Has anyone had MONO?

[Ara Ann]

I ask because I think my 14 year old son and I may be in the early stages of mono. My nephew was hospitalized a month and a half ago with severe complications (ruptured spleen!). Two weeks after leaving the hospital, he attended a party at our house. That was 3 weeks ago.

Last week my son had a horrible headache and extreme fatigue and a fever...that lasted about 3 days. Then I developed the same thing. This week we have fatigue, body aches, he has a sore throat and we both had pain in the side of our throat/neck/jaw area and upper abdominal pain.

I have a Dr. appt. made for this Wednesday, but from what I have read online, it may take a couple of weeks for a positive mono blood result...the antibodies don''t show up for a couple of weeks I guess. I wouldn''t even suspect mono at all, at this point, except for the fact that we now know my nephew was still contagious when he was here for the party. Urrgh.


Does anyone have any mono stories/advice to share, while we wait for our Dr. appt.?

 

[geckodani]

How high of a fever are we talking about? I had mono a few years ago, and I was running around 103, had a sore throat the likes of which the world has never seen, and basically did my best impression of a couch pillow for about 2 weeks. It was not fun.

Your doc should at least be able to tell you if the symptoms all line up!

Funny/pathetic moment was when I really, REALLY wanted a bevarage, and DH was in the next room. Hollering took too much effort, so I actually texted him from the couch, LOL!

ETA: I can't believe he had a ruptured spleen! Just goes to show that going to the Doc is a good thing!

 

[sunnyd]

I had mono when I was 16. I felt fine, just like I had a cold or something, then my lymph nodes swelled up so much I could barely swallow! I was still active until I went to the doctor the next day. Then I crashed and burned...slept all day and night for a couple of weeks. I don''t remember an extremely high fever, but I was achy. The swollen glands were the worst part of it.

The thing about mono is that it''s only contagious through saliva...or something. That''s why it''s the kissing disease.

So just being around someone with it doesn''t mean you''ll get it. My boyfriend at the time didn''t get it.

Hopefully it''s not mono, it''s not a fun disease!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 10/26/2009 2:17:38 PM
Author: geckodani
How high of a fever are we talking about? I had mono a few years ago, and I was running around 103, had a sore throat the likes of which the world has never seen, and basically did my best impression of a couch pillow for about 2 weeks. It was not fun.

Your doc should at least be able to tell you if the symptoms all line up!

I got it in my early 20's. I was sooooo tired for about a month. I don't remember much but the following year I was exhausted again around that time and the doctor said that it can reoccur around the same time each year and will diminish in strength each year (I wonder if that is true). I do remember having a test for it and having to wait. Gosh, this happened about 13 yrs ago; the thing that stood out was how tired and sluggish I was. Hope everyone feels better soon and has lots of popcicles and rest. Gosh your poor nephew.

eta: I am pretty sure I got it by sharing a beverage with someone.

 

[Ara Ann]

Hey Gecko,

His fever was not super high...was around 102, but it came and went for a couple of days. His throat is red and hurts, but not super sore yet...I say yet because I read it can take a couple of weeks before the full blown BAD stuff actually starts up, which is when most people typically go to the doctor.


With my nephew, he wasn't even really THAT sick. he had gone home from work because he felt weak and exhausted...then he started with stomach pains (which usually start up later in the illness)...they got so bad his girlfriend rushed him to the ER...they thought he was in kidney failure and they couldn't help him there, so he was air lifted to another hospital...he was there TWO full days before they diagnosed him as having mono. His spleen didn't actually 'rupture' as much as it 'leaked' - more like a slow leaking water balloon. But yeah, 17 days in the hospital, lost 15 pounds and no health insurance...


So since his symptoms were atypical, I am not going 'by the book' with our symptoms. When I started to get bad stomach pains this morning, I thought about mono. Our basic symptoms seem to line up with the early stage...ugh. I sure hope it's NOT mono, but yeah, since he was here 3 weeks ago, that's what I suspect.

