Freaking Out! DD sick, leaving Sat am

[kribit]

I have to agree with you, but I'll add to that allowing sick children go to school . Let's face it, it's September and pretty much every friend I know has sick kids (rotavirus, conjunctivitis, chicken pox, ear infections, basic colds, rashes, etc...you name it). My babies were born very sick and I'm especially annoyed when I take my kids in the mall and some parent has dragged their child shopping with bronchitis or some other contagious sickness. Or some parent "chose" not to get their child immunized against measles and they bring it to school causing a panic for other children. Before anyone flames me for this one...I understand the research and connection with Autism and MMR. It's a parental choice...does NOT make you a bad person.

This is where we get into the grey area. As frustrated and annoyed as we get there is always going to be 1 or 2 that don't consider the other person and other children. I am also a clorox, antibacterial freak and have
bottles of the stuff packed in my backpack for our trip. Funny, when we were interviewing for pre-school my son washed his hands after touching every toy. I know this is a bit obsessive, but my children were trained at a very young age because I was PARANOID that they were going to come down with RSV (they have existing lung issues). The kind side of me wants to believe people of healthy children don't understand the repercussions of taking a sick child anywhere. I would just hope that most of us have the common sense to stay at home when our children our ill.

To the OP, I'm sorry your baby has come down with such an awful virus...it's not fun having sick children. To your defense, I think you were just asking advice and I feel bad if it appears that people are attacking you personally...I don't think you were saying you were planning on taking your children to Disney ill. I hope you and your family get well real soon.

I think it's time to

 

[QueenGoblin]

Or some parent "chose" not to get their child immunized against measles and they bring it to school causing a panic for other children. Before anyone flames me for this one...I understand the research and connection with Autism and MMR. It's a parental choice...does NOT make you a bad person.

Not to get off topic, but I would just encourage any parent who has heard of the "link" between autism and the MMR vaccine to do some serious, unbiased, research before deciding against vaccinating their child. The article that made all the headlines was later retracted by the journal that published it as well as 10 of its 12 authors. On the other hand, before being vaccinated against it, around 300 children died of measels every year, 20-30 from mumps, and pregnant women being exposed to ruebella caused 20,000 children to be born with problems (including autism) during a serious outbreak in the sixties. It is, and should be, the parent's choice to vaccinate their children. Just don't let a headline or a group with an agenda (on either side) take the place of some serious research and thought.

Back OT if it looks like you are going to have sick kids, reschedule. You won't have any fun and you will be stressed out about the fact that you are missing your vacation, even though you are there. I hope your DD makes a speedy recovery and your other kids are fine and you get to go as scheduled, but if not, a rescheduled trip is better than a miserable stuck in your resort with unhappy kids trip.

 

[liveforthemagic]

OP--How is your baby doing today? I read through all the posts hoping to see an update. My DD had this when she was around that age--and it is awful just because the fever makes them so lethargic--even though its not a dangerous virus, the laying around and no eating makes us moms a little scared.

There have been a few posts about keeping the house sanitized. Don't forget Clorox wipes on the doorknobs, car doors, remote controls, fridge handles and the steering wheel (the worst thing is for you to come down with it).

If its any consolation, my DS who was 4 never did get it.

 

[Joni317]

I spoke with the dr. today and she said she would go ahead with the trip and then informed me that she didn't think it WAS coxsackie! I don't know what to think at this point. She is not the one who saw dd yesterday, it was her partner. She said that the strep test was still negative, but that there is another throat virus going around that her whole family has had. (She has 5 kiddos).

But still, we definitely don't want to go if we're at risk of sitting in a hotel room sick after paying so much! I did talk to CRO this am and they said let them know asap and that they would try to work something out for us. That is a relief, but still very sad about it. My DS is turning 5 on Tuesday and we were really looking forward to celebrating there. Also, we were really banking on free dining. The savings we made on that is why we booked at the Poly, rather than WL, which would have been cheaper.

As far as dd goes, today she acts much more like herself and no fever, but she won't drink anything. She's eaten and has had a bm, but no urine since this morning at around 8. Therefore, if no urine by 4, they want to see her again to prevent/check on dehydration.

