Mami & Me: My son’s experience with the fifth disease

My biggest lesson about parenthood is that you will get sick a lot while your child is sick. As a first time parent there’s no doubt that during the last two years I've gotten more sick than I ever have in my life and this time it was caused by my son contracting the fifth disease, also known as parvovirus B19.

Three weeks ago, my son woke up throwing up. That has never happened while he's been sick. He also told me that his throat was hurting and he was coughing continuously. I was worried, so I decided to take him to the emergency room. As I arrived at the parking lot of the hospital I could hear him gagging and coughing. As soon as I parked I got out of the car because he was throwing up again. Good thing I always carry extra clothes in the car for incidents like this.

It wasn’t my first rodeo at the ER with my son, so I already know the type of questions they always ask. They are normally about when did the symptoms start and if any medications were given as well as the timeline of the symptoms. The next thing they do is take his temperature, his height, weight and heart beat rate.

After that process they took him into a room and went through the same protocol to see any differences. The doctor who took his case said that it was nothing to worry about and that my son, Levi, was going to be OK.

A couple of days had passed but my son was not getting any better. He kept having fever during the day and at night time. His cough was getting worse and he was having trouble breathing at night because he was really congested. At times he would choke because he also had phlegm. He was also experiencing headaches and was not eating, just drinking water or juice. It was just a combination of bad symptoms for a two year old.

The reason I decided to take him to the ER again was my son having a hard time keeping his eyes open after a nap. His fever had also increased and he woke up with really pink noticeable cheeks and on his nose as well. The cough had sounded worse and he was having a hard time breathing.

As his symptoms were more noticeable at the ER this time, the doctor knew what was going on. He said that my son had contracted the fifth disease. When symptoms present for this disease it includes a fever, headache, sore throat, itching, coughing, upset stomach, sneezing, conjunctivitis, which is a pink eye, and muscle aches. The last symptom is the rash on the face that looks like a “slapped cheek” rash. This rash can make a child’s cheek look bright red, as if someone slapped it. These rashes also show up on the chest, back, arms and legs and usually happen a couple of days later after the face rash.

Two days later after our second ER visit, my son's body rashes appeared only on his legs and arms. The good thing about this was that he was not having any itch at all.

According to the doctor, the fifth disease is a viral infection that is common in children. The disease will usually go away on its own with no lasting problems. He also said that the reason why it’s called the fifth disease is because in the past, erythema infectiosum was number five on a list of childhood infectious diseases that cause rashes.

Unfortunately there is nothing to treat fifth disease to make it go away faster because it usually goes away on its own. 

I recently spoke with Dr. Sherrill Brown, a medical director for infection prevention at AltaMed Health Services on what causes the fifth disease. She said that the virus is normally spread by droplets in the air when someone who is infected sneezes or coughs. “Most children with fifth disease or parvovirus catch it at school or daycare,” she said.

A couple of days before Levi got sick, I had taken him to the gym. He normally stays at the kids club, which is a day care inside the gym. I knew right away that was the place where he had gotten sick. I’m usually not around people or any kids and I'm always home or at my parents’ house visiting. 

Dr. Brown also said that this virus spreads from person-to-person and is in fact contagious in its early stages before the rash appears. Which is accurate because my partner and I got sick as well. It’s been about three weeks and we are still recovering. Even though it wasn’t as bad as our son's symptoms we were still going through it especially because we still had to work and care for our little one. But hey, that’s a part of the parenthood journey that will keep happening.

In order to make my son feel better through his fifth disease manifestation, I bought the following stuff (but please consider these just my personal recommendations. I am not a doctor):

Lolleez Organic Throat Soothing Lollipops for Kids

They are organic lollipops that help with a sore throat. I highly recommend these because my son loves them and they come in different flavors. You can get them at CVS or your nearest Target.

Zarbee's Kids Cough + Mucus Day/Night with Honey

These are over the counter medicines that are tailored for children two to six years old. Based on my experience with these they truly work. Not only does it help with sore throat and dry cough but it helps pass mucus too.

Pedialyte AdvancedCare Electrolyte Solution 

Since my son wasn’t eating any food, pediatricians always recommend giving them Pedialyte so that our kids don’t dehydrate.

The Boogie Brand Micro-Mist Saline Inhaler 

The boogie mist relieves symptoms like congestion and discomfort caused by allergies, colds and others. It also helps promote easier breathing and it was a really easy and helpful tool for my toddler.

​​If there is anything I can help young mothers and fathers with, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at amairani@latinomedia.org. Follow my Mami & Me columns here.