EDIT TO ADD: They do not know how my nephew got this either, his doctors said he could have caught it from an 'airborne' particle...his girlfriend did not have it either. it can be passed from close contact and we did have a buffet style food setup at the party...all it takes is one tiny particle to pass this along...so I'm not ruling it out. AND we had all just recovered from the flu! So I'm sure we weren't up to par health wise when he visited. This has been a tough month at our house!

I am hoping it is another kind of virus, maybe it mimics mono! Hopefully the Dr. can tell me on Wednesday!

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 10/26/2009 2:24:55 PM
Author: Skippy123

Date: 10/26/2009 2:17:38 PM
Author: geckodani
How high of a fever are we talking about? I had mono a few years ago, and I was running around 103, had a sore throat the likes of which the world has never seen, and basically did my best impression of a couch pillow for about 2 weeks. It was not fun.

Your doc should at least be able to tell you if the symptoms all line up!

I got it in my early 20''s. I was sooooo tired for about a month. I don''t remember much but the following year I was exhausted again around that time and the doctor said that it can reoccurs around the same time each year and will diminish in strength each year (I wonder if that is true). I do remember having a test for it and having to wait. Gosh, this happened about 13 yrs ago; the thing that stood out was house tired and sluggish I was. Hope everyone feels better soon and has lots of popcicles and rest.

Really? Wow, I''ve never heard that.

If you do have mono, you HAVE to take it easy. I relapsed maybe 3 times trying to get back to old schedule - high school, dancing 7 hours a week plus yoga at school. You think you''re fine until you need to be taken out of school in a wheelchair because you can''t walk.

The one funny story I always tell from when I had it was the time that I was too tired to take a sip of my juice. I reached over, picked up the glass, decided it was too much effort, put it down and took a nap.

 

[Ara Ann]

Wow, thanks for the fast replies!

So do any of you remember if it took a few days/weeks and came on slowly? I''d expect him/us to be perking up by now if it was just a ''virus''...but he/we''re still getting new symptoms.


And yeah, I am concerned about the recovery time for my son mainly...he''s a freshman in HS this year and I don''t want to rush him back to school, but am anxious about how much he will miss if this is mono! He came home from school early, last Tuesday, so as of tomorrow, it will already be a week!

Again, hoping it''s NOT! I''ll keep you posted!

 

[sba771]

I have actually had it twice!!

Its gets better, honestly I had no choice but to continue working through both bouts of it and I was able to, so it will get easier for him.

 

[PinkTower]

My college kid had to withdraw/medical from school last spring with it. He was eventually hospitalized nine days.
He developed three splenic infarctions as a result and had to be on a morphine pump for the pain.
This was in a teaching hospital, one of the best in the country, and they took a long time to figure things out.
Mono tests are often falsely negative. His were negative for quite a while.
This is the worst disease - I cannot help but think it is on the rise for some reason.
He went back to college this fall, but his bloodwork is still testing positive, and this is nearly six months later.

I have to say, although his tonsils closed shut, (they can put a tube down for that), by far the biggest red flag is the excruciating pain in the spleen. I do not see that you mentioned that in your description of your symptoms, so maybe you are going to get a good report.

 

[sunnyd]

Date: 10/26/2009 2:39:20 PM
Author: Ara Ann
Wow, thanks for the fast replies!

So do any of you remember if it took a few days/weeks and came on slowly? I''d expect him/us to be perking up by now if it was just a ''virus''...but he/we''re still getting new symptoms.


And yeah, I am concerned about the recovery time for my son mainly...he''s a freshman in HS this year and I don''t want to rush him back to school, but am anxious about how much he will miss if this is mono! He came home from school early, last Tuesday, so as of tomorrow, it will already be a week!

Again, hoping it''s NOT! I''ll keep you posted!

I felt like I had a cold + swollen glands maybe a few days...my mom would remember. Hehe!

When I had it, I think I missed a solid week of school. My sister would get assignments for me and I did them when I could. I started doing half days after a week (alternating mornings and afternoons) then went back to full time after a week of that. I did have to go back to half days a couple of times, but that was me rushing back into things. Whoops! Luckily, all but one of my teachers were understanding and very accomodating.