I hesitated posting again because of all the emotions this topic brought out in people. Like I said before, it is not my intention to get others sick. We want to do what is best for our family and others believe it or not. =) Right now, we are in a wait and see mode.

While I appreciate the sentiments and advice and well-wishes of most posters, I am definitely going to think twice before posting again on such an apparently controversial topic.

I'll let you know what happens further and what we decide.
Thanks for your concerns and advice.

 

[noodleknitter]

Poor thing. I hope she gets past the dehydration thing, soon. I hate waiting those things out. It is so scary.

As for the controversy, well, that just happens. I know that I posted when I saw the words rotavirus. OMGosh we were so sick. It becomes a topic of conversation, rather than anything about the original post.

I'm glad CRO is willing to work with you, and that you are happy with whatever works out.

 

[QueenGoblin]

It sounds like you got some good news on both fronts. That is wonderful that CRO is willing to help you reschedule and even better that your Doc thinks everything will be okay! I hate it when DD is sick, it makes me miserable too.

Don't worry about stirring up controversy, it happens when we least expect it. I think most of the posters here just honestly want you and your family to be well and have a great trip.

If you do go next week we will be there too! Here's hoping for lovely weather and fun fellow travelers.

 

[aldisneygrl]

Unfortunately, controversy comes sometimes, especially when it comes to our children.

Keep us posted on how your little ones are doing. We are hoping things go well. Also, let us know if you get to go, and then let us know how it went once you get back. Hope you have a great time, if you get to go.

 

[kaysmommie]

FLAME THREAD READ WITH CARE. NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN, BUT I AM BEING TRUTHFUL! NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO LIKE MY DRY AND CUT WAY OF LOOKING AT THIS. I DONT SUGAR COAT ANYTHING.


I know everyone works hard for their vacations. But IMHO I think that if your children are still contagious you should not go to Disney. This is why we get trip insurance.


I speak from exp. When we went to Disney in Dec 2004, our daughter got very ill 5 days after our trip. She was exposed to someone else's sick child. Her Pedi told me that she had been exposed at Disney. I can not believe that other Responsible parents let their sick children go on a trip. 1st of all a sick child is not in a good mood, and all they want is their bed. 2nd a sick child does not need to be spreading their germs to other healthy kids. A common cold, that is one thing, but HFMD come on. My daughter had to be hospitalized for 5 days with Rota, and RSV.

We always use hand sanitizer and clorox wipes, but a parent can not control ever thing a child comes in contact with.

It just burns me up to know that their are parents out their taking really sick kids places to spread it to healthy children.

I have a right to vent! Once you spend 5 days in the hospital with your precious baby, watching them poke her with needles, and wake her up evertime she falls asleep, you too will take a stand on this. She had tubes sticking out of her in all places, and had to be in a O2 tent. Not to mention in a sterile room with a sign on the door saying she was highly contagious My child could not drink or eat.... She also had it coming out both ends........ Do you think I was happy? Now here is the thing I want to know---- What poor child's parent had their kid at Disney on DEATH's door? Cause my child was close.

So, if you must go please do the responsible thing and put a sign on that lets people know.

I agree 100%!!!! Could not have siad it better myself. My DD came home from Disney with only a cold luckily. But we had trip insurance in case one of kids got sick before the trip. It's not right for many reason to bring a sick child to a place like Disney or anywhere else for that matter.

to the OP hope your child is feeling better and you get to enjoy your trip whenever you decide to go. The symptoms do sound alot like HFM to me. My kids got it from pool water last year and they didn't really want to drink or eat and they didn't have any sore just a fever and no cold symptoms.

 

[mytwotinks]

OP: Don't feel bad! I really think that most of those who posted are just putting ourselves in your shoes and we all know how stressed we would be and that we would not have to cancel a trip to our favorite place on earth!!! One more reason to make sure that all is well with everyone in your party is $$$$! I was in DW last June with my sister and our girls when her dd got strep throat. It was a pretty pricey trip to the doctor! They sent a van to get her and take her to the walk in clinic and I think that cost about $250 and then filling the prescription was another $80. Not to mention the many lost vacation hours. The trip to the dr. took several hours and patients are of course seen on a first come first serve basis.

