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Glandular Fever

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paige21291
paige21291

Hi, I was told I had glandular fever on Friday the 20th after feeling unwell for about 3 weeks. However it is only recently that I have felt at my worse and I wonder if this is normal as I must have had the glandular fever for over 3 weeks for it to show positive on a blood test. I’m not sure if it’s normal to have good and bad days, some days I can even make it out of the house and some days i feel very nauseous. I have also been experiencing stomach pain and discomfort in various places around my stomach. Wondered if I could get and feedback. Thanks

0 likes, 43 replies

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  • 40with.gf.
    40with.gf. paige21291

    Posted

    Hi Paige,

    this is all sounds very normal to me!

    i had glandular fever november 2016 and it really kicked in 8 weeks later, so by the January I was ill in bed for weeks. I slowly progressed but it is very much good days and bad days.

    i felt tingly, nauseous and very teary amongst other symptoms. Now at a year and 4 months I am loads better but you have to really look after yourself. Eat  healthy, drink plenty of water, take vitamins and very much listen to your body, rest loads!

    you will get through it. It has be the worst thing ever that I've had to deal with...it's the length of time it takes and the relapses.

    but you will recover.

    caroline x

    • paige21291
      paige21291 40with.gf.

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply! Good to know your journey with GF was slightly similar. I wondered if you know if it’s normal or heard of to have GF with no swollen glands as I haven’t suffered with this 

      Paige x

    • Mono_too
      Mono_too paige21291

      Posted

      Hi Paige,

      Caroline and I are on the same schedule with glandular fever. I had all these symptoms, the throat and glands weren't that bad, the nausea, weakness, body aches and exhaustion were terrible. It is very normal to have good and bad days.

      I am sorry you have to go through this, you will recover it is just a long process. The forum is a great place to come and ask questions and get support.

    • paige21291
      paige21291 Mono_too

      Posted

      Thanks for responding and sharing some of your story. Out of curiosity how were you diagnosed?
    • 40with.gf.
      40with.gf. Mono_too

      Posted

      Hi Paige and mono,

      i would agree with mono, I didn't really have swollen glands much. But the nausea, aches, exhaustion were horrendous.

       

      I managed 1/2 a mile at the pool yesterday!! As well as other daily life activities....my doctor told me to go for it now, just to get over this last 5% I reckon. So I am doing well, it's so nerve wracking as normally any activity used to floor me. just goes to show that things do get better.

      lovely to hear from you mono xx

    • Mono_too
      Mono_too paige21291

      Posted

      I was feeling so weak and my legs felt like they would not hold me up, so I went to the ER, they put me on a heart monitor and did blood work and then they said you have mono! My teenage granddaughter had it a couple of months prior and my daughter and my other granddaughter got it too. Maybe it was from blowing candles out on her birthday cake? because we didn't share food or drink.

  • lisa29739
    lisa29739 paige21291

    Posted

    Hey Paige! I got sick on July 26 and wasn’t diagnosed until August 30 with Mono. The first month was a weird range of symptoms and my most sick was September so I think what you’re experiencing is normal. I only had one swollen gland in the back of my neck and it went away after a week. 

    I’m almost at 9 months. I’m not bed ridden anymore. There are good days and bad days and I still struggle with fatigue and achey muscles/joints. But I just reread my journal and it reinforced that I am progressing. I highly encourage keeping one with your day to day symptoms! It helps to look back on. Hope this is a mild case for you and you recover quickly! 

    • paige21291
      paige21291 lisa29739

      Posted

      Hiya, thanks for the reply, I’m just struggling to understand why I feel so horrific now when I must have had the virus for atleast 3 weeks! Also, 2 weeks ago I was out going shopping and going to the cinema so I don’t get how I can go so down hill when I’ve read that the worst symptoms are over signing 2 weeks😦 feels like I’ve been up and down and ill for about a month and the worst of it is nowsad

    • 40with.gf.
      40with.gf. paige21291

      Posted

      Given its taken me 12 months before I had a noticeable leap forward, I would say 3 weeks is not long at all.

      x

    • paige21291
      paige21291 40with.gf.

      Posted

      I feel as though because I’m 18 I’m expected to recover quicker which isn’t fair and doesn’t seem the case.  How were you diagnosed? Was it the mono spot blood test? X
    • 40with.gf.
      40with.gf. paige21291

      Posted

      Hi Paige,

      It took my friends daughter who is 16, well over a year to get over her glandular fever. She was really bad.

      i am 41.

      i had a blood test and all it showed was a past infection.

      im in the u.k and that's the only blood test I had. I did have other tests to rule out other nasty stuff, which came back clear. So it was basically rest and time.x

    • Mono_too
      Mono_too paige21291

      Posted

      I was diagnosed with mono spot and then the test for Epstein Barr virus, I was ill for 11 months and my granddaughter for 9 months, I think that it just depends on the person and their immune system. I think the information online is outdated or that the virus is stronger than it used to be. It is a long road but you will recover.
    • lisa29739
      lisa29739 paige21291

      Posted

      I was lucky enough to catch a positive mono spot too.  It really is the worst virus.  I had no idea you could be that sick and live through it.  

      I am high dosing vitamin C (3,000 mg a day in liquid form) and have started taking Co-Q10 (thank you Craig for that rec!) as well as doing adrenal support with Ashwaghanda.  Then hitting all the regular vitamins (A,B,D and a probiotic.)  I get everything in liquid form and just put it in a glass of water and down it.  

