Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

This disease is normally considered a childhood disease. Well let me tell you, it sure has touched a few adults in my world. First it was Michelle a few weeks ago. The doctor had diagnosed her with walking pneumonia, then she started getting bumps on her hands and then her feet which caused her great pain. One doctor suggested HFM and the first doctor said it was a reaction to meds or the pneumonia. My thought was "whatever" though I felt it was not due to the pneumonia. Michelle and Ben called asking me to come help them out so Ben could work and I could be around to help Michelle and to help take care of Sam. We noticed a few bumps on Sam's hands, but that was all there were. I was there for a few days and the day I got home, I was so tired and my throat was sore. No big deal as I had just been on vacation and had come home with a cold and then was off to Michelle and Ben's to help out. Well. . . the next day, I had the bumps on my chin, nose and hands. I then got a few on my feet. I ended up not going to Sam's Public Affirmation of Baptism that weekend. When David and Andrew returned home, Andrew went right to bed and slept most of Sunday. He said his throat hurt. A couple of days later, he had the bumps on his feet. When I left Michelle and Ben's, her hands were starting to peel. In the last few days, my hands have been peeling. Now, my feet are wanting to peel. I sure hope this peeling stops pretty soon. I have been using some hand lotion for extremely dry hands that have helped some. The skin just really peels off how it wants to and the new skin beneath it is tender. I am thankful that I have not had any clinical experiences this month. First off, I would have not been allowed to do them. Second, the feelings in the tips of my fingers have gone through interesting phases too. A nurse needs her fingers to be able to do many things a nurse needs to do. I sure hope that in the next week that my fingers are back to normal. Where did Michelle pick this up? We don't know, but when they say it is very contagious, it sure is.