Saturday morning, Arden woke up with a huge rash covering her tummy. Even though I am aware that children often get rashes after they run fever (she had one on Thursday) and even though I figured it was probably no big deal, I still decided to take her to the doctor. Because I'm one of those moms. Besides, if we're not going to the doctor on a weekly basis, how are all those pediatricians going to pay their mortgages?
So off we went. Me and my smiling, feverless, jabbering, non-sick-acting-whatsoever spot-covered gal.
When we finally saw the doctor (an hour wait, our longest ever), she took one look at Arden, turned her little hands over to look at her palms and then said, "Hand, Foot and Mouth disease, ever heard of it?".
I had heard of it, and truth be told, I've always been kind of grossed out by it. The name alone is enough to turn your stomach. For one thing, it sounds a little too much like Hoof and Mouth Disease, and for another, it's a little too descriptive for my taste. And then there's the rash. Any virus that causes external symptoms completely weirds me out.
As we left the clinic with instructions for lots of fluids and TLC, I began wondering where Arden picked up such a disgusting virus. Now, I've never been one to worry a lot about germs. You won't see me with a shopping cart or highchair cover, and I don't bathe my kids in GermX anytime someone within a mile radius sneezes. But Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease is a pretty gross virus, so I started brainstorming all the places Arden might have picked it up.
1. Sucking on the handle of the shopping cart at Wal-Mart
2. Licking the floor of the play place at the Mall
3. Chewing on puzzle pieces at the Library
4. Gnawing on the bottom of Claire's Crocs
5. Sucking on assorted flip flops
6. Eating discarded goldfish at the neighborhood pool (not our goldfish)
7. Eating wood chips at the Park
8. Licking the slide at the Park
9. Chewing on toys in the pediatrician's waiting room
I could probably keep going, but once I started listing them all out, I got even more grossed out. This might cause me to rethink my policy on cart covers and GermX.
2 comments:
GROSS!!! Just kidding! That is pretty crazy that you don't have a cart cover though. Aren't those all the rage? It cracks me up that some parents don't let there kids sit on anything. What is even more strange...they wad it up when they take it off the cart and put it back in the diaper bag with bottles, rags, paccies, etc. Funny!
I'm with Ashley - isn't it just as "germy" to fold the germed up cart cover up and stick it back in your bag? I guess it just comes down to the fact that you're a very neglectful mother. I mean, how DARE you let your child just be a kid?!? But, all of that said, when you put it in writing it is a little gross to recount all of the things your child's mouth comes in contact with. Hope she feels better soon!
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