Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

With my youngest child being 5-years-old, I thought we had escaped the dreaded Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. However, it seemed we tripped just short of the finish line, and some of my children recently had a run of this virus. But here’s the thing. We didn’t even know it until it was over. I had heard horror stories of this virus (and I’m not doubting them!) and was afraid of it. Apparently, sometimes it’s not too bad. Here’s what I did and what I wish I would have done.

What is Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Again?

I do love it when the name implies exactly what it is. Like a Walkie-Talkie. You know what you’re buying from the package. As the name implies, it is a hand, foot, and mouth disease caused by the Coxackie virus. The virus causes a fever, a sore throat, and blisters to form on the hands, feet, and around the mouth. It can hit at any age, but children under the age of 5 are more susceptible.

I had heard stories of babies crying for days refusing to eat. Of grown men begging their doctor for pain meds. But, when my kids had a sore throat (one week after having had a sore throat) and some red spots on their hands, I thought, “This can’t be HFM because it’s not that bad.”

Two things made me realize I had been wrong. One is that my son’s football team had an outbreak of HFM. Ok, makes sense that we got caught up in that. The other is that about a week later, one of my children’s fingernails all fell off! I had no idea that was a thing with Hand, Foot, and Mouth.

Apparently, you can have HFM without a fever, with a mild sore throat and a few red spots (not blisters). None of my kids had blisters in or around their mouths. One daughter had spots (not blisters) all over her body and had one blister on her shoulder! The other two had red spots on their hands and a few on the heels of their feet. They’ve all had chicken pox, so I knew it wasn’t that. However, I kept getting hung up on the idea of there needing to be blisters. I kept researching and asking people what could be going on with my kids. Nothing I found pointed me to Hand, Foot, and Mouth. I feel like a detective who solved the crime after the killer confessed. I can see now it looks exactly like HFM.

Symptoms of HFM

Typical symptoms of Hand, Foot, and Mouth include a fever and a sore throat, followed by blisters (or small red spots apparently) around or in the mouth (but maybe not on the mouth) and on the hands and feet. The blisters may look more like a rash and can also be on the buttocks. A loss of appetite and irritability may also be present.

Homeopathy for Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

I have helped many moms when their children are infected with the HFM virus. Homeopathy has helped ease the pain of the sore throat and blisters. I treated the sore throat my children had, and it worked well. The spots were not troubling them, so I didn’t worry about them. They went away a few days later.

Belladonna

Belladonna for the sore throat. The throat is red and inflamed. Swallowing is painful and feels like a lump in the throat. Belladonna will also treat the fever if present. You can read more about Belladonna HERE.

Borax

Borax is for mouth blisters and sores that have the tendency to bleed. The mouth feels hot and dry. The mucus membranes (inside the mouth and nose) will be red.

Hepar sulph

Hepar sulph is the best choice when the pain of the throat extends to the ear. There is pain in the throat when swallowing or coughing. The throat is raw, and it feels like a plug of mucus is in the throat.

Natrum mur

Natrum mur is very useful for treating skin blisters in hand, foot, and mouth disease. The blisters have a clear, watery fluid. The skin may have a pricking, stinging sensation.

Phytolacca

The pain in the throat has a burning sensation. The throat looks dark red or bluish-red. The throat feels dry.

Merc sol

Merc sol is best given when there are blisters in the mouth. There will be an increase in saliva production with a terrible smell in the mouth.

Rhus tox

Rhus tox works well with blisters that are itchy. The blisters may be filled with clear water, yellow fluid, or milky fluid. The skin surrounding the blisters is markedly red. The blisters are also sore to the touch.

Hindsight is 20/20

It is always easier to look back and see where you should have gone and what you should have done. I treated my kids’ sore throats, and they all found relief. I’m so grateful that homeopathy treats symptoms and not diagnoses. I just went with what was hurting them the most, and the body did what it was supposed to do: heal.