Hand Foot Mouth Disease in Adults
And now for something different...
All sarcasm aside, it would appear I contracted Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) from my 3 year old son who picked it up from preschool. You can Google for HFMD for the particulars about it. All the info out there is geared for kids with absolutely no info on how it affects adults. Or more correctly put, "adults may get mild symptoms." "Mild" my arse. Hopefully this post will give adults some ideas on how to deal with an infection of their own.
Day One
On the afternoon of the third day after my son's lesions appeared on his hands and knees, I began to have a very sore throat. I've had sore throats before but this was different. Swallowing was painful to the point where I cut back on drinking regular fluids because of the discomfort.
Normally when I catch a cold or feel like I'm beginning to feel under the weather, the sore throat is the first thing I notice. But this was easily discernibly different. That could be your first clue that something is not typical.
I also noticed a weird discharge from my nostril. Just one nostril. For now. I picked my nose because I felt a hardness like maybe one of those hard boogers you get once in while that actually pulls out nose hair when you pick it out. But instead of a booger it was a yellowish clear crystal-like crust. Very unusual. After it was gone my nose felt like it was oozing. Not a lot mind you, just to the point where you wipe constantly thinking your nose is running.
Day Two
In the very early AM I woke up feeling very achy all over. Just like a flu with body aches, it felt the same. Very difficult to get back to sleep because of the discomfort all over my body and in my throat.
When it was time for me to get up for work, I felt very nauseous. No headache, just body aches and nausea. Took a shower in the hopes I'd feel better. Didn't really work. Drank some ginger ale and ate some crackers and took some Tylenol and went off to work.
At this point I'm thinking I have the flu, maybe even one of those quick 24 hour deals. Well I stayed nauseous with a sore throat throughout the day until I got home in the late afternoon. By this time a fever quickly settled in complete with chills. I finally was able to vomit and that quickly broke my fever. I felt better and my throat didn't bother me as much. I went to bed thinking that maybe all I had was the flu and that the worst was over. Wrong. Wrong.
Day Three
Here come the lesions. Woke up and felt pretty good compared to the last two days. Still had a bit of a sore throat but didn't think much about it. I did notice though what I believed to be a pimple coming out on my upper check. A big red bump coming up. Also I now had the same odd yellow clear crust coming from my other nostril as well.
By the end of the day I would have several others popping up on my face with different sizes, depths, and shades of reds. I'd imagine this is what teens with bad acne would be accustomed to.
It was by this time I was able to notice these "pimples" would ooze a clear pus which isn't what you would normally get. I was able to finally add up everything and came to the conclusion I was one of the lucky few adults to catch HFMD.
Now a note on these lesions or sores.
Based on my personal experience, I got lesions everywhere I had skin issues. If I had recurring dry patches of skin or chaffing somewhere or a recent scar, these became magnets for the sores to pop up at. I got one on my cheek where my sunglasses hit that always irritates the cheek at that spot from time to time. I got them on the left side of my nostril where I always get pimples from time to time. I have a dry scalp issue right at my hairline on my forehead and sure enough I got sores there too. Even on my left forearm I have a recurring dry patch that saw them breakout there too. In my inner thigh where my boxers tend to ride up sometimes and chaff I got some there too. I even had a deep scratch on the back of my left hand that was just beginning to heal when a sore cropped up in the same spot. I had 2 pimples on my face from a week before that were clearing up and sure enough sores came up there too. Behind my ears where my glasses irritate and crack the skin. You get the idea.
I showered and lotioned up and dabbed calamine on the sores and went to bed.
Day Four
I woke up to pain in the palms of my hands and feet. I would take ibuprofen to take the edge off but eventually it would wear off. To be specific, the pain was more of a tingling sensation, like as if you slapped your hand down on a table as hard as you can. Kind of like if your hands and feet fell asleep.
I washed my face several times during the day with Dove to try to keep it clean. By the end of the day some of the sores had scabbed over but I still had several that had not yet.
Also by the end of the day I would have several red spots on my palms. The pain in my hands would make it very difficult trying to do anything with my hands.
I decided to shower my entire body with baby shampoo. Yes. Baby shampoo. I've heard from others that suffer from really bad allergies that face washing with baby shampoo can help a lot with removing a lot of the airborne junk and dirt and oils that collect on your face and ease allergies. So I figured why not here?
One of the things I read said HFMD is transmitted by the clear pus of the sores. So avoid giving in to your primal urge to scratch your face and hands off as I believe this would only cause more sores to break out in more spots. And for Heaven's sake, wash your hands frequently.
Day Five
By this time the painful tingling sores in hands and feet was getting unbearable. That's all you would think about, all you would focus on. It became painful to walk because of the sores on the soles. I finally went to urgent care in the hopes of getting some good medication, but to no avail. As usual they were no help other than to take my copay. I have the worst luck with doctors by the way. Whereas others get doctors to give them vicodin for as something as slight as stubbing a toe or whatever meds they want, I always get the doctor or assistant that will prescribe nothing but to push for getting flu vaccines.
