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Developed Foot And Hand Disease. Having Blisters On Foot. Painful And Given Motrin. Help?
Question: My 2 yr old granddaughter developed foot and hand disease. Since July 4th, we have had her to a Pediatric Emergency Clinic twice and her Pediatric Dr. twice. She seems to be getting worse. This morning we took her to her Pediatrician because her left foot is swollen to twice its normal size. The Dr. said it was a normal part of the foot-mouth process and if it was any worse by Tues. she should come back for tests. In the meantime, we asked if it was
ok for her to go swimming, and the Dr. replied that would be ok as she is no longer infectious. While she was at the pool, having a good time, we picked her up to dry her off so we could eat and there were two huge blood blisters on the bottom of her foot. One is just hanging. I might add that she doesn't have any blisters in her mouth, and her appitite is healthy. The bottoms of her feet have regular blisters and the skin is hard. Plus she is walking on her heels. Last night, she woke up screaming in pain, and it took 2 of us to administer some Motrin. Is this all part of foot and hand disease. I must admit I have never heard of this before and very frightened that it may be something else. Can you help us understand what is going on?
ok for her to go swimming, and the Dr. replied that would be ok as she is no longer infectious. While she was at the pool, having a good time, we picked her up to dry her off so we could eat and there were two huge blood blisters on the bottom of her foot. One is just hanging. I might add that she doesn't have any blisters in her mouth, and her appitite is healthy. The bottoms of her feet have regular blisters and the skin is hard. Plus she is walking on her heels. Last night, she woke up screaming in pain, and it took 2 of us to administer some Motrin. Is this all part of foot and hand disease. I must admit I have never heard of this before and very frightened that it may be something else. Can you help us understand what is going on?
Hi,
Thank you so much for this query. I am Dr. Ditah and feel humbled providing answers to your health query today. I am so sorry too hear about what your daughter has been experiencing lately. I understand your fears and I believe they are totally justified.
Moderate degrees of swelling and blisters are a normal in foot, mouth and hand disease. This should normally resolve within a few days(7-10) or regress significantly. Depending on the size and whether they get super-infected, they may require some more attention. The skin of the blister is hard because the soles are normally thick and hard as adaptation for us exerting constant pressure on them.
Because this disease causes swelling and fragilizes the skin barrier, it makes it easier for other germs to take advantage of the compromised skin barrier and cause infection of the soft tissues. So the doctor should be very attentive to pick these clues which may suggest that such a thing is going on and add antibiotics or drainage of any troublesome fluid accumulations depending on the findings. This will greatly relief her of pains and hasten the healing process.
If there is no significant regression over the next 2days, increasing in size, severe pain, fevers etc, you should get the child back to the physician for re-evaluation. For now, I will suggest that you continue to provide pains relief with motrin as prescribed and monitor for red flags as mentioned above. You should try and get her to rest more and stay away fro walking unless very necessary, apply ice packs to relief the swelling and pains, and continue to drink much fluids as to stay hydrated.
I hope this addresses your query fully and provides guidance on how to approach this problem. I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.
Dr. Ditah, MD
Thank you so much for this query. I am Dr. Ditah and feel humbled providing answers to your health query today. I am so sorry too hear about what your daughter has been experiencing lately. I understand your fears and I believe they are totally justified.
Moderate degrees of swelling and blisters are a normal in foot, mouth and hand disease. This should normally resolve within a few days(7-10) or regress significantly. Depending on the size and whether they get super-infected, they may require some more attention. The skin of the blister is hard because the soles are normally thick and hard as adaptation for us exerting constant pressure on them.
Because this disease causes swelling and fragilizes the skin barrier, it makes it easier for other germs to take advantage of the compromised skin barrier and cause infection of the soft tissues. So the doctor should be very attentive to pick these clues which may suggest that such a thing is going on and add antibiotics or drainage of any troublesome fluid accumulations depending on the findings. This will greatly relief her of pains and hasten the healing process.
If there is no significant regression over the next 2days, increasing in size, severe pain, fevers etc, you should get the child back to the physician for re-evaluation. For now, I will suggest that you continue to provide pains relief with motrin as prescribed and monitor for red flags as mentioned above. You should try and get her to rest more and stay away fro walking unless very necessary, apply ice packs to relief the swelling and pains, and continue to drink much fluids as to stay hydrated.
I hope this addresses your query fully and provides guidance on how to approach this problem. I wish your daughter a speedy recovery.
Dr. Ditah, MD
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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