 

[Ara Ann]

Thanks ''sba'' and Pink Tower!


Yep, sounds about what my nephew went through! But they had mistakenly diagnosed him as also having kidney blockages, which misled them for a couple of days. Urrgh.

And yes, I DO have a bad stomach ache today, my son does too, which is what piqued my interest...it HURTS, up high, just under the ribs...like when you are 9 months pregnant and have the baby''s feet pushing against and under your ribs...it is very uncomfortable when I am sitting, better if I am walking around. He hasn''t keeled over yet either, but again, it took a few days for my nephew to reach the point of TERRIBLE stomach pain when they took him to the ER.

 

[tlh]

I had mono, and thought it was strep. Swollen tonsils covered in giant white patches. A negative culture and a blood test later, confirmed mono.

The one thing I remember from it (this was well over 15 years ago) was the EXTREME exhaustion that I felt. I tried to run, and could barely cover a mile, and would sleep about 12-15 hours a day... and would doze off in class even. I hope that your son is alright!

 

[elrohwen]

I had mono in college. According to the doctor, it can take 3-5 months or something from the time you''re exposed to the time you show symptoms. My best girlfriend had mono and I got it exactly 5 months later, so I figure we must''ve shared drinks or food or something. Haha.

For the first couple of days I had a very severe sore throat and thought I had strep. When I went to get tested for strep they told me it was actually mono and that it was very common for it to seem like strep. I had bad symptoms for maybe 4 days, then I felt fine. I did need to take a nap in the middle of the day so I wasn''t fast asleep by 7pm, but otherwise I was great. This went on for about a month or two and I never felt sick during that time. I know some people have a much worse time than I did though.

I actually ended up passing it on to a boyfriend too. The doctor told me I shouldn''t be contagious anymore, but a few months after we started dating he came down with the same symptoms. He never got tested, but I''m 99% sure he had mono. Oops! Haha.

It sounds like you might have it, though your symptoms sound more severe than mine were. You can only get it through saliva contact (or other fluid contact I guess), not just having someone in your home. Did you share a drink with your nephew or anything while he was visiting? It''s called the kissing disease, but I got it from a close female friend, so clearly it can be contagious even if you just share a drink or a fork or something.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 10/26/2009 2:48:09 PM
Author: Ara Ann
Thanks ''sba'' and Pink Tower!

Yep, sounds about what my nephew went through! But they had mistakenly diagnosed him as also having kidney blockages, which misled them for a couple of days. Urrgh.

And yes, I DO have a bad stomach ache today, my son does too, which is what piqued my interest...it HURTS, up high, just under the ribs...like when you are 9 months pregnant and have the baby''s feet pushing against and under your ribs...it is very uncomfortable when I am sitting, better if I am walking around. He hasn''t keeled over yet either, but again, it took a few days for my nephew to reach the point of TERRIBLE stomach pain when they took him to the ER.

Oy! Well, for your sakes, I hope it''s not mono!


Skippy- I was told it can reoccur as well, and could swear that every year at about the same time I relapse.

I was also told that it can come back at times of high stress.

That''s actually how we think I got it - DH had it in college, and he hadn''t been feeling well a few weeks before I came down with it. Speculation is that he relapsed, and I caught it. Joy.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I had it when I was 5...yes, 5. And no, I didn't run around french kissing all my little classmates lol.

All I remember about it is throwing up once, and then being SUPER tired and weak. The doc also told my mom not to let me play with the other kids too rough or I could rupture my spleen. I was fine after about 3 weeks or so.

I had a classmate that had it in the 8th grade, and he was out of school for almost two months!

ETA: This has ruined me for life, I think - I never have any stamina, or energy, and often I feel weak and limp just like I did when I had the mono. My mom used to think I was making it up, but it has persisted even into my adult years, so I think it broke something in there lol.

 

[Ara Ann]

Geesh, looks like it really does affect everyone differently! I really hope it''s NOT mono in our house! But whatever we do have is bad enough!