I did do something different though for bedtime. I got calamine rubbed on my palms and soles.
Day Six
Last night's calamine must have done something because the pain was gone. The sores remained but were definitely starting the long path to heal. The sores began looking more a dull purple/dark red and were flat. The feeling in my fingertips was still not there but that was because the sores are basically a type of blister. I've had blistering on the balls of my feet before and it felt like that, like some sort of pad that was cushioning directing feeling.
Day Seven
Still no pain, still blister-like feeling in my fingertips, still a general malaise feeling. Total lack of appetite still.
Day Eight
I went back to showering with a plain Dove soap bar this morning instead of the baby shampoo. But I did use the baby shampoo for my hair though. My face is beginning to clear up finally. A lot of the scabs are peeling and falling off naturally. The spots in my hands are beginning to fade. On close examination of one of the larger ones on my palm, it looks like the dark color is breaking up from the center. I can see the same center breakup effect happening in the other ones on my hands as well.
Day Nine
Same as before. The scabs are falling off of my face and the spots on hands and feet are lightening up. Still have blisters at my fingertips which is the most annoying feeling right now.
Day Ten
Same as before. The spots continue to lighten up and the blisters on the fingertips feel better. My face is pretty much cleared up now.
Day Thirteen
The blisters on my fingers are finally beginning to crack on their own.
Day Fifteen
The cracking blisters on my fingertips are pretty large. I never noticed just how big they are. In most cases, it's the entire area, as if a fingerprint was being taken. And they're pretty deep. The one that split open on my left thumb is two layers deep. So instead of just one layer of skin peeling, there's a second layer peeling as well, leaving a very pink area exposed.
Day Twenty
Yes, day twenty. Can't believe it still is lingering on. Well the blisters have all cracked and now it's just a matter of the dry skin falling off and the new skin coming in.
Day Thirty-Six
Yes, thirty-six. The dry skin on my hands is almost gone. I would have to say my hands look to be about 99% back to normal. There are still a few dark spots left where the largest blisters were. The only other lingering effect is the blisters on my soles haven't all dried up yet. Some have cracked and some haven't.
Day Sixty-Five
Yes, SIXTY-FIVE. Still waiting for the blisters on my soles to hurry up and go away. I've been walking bare foot more to try to dry out the skin faster.
Day Eighty
Finally. The nightmare is over. Looked at my soles and they are back to normal. No blisters or peeling skin.
So, in conclusion, hand foot mouth disease is not a mild malady in any sense. As far as my internet-ing reveals, this may be the only content in the billions out there on this matter for adults. I wish there were more surefire remedies I could offer, but I didn't find any during my affliction.
All sarcasm aside, it would appear I contracted Hand Foot Mouth Disease (HFMD) from my 3 year old son who picked it up from preschool. You can Google for HFMD for the particulars about it. All the info out there is geared for kids with absolutely no info on how it affects adults. Or more correctly put, "adults may get mild symptoms." "Mild" my arse. Hopefully this post will give adults some ideas on how to deal with an infection of their own.
Day One
On the afternoon of the third day after my son's lesions appeared on his hands and knees, I began to have a very sore throat. I've had sore throats before but this was different. Swallowing was painful to the point where I cut back on drinking regular fluids because of the discomfort.
Normally when I catch a cold or feel like I'm beginning to feel under the weather, the sore throat is the first thing I notice. But this was easily discernibly different. That could be your first clue that something is not typical.
I also noticed a weird discharge from my nostril. Just one nostril. For now. I picked my nose because I felt a hardness like maybe one of those hard boogers you get once in while that actually pulls out nose hair when you pick it out. But instead of a booger it was a yellowish clear crystal-like crust. Very unusual. After it was gone my nose felt like it was oozing. Not a lot mind you, just to the point where you wipe constantly thinking your nose is running.
Day Two
In the very early AM I woke up feeling very achy all over. Just like a flu with body aches, it felt the same. Very difficult to get back to sleep because of the discomfort all over my body and in my throat.
When it was time for me to get up for work, I felt very nauseous. No headache, just body aches and nausea. Took a shower in the hopes I'd feel better. Didn't really work. Drank some ginger ale and ate some crackers and took some Tylenol and went off to work.
At this point I'm thinking I have the flu, maybe even one of those quick 24 hour deals. Well I stayed nauseous with a sore throat throughout the day until I got home in the late afternoon. By this time a fever quickly settled in complete with chills. I finally was able to vomit and that quickly broke my fever. I felt better and my throat didn't bother me as much. I went to bed thinking that maybe all I had was the flu and that the worst was over. Wrong. Wrong.
Day Three
Here come the lesions. Woke up and felt pretty good compared to the last two days. Still had a bit of a sore throat but didn't think much about it. I did notice though what I believed to be a pimple coming out on my upper check. A big red bump coming up. Also I now had the same odd yellow clear crust coming from my other nostril as well.
By the end of the day I would have several others popping up on my face with different sizes, depths, and shades of reds. I'd imagine this is what teens with bad acne would be accustomed to.
