Sick!!

My poor baby! Saturday, Maddox wasn't acting like himself. Sunday he spiked a fever of 103.6. All afternoon Sunday he said his tummy hurt and his tongue hurt. Sunday night was a looooong night of spiked fevers and no sleep. Monday morning I took him to the Dr and he was diagnosed with coxsackievirus A16 (aka hand-food-and-mouth syndrome aka HFMS). Tiny little sores on his palette and tonsils have made swallowing near impossible. My son is a drinker. I mean this kid will drink a 10 oz cup of milk in less than 15 minutes. A 16oz bottle of water in less than an hour. He drink a TON of water and milk every day. He is OBSESSED with popsicles and animal crackers and will not turn them down ever. He won't drink from a straw, water bottle, cup or baby bottle. He won't eat anything. He won't swallow medicine. He's been running a fever average of 101F since Sunday. I am really worried.

His total food intake today was two 9 ounce bottles of milk, six gerber yogurt melts and one popsicle mini that he didn't have all of. I know at least something is better than nothing, but yesterday all he has was a 4oz juice box, a few sips of water, ten french fries (he asked and anything at that point was better than nothing) and half a cheese stick.

The Dr called to follow up today and I told him about his night last night. How his longest stretch of sleep was two hours. How he was in incredible pain and in hysterics whenever he woke. How he couldn't even swallow his saliva and it made him gag and eventually throw up. How at 5am we couldn't take it anymore and forced Motrin down his throat and that lead to him sleeping in our bed from 5:15am till 8am. How my heart is just breaking for him.

They want him closely monitored tonight because I guess in really rare cases it can turn to meningitis or even polio-like paralysis. Because he is getting "worse" not better and the HFMS should only be a 3-4 day sickness at most. We are just passing day 2 and it doesn't ever appear remotely better. Worse if anything. I am so worried about him and I know I am just being a mom but dammit, I am scared.

Veteran mommies, any help/advice for how to make a child who cannot swallow eat or drink, would be GREATLY appreciated!