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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. A woman who cared for her son when he was feeling under the weather had no idea what would come next.
Alex, 31, lives in New York City with her wife and their young son, and is recovering from what she described as the worst pain she has experienced in her life.
Recently, Alex noticed her son had caught a chill, which turned into a fever, but he was quickly back to his usual self.
"He got a few red bumps, but he told me they don't bother him," Alex told Newsweek .
Her son had contracted hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) , which is common in children under the age of five.
It causes fever, mouth sores and a skin rash , and can be treated with over-the-counter medications to relieve fever and any pain, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people usually recover on their own after about a week.
And while it is not considered a serious illness , it is very contagious—as Alex unfortunately soon found out.
"When I got the chills and a fever the next week, I was thinking that would be the worst of it, same as him," Alex said.
"Oh boy was I wrong. That was the easy part."
Although HFMD is most common in young children, adults can also become infected, particularly after close contact with an infected child. A 2024 study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene found that changes in circulating enterovirus strains, particularly the emergence of coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6), have contributed to an increasing recognition of HFMD in adults, sometimes with atypical or more extensive cutaneous manifestations.
While her son felt better within a short time, Alex's symptoms got worse as the days went on. She had fever and chills, with bumps in her throat and mouth developing the following day, which were so painful she was only able to drink smoothies.
On the third day, bumps erupted on her hands, and "started bothering me more and more."
"Unlike my mouth and throat, [which] only bothered when I ate, they hurt all the time. Even when my hands were idle. It was a deep burning pain, like the red dots were all melting their way out of my hands through all the layers of skin," she said.
Alex was left unable to sleep with the pain, and bumps appeared on her feet that made her feel "like I'm walking on glass shards" when she stood up.
Days passed, and the pain only got worse. She considered going to the emergency room but, knowing HFMD is treated with over-the-counter medication, decided it would "just be an expense with no relief."
Instead, she sat with an ice bucket, numbing her hands to help the pain.
Finally, by day six the pain began to recede, and three days after that, it was gone—but then her hands and feet began peeling as they recovered.
She described it as "by far the worst pain I have ever been in," and said she "would not wish this on anyone."
And while she still had a toddler son to care for, she credited her wife, who "did not get this illness and was able to help me out while I recovered and regained the ability to use my hands and walk."
A report from Cleveland Clinic suggests that healthy adults generally have milder symptoms than children if they contract HFMD, and sometimes don't show symptoms at all.
A weakened immune system can lead to complications or a more serious illness, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Anyone with HFMD experiencing a high fever lasting more than three days, or with s
A woman who cared for her son when he was feeling under the weather had no idea what would come next.
Anyone with HFMD experiencing a high fever lasting more than three days, or with symptoms that get worse instead of better, or who can't drink enough fluids, should contact a medical professional.
Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Do you have a question about HFMD? Let us know via [email protected]. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sirena Bergman and Emma Lee-Sang
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