It was by this time I was able to notice these "pimples" would ooze a clear pus which isn't what you would normally get. I was able to finally add up everything and came to the conclusion I was one of the lucky few adults to catch HFMD.
Now a note on these lesions or sores.
Based on my personal experience, I got lesions everywhere I had skin issues. If I had recurring dry patches of skin or chaffing somewhere or a recent scar, these became magnets for the sores to pop up at. I got one on my cheek where my sunglasses hit that always irritates the cheek at that spot from time to time. I got them on the left side of my nostril where I always get pimples from time to time. I have a dry scalp issue right at my hairline on my forehead and sure enough I got sores there too. Even on my left forearm I have a recurring dry patch that saw them breakout there too. In my inner thigh where my boxers tend to ride up sometimes and chaff I got some there too. I even had a deep scratch on the back of my left hand that was just beginning to heal when a sore cropped up in the same spot. I had 2 pimples on my face from a week before that were clearing up and sure enough sores came up there too. Behind my ears where my glasses irritate and crack the skin. You get the idea.
I showered and lotioned up and dabbed calamine on the sores and went to bed.
Day Four
I woke up to pain in the palms of my hands and feet. I would take ibuprofen to take the edge off but eventually it would wear off. To be specific, the pain was more of a tingling sensation, like as if you slapped your hand down on a table as hard as you can. Kind of like if your hands and feet fell asleep.
I washed my face several times during the day with Dove to try to keep it clean. By the end of the day some of the sores had scabbed over but I still had several that had not yet.
Also by the end of the day I would have several red spots on my palms. The pain in my hands would make it very difficult trying to do anything with my hands.
I decided to shower my entire body with baby shampoo. Yes. Baby shampoo. I've heard from others that suffer from really bad allergies that face washing with baby shampoo can help a lot with removing a lot of the airborne junk and dirt and oils that collect on your face and ease allergies. So I figured why not here?
One of the things I read said HFMD is transmitted by the clear pus of the sores. So avoid giving in to your primal urge to scratch your face and hands off as I believe this would only cause more sores to break out in more spots. And for Heaven's sake, wash your hands frequently.
Day Five
By this time the painful tingling sores in hands and feet was getting unbearable. That's all you would think about, all you would focus on. It became painful to walk because of the sores on the soles. I finally went to urgent care in the hopes of getting some good medication, but to no avail. As usual they were no help other than to take my copay. I have the worst luck with doctors by the way. Whereas others get doctors to give them vicodin for as something as slight as stubbing a toe or whatever meds they want, I always get the doctor or assistant that will prescribe nothing but to push for getting flu vaccines.
I did do something different though for bedtime. I got calamine rubbed on my palms and soles.
Day Six
Last night's calamine must have done something because the pain was gone. The sores remained but were definitely starting the long path to heal. The sores began looking more a dull purple/dark red and were flat. The feeling in my fingertips was still not there but that was because the sores are basically a type of blister. I've had blistering on the balls of my feet before and it felt like that, like some sort of pad that was cushioning directing feeling.
Day Seven
Still no pain, still blister-like feeling in my fingertips, still a general malaise feeling. Total lack of appetite still.
Day Eight
I went back to showering with a plain Dove soap bar this morning instead of the baby shampoo. But I did use the baby shampoo for my hair though. My face is beginning to clear up finally. A lot of the scabs are peeling and falling off naturally. The spots in my hands are beginning to fade. On close examination of one of the larger ones on my palm, it looks like the dark color is breaking up from the center. I can see the same center breakup effect happening in the other ones on my hands as well.
Day Nine
Same as before. The scabs are falling off of my face and the spots on hands and feet are lightening up. Still have blisters at my fingertips which is the most annoying feeling right now.
Day Ten
Same as before. The spots continue to lighten up and the blisters on the fingertips feel better. My face is pretty much cleared up now.
Day Thirteen
The blisters on my fingers are finally beginning to crack on their own.
Day Fifteen
The cracking blisters on my fingertips are pretty large. I never noticed just how big they are. In most cases, it's the entire area, as if a fingerprint was being taken. And they're pretty deep. The one that split open on my left thumb is two layers deep. So instead of just one layer of skin peeling, there's a second layer peeling as well, leaving a very pink area exposed.
Day Twenty
Yes, day twenty. Can't believe it still is lingering on. Well the blisters have all cracked and now it's just a matter of the dry skin falling off and the new skin coming in.
Day Thirty-Six
Yes, thirty-six. The dry skin on my hands is almost gone. I would have to say my hands look to be about 99% back to normal. There are still a few dark spots left where the largest blisters were. The only other lingering effect is the blisters on my soles haven't all dried up yet. Some have cracked and some haven't.
Day Sixty-Five
Yes, SIXTY-FIVE. Still waiting for the blisters on my soles to hurry up and go away. I've been walking bare foot more to try to dry out the skin faster.
Day Eighty
Finally. The nightmare is over. Looked at my soles and they are back to normal. No blisters or peeling skin.
