Hand Foot and Mouth Disease in adults

[Sunnyhazyday]

I'm currently abroad and think I may have contracted HFM
I started with a sore throat last Thursday evening. Felt pretty wiped out all weekend. Shivery and cold (despite the 33 degree heat) Friday through to Sunday.

Yesterday i thought I had been bitten on a finger as an itchy red spot appeared... it's now a blister.
I awoke this morning to an agonising red lumpy throat and loads of spots on my hands. It's so itchy and painful. Almost like pins and needles.
This evening my feet have started to itch too.
I just wondered if anyone has any experience of this illness as an adult. What did you do to ease the painful itching? and the golden question...how long for the spots to fully come out/stop coming out?and how long until they go or at least stop itching?
I'm actually in alot of discomfort and close to tears. I'm terrified i will still be in this painful state for my 14/15 hour flight home at the weekend.
I imagine i have to just let it run it's course but any useful advice welcome.

Well I've been to the Drs. It's either FFM or Chicken Pox I have.
Was very vague about flying home at weekend. Judt said I would be contagious for at least another 7 days so maybe wait until next Tuesday.☹
I won't lie in feeling prety unwell and in alot of pain.

Any adult sufferers put there st wishing to share something positive with me? The thought of another week like this makes me want to weep.

I had it recently. Started with sore throat and horrendous fever, then thought I'd got a flea bite or something the next day, had an itchy red 'bite' on one finger. Over the course of a few hours more red spots appeared, went to the pharmacist who diagnosed hf&m.

I felt generally under the weather and my hands became very sensitive, then the spots started on my feet and made it painful to walk. I found my feet painful and my hands itchy and oversensitive, I did try some bepanthen on my hands but I couldn't say if it made any difference really.

The worst of the symptoms lasted a few days, then my hands started peeling. The weirdest bit for me is that the blisters sort of hardened over and reduced sensation in my fingers! Plus I had spots under my finger nails.

A few weeks later my feet started peeling, which I didn't association with the hf&m until I googled.

I'm afraid I found little helped, just had to ride it out but I did lose the fever and headache after only a couple of days. Anecdotally it's worse in adults than kids and I certainly felt very poorly for a few days.

Hi @tentative3

Thank you for your input. It's reassuring to know you found it painful. All websites refer to kids and say it's mild and brief but that's certainly not my experience.

I have to say the pain in my feet and hands has been horrendous. I can hardly walk.and being away means i have to hobble twice a day ro the restaurant to eat.

It's late morning here and I has another painful night. I have woken to even more blisters and spots. Weirdly on wrists knees and elbows. It looks like the rash may now be spreading up from.my feet. A very faint rash is appearing on the front of my calves.

In addition I have sores in my nostrils and around my mouth. Despite being mid 40s I resemble an unfortunate teenager. I think mouth ulcers are starting too.i can't believe the rash is still coming out. If I include my sore throat last week I'm on day 6. But only day 3 of an actual rash...may be day 4 if I include Sunday when I thought I had s bite on my finger.

I can't do much with my hands. I struggled getting paracetamol out of a blister pack and using a knife and fork at breakfast.

I need to make a decision about my flight home tomorrow really. If I am still in this state I can't fly. I cannot sit still and cannot do zips or buttons cos my hands do sore and blistered. I'll be on my own on the flight so 14/15 hours of hell. That said all I want to be is at home.

Feeling v sore and fed up.

I feel for you, it's thoroughly miserable. I had one blister right at the corner of my throat, if that makes sense, and I struggled even drinking for a few days (had others too but that was the worst). I got off fairly lightly on my mouth itself, just a couple of them. The walking was horrible.

I know one other adult who had it and she found it very painful too. I think kids must get it much more mildly and I really do feel for you, because I think people expect adults to just get on with it too but it floored me. I had a week off work, as ordered by my boss who couldn't let me come in with something contagious but I was glad of it.

I don't know what to say about the flight home but I just wanted to empathise.

I feel for you. I've also got HFM and can barely walk. My throat is like razor blades and I've now got a few spots coming up on my hands. Hope you feel better soon.

How are you doing Mummytomollyandbean?

I'm much better but with loss of feeling in my fingertips which I think is down to thickened skin. I'm still abroad as was deemed contagious and unable to Fly. I'm due to Fly home Thursday now all going well. I'm worried I won't get through the finger scanning at immigration (this end to get o ut of country) now though!!
Still a bit itchy and with mouth ulcers still!! Day 8 since I became spotty.

Thankfully the pain seems to have passed.

@Sunnyhazyday I'm sorry to hear you couldn't fly home but glad you are feeling better.

I'm also feeling better although still have ulcers in my mouth and can still see the blisters on my hands and feet. They aren't so itchy anymore but are still quite tender to touch.

Fingers crossed all goes well on the journey home!