I was describing my bizarre viral symptoms to my mom: a fever that segued into a sore throat, rash on my hands and feet. What about in my mouth, she asked. “I have a mouth full of canker sores,” I told her.

“You know,” she said, “this sounds like Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease.”

“Well, all I can tell you is that it isn’t Fifth disease and it isn’t chicken pox.”

“You should look it up. Although you had Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. I remember your pediatrician called his whole staff in to look at you, because he said most parents don’t bring their kids in for just a rash* and some of the younger doctors and nurses hadn’t seen it.”

“I will look it up.”

“But I thought that once you had it you can’t have it again. Maybe I’m wrong. Anyway, feel better. I hope Miss M doesn’t get it too.”

So, yeah, I looked it up. And yeah, this is what AM had, caught from our 23-month-old neighbor (they are Teh Cutest–they play, they hug to say goodbye, and AM protests when we leave the elevator without her–but we live on 2 and she lives on 4). And gave to me, the devoted slave mother who wipes his nose and his drool and his tush. It usually occurs in kids under 10. One strain of coxsackievirus is responsible for most incidences. But let’s say I had that one in the ’70s…AM could have brought home some other viral goodie.

Of course between the two pediatricians** who saw the two kids, neither of them diagnosed it as “HFMD,” but rather just a virus. I guess there’s really no difference–it’s not like you can treat it with anything. Really, though, just ewwwww.

And I must drink some more water.

* Honestly, I think this dates the whole episode. I’m guessing it took place somewhere in the 1978-1979 range.

** Although I don’t know I would have taken him to the doctor for just a rash. But with the fever and crankiness and sleep problems I wanted to make sure to eliminate ear infection or strep throat. This is where speech would be really helpful–although he did tell me (in sign) that his head hurt when he was feverish and emphatically denied an earache.