7 months mono update and story - getting back on track!
Posted , 6 users are following.
Hey there everyone, I’ve been seeing a lot of people do updates and positive recovery stories, so I thought I would do one now as well.
Starting September 2017 I started having odd things happen to me, such as heart palpitations, repetitive racing thoughts, and occasional anxiety while trying to fall asleep. Then the heart palpitations would come during the day. Not all the time, but enough to notice. I would brush these
strange things off as nothing because they didn’t occur often enough to worry me, and I am still a growing young adult so thought it might just be hormones. For months I went along as normal, went to school and felt just fine aside from the occasional recurrence of these symptoms.
Finally, late February I went for a ski trip, and noticed on my last day of skiing that I felt very strange and off. I tried to push the feeling aside but when the day was over and I went back to my hotel room, I was anxious and on edge the whole time and I couldn’t shake it off. That night I had a panic attack, and I do not have a history of anxiety or panic attacks. Skip to two days later, I am back home and come down with the flu. This was the worst flu I’ve ever experienced, and I believe it also helped kick the mono into action. My anxiety sky rocketed, I would get horrible bouts of anxiety for no reason at all. I felt very sad for no reason as well. I only had a fever for one or two days, but I had this this horrible groggy feeling in my head, and was extremely sleepy. I lost my appetite and missed almost two weeks of school.
I thought the anxiety would go away when I got better, but when I went back to school it was still there. I struggled March through may with anxiety and depressed feelings which made it tough to go to school and concentrate on my assignments. I didn’t understand what was going on with me, I just knew I felt off.
finally, March 13th I was with my family for a Mother’s Day dinner and after eating we decided to go for a walk. While walking, I felt extremely spaced out, tired, and felt weak and as if I was about to fall over or faint. I came back home, had a panic attack again after experiencing these symptoms and my mood was very bad, I felt so depressed. I did not go back to school for the remainder of the year after that day.
May and June were my worst months. I felt so horrible, with weakness, anxiety, lightheadeness, off balanced feelings, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, nausea, etc. I never had any lymph nodes swell up or any aches, but the rest of the symptoms were absolutely horrendous to experience.
July and August my energy improved, but I struggled mentally. I could not shake the anxiety and I had a very bad episode of derealization for about three weeks caused by extreme anxiety and stress. Luckily, by the end of August and just in time for my birthday, I was finally snapping out of it and starting to feel like myself again- mentally and physically. I went to school to pick up my schedule, and was able to work for 5 days, and I didn’t feel too exhausted afterwards.
Now I have just started my last year of high school, and i truly feel like my life is getting back on track. I still get tired after my school day and get occasional off balanced and dizzy feelings,but all I need to do is nap and relax a little to restore my energy. As I get better, the anxiety has started to ease of and I no longer feel it as bad anymore; in fact, it hardly bothers me now. When I do get it, I remind myself it’s just the mono lingering, and it doesn’t feel so bad anymore.
So that’s where I am up to now. For those of you still struggling with this horrible sickness, it DOES get better, not matter how long it seems, you will come out the other end feeling stronger and better than ever. You will appreciate your life and health even more, and that is a great gift.
1 like, 18 replies
dominika20801
Posted
craig07920 dominika20801
Posted
Hi Dominika,
What a wonderful and touching message you have written to everyone, and I really hope and pray this can offer some real hope and encouragement to others going through the toughest of times with mono right now.
It is great to hear you have managed to get back to school and are managing well, you are being wise by just taking the rest when you need to also, it's not easy I know but I definitely see such courage and wisdom in how you have been handling this difficult situation and year.
Still thinking about you Dominika and believing that things are going to keep getting better and better from here on in! I've had a tough few weeks and finding things hard right now with my back and whole situation, please say a little prayer for me if you get a chance Dominika. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers too, and remember just take things slowly still it is a gradual process to get full strength and health back, but it absolutely will come!!
Craig
dominika20801 craig07920
Posted
Sorry to hear you are struggling with your back, It really sucks when we don’t feel like ourselves and can’t do the things we like to do because our bodies won’t allow it. I am keeping you in my thoughts and really wishing that your back pain stops bothering you!
Thank you for all the kind messages and for always replying to me and other people on the forum, it helps so much and I really appreciate it. It was very reassuring especially when I was at my worst, it gave me just a little bit of hope every day.
Take care!
craig07920 dominika20801
Posted
Thank you so much Dominika,
Your kind and encouraging words have meant so much to me too. I'm still finding things hard at the moment, various things going on with my health physically and mentally, and just need to keep trusting God and hang in there while the valley is low. Sometimes I worry I'm not getting any of it right and feel like I'm trying to tell others to keep hope and encouragement when struggling to do it myself - I know how much harder it is to apply than it is just to say for sure!!
I'm so pleased things have been more settled for you Dominika, I'm still thinking about you and believing that things are going to keep getting better for you - your wisdom shines through on the forum and thanks again for your encouraging and helpful words, it really helps me right now and I'm grateful. Thinking about you still!
Craig
r20213 dominika20801
Posted
Happy to hear that you are back on track. I too was down with this nasty virus since mid May this year. July was the worst month for me with fatigue anxiety. I took lots of rest during August and felt improvement but still did not feel myself. Since the last week of August slowly I feel normal/myself for most part of the day with only Little weakness/fatigue. I am back at work now and feel productive at work. I still have not started sports or any kind of strenuous activity yet. But I believe with in next few weeks I can slowly resume some fitness activity.