I don't think that we think that you would deliberately contaminate the happiest place on earth with your germy kids! I just know that if I were in your place it might be hard for me to make a rational decision. I think that I am looking forward to our trip next week more than my dd4 and dd8! Good luck, and whenever your trip is I hope it's the best trip to DW that anybody ever had!!!!!

 

[jlieblaw]

I didn't realize posting about rotavirus would cause so many comments. Let me clarify...I took my dd to the pediatrician b/c I was concerned about her. The dr. thought she probably had rota. Since my dd seemed to be improving, I asked about when to take her back to school. My dr. said she was fine going back as long as she was not having any accidents. I have checked with several parents since then and no one in her class has gotten sick. However, I do believe it is more contagious than my dr. told me since my ds has had problems as well. I have not taken him to the dr. since I was told there is nothing they can give him, he just has to wait it out. I don't believe my nephew did have it since he never got sick, just had a tummy ache and is now fine after only one day. We have kept him separated from the others as much as possible. My dd has had no other problems for at least a week now. My ds is still having some problems but he is only 2 and has always had a sensitive stomach and (sorry to be graphic) a somewhat loose stool. He has had no fever and has been fine in all other ways. I am beginning to think his problem may have more to do with his diet but am still being careful with him (love those bleach wipes!) and have not had him around other kids and will take him to the dr. if it continues. That being said, I originally posted to let the OP know that disney will work with you to reschedule and that I would do that rather than take a sick child to disney. My family has already discussed that possibility and we do recognize the concerns of infecting someone else since we don't want to risk someone else's health since our mother went through chemo last year and we hope other people would be as considerate for her health. I apologize if anyone felt that I was saying I would take my child around other children when he could be contagious.

 

[mom22boys]

To the OP, best of luck. You are in a predicament. Thankfully, Disney is willing to reschedule. I am always worried that one of our DSs will be sick before any big trip, especially one that involves plane tickets! Thankfully, you do not have to worry about any change fees with the airlines. Hopefully, your DD will turn the corner quickly and your pediatrician can confirm that it is not HF&M. It is so hard when our kids are sick.

One comment about HF&M, a friend's son had it when he was about 18 months old. Her pedicatrician told her that as long as he had any blisters he was still contagious. It is the fluid in the blisters that spreads the virus. We didn't see her for over 3 weeks. She was very vigilant about keeping him home. By the end of the three weeks she thought she was going to lose her mind, but I commend her for being so considerate.

Best of luck! I hope you have a magical vacation whenever you decide to go!

 

[SorcererDonald16]

Yikes... I had HFMD in May of 2001. I was actually 18 at the time, and to this day I have no clue how I caught it. I was never around children except at a luncheon the week before, but I never share food, drinks, or anything with anyone. No one in my HS had it that the deans were aware of. I wash my hands all the time, I avoid sick people as much as I can... but I guess the point is if you're going to get that virus, you'll get it. And it was awful. I'm not a doctor, so I'm not saying your daughter does have that, but it seems to be something doctors have a rough time diagnosing. I wound up in the ER and was told I had strep (without them taking the swab test). Was worse within a few days even though on antibiotics; wound up seeing both a nurse practitioner and another doctor before they figured out what I had.

From my experience, I had a fever of around 103 for about a week and a half, and I was unable to get out of bed for 2 weeks. The third week I could get around a little bit, but only with assistance from my parents. It was not a fun time. Only thing I could drink that didn't taste bitter or hurt on the way down was Dr. Pepper. So basically I lived off of popsicles, yogurt, and Dr. Pepper for over 2 weeks. The ulcers on the back of my throat were horrible, but the overall sick feeling wasn't any better. I've never been so sick in my life, and I thought I'd never get better. I don't know if it's worse for adults/young adults, but it was definitely no picnic.

Personally, I'd reschedule. Knowing how I felt with it, it took me a long time to get my energy back to normal. If I'd had to go to WDW on top of that, I probably would've relapsed. And as far as my doctor and others said, you CAN get it again. They claimed it's almost certain you will get it again, especially if you're ever around children, but it won't be as severe. I've had it maybe 2x since then, but neither time was even a tenth as bad and only knocked me out of commission for a few days and I felt bad/sluggish in general for around a week. So, I'd change your trip dates if possible. If it is HFMD, it's not worth risking her or another family member being sick/relapsing on vacation. Plus the issue of infecting others, like other DISers mentioned.