So, in conclusion, hand foot mouth disease is not a mild malady in any sense. As far as my internet-ing reveals, this may be the only content in the billions out there on this matter for adults. I wish there were more surefire remedies I could offer, but I didn't find any during my affliction.
this is actually really helpful! thanks so much for posting this. there is truly a lack of information regarding HFMD when it comes to adults. I'm on my 14th day now and my hands are peeling like crazy. Hope it won't take 36 days for my hands to revert back to normal!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the help like graces said hopefully my peelings hand's can heal faster my hand's look all bad I can't believe there ain't no cure for something like this though.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain. This is exactly what Im going through right now. My hands are raw from the thick layer of skin that's peeling off. My feet aren't much better.
ReplyDeleteThis is not a nice disease to have.At least at 63 I understand the basics of what is going on with my body.My heart goes out to all the children who get it and are in pain when all the GPs say oh well it is a MILD childhood illness.Joking it had me in hospital and is one of the most painful virus,s I have ever experienced.Now peeling like mad and nothing can be done.Just pray I haven't passed it on to anyone.Take care all.
ReplyDeleteI had to do a google search akin to "hand foot and mouth hfam in adults -children -kids -minors -child" just to get to this page. Thanks for your info, now I know what to expect. And yes, not a mild issue to say the least.
ReplyDeleteI am 61 years old and just went through this and now the fingers are peeling like crazy - so glad I found this as I was afraid with my raw red skin - wonder if my finger prints are gone?? Kidding, seriously this was a terrible virus and painful - same start I had with sore throat, chills and nausea - then the bumps, spots and blisters on the hands and feet - and of course its contagious so was off work several days - good luck everyone
ReplyDeleteMy symptoms where exactly the same now on week four and still my feet are peeling. Not a great virus for sure. My granddaughter passed onto me but she hardly got anything like I did. Wouldn't wish this on anyone
ReplyDeleteThis was so helpful. I had the crystalized snot and could find no information on it, I thought my nose was dissolving or something, and am now on day 15, which is closely tracking yours. Any idea how long one is potentially contagious?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad so many have been able to find this post useful! I have no idea how long someone is contagious since no one else in my family came down with it after me. I would suspect the contagious period lasts until the sores dry up and scab over.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing. I never had chicken pox and was never vaccinated for it. I don't know if this might have an effect on which adults catch HFMD.
Wow. I'm so glad I got to read your blog here. I got a nasty one too (from my 2 year old daughter who got it from school) - my feet and hands are peeling like crazy, sometimes I would feel like I was gonna faint after seeing how my skin is peeling like that. So gross and painful. My family & friends never seen or heard anything like this, so I send them a link to your blog. Then they shower me with get well cards and flowers.
ReplyDeleteMy doctor said she never seen anything like this but heard about it - said only 25% of people get that bad. Guess we are special.
I do not want to go through this again, I'd trade this for giving a birth. Seriously.
Thank you so much for writing this. There really isn't enough out there about Adults getting this. I had multiple people say only kids can get that. And you commenter Maureen, I thought the same thing I would rather give birth to both my kids back to back again!. I feel useless around my house. I am only on day 5. So I have a ways to go. It is horrible. Thank you for writing this blog. I decided on day two to start a picture journal of my journey so maybe when I am done I will get to share that.
ReplyDeletei'm back. i'm not 100% better yet, some last peeling on my feet but right now it's my nails. my fingernails are peeling off/falling off. so gross. Can't do much because I was afraid i'd rip the nails off and sure enough I almost did to one of my fingernails. it hurts so. bad. Forget band-aids, I'm wearing the finger split right now. crazy. i'm going to call my doctor tomorrow morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna do a story and dance me a gig when it's over. I don't know when. But I will.
When my skin cracked near my fingers I removed the loose skin away from my fingernails seems to have saved them
DeleteGoing through the same thing right now. The peeling stage. So it's better to peel the skin away around my finger nails so they won't peel too? I've been trying not to peel my whole hand off 😳😆
DeleteSo glad to read this. I agree that they appear to attack vulnerable skin more; my very dry right foot is covered in rash,but not the left. A recently healed wound on my finger has one, my dry scalp.. You get the idea. Such an unpleasant disease. I'm on day four.
ReplyDeleteDay 14 my skin is peeling in huge thick chunks I remove alot of the loose skin myself. Raw pink skin below and no fun to walk on. Wish there was more they could do it has taken a tole on my summer so far and due to the sculp issues I developed a case of ringworm. So ashamed to be in public. Thanks for this post and good luck to you all.