And MP, have you ever had your thyroid levels tested? Sounds like you have a sluggish thyroid to me! Blood tests can be ''normal'' too, even if you actually do have thyroid problems...do some research on thyroid disorders online and look at all of the symptoms...that''s the only real way to know if you have hypothyroidism, even if you have blood work done! I know because I suffered for years with low thyroid symptoms, but my levels were ''normal''...I''ve finally begun treatment for it, but I use natural supplements for mine. This is part of the reason why I was really concerned about being SO tired and exhausted this week, I thought my thyroid supplements stopped working!

 

[princesss]

BF had it for a while. It was right before a big Ultimate tournament, and he about died when they told him he couldn''t play. He was lethargic and had a sore throat for ages. The doctors say it''s most likely that he got it from me, but I never showed symptoms. Apparently you can be a carrier, which is something I didn''t know.

I hope things go quickly for you, Ara Ann. I know BF was miserable.

 

[Strawdermangrl]

I had it in HS- it was horrible and I was out for about a month. All I remember is that I watched A LOT of movies and the thought of getting out of bed to use the restroom or to get something to drink EXHAUSTED me.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

AA-Google Cytomegliovirus. It can mimic Mono in symptoms, but won''t show up as Mono in blood tests. Just something to think about. I had CMV that mimic''d mono when I was in the eighth grade. I came down with it right as school was getting out and had it for a long time that summer. Good luck.

 

[Catmom]

I had it when I was in grade school. I remember having the worst sore throat I''ve ever had. I couldn''t eat anything. i came home from school feeling terrible and my father took my temp and it was 104. I was taken straight to the hospital and was packed in ice. i think I was in there for about a week before I came home and I was out of school for a month. My son and my nephew had it when they were in high school. Both were extremely tired and had bad sore throats but not so high temps.

 

[Octavia]

I had it my senior year of high school, caught it from another cast member in our school musical. We never shared drinks or anything, just rehearsed together a lot and probably shared the script or sheet music or something. I had super-swollen lymph nodes and a terrible sore throat, and was incredibly tired. I was out of school for at least a week, I think...but I can''t remember for sure right now. The awful thing was that, even once I was technically better, it affected my throat for months. It felt like someone was shoving a hot poker down my throat, but the doctors couldn''t find any infection or even much irritation, and they said that I was over the mono by that time. So weird. I ended up not playing field hockey in college because I wasn''t able to prep for it over the summer due to the throat problems.

 

[Ara Ann]

Date: 10/26/2009 3:34:41 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
AA-Google Cytomegliovirus. It can mimic Mono in symptoms, but won''t show up as Mono in blood tests. Just something to think about. I had CMV that mimic''d mono when I was in the eighth grade. I came down with it right as school was getting out and had it for a long time that summer. Good luck.

Thanks for that info HH! I looked at it and do see a lot of similarities between the two viruses...but I would think I may be too old to get it? Not sure...my son is in that age bracket though. I''ll be sure to mention it to the Dr. to see what he thinks.

 

[Italiahaircolor]

I had mono in elementary school--5th grade actually.

It was awful. I remember being very weak, feverish, my lymph nodes were inflamed and I could barely barely stay awake for a full hour. I lost a great deal of weigh from my loss of appetite, and missed a lot of school.

It was mystery illness for a while because mono is hard to diagnosis right from the get, so we were in and out of the doctors office almost every day as I progressively got worse and time was ticking by.

I would really get him into the doctor, the sooner the better.

 

[Kaleigh]

I had it in HS, and remember having white dots on the back of my throat. Gosh I was really wiped out by it. DD had it in HS but she wasn''t as wiped out by it as I was.