Hope all goes well and soon!

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

FLAME THREAD READ WITH CARE. NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN, BUT I AM BEING TRUTHFUL! NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO LIKE MY DRY AND CUT WAY OF LOOKING AT THIS. I DONT SUGAR COAT ANYTHING.


I know everyone works hard for their vacations. But IMHO I think that if your children are still contagious you should not go to Disney. This is why we get trip insurance.


I speak from exp. When we went to Disney in Dec 2004, our daughter got very ill 5 days after our trip. She was exposed to someone else's sick child. Her Pedi told me that she had been exposed at Disney. I can not believe that other Responsible parents let their sick children go on a trip. 1st of all a sick child is not in a good mood, and all they want is their bed. 2nd a sick child does not need to be spreading their germs to other healthy kids. A common cold, that is one thing, but HFMD come on. My daughter had to be hospitalized for 5 days with Rota, and RSV.

We always use hand sanitizer and clorox wipes, but a parent can not control ever thing a child comes in contact with.

It just burns me up to know that their are parents out their taking really sick kids places to spread it to healthy children.

I have a right to vent! Once you spend 5 days in the hospital with your precious baby, watching them poke her with needles, and wake her up evertime she falls asleep, you too will take a stand on this. She had tubes sticking out of her in all places, and had to be in a O2 tent. Not to mention in a sterile room with a sign on the door saying she was highly contagious My child could not drink or eat.... She also had it coming out both ends........ Do you think I was happy? Now here is the thing I want to know---- What poor child's parent had their kid at Disney on DEATH's door? Cause my child was close.

So, if you must go please do the responsible thing and put a sign on that lets people know.

where i definatly agree with you, sick children should not be taken to Disney, sometimes the children become sick while they're there. and there's really not much to do after that. although, i would most likely stay inside with the child for the remainder of the trip.

 

[LiLIrishChick63]

I have to agree with you, but I'll add to that allowing sick children go to school . Let's face it, it's September and pretty much every friend I know has sick kids (rotavirus, conjunctivitis, chicken pox, ear infections, basic colds, rashes, etc...you name it). My babies were born very sick and I'm especially annoyed when I take my kids in the mall and some parent has dragged their child shopping with bronchitis or some other contagious sickness. Or some parent "chose" not to get their child immunized against measles and they bring it to school causing a panic for other children. Before anyone flames me for this one...I understand the research and connection with Autism and MMR. It's a parental choice...does NOT make you a bad person.

This is where we get into the grey area. As frustrated and annoyed as we get there is always going to be 1 or 2 that don't consider the other person and other children. I am also a clorox, antibacterial freak and have
bottles of the stuff packed in my backpack for our trip. Funny, when we were interviewing for pre-school my son washed his hands after touching every toy. I know this is a bit obsessive, but my children were trained at a very young age because I was PARANOID that they were going to come down with RSV (they have existing lung issues). The kind side of me wants to believe people of healthy children don't understand the repercussions of taking a sick child anywhere. I would just hope that most of us have the common sense to stay at home when our children our ill.

To the OP, I'm sorry your baby has come down with such an awful virus...it's not fun having sick children. To your defense, I think you were just asking advice and I feel bad if it appears that people are attacking you personally...I don't think you were saying you were planning on taking your children to Disney ill. I hope you and your family get well real soon.

I think it's time to

some parents don't care, too. when i was sick my mother would force me to go to school with a fever or if i was just really sick. i'd always go to the nurses office and she'd just ask "why did you come in if you were so sick?"......"well.....because mom didn't believe me"

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

The doctor said it was very rare to find it in adults...I was so miserable that I thought I was going to die!!! Never in my life had I been in so much pain with those blisters in my throat!!!

My DH had to rush me to urgent care cause I could take it no more!!!! They told me I was highly contagious and I was not allowed to go back to work for almost one week!!!

I was so miserable that I would have wanted no one to drag me to Disney World. Darvocet would hardly help the pain in the beginning.

So I did not have time to read the entire post ,but if you were able to reschedule your trip that is what I would do. Wait till everyone is healthy and happy!!!

