Welcome to this week’s casual kōrero thread!
This post will be pinned in this community so you can always find it, and will stay for about a week until replaced by the next one.
It’s for talking about anything that might not justify a full post. For example:
- Something interesting that happened to you
- Something humourous that happened to you
- Something frustrating that happened to you
- A quick question
- A request for recommendations
- Pictures of your pet
- A picture of a cloud that kind of looks like an elephant
- Anything else, there are no rules (except the rule)
So how’s it going?
I don’t know why all the online literature states that adult cases of hand foot and mouth disease are usually mild… it’s been hell for the last week. Googling other peoples experiences, most say they also had a terrible time.
Spent most of the week unable to eat or drink due to the blisters in my mouth and throat. Even drinking water would send stabbing pains through my mouth. So dehydration and hunger on top of feeling horrible. Finally starting to recover yesterday being able to eat with only mild discomfort. I honestly preferred having covid to this, the spots and blisters on the hands and feet I can live with, but the mouth ones are insanely uncomfortable.
From what I can find, it’s because adults are likely to be asymptomatic. People with mild or no symptoms aren’t going to go complaining about it on the internet, so you’ve got a sampling bias.
I also found this page, that says that there are several viruses, and lists three common ones. For one it says:
Also I found this case study about an adult with pretty bad symptoms.
I’ve also previously heard that you generally don’t get sick with the same virus twice. So if you’ve had that specific strain of hand, foot, and mouth before, you may be asymptomatic or have mild symptoms. Many (most?) kids have had it as a pre-schooler so if you have a strain that’s common in your area then you might not get too sick from it. If you catch one less common or that you haven’t been exposed to before, then I guess you’d get worse symptoms.
Sorry it probably doesn’t help, because it doesn’t change that you’re having a shit time. Hopefully you are feeling better soon.
I did read about Coxsackie A6 but it doesn’t seem like my symptoms match.
If adults getting it are asymptomatic, how do they know they have it? I always wonder how they get the data as asymptomatic people aren’t going to the doctor or getting diagnosed. They wouldn’t even be thinking they’re sick would they?
I’ve had hand foot and mouth as a child and chicken pox twice too ☹️. The Mrs thinks my immune system might be weak as I had glandular fever last year as well. Not to mention covid a couple years ago.
Ah I didn’t read that closely to see if the symptoms were different. That other link I provided of the case study did seem to suggest adult symptoms of hand, foot, and mouth are often atypical though.
It might be from formal studies. I’m in a flu study. When someone gets symptoms, they test everyone in the house. Last year I had the flu and never had a symptom, but they know I was infected because they tested me when one of the kids tested positive after getting symptoms. Something like that?
I remember reading there are something like 18 viruses that cause hand, foot, and mouth. Getting one doesn’t provide protection against the others.
But yeah, to get it this bad, get chicken pox twice (that is normally considered once in a lifetime), other sicknesses. That’s either really bad luck, a poor immune system, or might just be that phase where you get sick all the time from your kids bringing stuff home from school/daycare. But if I had your luck I’d be looking at the shingles vaccine, I know people who have had shingles in their 30s (well before the free shingles vaccine you are eligible for at 65). Very unpleasant.
Ok or maybe not, apparently it’s $600-$800! 😲
You know thinking about it, up until I had covid a couple of years ago I was never really getting very sick. The only times I can remember getting sick before that were from food poisoning. I think there may be something to the whole long term damage it does to your immune system. I’ve been sick more in the last 3 or 4 years than the previous 10. Obviously anecdotal evidence I know… or maybe I’m just getting older. The body is taking much longer these days to recover from strains and injuries.
Oof yeah that price for the shingles vaccine isn’t helpful!
I also got sick much more often for several years. I attributed it to having young kids. Not just the extra exposure but also the lack of sleep doesn’t help the immune system.
That’s probably a factor too. Although we did have a young kid before the pandemic as well, but I was also 10 years younger so it probably evens out.
Curse the weakness of my flesh! Need cyberpunk upgrades or nanomachines or something, it’s 2025 already!