 

[Porridge]

I had it over two years ago. I had an awful temperature, raging sore throat, hard to swallow, generally achy and fluey and after all that was just exhausted. I could have slept all night and all day. The thing is though I hate being sick, rarely get sick actually, and was too proud to admit it was more than a cold

I thought I was exhausted because I wasn''t getting enough exercise! So I upped the aerobics. I found working out was awful, I had to drag myself through it and it didn''t give me the lift that exercising usually would. I was getting more and more exhausted. I eventually admitted there may be something wrong, went to the doctor and it turned out to be mono. My pig-headedness had set me way back, you really have to take it easy with mono. I hadn''t considered that because...and this is the bad news for you...I didn''t get it from kissing anyone. ex FI wasn''t around, and I obviously wasn''t kissing anyone else. The doctor told me I could easily have picked it up from a dirty glass or something else, that it wasn''t necessarily kissing that spread it.

I hope you don''t have it!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Date: 10/26/2009 3:24:53 PM
Author: Ara Ann
Geesh, looks like it really does affect everyone differently! I really hope it''s NOT mono in our house! But whatever we do have is bad enough!

And MP, have you ever had your thyroid levels tested? Sounds like you have a sluggish thyroid to me! Blood tests can be ''normal'' too, even if you actually do have thyroid problems...do some research on thyroid disorders online and look at all of the symptoms...that''s the only real way to know if you have hypothyroidism, even if you have blood work done! I know because I suffered for years with low thyroid symptoms, but my levels were ''normal''...I''ve finally begun treatment for it, but I use natural supplements for mine. This is part of the reason why I was really concerned about being SO tired and exhausted this week, I thought my thyroid supplements stopped working!

I hope it''s not mono for you guys, either!
And yes, I had my thyroid levels checked when I was still in grade school - just fine. They are fine now that I am pregnant, too. It''s just wierd luck I guess! Most people don''t get mono so young.

 

[Smurfysmiles]

I really hope it''s not mono! Everytime I hear that word I think about how terrible it was!!! I got it at the end of my freshman year of high school. Had a GREAT gpa before I got it, and then after? My gpa was 0.4, no joke! I was out of school for about a month and a half and I remember laying around in my underwear because it took so much out of me just to put pants on lol I was a dancer too and the first day I went back it felt like getting hit by a semi lol

 

[Tuckins1]

I had mono when I was in high school. It actually started in my freshman year- I had strep throat at least 3 or 4 times a year, and I would go through bouts of extreme tiredness. My doctors just kept diagnosing the strep until in my junior year, I was so sick and tired that I actually left school and drove myself to the emergency room. They discovered that I had mono, and about the worst case they had ever seen. I was sick for almost 3 months! My kidneys started to lose function, i lost a TON of weight (I was already skinny anyways)... It was HORRIBLE!!! If your son is showing symptoms, make sure they test him for Mono, and make him STAY IN BED!! Get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids. He will be ok.

 

[PinkTower]

Yes, it does sound like your nephew may have had splenic infarctions, as well, doesn''t it? They are quite painful, and only a few diseases cause them. Not being in the medical field, I had never even heard of them. It did take quite a while for my son to get to that point, however. He kept pushing himself. One day in the hospital, an ENT came in because his throat had swollen closed. She told us that she herself got it in Med School, kept pushing herself, and it took her TWO YEARS to get over it as a result.

 

[Ara Ann]

Date: 10/26/2009 5:00:35 PM
Author: Pink Tower
Yes, it does sound like your nephew may have had splenic infarctions, as well, doesn''t it? They are quite painful, and only a few diseases cause them. Not being in the medical field, I had never even heard of them. It did take quite a while for my son to get to that point, however. He kept pushing himself. One day in the hospital, an ENT came in because his throat had swollen closed. She told us that she herself got it in Med School, kept pushing herself, and it took her TWO YEARS to get over it as a result.

Ugh! Yes it does take a long time to recover from, but 2 years! yikes! My nephew is coming along, but not fully recovered yet...he lost 15 pounds in 2 weeks (and he''s not a big guy at all)...they wouldn''t let him eat anything while he was in the hospital because they weren''t sure day to day if they''d have to operate on his spleen! And his throat swelled closed too. He looked terrible the day he was here...and that was a week after he was out of the hospital...poor guy. I HOPE that''s not in our future!


Thanks for the advice everyone...we''re just going to try to rest and relax until Wednesday...maybe this isn''t mono at all and we''ll be better even by then!