Meghan King canceled her family’s recent trip to Disneyland after her children ended up diagnosed with hand, foot, and mouth disease. The former Real Housewives of Orange County star, 37, feels “trapped” with her children as they start quarantine, likely wishing for some Disney magic at this point. King and her ex-husband, former MLB player Jim Edmonds, are parents to daughter Aspen, 5, and 4-year-old sons Hart and Hayes.
“Long story short, my kids got Hand Foot and Mouth Disease and we had to cancel our Disneyland trip,” King wrote on Instagram Tuesday, alongside a slideshow of photos from a trip to the zoo with her children. The photos were taken before she realized her children had the virus. She elaborated on the situation in a blog post.
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The situation began when Aspen began complaining about a “little dot” on her pinky finger the morning before their trip to the zoo. King told her daughter it was an old scar, and she thought it was not an issue. However, Aspen continued complaining about these “dots” on her skin. “She was saying they were itchy and hurt, but it’s summer and the kids have mosquito bites so I slapped some hydrocortisone on a couple ‘dots’ on her leg,” King wrote on her blog.
King took her children to the zoo, entering a “cesspool of people and germs and saunter into the free summer concert area.” Her kids continued being “winey” and King thought about the Disneyland trip she had planned for three days. They left the zoo early because her children were misbehaving. “As we are walking out I’m thinking, ‘How am I going to do Disneyland two days in a row with three whiney kids who refuse to use a stroller or wagon and also insist on being carried?’” King then googled “dot rash” and she realized that her children had hand, foot, and mouth disease.
The next day, King took her children to their pediatrician, who confirmed what she suspected. The doctor “confirms what I already knew: the gross virus called Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (which should also have ‘Private Parts’ in the name… let me tell you) has invaded my home and infected all three of my children,” King wrote.
“Disneyland is canceled,” King continued. “And I’m trapped with these poor babies. Quarantine PTSD is coming back in full force.”
Thankfully, the children were not “severely” affected, King wrote. They did not have fevers, but Hart and Aspen had sores in their mouths. Aspen also had red “dots” on her hands. Hart had blisters between his toes and on his left foot. Hayes had five “dots” in total. “Their contagious stage lasted maybe 3 days (I think?) and we canceled Disney and I got to write this blog (yay),” King wrote. She then included a series of photos, showing how the virus affected her children.
Hand, foot, and mouth disease is common among children under 5 and is usually not serious, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is very contagious though. The symptoms include fever and other flu-like symptoms, mouth sores, and skin rash. The disease can be prevented by keeping your hands clean, disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces, avoiding close contact with sick people, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