      Take it super easy.  I rushed back in to activity when I started coming out of it at 3 months and I replaced horrible and have been slowly recovering since.  People gave me that advice and stupid me didn't heed it.  

    • paige21291
      paige21291 lisa29739

      Posted

      Thanks for the advice, I feel like I am stressing myself out more by thinking I am ill with something more serious because I read about a false positive mono spot test and along with that I didn’t get swollen glands and only a moderately sore throat?
    • paige21291
      paige21291 40with.gf.

      Posted

      Out of curiosity what other tests did you have to rule out nasty stuff? I really feel like I need to put my mind at ease and get more tests donesad 
    • 40with.gf.
      40with.gf. paige21291

      Posted

      I had std tests😳 All clear!! 

      Terberculosis test, clear

      ultrasound on kidneys, clear

      ct scan

      i did also have slightly low cortisol so I went for an Addison's disease test. All clear!!

      my throat wasn't really bad either, only suffered two stiff necks. Just exhaustion, lack of breath, achey arms, low mood

      x

    • Mono_too
      Mono_too paige21291

      Posted

      Hi Paige,

      I was not bed ridden, but I was in bed a lot resting. I worked from home, but also had times where I had to be in the office. The nausea and loss of appetite are awful. Being younger is a plus with this.

    • Mono_too
      Mono_too paige21291

      Posted

      Hi Paige,

      Lots of blood work, chest x ray and they did testing for lupus. 

    • lisa29739
      lisa29739 40with.gf.

      Posted

      Oh my gosh Caroline we had some a similar road. I was tested for stds too! And a CT scan,  a neuron test, thyroid, ultrasound on spleen. And TB. And Lyme, auto immune disease, my immune system function, my cortisol levels. On and on. 

      Paige I think it’s super normal to want to rule everything out. I’m waiting on my Lyme test.  I have two friends with Lyme who were sick for years. I’m praying it’s not that (they say my symptoms are similar to theirs).  

      I had no throat or gland problems either. But I did have a week with low grade fever and a horribly stiff neck.  And nausea. 

      If it makes you feel better to rule things out I say go for it. Anxiety is awful on top of everything else.  And Caroline I’m so happy you’re swimming now! Omg I’d give anything for that! 

    • paige21291
      paige21291 lisa29739

      Posted

      Thanks for the reassurance. My anxiety is really bad atm thinking that it could be leukemia as I stupidly googled symptoms. Am going to ring my doctor tomorrow and ask for more bloods.

      Also does anyone on here know how long the fever should last? Mines been on and off but has came back today

    • 40with.gf.
      40with.gf. paige21291

      Posted

      Hi Paige, I've had really burning thighs, warm to touch and pink right up until about a few days ago, I noticed that they just weren't so hot, I hope it stays that way now. I don't think I ever had a fever as such.

    • 40with.gf.
      40with.gf. lisa29739

      Posted

      Oh wow, yes!! Very similar test wise!!

      yes, I'm swimming and doing everything normal now. My doctor just told me to go for it now. I'm pretty much nearly totally recovered.... Just hoping it stays that way and I don't have any small relapses

      😬

    • craig07920
      craig07920 40with.gf.

      Posted

      That's amazing you are doing swimming Caroline, really well done that's a tremendous achievement and great progress! I wish I could swim as I can't manage too many other forms of heavy exercise for various reasons right now - grateful that I have been able to do some walking though. I need someone to teach me how to swim lol!

      Craig

    • paige21291
      paige21291 lisa29739

      Posted

      Hi Lisa, did you have a full blood count at some point as well as being diagnosed with the mono spot test? Because I had both but the full blood count came back normal although I thought this was unusual as I thought people with mono had a high white blood cell count which suggests infection? My doc just said mine was normal
    • 40with.gf.
      40with.gf. craig07920

      Posted

      Thank you Craig. I love swimming, it just feels great! You should go, would be good for a bad back, just stay in the shallow end, never too late to learn

      im so pleased I'm back doing normal stuff xx

    • craig07920
      craig07920 paige21291

      Posted

      Hi Pagie,

      I think it's very normal to have all other blood tests to return as normal other than the monospot when going through glandular fever - take it as reassuring rather than worrying, because it signals that the symptoms are being caused by glandular fever and there is nothing else underlying. All my blood tests were normal during the course of the virus other than the monospot right at the very start, apart from one time when my liver function test was slightly off.

      Craig

    • craig07920
      craig07920 40with.gf.

      Posted

      Great Caroline I know I've never been very good in the water, running was my thing years ago but that's been well knocked on the head for now unfortunately. Swimming is such a good form of exercise as it's weightless and supports the joints, maybe one day I will get round to learning I think I have a fear of putting my head under the water!

      Craig

    • lisa29739
      lisa29739 paige21291

      Posted

      Ive had three full blood counts done and every time- totally normal. I too was worried that meant my mono spot was a false positive but my doc assured me that normal blood count didn’t mean that. 
    • paige21291
      paige21291 craig07920

      Posted

      Thanks for being so positive Craig smile it’s really good to have when going through such such a low time.
    • paige21291
      paige21291 craig07920

      Posted

      Thanks for being so positive Craig smile it’s really good to have when going through such such a low time.
    • craig07920
      craig07920 paige21291

      Posted

      You're welcome Pagie, thanks for kind words - and most important thing is to focus on taking it easy now!

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