Fifths Disease

This is only the 3rd time in my life I have ever heard of this terrible illness. And 2 times has been in the last week. My visiting teacher is the attendance lady at the school the girls go to. During her visit last week, she told me about her daughter having it when she was in high school. She also mentioned that it had been going around school. It wasn't until Monday night that I put 2 and 2 together. Brianna came in the living room after her shower, and showed me the rash that covered her entire body, except for her face. She says "mom, Lexi told me that I should let you know I have this rash. I have had it since LAST Monday." So I checked her out. It wasn't red, her skin just appeared really blotchy. I asked her if it itched at all. She said a little but nothing bad. I also told her if it got worse or started bugging her, we would call the Dr. Tuesday came and for some reason, this thought enters my mind, that she may have this "fifths disease". So immediately I get on the computer to try and rule it out. Oh no, sure enough she has all the symptoms. When I picked them up from school, I stopped Cortney, (my vt's daughter) to talk it over with her. And she said I bet she has it. So this morning I called the Dr. He said that at this point, she is no longer contagious, but is positive that is what she has. Not to worry, as long as the fever doesn't return, she should be fine. Side note: Brianna had what I thought was a mild flu bug on April 6Th. 2 weeks later, the rash developed. It says that it can last for 17-28 days in children. In adults, it can take up to 2 years to get over:( Are you kidding me....2 years!!! After talking with the Dr. I gave Clint his bath, and sure enough, he too had the blotchy rash on his skin. Last week, when I thought his fever/vomiting was him teething.....turns out it wasn't. Thankfully in children it is very mild. The older you are the worse it becomes. It eventually starts attacking your joints and muscles and can be very debilitating. So please keep your fingers crossed for all of the adults that my children have been around. So while the rest of the world is battling swine flu, here in Florence, Arizona we will be dealing with a mini pandemic of our own....fifths disease!!!