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Doctor thinks I have mono


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Hello all. I am a 21 year old female who just started school at a career college about 10 weeks ago. About 4 weeks ago, I woke up very run down and had the typical cough and stuffy nose that came with a cold. It went away, I was feeling better after a week, no big deal. Then, last week Monday, I woke up and my eyelids were very puffy, as if I had went to bed after crying very hard. This happened 2 days in a row and I assumed it was just an allergic reaction to the pollen count or something.

 

Anyways, I got progressively sicker and sicker. I ended up having full body aches (which I assumed I was getting because my time of the month was coming) and I felt super tired. Wednesday night last week I went to a concert with a friend and felt terrible while we were there. When I got home, I noticed I had swollen lymph nodes and swollen tonsils. It was getting harder and harder to swallow anything. Thursday morning I called the doctor and scheduled an appointment with her. I went in Saturday morning, they checked my temperature and I had 101° fever. She did a test for strep, which came back negative. After that, she told me she thinks I could possibly have mono.

 

They drew blood and told me they would call me when the lab results came back. I called them today just to see if they were in and they said they'd either be in by later today (which they weren't) or tomorrow.

 

I have had a range of symptoms: puffy eyelids, sore throat, stuffy nose, swollen tonsils and lymph nodes, body aches, headaches, fever, my stomach feels bloated, I'm having trouble sleeping at night, and sometimes I get aches in the back of my head as if someone hit me with a baseball bat.

 

What I want to know is, after reading all this, is there anything that it could be other than mono? If not, and you have had mono/know someone who has had it, how long did you have it for? What did you do to help the symptoms? How long did it take to go away completely?

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That definitely sounds like mono. My ex got it during his first year of teaching and it was awful for him; I was extremely lucky and had gotten it as a kid (it often passes as a mild cold in young children) according to my antibodies, so I didn't have to suffer along with him.

 

If you do have mono, take time to recover. It can take around four weeks to six weeks to really start feeling okay, and that's if you rest properly. Technically you're no longer contagious once your fever dips back down for good; I think my ex said it had to be at 100.3 for at least six hours before he was cleared. So, being the stubborn man he is, he went back to school the Monday after his diagnosis (symptoms appeared Wednesday, diagnosis Friday, fever broke Sunday night). He never missed a day of work, and as a result he suffered from aches and pains for like eight months. He said it took from February until mid-August or September before he had a day where he wasn't exhausted just by existing. Typically, if you rest at first and don't overexert yourself like he did, you should feel mostly normal in 4-6 weeks and have all effects gone within a few months.

 

Rest up.

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^ very right.

 

I got it and was totally incapacitated for about 3 weeks. And then still pretty sick about 3 more.

 

But it destroyed my immune system. It created a spiral of intense sickness for the next year. It ended in me getting my tonsils removed.

 

Moral of the story: once you're healthy, get on a strong immunity plan. Exercise, vegetables, vitamins, all of it.

 

I say once you're healthy bc you can't do really any of that with mono unfortunately.

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Ugh, I got mono some years ago and it dragged on for me for several months, because I was working a high-stress job and put it down to not enough sleep, too much work, so mine went undiagnosed and treated for three months.

 

I remember a bone-crushing fatigue that would be so bad I'd have to slam 2-3 red bulls in coffee down in the morning just to be able to function. Not to scare you though, because I was a single working mom on call 24/7 for my job and not taking care of myself, so part of it was mono and part of it was just made far worse by my own lack of care.

 

As to how long it lasts, about six weeks I seem to recall is normal, BUT your doctor can give you way better information on that and what treatments to help you get better. The usual suspects - good sleep, good food, don't stress yourself (like I did every damn day, being on call at a women's clinic was not a good time to be sick) and lots and lots of water to flush that bad buggie out of the system. I'm not sure if they have antivirals now to treat that stuff or not, but ask. They didn't when I had it, it might be different now.

 

I feel for you though, it's like a flu on steroids or anyways it was for me. Good news is you're getting it diagnosed faster and probably not living the insane work hours and life I was attempting to be superwoman and all things to all people. Good luck, get to feeling better soon.

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I feel this is worth mentioning, but please people, be careful about caffeine and caffeine drinks, in particular Red Bull. There have been deaths because the body can only take so much caffeine at one time and it's very hard on the heart. Google if you are unsure.

I just don't want anyone to have any issues.

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Thank you all for your input! My doctor just got back to me, she confirmed that I do have mono and is giving me Prednisone for my tonsils.

 

Good! Just remember, prednisone isn't a cure - it's a steroid. Steroids weaken your immune system so be extra diligent when you're using it.

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I got mono in my freshman year - I was sick for over a month. I also had it confirmed by blood test. Please, take it easy. Have your doctor write a note and give it to any professors/work bosses - you should NOT be working/going to class right now. You need to be resting at home and you do not want to risk spreading it to someone either. The more active you are now, the longer you will take to feel better.

 

Drink plenty of fluids and be aware that you may develop more severe stomach issues later - sometimes the liver gets inflammed from the virus and you will get nausea/vomiting. My skin actually changed to a faint yellow when I was sick due to liver involvement.

 

REST, REST, REST, REST.

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yup! that's what the doc said, all they're supposed to do is helping the swelling in my tonsils so it's easier to swallow foods and liquids. Otherwise it's just resting until I'm back to normal!

 

I was warned about the yellow skin too - I actually know more people than I though who have had mono - one of my friends had it for 2 months with bad liver complications. Definitely going to be taking it easy for a while. thanks again guys!

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