New favorite?

Pinot Noir. I am usually a Merlot girl. But I had a wild hair and ventured out. Me likes.

Wednesday: 10 October 2012

Smile. Laugh. Lower your blood pressure. Burn calories. :-))

I miss her

Even though she was so sad at that present moment. How do I look like her again and remain happy?

Texas

I miss HOME.

Thursday: 04 October 2012

So I made some chicken and rice soup kind of stuff tonight. Well, mine was more soup, his was more chicken and rice and a side of corn. I boiled chicken in chicken broth, added 3 garlic cloves and thyme. He LOVED it! I did too! Suppose to really aid in healing with their antiviral properties. After supper, I drew him a bath with the coconut oil, tea tree oil, and baking soda. Then I got REAL creative. :-)) I made a salve with the coconut oil and tea tree oil. Slathered that on his tushy sores, hand sores and on his tootsies! I really, really pray he wakes up a NEW and HEALED kiddo! I'll pray extra tonight. For him and my sanity!

Headed out on a MISSION!

Headed to Trader Joe's. I'm one determined mama to get this kid healed!
•Virgin coconut oil
•Tea tree oil
•Baking soda
•Thyme
•Rosemary (Damn I miss our huge rosemary bush we had in Texas)
•Possibly peppermint oil

Whatever else I can get my hands on to help these sores heal!

Wish me luck and say a few prayers!

Tuesday: 02 October 2012 (HFMD)

Hand Foot and Mouth Disease

For those that don’t know Hand Foot and Mouth disease is a viral infection caused by the Enterovirus group of viruses. The infection sets up in the intestines causing fever, flue like symptoms and aches and pain. Your child will also develop a rash (in varying degrees of severity) on the hands, feet and legs as well as, around and inside the mouth. Children who are exposed to Hand Foot and Mouth disease may develop symptoms between 3 and 7 days after exposure. A child that contracts the infection can be contagious for up to 14 days (mucous secretions, saliva, etc.) and they will carry the virus in their stool for a month after infection.

How Do You Treat Hand Foot And Mouth Disease?

There is no treatment to cure Hand Foot and Mouth disease, we can only treat the symptoms. To treat your child you’ll need Acetaminophen (Tylenol), Ibuprofen (Motrin), Hydrocortisone cream (for the rash), Antihistamine (helpful to calm itching, and help children sleep) Calamine lotion (also for the rash) and an oral Lidocaine solution (again, for  the rash.)

You’ll want to provide as many liquids as you can to keep your child hydrated. I've found that Vitamin C popsicles work. You can make your own popsicles at home by following this recipe.  I use the left over fruit pureed and mixed into Jello for another hard to resist treat. (If your child is vomiting due to the fever you can follow my Vomiting in Children guide. )

Juice (apple, orange, grape) is great if you can get your child to drink it, but be careful if a rash develops in the diaper area… juice and sugar can make that rash much worse. Stock up on soft foods, especially if you have several kids, anything in the yogurt family will be easy to eat and promote healthy bacteria in the body.

The rash that develops with Hand Foot and Mouth Disease can be quite bad. The medicines I listed will help, but when you’ve got itchy children it seems like nothing can work fast enough. I treat the rash like I would Chickenpox or Poison Oak– oatmeal baths, light clothing (heat irritates a rash) and topical ointments. You may have to wait until toddlers or infants are asleep to apply anything.

How Do You  Prevent The Spread of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease?

Prevention is worth a pound of cure, but in this case you probably won’t know you’ve been exposed until its too late. The first symptom to show in HFMD is a low-grade fever, which can,  and IS often mistaken for teething, if noticed at all. Once the rash shows up your child has already been contagious for several days. The virus is spread through saliva, respiratory secretions, fluid in the blisters and stool.

Clean everything. Wash your hands often.  Limit contact, unless your like me and can’t help it. Many websites will tell you that people over age 10 don’t normally contract HFMD and this is true, ONLY– in that they are not where the virus originates from. The CDC says that 24% of the cases reported of HFMD are people over the age of 18– so parents snuggling their baby through a fever are not immune. HFMD is not a reportable virus, so this number is limited. Prepare to get the virus, and be thankful if you don’t!

How Long Does HFMD Last?

Your child may suffer with HFMD from 7 to 14 days. Normally, once the fever has subsided the rash begins. Carson's rash started on the first day of the fever and he is still having fever, but only in the A.M., so like all rules this one can be broken. You can limit the duration of the rash by using products that dry it up and keeping the child from scratching. It is unclear whether or not scratching spreads the rash, but it can cause a secondary infection to an already compromised immune system.

I know that none of this news is good. I wish for you, as well as myself, that it was better news and there was a miracle cure for Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, but there isn’t. You can limit the spread of HFMD by calling friends and family members and letting them know to stay away. (for at least 3 weeks) You never know when you might spread this virus to someone who’s immune system can’t fight it off. Good luck with treatment and I hope your little ones feel better soon!