ReplyDeleteOmg....this pretty much sums up my experience. The only thing that was different for me is that you described yhe sensation as numbness...for me it was plain ole intense ITCHING that only was relieved by ice packs being applied to my hands and feet while i slept. Thanks...now I know I'm not alone. I was actually looking for some info on getting this peeling skin to stop, but maybe there's nothing.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you posted this. I was really concerned about how much my hands were peeling. I'm on week 3 atm and my Doctor originally sent me away with a "take some antihistamines for the itching, it'll pass on its own". That was on the Tuesday when I just had one or two red spots on my index finger, but I was concerned because they were big and angry looking and had come from no where. By the Friday, I had spots all across the back of the knuckles of my right hand, between everyfinger and on my palms and it had also spread to my left hand. I lost my appetite and couldn't sleep because the itching was driving me crackers. I went back to the Doctors and she prescribed me a very strong steroid cream to aleviate the itching and swelling; its really helped. However, though my hands are much much better and peeling away merrily, I can still see spots all over the palms of my hands (though they're clear and don't come above the surface of my skin) and it's just spread to the soles of my feet in the last few days.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I thought worth mentioning that my Doctor said when I refilled my prescription last week, I've got a little bit of Athlete's Foot atm as well (typical) and he said that when there's something wrong with your feet, your hands tend to react in sympathy. I don't know whether this means you're more susceptible to viruses that affect your hands when there's something wrong with your feet, but I thought I'd put it out there.
I'm glad you're feeling better. Thanks for posting this and putting my fears aside.
Thank you for posting this! I just learned that I too have HFM, my MD diagnosed it today. I caught it from my son, who somehow managed to avoid the bumps/sores, at least so far! It is horrendous, the itchiest spots all over my face and hands, my feet are sore. My biggest concern actually from reading all that is available on the web, is just what you’ve pointed out- that it focuses so much on children, and even implies that adults only catch it who have some kind of underlying illness. I have actually been sick quite a bit with different things this past year, so I am afraid that I have some bigger illness that is weakening my system and making me more vulnerable to things like HFM. Thanks again for sharing, it makes me feel like less of a freak:) Sheila
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for posting this! I wish there were more information for adults with HFMD. I caught this from my preschool kids, and I am on day 30 of skin peeling. I thought it would never stop, but it seems like I am half way through.
ReplyDeleteI have been searching for anything like I am experiencing and found your blog. I caught HFMD from my 14 month old and my 4 year old also had a very mild case. Mine is very severe and nothing like theirs. I am on Day 4 and the burning/tingling in hands and feet is unbearable. I also have lots of spots on my scalp. I am praying the pain goes away before tomorrow. I have missed 3 days of work! This is worse than both child births and appendicitis combined :(
ReplyDeleteIts been about a month for me and my poor feet are hideous, it still hurts to sleep where my heels are against the bed.
ReplyDeleteMy 3yr old got it,but it went away quickly, now his hands is peeling very badly.But since then I've been having sore throat. But I'll be OK I hope, just need to no what to do about my son's peeling skin?
ReplyDeleteI'm on day 6 of hfmd and the sore throat and fever are gone. The blisters are everywhere still but seem to be drying out. The last few days my feet hurt so bad that I was unable to walk. I had to roll around the house in an office chair because bearing weight was so excruciating. I'm really terrified and depressed about the thought of losing my nails. I recently quit biting them and they are just now looking healthy and strong. This is a horrible virus and I'm amazed there is nothing that can be done for it.
ReplyDeleteThank you soooo much for this post! I just got diagnosed 3 days ago but the mouth ulcers started appearing 5-6 days ago and they were so damn painful. When the blisters on my soles turned purple, i thought my feet were going to rot. My feet look so awful. But reading your blog has been very reassuring. Thank you for posting again, for even after more than 2 years, there's hardly any information on hfmd for adults online!
ReplyDeleteMy 9 month old came down with it suddenly. No idea where it came from, as he is not in daycare or ever in contact with other babies. I do also have a 8yr old daughter but she didn't develop the symptoms until he was already a week into it, and he was already on the mend. Two nights ago, I came down with a case of the chills. It was so bad, it sent me to bed early just to try and get warm. My head felt like someone had bashed me in the skull with a baseball bat. The next morning, I took my temp and I definitely had a fever. I just happened to have a doctors appointment that night for a med check. I went in anyhow because, no one cancels a doctors appointment because they are ill... DUH. So, they took my temp, and despite my many doses of Tylenol, still a slight fever happening. He felt my painful, swollen glands behind my ears. Saw my red and puffy insides of my ears, nose and throat. I had body aches, all over. I am completely vaccinated as an adult so we are ruling out the flu. When I told him that my children had had it, he immediately diagnosed me with it. I had to wear a mask out of his office. He suggested regular musinex, cold-eze and tylenol. Nothing you can do but try and treat the symptoms, not the virus. This morning, I woke up to no fever, but an itchy scalp. Upon examining my scalp with my fingers, I can feel little crusty bumps all over it. This is only day three for me, so....
ReplyDeleteI have the the scalp bumps too!! How long did it take for it to go away/heal? Can you offer any advice on this???
