I had Glandular Fever 2 years ago and i'm still ill, is this normal?
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hi guys i'm new to this site!
My names Frankie and i'm 16 (nearly 17) and i had Glandular Fever when i'd just turned 14 and i'm still getting ill.
Long story short:
I was in year 10 in high school when this all started and my attendance was really low because i was in and out of school like god knows what! I started down with flu symptoms and they just kept getting worse so i was back and to to the doctors and they eventually did a blood test after going about 5 times and it came back + for Glandular Fever. I informed my school and told them what was going on and they were very understanding and were sending me work through the post and through email so i was keeping up with everyone even though i wasn't in. I kept going back to the docs but they said there was nothing they could do but they did say i had a severe case of it. I'd always had tonsil trouble and i eventaully got tonsilitis from the Glandular Fever which i had permantley for 6 months. This then caused something called Mescenteric Adinitis which is where all the glands in your body inflame and swell and cause severe pain, this was caused because i was constantly swallowing infection for months. So, my tonsilitis wouldn't go, even with tablets, because my GF wasn't budging and the MA wasn't going because of the tonsils so basically, i was a massive mess! The docs eventaully pulled their fingers out and referred me to have my tonsils out after many visits, i think they got sick of me! I had my tonsils out and did feel slighty better but i was far from recovering. Eventually, over time i began to feel better. Year 11 came and i was still in and out of school but no where near as much as i was in year 10, i did my GCSE's and passed everything with flying colours (even Maths!!! YEY!!!) I was constantly picking things up like colds and things and they felt x10 worse because my immune system was so low but the docs said it will pass and it was normal.
Now, i'm in Year 12 (sixth form doing A Levels) and i'm starting to pick things up even more than when i was in year 11 and i feel like the Glandular Fever symptoms have come back. I also have a chronic pain in my back (lower back on the right side) which the docs thought was Ankalowsing Spondilitis (probably spelt that wrong) but me and my Mum said is it just part of the Glandular Fever and they said "Oh know! It's unheard of to be suffering with GF symptoms this long after having it!" So that was that!
Since then i have moved to another docs because the others weren't helping me. At my new docs, in a week i had 8 blood tests which have all come back -, i'm going for an MRI on Saturday for my back pain and i've been told i can pick things up for years and experience GF symptoms for years after having it, it was normal. I'm in and out of school still and i have all GF symptoms again!
I feel so stupid because of this because my friends are always like whats up now and i'm like, i don't know. I hate going to the docs now because i feel like a hypochondriac and i'm embarassed about school because i feel like i'm never there. I try and make a joke about it to people who ask but deep down i feel so stupid!! My Mum thinks i have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME because i'm so tired even if i've slept all day but i'm ill on top of it!
Is this normal what i'm experiencing because like every few weeks i suddenly have a bout of what feels like GF again but i have no idea. Please someone say this is and this is happening to you too (i feel sorry for you if it is because it's horrible but just to know i'm not alone would be great) because i feel helpless.
Thanks so much guys, you'll put a teenagers mind slighty at rest if you answer!
0 likes, 4 replies
jeremy02839 frankietansley1
Posted
So does yours keep happening whether you rest or are physically active exercising ?
If I get hit by it I need to take typically three months rest with no exercise, seriously trying to keep my heart rate down as that seems to trigger the symptoms stronger. I think it's due to the higher heart rate pumping your lymphatic system more, a viral load gets injected into your blood stream and then you feel crap again for a few days. As soon as the symptoms are on the back burner, I start walking again. At some point, perhaps a month later, I start feeling strong when out walking and then I try to jog a little in the middle of my walk. If that doesn't trigger things I eventually get back on my mountain bike and start the process of building my cycling strength up again. It's now March and I have been off my bike since October last year. I triggered it by exercising too soon after recovering from an appendix op. My system was low inside even if I thought I was OK.
Has any doctor recommended light exercise like walks ?
frankietansley1 jeremy02839
Posted
I have a dog that you cannot wear out so i just take him for slow but quie long walks and that does;t seem to set anything off. I as a strong swimmer and liked the occasional run but that has now stopped because it triggered everything off! My docs haven't recommended anything apart from dont catch colds or flu's but that's a bit ridiculous when i go to school with people who are always ill and i always get it, i think hat is whyi'm always going up and down with the GF. My docs only seem to be interested in my school work. Every time i go, they only seem to ask "Are you meant to be in college today?" When i answer yes, they just look at me as if i'm trying to get a day off. Funny things is, i'm actually keeping up with school and in some subjects, ahead of my class and my grades haven't slipped one bit. When i' in though, my teachers are like why weren't you in and i'm like oh ill again, i feel so stupid.
I've never been a sport fanatic but i liked a fair bit but that seems to set everything off so i stopped about a year ago, good thing i did as i had no time anymore because of A Levels. I just seem to be resting apart from walking the dog and i still seem to be having bouts that can last up to 3 weeks. I have no energy what so ever and it's getting on my nerves haha!
Emis_Moderator frankietansley1
Posted
leo64913 frankietansley1
Posted
I've found a lot of experiences like yours in Internet with the GF virus. It's a herpes type of virus and its embeded in your lymphatic system. Yours seem very aggressive. The only thing you can do is to boost your immune system as much as you can, physically and mentally. Don't give into depression or anxiety, fight that with exercise and meditation. Use natural remedies to boost your immune system, try daily high doses of echinacea (5g per day), Spirulina and others; there's a type of vitamin C that absorbs in the body better than the common pills... When I say high doses I mean the products that contain a good amount of the herb or vitamin, consumed from 1 to 4 times a day depending on how you're feeling, I don't mean over do it and get sick!
Search the Internet for methods and recommendations to boost your immune system and hassle the doctors about it rather than the infection itself cause that virus will not leave your body, you can only tame it down and you can do that if you focus in that and keep your spirit up.
I hope my words help you somewhat.
I have a question for you: I know that glandular fever is very contagious when you get it and for a while after that. But for people like you that suffer the virus sheltering in your body and becoming a recurring syndrome, I'm curious about the contagion. In your experience, is your disease still contagious through kissing and saliva? You mention your mum, she would have been exposed through eating utensils and others. Any girlfriends who you have kissed and have not catched anything? I know you are still very young and I hope you don't mind my question. I'm hopeful of finding that is not contagious after the original episode, the first few months, but I'm trying to learn from those who have the experience.