I am 32 weeks pregnant and am a hairstylist. my client, who is on my books for tomorrow, called to say both of her sons have hand, foot and mouth disease. i am definitely going to reschedule her but I just don't know when it would be ok for me to go over to her house to do her hair. anyone have any recommendations? one week? two weeks? i read that adults rarely get the virus but can still be a carrier with no symptoms and pass it on to children. i have a son who is 2, and am around other kids a lot as well. please help!!
It's viral, there's no medication to treat it, & it's highly contagious. I would wait at least 2 weeks.
I'm not sure how long you should wait, but the other week I googled HF&M (we thought my son had it) and BEWARE, adults can and do get it and many said their symptoms were much worse than their child's, particularly the sores in the mouth. Our daycare requires the children to stay home 10 days from the first symptom, if it's any help to you.
Our little girl had it 2 weeks ago (12 months old), the doctor said it goes away 7-10 days. Nobody else in our home (or friends )got it and I did not do anything special.....it's really not a big deal.
In response to the person who said "it's not a big deal" .. she is absolutely wrong. I've known children who have had this and who are in excruciating pain (sores on the throat and mouth) and who can't eat or drink without screaming .. for weeks . Do not underestimate this. It is highly contagious, it can be contagious for weeks,it's a terrible virus, and the virus can continue shedding in the stool for months.
I would absolutely not go to the client's house -- as it can be spread on surfaces,etc I do not know the impact of Hand foot and mouth on a pregnancy -- but no virus is good to get when you are pregnant.
Please -- maybe one month from now I would consider going (but first and foremost, I would try to get her to come to you).
Remember, she (and her children) can spread it without having symptoms. You can get it from towels, surfaces in her house, it's really impossible to avoid if you go there
Do yourself (and your family ) a favor -- just take some time off from this client.
Try calling your OB/GYN and asking him/her.
You are pregnant... so that would be a concern.
I'd wait two weeks to be totally safe, since you really don't want to pass it along to your baby. I have heard varying things regarding the incubation period, including:
1. Until all the spots dry out
2. Until 2-3 days after the fever breaks
3. Until the spots are completely gone
I think no one quite knows, so best to play it safe and wait until the spots are gone.
