[sparklemom]

I'm dealing with mono right now. So thankfully I have great support, so we're getting through as we can, but I'm not a bit accustomed to feeling like this for so long.
Do any of you have experience with mono? Any advice or just share your experience?
tia

 

[Starr]

I had it in high school. Basically the best thing is to sleep a lot and eat healthy. Also be careful not to fall or injur yourself because certain organs swell and are more prone to cause serious damage. I was sick for a little over a month. If you have children I would try to find some type of childcare, even temporary for the next month or two. Also see if you can have friends drop off frozen meals to help out or run errands for you. It really does stink, luckily I was young when I got sick so I basically slept or stayed in bed and watched movies. Good luck!

 

[anonymous4_20]

I was just looking at the past few pages of posts and saw this thread. DH had mono a few years ago. It was annoying because I got ripped on very badly at work about the "kissing disease."

: It took him a while to recover, so I assume you're still feeling a bit under the weather. One thing that seemed to really help him was elderberry syrup. It's supposed to be good for viruses. I was worried that I'd get it, too, so I took the syrup daily. I never got sick. He ended up working half days for about two weeks and he was still wiped for a month or so, although he did start to feel better by the end of the two weeks. Here's a link to the syrup. www.sambucol.com

Hope you feel better soon! Mono is nasty!

 

[Susana]

I had mono back in 2001. I felt like I had been hit by a train and wanted to sleep all.of.the.time. With little ones to care for, that wasn't an option.
I found my current doctor when I was sick with mono. She treated me with B12 shots (loved those!) and I took bovine colostrum, which was very funky, but I swear it worked wonders.
I lost a ton of weight when I had mono. That part was nice.

Hope you feel better soon!!!

 

[sparklemom]

thank you for your replies.
i'm still having periods of extreme fatigue.
how long did your fatigue last? and did your lymph nodes swell? if so, how long?
do you know if you continue to test positive for mono as you start to heal? or would the monospot turn negative?

i have also lost a lot of weight. i have no appetite most of the time.

 

[JaneS]

Look into using enzymes particularly high proteases for viruses

www.enzymestuff.com see Virastop trial info

 

[Susana]

I started feeling badly in January of 2001...fatigue from the beginning til I found my doctor in March. I remember feeling badly because I couldn't play ball with my son and he always wanted to play with me. When I started to get the B12 shots I started feeling not so tired anymore. I do remember my lymph nodes swelling in the beginning, and they would go up and down throughout the course of the illness. I remember joint pain. That was the worst part for me. I can't remember if I tested negative by the end of my illness..sorry.
I felt pretty much recovered by the end of March. I am fine now. I learned so much about myself when I had mono-I changed my diet, fitness routine, and discovered alternative medicine all as a result from having mono.

I hope you heal quickly!!!! Take good care of yourself!!!

 

[spero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparklemom how long did your fatigue last? and did your lymph nodes swell? if so, how long? do you know if you continue to test positive for mono as you start to heal? or would the monospot turn negative?

I had mono in HS; and then a relapse a few years later, in college. The relapse was so bad that I had to leave school and come home for a semester.

In HS, the really bad fatigue only lasted about a week. In college, I could barely crawl out of bed for weeks.

My lymph glands swelled up enormously; and have ever since, whenever my body is fighting off a viral infection.

I tested positive for several months, even after I had no symptoms.

It's your spleen that you have to be extra careful about - mono makes it swell and become more prone to injury.

 

[sparklemom]

i'm concerned because when i went to another doctor last week i tested negative for mono, after testing positive just two weeks prior.
i feel so horrible...fever, night sweats, NO appetite and am losing weight like crazy, and the bouts of fatigue are unreal. i also have an reoccuring low back ache. i'm a mess.
since i tested negative to mono a few days ago, i'm afraid this could be something worse.
today is sunday. of course i plan on calling my regular doctor first thing tomorrow.
i'm taking vitamin c, a multi vitamin, and some chinese herbal supplements to boost my immune system.
i have three young children. i have support with them. my husband, my mom or my sister and sometimes a close friend are always nearby to help me with them.
my youngest now has a slight fever, which also scares me.

arg.