For those of us who got recently diagnosed with this nasty virus, It may seem impossible for you to get better but it WILL surely happen SLOWLY. My advice is to listen to your body and rest if you feel like it. Keep a positive mindset, easy said than done.
Good luck.
RR
dominika20801 r20213
Posted
great to hear you are also starting to feel better. I feel the same as you where I am feeling much more productive and alert but definitely still need to lay off any heavy excercise. It’s really weird how for months you can struggle with this virus and then in the span of a week everything can turn around and you feel much better. But it’s important like you said to still rest when your body tells you to, even if the fatigue is not as bad as before.
craig07920 r20213
Posted
Hey RR,
Glad to hear that things are improving gradually, that is really good news and thanks for the words of encouragement and hope for everyone! Absolutely sounds like you're being sensible, just take things slowly and remember things will come back more and more with time, it's a process and I know for me it took some time not only physically to get back to full strength but to get my confidence in myself and doing things again back - but it will come RR, hang in there and thinking about you!!
Craig
Malene dominika20801
Posted
Thanks for your update, so great to hear you're feeling better. Especially after having suffered those horrid panic attacks, and not knowing when you would get better.
Uncertainty is surely a part of this illness, we all struggle with that.
I got sick in April, fever 3 months, got better, but last week the off feeling started again after 6 weeks of feeling fine.
It's still there, also a depressed mood and tired.
So annoying, as I'm going to Vienna with a friend on Saturday, so I hope it settles.
I can function, but it's so much nicer not to have the off feeling and tired and slightly depressed mode!
So thanks for sharing, we need to remind eachother, that we will get better, and support each other when the down times are there.
Special prayers to you Craig, and hope your back settles, also a challenging condition to deal with.
dominika20801 Malene
Posted
I would really try and take it easy for a couple days if that off feeling is coming back again, I can imagine having a relapse would not be fun, especially if you are going on a trip this coming week. Hang in there and hope you will still have fun in Vienna. Can’t let this virus take control of us!
craig07920 Malene
Posted
Thanks so much for the prayers Malene, I really appreciate that and need it more than ever right now, feeling I'm quite fragile and on the edge with things physically and mentally at the moment, need God so much right now and I know it's the same for you and everyone on the site here.
Oh Malene it is so frustrating you must be so weary and fed up of feeling this way, it is only understandable that your mood would be affected and that can be the worst part of it all how it makes you feel and how low it can get you. Just want to reassure you that things will get better again, this kind of up and down road to recovery is very common and I know it's another blow when you feel as though you're heading the right way only to get hit with a setback again. It doesn't mean you've lost any progress or will have to go through all this again Malene, it's just the way recovery goes with this, each setback equips your body more and more I believe for full recovery and hoping and praying things settle soon - remember you're still inside the first 6 months of this which is certainly in my experience the worst, God willing beyond that things will be more bearable and start to move towards complete recovery.
Thinking about you and hoping you manage to get to Vienna and it can be a relaxing trip taken at your own pace and not overdoing it - remember rest when you need to also! Great words Malene that it's so important for us to encourage each other, everyone on here has had some terrible lows with this virus and other circumstances in their life either now or in the past, so it's important we help each other! Special prayers for your recovery too Malene!
Craig
Malene dominika20801
Posted
Hi Dominika,
Thanks, and yes, I cancelled a day-trip tomorrow and have just gone out and stocked up on food and juice and drinks, going to take it easy and relax the next couple of days. Running a slight fever, but am able to function, had that irritating fever for 3 months early summer, so I know the feeling - that really helps with the insecurity, having been through it - only wish it hadn´t come back, but unfortunately that is to be expected!
And I AM going to Vienna, can´t let the virus control us, well said!
Hope you´re feeling better too!
Malene craig07920
Posted
Hope you feel better soon Craig, we all have to pick you up and send you hope and encouragement! You will get better too - days like this shall pass.
And yes, it is frustrating not knowing WHEN, I thought I had kicked the mono - but now it has relapsed a little, same symtoms, so it´s not a flu, it´s that mono-off-feeling we all know too well.
See if you can do something really nice for yourself today - anything that will make your day brighter.
Give yourself some selfcare - that can really help to accept and to be present in the moment.
Movie - internet - food - a walk - music - a rest - whatever will make you happy.
Thinking of you!
craig07920 Malene
Posted
Thanks Malene, I really appreciate your kind and supportive words! Most definitely the not knowing when things are getting better is something I struggle with too, it's not easy to be patient and keep confident that things will always work out alright when in the midst of something. Trusting God to help us though and hoping He gives us the strength to keep trying and responding how He wants us to.
Thinking about you too, I do have something nice on today, meeting a friend who is visiting from Canada who I don't get to see very often these days, so looking forward to that. Same goes for you remember do something nice for yourself today and remember this setback is just that - a setback and it will pass and things will get back on track again - hang in there!
Craig
Malene craig07920
Posted
Seeing friends is great - hope you had a nice visit!
Hang in there too, we will have ups and downs, it´s never a static situation, not easy to remember, when we´re not feeling well. We need to remind eachother.
Take care Craig.
craig07920 Malene
Posted
Thank you Malene, I know it's not easy to remember when you hit a buffer for sure. I know you've been going through similar feelings to me, feeling at times stronger because things are more settled but then feeling like progress is halted or overall progress is so slow or not moving at all when you hit a setback.
Absolutely it's important we help each other, we for sure need each other and grateful so much for your kind words of support and encouragement - need them right now!! I'm still thinking about you and believing you are going to get through this too and that better and healthy and happy times lie ahead - God has amazing plans for you Malene, and needs you well to do them - I truly believe that!
Craig