DeleteI caught this from my nephews who were visiting, and let me tell you...I have it WAY worse then them overall. My symptoms started with enlarged lymph nodes in the back of my head. I had sores all over my tongue and mouth, which have mostly gone away with an oral rinse. I have sores on my hands and feet, which I would get after feeling a tingling sensation. They were very sore but at day 7, they aren't bothering me anymore. A few new ones have shown up but seem to be okay. Now, THE WORST of it is my scalp!!!! It started with a few bumps at the top of my head, but these sores have radiated all the way down the entire right side of my head. It itches so bad and i do my best not to scratch it, but sometimes i just cant control it. The lymph nodes in my neck are now swollen and painful. My scalp feels like its on fire. The pain even causes me to feel dizzy at times. Doctor said since its viral there is nothing he can give me to treat it. He gave me medicine to sleep but since it's 6am and I am writing this post, it only helped for about 3 hours. Ice seems to help comfort my scalp but doesn't relieve the pain. This is by far the most pain I have been in in my life!!!! I have Googled hfmd scalp home remedies but haven't found anything. I don't know if washing my hair with shampoo is helping or making it worse!!!! I just want it to go away!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post! I'm on day 28 of hfmd which I caught from my 16 month old. This is the worst illness that I've had and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone. Just when I thought the illness was over when the sores subsided from my hands and feet, my hands started peeling like crazy over a week ago. It's finally starting to look and feel more normal. Meanwhile, my feet are absolutely horrendous. The skin around the pad of my right toe was all mushy since it was dry and separated from the layer underneath. However, it did not crack so I've had to slowly cut away the skin each day to expose the new and raw layer below. I'm also dealing with a case of cellulitis (skin infection) on my right heel due to the pressure from walking on the peeled skin. 9 days into antibiotics for that and still trying to heal. I'm just ready for this damn thing to go away.
ReplyDeleteOMG this is exactly what I'm going through right now!!! The skin on my finger tips is peeling like crazy and it's disgusting and embarrassing. Can't wait for this mess to be over. This is by far the worst thing that's ever happened to me. Thank you for posting - it's nice to know that someone else understands - there is literally NOTHING online for HFMD in adults!
ReplyDeleteOn day 5 now for me. My son brought it home from school. Wife got it and barely affected her. She was better in a week. Most scabs gone by week 2. I have it much worse. Palms of hand completely covered in lesions. Tops of hands half covered. Soles of feet covered at balls of toes and heels. So painful that I haven't been able to walk for the last 3 days. Scalp is covered in the same crusty yellow crystallized scabs found on face. Even have the yellow scabs on the insides of both ears. My face looks like I just went through puberty again. Couldn't sleep the first night I got it because of a fever. Couldn't sleep the second night cause my hands were stupid itchy and burning. Third night was the first night I could get a few hours of sleep between the pain in my feet waking me up everytime I moved. I'm hoping all the red blotches on my hand don't scab off as I won't have any skin left on them. When the Internet says its "mild" for adults they should also mention that some adults get it really bad! Looking forward to this ending!
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody know exactly how contagious this is? I am on day 9 (I think, counting from when my horrible sore great started before the rash and blisters) and my hands are peeling really bad. I have a lot of raw, open skin where the bumps were and I'm wondering if anything I touch with open skin I am contaminating?? Or is that exaggerated? I don't want to give this to ANYONE. It's awful!!!
ReplyDeleteThis was my birthday present in August of 2013. Now has anyone from here that had it months ago still get weird symptoms? I now have dandruff, like my scalp flakes dry skin, from same spots they did when I had it, the spots on my face still dry up or get blotchy when I sweat. Anyone else have these things happen?
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ReplyDeleteI an so glad to have stumbled upon this blog! I was just saying, Facebook has pages for everything but HMFD. I'm on day 5 and my hands are basically swollen beyond belief, numb and hurts to touch anything. The spots have turned a deep red color but they cover basically my whole palm. Few red spots are still popping up on my hands and feet. A maybe TMI but having sores on your private parts is just as bad. I can't wait to be on the mends but not looking forward to the peeling stage
ReplyDeleteI got HFMD from my 2 y.o. niece. Her parents are fine and the doctors said adults needn't worry... wrong. I hope it doesn't mean my immune system is somehow compromised.
ReplyDeleteDay 1 Woke with sore throat. Fever and chills by evening, thought it was stomach flu. Forced myself to vomit a little and felt better. Thought it was going to disappear.
Day 2 Red itchy dots on fingers. Realize it's HFMD and google the few sites like this one with actual info on adult cases. Such a huge range of symptoms, most sites oversimplify or downplay what this is.
Day 3 Itchy burning hands, try all kinds of topical remedies to no avail. Ice does soothe though, temporarily. Numbing hands in ice buys 15 min or so of sleep. I repeat this most of the night to get a bit of sleep. Can't sleep with this burning itch... impossible.
