Have you ever heard of Fifth Disease? Yeah, neither had I. It's apparently a fairly common virus (that no one has ever heard of); you can get mild flu-like symptoms and a rash. There's not much to do for it but to wait for it to pass. Well, a few weeks ago Spencer's preschool sent a note home saying that it was going around the class.
I knew it was only a matter of time.
Friday morning I was proved right. Spencer woke up with a red, rashy face. He looked like he had lost a fight with his pillow. He had been a bit grouchier than normal, but I thought he was just coming down with a cold. I called his pediatrician, just to make sure there wasn't anything I could do for him. (There wasn't.) I didn't bother taking him in to have an official diagnosis - why spend $25 on a co-pay just to hear what I already knew?
And since by the time the rash develops they're no longer contagious we still went to the children's museum that day. (Spencer would have been devastated if we didn't.) I just looked like the mom who brings her disease-riddled, slapped around kid to public places. No biggie.
Here's a picture of the little guy.
You can't really see most of the rash, except where he keeps licking his lips and aggravating it. It bothers him a little still, poor kiddo.
End of story, right? Nope. Josh woke up with the same rash this morning. He's also been grouchy, but that's harder to notice in him. (Joshie the Grouch.)
Also, Fifth Disease can cause some problems for pregnant women, especially in their first trimester. So I of course called my doctor. (The nurse practitioner had to look up the virus in her medical book - that's how 'common' it is!) He wasn't too concerned, but I still went in to get some blood work done today, just in case.
Has anyone else had a run-in with this?
I knew it was only a matter of time.
Friday morning I was proved right. Spencer woke up with a red, rashy face. He looked like he had lost a fight with his pillow. He had been a bit grouchier than normal, but I thought he was just coming down with a cold. I called his pediatrician, just to make sure there wasn't anything I could do for him. (There wasn't.) I didn't bother taking him in to have an official diagnosis - why spend $25 on a co-pay just to hear what I already knew?
And since by the time the rash develops they're no longer contagious we still went to the children's museum that day. (Spencer would have been devastated if we didn't.) I just looked like the mom who brings her disease-riddled, slapped around kid to public places. No biggie.
Here's a picture of the little guy.
You can't really see most of the rash, except where he keeps licking his lips and aggravating it. It bothers him a little still, poor kiddo.
End of story, right? Nope. Josh woke up with the same rash this morning. He's also been grouchy, but that's harder to notice in him. (Joshie the Grouch.)
Also, Fifth Disease can cause some problems for pregnant women, especially in their first trimester. So I of course called my doctor. (The nurse practitioner had to look up the virus in her medical book - that's how 'common' it is!) He wasn't too concerned, but I still went in to get some blood work done today, just in case.
Has anyone else had a run-in with this?
5 comments:
I hadn't heard of it until we lived in Indiana. Something about the greater Lafayette area must keep it alive!
I've heard of it - I got it in 4th grade. And a couple of my friends who go crazy when they're pregnant (the kind that won't eat anything but organic - or go near farm fields etc.) went nuts when they found out they had contact with someone who had it. Just to be on the safe side you might want to let Lila know.
That's so weird! I swear Logan had/has this right now too! He woke up last Wednesday with his cheeks and face all red, but I sent him to school anyway. When I picked him up, he was really tired and his teacher's asked me what was wrong with him. The rash went away and didn't come back until Saturday and Sunday and he also got hives and was scratching it. Of course he woke up this morning completely fine. The nurse told me to bring him in if the rash comes back, because they can't tell what it is unless they can see it!BTW...he also had a cough for a few days and a runny nose too. He seemed better today though. Weird.I have a feeling that it is Fifths disease, but the nurse didn't seem concerned.Kids and their mysterious diseases!
Kerry - I bet Logan has it. Because Spencer's rash seems to come and go, too. Plus, he's acted a little out of the ordinary, but not totally sick. (You know what I mean?) Well, if he has it you should let his school know!
I don't know "for sure" if he has it, because the nurse told me not to bring him in unless the rash came back...which it hasn't. So, I am just going with my gut and my google info. The nurse never even offered that as an option...so if she didn't think it was that,I just don't know. I don't want to make a big deal of it if it wasn't. We did also just buy a pillow spray from Bath & Body Works and he borke out the morning after sleeping on his pillow, so it could be that too. I don't know! Weird!
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