 

[Susana]

I'm so sorry, sparklemom. Mono can really tax your body as you are finding out. Try not to worry that it could be something else wrong with you-I know what you're saying..I went thru the same thing.
mono takes a while to get over, take it easy and you will recover. the supplements you are taking sound good..keep it up.

 

[spero]

The lower back pain is probably due to your spleen swelling.

Make sure you are taking Vit C in the form of sodium ascorbate. I'm sure that MT would advise loading up til you experience diarrhea - there's a thread here someplace about sodium ascorbate with loads of good info.

Mono can really take it out of you. I'm grateful that I had the active virus BEFORE I had kids - but it's had long-lasting effects on my immune system, too. Mono sucks.

 

[sparklemom]

just wanted to add that the mono test ended up coming back positive...it was negative from the in-house lab work, but the one that they sent out took a couple of days and came back positive.
i'm feeling a little better these past couple of days, but still not much more than a slow couch potato. the glands in my neck under my jaw are sore today which puzzles me. they haven't done that this whole time. i'm still trying to quit losing weight, and have thankfully had my appetite back.
anyhow, thank you all for your comments.

 

[mamadosa]

I am so sorry you are down with mono. It is so depressing when getting up to go to the bathroom takes it out of you, especially since you have kids. I came down with it in college and while I never had major bouts of fevers or lymph-swelling, the fatigue and the way it taxed my body of its nutritional balance was long lasting. It took me several (2-3) to feel completely better.

I, too, feel like it was a blessing in disguise only because I was so ill for so long that I took it as an oportunity to become a well truely person. I quit smoking and drinking and using caffeine all day long and eating horrible college fare. I went to a chinease herbalist and used acupuncture as well as a host of other alternative modalities, but most of all what helped the most was rest and good nutrition.

I did freak out when I told my sisters midwife before her birth about my mono experience and she told me that it was something I would probably deal with off and on in my life. That is true to some extent. Whenever I get sick with a reg. virus I will have some mono symptoms as well.

Many waves of health and healing being sent your way. In good time you will feel thoroughly better. Just be gentle with yourself in the meantime.

:

 

[mamadosa]

2-3 months of recovery

 

[sparklemom]

Hi again. Still healing one day at a time here. I ran a mild fever a few days ago, and the doctor noticed lots of post nasal drip in addition to newly swollen neck glands. She wanted me to do a round of amoxicilan, but after I got home I had second thoughts about using the antibiotics not knowing for sure that I needed them. She won't be back in the office for a couple of days, so until I talk w her again I'm not taking them.

?...Do any of you understand the connection between mono and the Epstein Barr virus? I've read a lot about it in my mono researches. My bloodwork shows I clearly have a strong case of this virus.

The swollen glands in my neck, and a lump in my groin (lymph node? lipoma?) have me scared of cancer. I'm scheduled to have the groin lump (about the size of a grape) removed in a few weeks, giving myself some time to hopefully continue to heal until then. So dealing with the fatigue and loss of appetite and general ick feeling of the mono/ebv thing, in addition to worrying about the potential for cancer is putting me in quite the funk.
I'm not proud of myself for feeling this way, because I still have so much for which to be thankful!

thanks for listening...

 

[spero]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sparklemom The swollen glands in my neck, and a lump in my groin (lymph node? lipoma?) have me scared of cancer.

I had a swollen gland in my groin when I had mono - the dr said it was a symptom of the mono, same as the swollen neck glands.

But who knows ... ever since I had mono though, the lymph glands in my neck swell whenever my body is fighting off a virus. It's a telltale sign that I'm about to be sick.

 

[WinterBaby]

I had mono in high school and it was rough. The glands in my throat were literally the size of walnuts. You could SEE them. I don't think they ever fully recovered, lol. They went down, but have stood out more than they did to my touch ever since. There are lymph nodes in your groin too that I think were tender for me as well. I can't imagine feeling so sick and trying to care for children. Hang in there, and don't be afraid to call on everyone you know for whatever assistance they can offer. If you're a member of a mom's club or church, you might see if they can bring a few meals to you. Here's hoping with you that the kids don't get sick. But putting it in perspective now, I'm glad I had mono when I had few other commitments or responsibilities! Hope you're feeling well soon.