Who's had mono?

kddani · #1 04-23-2003, 01:22 PM

Okay, so I had strep throat a couple weeks ago.

The past couple days, felt like it was coming back (YES, i did finish my meds). Today I went to student health.

She did a throat culture (won't be back until Friday- which makes no sense. We're part of one of the world's best medical centers and it takes that long to get it back? My doctor at home when I was a kid would have it back in 10 minutes!) and drew some blood to test for MONO.

Now in general, i've felt fine. Same energy level, etc. I told her that (nurse practioner), she said some people don't get the tiredness, etc. Which goes against anything i've ever heard about mono.

So thankfully they'll have the mono test back first thing tomorrow AM. But she wouldn't give me any drugs today, which ticks me off b/c i need to study and can't get any sicker!

ARGH! If anyone's had mono, i'd like to hear how you dealt with it so I can prepare myself

The1calledTKE · #2 04-23-2003, 01:27 PM

I have had mono before. It wasn't a big deal for me. You just can do anything strenuous. If I remember right your spleen could rupture if you so anything strenous. That mean is you work out stick to walking and simple stuff. I never had the feeling tired symptom but some people do. Not much you can do just wait til it passes. Just relax and rest alot and you should be ok. I am sure you will be on anti biotics for awhile because strep can happen easily while you have mono.

kddani · #3 04-23-2003, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by zntke711
I have had mono before. It wasn't a big deal for me. You just can do anything strenuous. If I remember right your spleen could rupture if you so anything strenous. That mean is you work out stick to walking and simple stuff. I never had the feeling tired symptom but some people do. Not much you can do just wait til it passes. Just relax and rest alot and you should be ok. I am sure you will be on anti biotics for awhile because strep can happen easily while you have mono.

Thanks for sharing! I didn't really believe the nurse practitioner when she said some people don't get the tired symptom. It's good to hear from someone who's had the same symptoms. I am a little tired today, but that's probably just as much from 1) stress and 2) some sort of sick, whatever i am!

Why on earth does this have to happen several days before finals????????????

The1calledTKE · #4 04-23-2003, 01:35 PM

Just be prepared to hear the jokes about who you been kissing, since mono is the "kissing disease" if you do find out you have mono. lol

Peaches-n-Cream · #5 04-23-2003, 01:36 PM

I had mono at the end of my freshman year of college and during the summer. Mono knocked me out for three months. I was so fatigued that I could barely get out of bed. It was awful and it started with strep throat.

My diet was pretty limit because my throat hurt so much. I ate soup and drank tea and juice for a few weeks. I was told not to eat high fat foods and not to drink alcohol.

I hope that you don't have it. Feel better.

AXJules · #6 04-23-2003, 01:49 PM

I definitely came down with mono the day before work week started for rush. It f'ing blew.
I had been going to bed at like 8 every night for week the month before. Then i was fine. all of a sudden one friday i woke up and my arms felt liek they were 10000 lbs, i had a fever and couldn't do anything.
Basically all you can do is sleep sleep sleep and drink soup and gatorade.

Kevin · #7 04-23-2003, 01:53 PM

I've seen it both ways... Never had it myself. One of my fraternity brothers got it a few months ago. Had a sore throat and was fatigued. He finally went to the doctor because his throat was so sore that he couldn't swallow food. He got to be hospitilized for a few days, had some great pain meds and was back to normal in no time.

On another occasion, a coworker of mine had it and was gone for 3 weeks. Bedridden. He lost like 20 pounds and said it was probably the worst experience of his life.

PM_Mama00 · #8 04-23-2003, 01:57 PM

I had mono the first semester of my college life. I was never really THAT tired. One day I was sitting in class and just wanted to put my head down and sleep. My body was sore, but bein overweight that didn't say much. Went to the docs and they told me I was inthe last week of mono. I had had it for like a month and never knew it. I think I was only off school for a week. Since then, I've definately had it twice again, and I think a few more times. It totally kicked my ass. Three years later and I still don't have the energy I used to have before I first got mono.

AXJules · #9 04-23-2003, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by PM_Mama00
Three years later and I still don't have the energy I used to have before I first got mono.

This is such a good point. So many doctors told me that I would experience this, I know a few adults who have gotten it and it took them months to recoop. To this day I still don't feel A+, and like if I pull an all nighter or stay up real late, it takes me 2 weeks to get back to normal, swear to god. Yuck.

The1calledTKE · #10 04-23-2003, 02:29 PM

I guess I was lucky when I had mono I was never tired. But I sure did act like it sometimes to get my way!lol

Bamboozled · #11 04-23-2003, 02:36 PM

I have a question that some might deem as stupid, but do black people get mono? I went to a mostly all white high school and remember plenty of white people being out of school for weeks and months at a time because they had mono. I've NEVER in my 28 years known a black person that had mono. Am I right?

Starlet · #12 04-23-2003, 02:39 PM

My roommate in the house just got over mono. She also was never extremely exhausted to the point that she stayed in bed 24/7, but we live on the third floor, so she would get tired (even more so) after walking up the three flights of stairs. It started with her throat hurting--she said she's never been in so much pain before--and the throat culture came back negative for strep throat. We have a pretty sucky health center on campus, and so they didn't bother to check for mono until a few days later when she wasn't getting better. I don't think she had an extremely bad case of mono because the dr. told her that she could still go to class, even though she did end up missing a few days.

According to the doctor, symptoms of mono don't start showing up until 6 weeks later, which worried me at first since I live with her and may have shared the same cup or something. And now my throat hurts!!! Mono just sucks... but to get mono your senior year, just a few weeks before graduation would suck ten times more!

AOIIalum · #13 04-23-2003, 02:40 PM

I had it senior year of High School and it knocked me out for a month. Even worse, it was the end of the 3rd quarter and beginning of the 4th. All but one of my teachers were wonderful about it. That one, though...she was a nun who didn't care that I was legitimately sick. She flunked me both quarters and wouldn't accept any makeup work even after a request from my parents and doctor. Ugh.

Christin

Peaches-n-Cream · #14 04-23-2003, 02:43 PM

short term: I was diagnosed in April or May, went back to school in August, but wasn't myself until Sept or October. It drained my energy. I managed to walk from my bedroom to the living room which was an accomplishment.

long term: I wasn't the same after mono. I just didn't have the energy that I used to have. Epstein Barr can do that to you. I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome. I wound up having strep and bronchitis a few times a year for the next few years after mono. It took many years for me to stop feeling sick. I'm not sure if I actually recovered or if I lowered my standards.

Jilly · #15 04-23-2003, 02:46 PM

Just to clear up someone elses statement:
You can only have mono once, unless you are severly immunocompromised. Around 90% of adults have antibodies to the virus, many with out knowing they have had the infection. The older you are the harder it will hit you. 1/2 the population have had mono before 5years of age but at that age it is asymptomatic.
I am trying to remember what we just discussed about it in my Immunology class...i will have to find my notes.