I NEVER WANT THAT FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE AGAIN!!!!!!!

 

[liveforthemagic]

OP--glad to hear your little one is feeling better. Have you tried popsicles? Sometimes I can trick my kids into "eating" them when they have a sore throat. Great for hydration.

Better yet, if you're really domestic like my sis, you can go through this big production of making popsicles by putting gatorade or any liquid they like into the ice cube trays. The kids eat them just cause they got to make them.

Hopefully she continues to get better!

 

[BoPeep]

FLAME THREAD READ WITH CARE. NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN, BUT I AM BEING TRUTHFUL! NOT EVERYONE IS GOING TO LIKE MY DRY AND CUT WAY OF LOOKING AT THIS. I DONT SUGAR COAT ANYTHING.


I know everyone works hard for their vacations. But IMHO I think that if your children are still contagious you should not go to Disney. This is why we get trip insurance.


I speak from exp. When we went to Disney in Dec 2004, our daughter got very ill 5 days after our trip. She was exposed to someone else's sick child. Her Pedi told me that she had been exposed at Disney. I can not believe that other Responsible parents let their sick children go on a trip. 1st of all a sick child is not in a good mood, and all they want is their bed. 2nd a sick child does not need to be spreading their germs to other healthy kids. A common cold, that is one thing, but HFMD come on. My daughter had to be hospitalized for 5 days with Rota, and RSV.

We always use hand sanitizer and clorox wipes, but a parent can not control ever thing a child comes in contact with.

It just burns me up to know that their are parents out their taking really sick kids places to spread it to healthy children.

I have a right to vent! Once you spend 5 days in the hospital with your precious baby, watching them poke her with needles, and wake her up evertime she falls asleep, you too will take a stand on this. She had tubes sticking out of her in all places, and had to be in a O2 tent. Not to mention in a sterile room with a sign on the door saying she was highly contagious My child could not drink or eat.... She also had it coming out both ends........ Do you think I was happy? Now here is the thing I want to know---- What poor child's parent had their kid at Disney on DEATH's door? Cause my child was close.

So, if you must go please do the responsible thing and put a sign on that lets people know.

I completely agree!!

 

[mom22boys]

Help! My dd19 months was just diagnosed this morning with hand, foot and mouth disease in her throat. Her throat is covered with blisters and she will barely eat anything. Because it's a virus, there's not treatment except for Motrin to bring fever down and reduce pain. The thing supposedly lasts 7 to 10 days. We leave Sat. morning at 4 am. We're driving 15 hours from Indiana. I also have a 5 year old and a 3 1/2 year old, who apparently are very succeptible, since the virus is so contagious. I am freaking out! Any advice? Any suggestions?

Hey everyone, let's just remember that the OP was just asking for advice. She never said, "I am planning on taking a child with HF&M disease to WDW. While I am there please help me pool hop, use a refillable mug my neighbor had left over from her 2004 trip, and bump into innocent bystanders with my double stroller." I know many of you are venting about the subject of people purposefully and knowingly exposing others to a contagious virus. The OP never said she had an intent to do that. Let's not make her feel so attacked. I think she has enough on her plate right now.

Just my two cents. I believe in giving people the benefit of the doubt.

OP, I hope your DD is feeling better.

P.S. I am not trying to . I just feel badly for the OP for many reasons.

 

[1st_trip4us]

Just want to offer prayers that your baby feels much better soon.
It is a tough situation, especially now with the doctor not knowing for sure what is going on. If it was something that she'd feel better in another couple days I'd go ahead with the trip. If it does turn out to be HFM then I'd reschedule. I'd be pouting up a storm about it but I'd rather postpone the trip by a couple weeks or whatever and know that everyone was healthy and could fully enjoy themselves. Your baby who is sick will not have any fun if she goes when she's sick either. You'll be spending the time you should be having fun trying to take care of a sick baby. She won't be able to eat Mickey ice cream bars or Dole whips and if she's now in a strange hotel room, different bed, etc she'll feel out of sorts which will make it even worse for her.
These kinds of decisions are tough. Hope you can figure out what the right decision for your family is.

 

[MousekaMaddi]

sending good vibes to u and healing wishes to your little one, hoping for the best!