Day 1: I saw a red spot on my palm. I ignored it. My attention was on my two-year-old, Conran, who was still recovering from hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) and was cranky. A few days ago, he had a few red spots on his feet and palms, as well as mouth ulcers. He lost his appetite for two to three days.

Day 2: More spots appeared. A visit to the general practitioner confirmed that I had HFMD. By evening, blisters had spread to my fingers and wrist area. I was itching like crazy, and managed to sleep only after applying calamine lotion.

I woke up and discovered that my hands were covered with bulbous, freaky-looking sores. I couldn’t open and clench my fist without wincing in pain. There were red spots on my feet, too.

Every spot was itchy and I couldn’t stop scratching.

I cried as I changed Conran’s diaper that afternoon. The diaper’s coarse texture grazed my blistered hands – it was sheer torture!

When my husband, Adrian, arrived home from work, I showed him my hands and grumbled that I had been struggling the whole day, even in the toilet.

Perhaps I should go to the hospital, I said.

We arrived at Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital at 8pm. I was sent to the isolation ward and put on a drip.

Dr Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease physician, told me that it’s very rare for adults to get HFMD.

He warned that throat ulcers would appear the next day and to be prepared that I wouldn’t be able to walk for a few days if I developed sores on my feet.

Day 9: The skin on my hands peeled even more, with cracked skin hanging off my fingertips. Some large blisters on my right hand remained intact.

I was ravenous at this point, having missed eating the last one week. I ate everything on the food tray.

The nurse finally took out my drip – hooray!

Day 10: I still couldn’t do simple tasks with my hands, like opening a box or brushing my hair.

DAY 11: The sores on my hands were drying up and I attempted to bathe by myself with gloves.

It went well although I took much longer than usual.

The mouth ulcers were disappearing and my food cravings returned. I asked my husband to buy me a curry puff. Another friend indulged my craving for iced milk tea.

Back at home: I thought the worst was over – it wasn’t.

The skin on the soles of my feet started peeling.

Standing and walking became a challenge again, as I hobbled around the house to get things done.

My soles felt extremely sensitive because of the raw and exposed skin, which made it difficult for me to stand for long periods of time.

I was frustrated that I couldn’t do anything to accelerate the healing process.

Then, HFMD unleashed its ugliest after-effects: I was losing my nails and hair!

I observed that the nails on my right thumb and index finger were turning whiter and separating from the nail bed. I waited two more days before contacting Dr Leong when I realised that it was not getting any better.

“Doctor! My nails seem to be falling off! Is that normal?”

“Yes. That happens sometimes,” was all he said.

With Glynisia’s story in mind, here are other diseases that adults can catch from children:

Rubella, also known as German measles, is a mild disease that includes symptoms like a rash, slight fever and joint aches. However, pregnant women who contract rubella are at risk of causing severe damage to their unborn child.

Measles are a much more serious disease that requires immediate medical attention. Common complications involving measles include diarrhea and ear infections, but if left untreated some people may develop pneumonia or brain swelling.

Adults who aren’t vaccinated against chicken pox can sometimes suffer worse than children. Pregnant women who have never been infected are at the highest risk of getting the pox as are other adults with compromised immune systems.

Mumps is a viral illness that is often spread through coughing or sneezing. In adults, it causes swelling of various parts of the body, including the brain in severe cases. There is no cure for mumps although symptoms usually last about 10 days or less.