Entre Madres y Doctoras: Unidentified Hands, Feet, and Mouth Disease

• Entre Madres y Doctoras shares a story involving hand mouth and foot disease.
• A pediatrician missed identifying this disease, which primarily affects children.
• When it’s your own child, judgment can be clouded.

Even as a doctor, diagnosing your own child can be challenging. Perhaps it’s the pressure or something that prevents you from seeing your child as a patient.

Today, Edith shares her experience with her son William. This was an incident that made her question herself as both a mother and a doctor.

William kept pointing to his mouth, repeatedly saying «tooth.» Edith assumed his teeth were coming in.

However, upon checking, she found nothing abnormal, reaffirming her belief that it was just teething.

The Daycare

Thinking it was normal teething behavior, Edith wasn’t concerned when William didn’t want to eat, attributing it to pain. She didn’t suspect anything else.

The next day, she took him to daycare. A call from the daycare started a series of events that made Edith feel guilty.

Little William had a fever. The doctor in her couldn’t believe it, at least not at that moment.

They explained that he was feeling unwell, so she decided to pick him up. Not wanting to diagnose him herself, she preferred to take him to his pediatrician.

Exam

If you’re wondering why she didn’t diagnose him herself, it’s because she feels bad making her little one go through the medical procedures, knowing everything that’s involved.

She can’t quite describe the feeling, but it’s tough for her to handle him as both a mother and a pediatrician.

She asked her pediatrician to examine little William, and he agreed.

During the exam, the diagnosis was quick, but what it had left Edith speechless and perplexed.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

The pediatrician told Edith that her son had hand, foot, and mouth disease. She couldn’t believe it. The idea that she hadn’t realized her son had this condition was unthinkable.

Moreover, it was the second time he had contracted it, making her feel even worse.

She knew it wasn’t her fault, but seeing her son suffer from this disease was devastating.

There’s no medication for the disease; recovery relies on time and the immune system.

We Can Make Mistakes

Having a sick child is hard. Seeing your child suffer is indescribable. Fortunately, what happened isn’t uncommon and was bound to resolve.

It’s not about pride, but something more complex. Missing the signs or not being able to see a family member as a patient has an impact.

Thankfully, the child recovered with no serious consequences. The lesson was learned, and that’s what truly matters. The mother, despite feeling guilty, understood that such situations happen.

Everything turned out well. She chose to accept her humanity and that she’s likely not the only doctor to have experienced this. Entre Madres y Doctoras thanks you for your attention and reminds you that you’re doing great!