Day 4 Realize how bad my nostril lesions are, and notice the scalp spots which this site is the mention I can find on net. Hard to type with sore finger tips. Feet breaking out now too. Belly rash. Random lesions on shins, a couple other spots. This is today. I bought some ice and will try to get some sleep but the ice water isn't working so well... doesn't buy me time anymore! I foolishly did apply apply for a health card so don't know if I can see a doctor for some powerful hydrocortisone cream. :( Viruses are evil
Day 5 Went to doctor. He said I was just unlucky not to get it as a kid. Here is my RX:
Delete-desloratadine (over the counter antihistamine for itching etc, aka Aerius)
-celecoxib (stronger than ibuprofen, aka Celebrex)
-azithromycin (5 day antibiotic for the nostril sores which are a bacterial complication)
-If necessary, benzydamine hydrochloride mouthwash for the mouth, which at this point is ok. This also has another name which I forgot.
Itchy fingers crossed
Day 6 Waay less itchy. Could be timing or the antihistamines kicking in or both. Forgot to mention right testicle has been sore today and yesterday. Doc said it's normal. Nothing wrong with skin just a bit of inflammation inside and that semi-nauseous feeling but not enough to keep me out of commission.
DeleteSo the doctors CAN give something!? One dr gave nothing and another gave claratyne to help the itch (which it didn't!). How is your recovery going? Not a great start to the New Year. Ps. I'm the person who posted on Jan 6 under anonymous and feeling bummed I had to start 2016 like this!
DeleteDay 10
DeleteHands pretty much cleared up. Only a few blisters on feet. And do I ever feel lucky I didn't really get the 'mouth' part of the trilogy -- the worst part according to a few people!
Yeah the antihistamine really helped. Since I was only taking one pill a day, in the morning, I sometimes used NyQuil at night too. I didn't didn't need any ice water anymore after day 6. Yeah our 2016s will only go up from here! How is yours now? Every doctor is different, a lot of luck involved in that. Mine was on the ball!
Wow! Can't believe this went on for so long for you. Thanks for documenting your experience.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it seems like my experience will be just as long. My nearly three year old daughter had a fever on Xmas Day (what a way to remember the festivities!) and the blisters appeared the day after. It doesn't seem like it's such a rarity in adults anymore, nor are the symptoms mild! This virus is absolutely horrendous. I hope that my daughter or my three month old son did not experience any of the pain or itching that I experienced. Although, I have noticed slight peeling on my daughter's hands this morning. My feet and hands are pretty gross at the moment with sporadic spots of peeling skin and I fear that my nails will be next to go. I am currently applying coconut oil and moisturiser on hands and feet in a hope to save whatever sensitive skin lies beneath the thick layers peeling off but I feel like there is still nothing that can be done, except to wait for my body to do what it needs to in order to be rid of this virus. This just needs to be over with already! Hope everyone has recovered well from this virus.
Booo sorry to hear this. I am the anon you just replied to above.
ReplyDeleteWhat day are you on? If you are peeling then yours is worse than mine. The itch is time-limited effect it seems. My doctor said "it's going around" (I am in BC, Canada). It certainly seems something is evolving here: this used to be a summer/fall disease, with not so many adult outbreaks, and the info on the web is way out of date hence everyone congregating on forums like this to discuss. A lot of doctors, too, are behind the times (not blaming them) but mine wasn't. It is Jan 9 now, hope you are over some of the itch! I have a feeling I will lose my thumb tips (dry and yellow) but not much else.
One more thing: I had sores covering my scalp too. Better than mouth!
Hi Anonymous from Canada! I'm the other Anonymous but from Australia :) Jane is the name. I am currently on day 14 and my doctor said that she has recently seen more adults get this virus to this extreme. It seems like I am lying when I tell people about how this virus got me severely. I am still peeling on my hands and feet. The very thick areas that are peeling often have more than one layer underneath - it's so bizarre! Not all of my spots have faded either as it appears to be very deep in the tissue. My doctor thinks that it will take a few weeks more weeks for them to fade. I have just noticed that the cuticle area on some fingernails and toenails are starting to separate from the rest of the skin (if that even makes sense?) so this is going to be a very long recovery process for me!
DeleteI had the sores covering my scalp too! Luckily I was able to eat and drink a little so the ulcers in the mouth wasn't as severe in that sense compared to others experience. There are so many extremes to this virus.
The information on the web sure is out of date. I'm glad to hear that your doctor was on the ball and you were able to have some relief. I ended up getting another antihistamine that causes drowsiness on around day 5 just to help me sleep once the itch finally subsided just a little bit. Nothing worked before that. Hopefully your thumbs won't be too affected or will recover nicely. If there was ever a survey or study done for this, I'd be more than happy to commit some time to it as there really needs to be more information out there.
Hope today has been a better day for you and you have big improvements in your recovery.
I'm very grateful for all this info since I've had a horrible time, also. I live in Columbus, OH, in case other folks from here have caught this--
ReplyDeleteDay One - splitting headache, exhaustion, body aches. I just thought it was my fibromyalgia acting up.
Days 1-4 - I couldn't stay awake, body aches, nausea
Day Four - Sore throat felt like knives stabbing
Day Seven - two burning spots appeared on hand. Went to doc for sore throat, was told it wasn't strep
Day Eight - more spots on hands. So I googled "spots" and discovered HFM. Then I saw all the spots on the roof of my mouth and tongue.
