I like Starbucks cards, I'm just saying. :-)

My Epic Battle with Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

According to the CDC website, "hand, foot, and mouth disease is a common viral illness that usually affects infants and children younger than 5 years old. However, it can sometimes occur in adults."  I also read in more than a few places that it's mild.


Mild my itchy, blister covered right foot.


Hannah was the first one to get HFM, she was covered in blisters, I don't think they itched.  She didn't seem much different than usual, a little fussier and needier, she wouldn't eat food, only drink bottles.  The blisters scabbed over and now they're almost gone.


Abby and Eli barely developed any symptoms.  Abby had itchy feet one night.  Eli had a fever, itchy feet and a very sore throat for a few days.  


And then there is me.


Tuesday I had a fever and was so achy I wanted to cry.  Wednesday my throat started to hurt as blisters popped up in my mouth and on my hands and feet.  Thursday the blisters got worse and the itching became intense.  Thursday night I was in tears, the itching was awful and it alternated with pins and needles feelings.  Friday morning I woke up with less itching more needles of fire and twice as many blisters.  

Spotty hand blisters. This picture doesn't really do them justice, my fingers look like a topagraphical map.

Itchy feet suck! Walking on pins and needles is no fun.

My arsenal against HFM.

I called my doctor's office on Thursday morning asking for anything that would help, the advice nurse said it's really rare for adults to get it, yeah, thanks, I know, I read that too.  She told me I could take zytrec, really?  I took 50 mg of benadryl and the rest of the day is a blur.  My plan from there on was to remain as drugged as possible so that I would sleep thru most of this.  Thankfully my Mom and husband were both around to help, well, do everything.  And have I mentioned how much I love Motrin, Benadryl and my big gun pain killer!? 


This morning I woke up and the itching is greatly resolved, the needles are gone too.  The latest development is that I have lost feeling in the tips of most of my fingertips.  


I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

I guess there is a pretty good outbreak of HRM this year.  It's contagious when the person has a fever, before the blisters ever appear, so you don't know it's coming.  Awesome.  Wash your hands, a lot.  In case you get it here is what I found helped and didn't help.

*Epsom salts soaks in tepid or even cold water.  Heat aggravates the blisters, a lot.
*Motrin and Benadryl round the clock.  The night I was so achy the Motrin didn't touch it so I added a big gun pain killer I had leftover in my cabinet (yes I save my meds and I'm glad I did).
*Hydrocortisone cream, this helps for about 30 seconds, the best part is rubbing it into my hands like lotion let me kind of scratch and rub them without my husband or Abby noticing and yelling at me not too!
*Sore throat spray stung, a lot, but it helped a little.  I just kept cool water with me at any time, it was the only thing I could swallow that didn't burn my throat.  Also, it was the only way I could swallow.
*In desperation I tried using tucks pads and dibucaine ointment (I told you I was a med keeper, these were leftover from having Hannah).  They're for swollen, itchy tissues, the dibucaine is a topical analgesic, it didn't really work, but it was worth a try.
*I didn't like the calamine lotion, it made my hands and feet to dry and it didn't help the itching.
*The neosporin works to soothe the blisters if you accidentally scratch them open, I did this with a few on my legs.
*I put vaseline on the blisters around my lips and nose that are itchy and dry.