Days 8--12 - Spots appeared in my ears, on scalp, on feet, legs, in nose, and privates.
Day 16- skin has started to peel
I've had many illnesses this year--bronchitis, impetigo, staph infection on hand-- and wonder why I'm so vulnerable. I have no idea where I picked this up--maybe a restaurant or a door handle, shopping cart handle? I was not around children. Cortisone cream helped a little. Bandaging the peeling skin seems to make it hurt less.
My teeth have been hurting which I hope is not related but this illness encompasses a lot of weird symptoms.
I just came across this blog and happy to read some information from other people who went through what I am going through now. I am on day 6 and can't feel my fingertips on my thumbs and several other fingers. I am getting a bit worried, has anyone experienced that?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I am getting scared about losing nails in the future. Does this happen frequently? Does anyone have tips on preventing this from happening? I need my hands for work to lift boxes so I don't want to have any issues but I am getting paranoid reading how many people have their nails peel off.
Glad to see I'm not crazy. My soles of feet are covered, hands covered, in day 3. The pain is unbearable. Dr. Gave me some Vicodin, at least it subsides the pain long enough to fall asleep. I just had sores start on my scalp and inside nose today...trying to hang on.
ReplyDeleteDay 1 wednesday : went to work at 7 am felt fine. By 10 am I had extreme body and headaches like the flu x10. Fatigue immediately set in. Barely made the drive home. For the next day and a half I had that and a fever of 103.
ReplyDeleteDay 3 friday: woke up with a minor sore throat went to work. While at work noticed little red bumps on thumb, by that evening my hands were covered, nose and mouth covered, heels and between toes covered. Awful pain.
Day 4 saturday: hands were so swollen and on fire and tingling I broke down and went to er. Gave me strep and flu test both negative. Still refused to call it hfm. Gave me a dc steroid shot and told me to take ibuprofren.
Day 5 sunday: swelling down, more blisters on hands almost solid red. Nostrils raw.
Day 6 monday: thumbs index fingers and middle fingers on both hands completely numb. Nostrils painful. Feet hurt so bad to walk on like walking on knife blades.
Day 7 tuesday: went to primary doctor who diagnosed me with hfm. Gave me niacin mouthwash for fungal infection in throat. Embarrassing to go in public. Terrified of skin and nails coming off.
35 y/o male father of 3. Married. 19 month old had it first misdiagnosed as viral. Wife got next and 8 year old same thing, misdiagnosed. Now I suffer...
So glad to find relevant information for adults with HFM! This virus really sucks! It is still unreal to me that it keeps going and going with more weird symptoms. I'm on day 8 and my hands are already beginning to peel in between my fingers, it is so tender and painful, like skin peeling after you burned yourself on the stove or something. I'm starting to see discoloration under my fingernails. I can't feel my fingertips from the blister bubbles and still have traces of a sore throat and minor sores in mouth and other sensitive areas of the body.
ReplyDeleteI have not been out in "public" yet, I'm a 33 year old female victim living in the United States. My 6 year old, 4 year old, and 5 month old sons all had HFM which ran its course 2 weeks ago. Their symptoms appeared to be much more minor and two only got the fever and a couple red bumps on their face. I have many doctors in my family and none have ever encountered HFM so not so helpful. The best advice I received from them was "treat the symptoms" which I have been doing continually. It's a no brainer to treat the symptoms, but I was panicking so much because stuff kept happening just when I thought I was getting better I was almost paralyzed with fear like I had the plague.
When red spots and rashes began appearing all over my body after sores in my mouth and lady parts on day 3 or 4, I called my OB and he told me to go to the ER, I'm like, heck yeah go to the ER and all they'll do is say, "Oh, it's HFM, it's a virus and there's nothing we can do." I'm not going to pay them hundreds of dollars, adding injury to insult, so I've stayed home treating the disease and gleaned what info I can find online. I am still trying to breastfeed my 5 month old and it has been extremely difficult dealing with cracked and bleeding nipples, which were not there before HFM. I have almost had to stop breastfeeding completely and supplement with formula, which is very upsetting to all the hard work I've put into nursing. Now on day 8, after continually using Lansinoh cream, changing nursing pads around the clock, and air drying after using the breast pump, things are starting to look "normal" again. Milk supply is still less than it was before HFM.
This disease is worse than recovering from child birth. I cannot wait until it is all over with.
Here's a short list of things that have helped me with pain:
Throat coat tea
Aquaphor
Lysine cold sore applicator
Ricola natural herb throat drops
Ibuprofen (Benadryl just made me feel drugged and wired)
Icepacks for burning/tingling hands
Carmex for peeling lips
Soap and water for hands--lotions made it worse
4 huge reusable water bottles, I keep them all around the house
Lansinoh HPA Lanolin cream
Getting a lot of rest is a good idea too, but next impossible for me since I have 3 children and husband is out of state for work weeks at a time. Maybe this is why my sores are taking longer to go away. In any case I hope some of this is helpful to adult breastfeeding mom's out there suffering from HFM.