Is this a normal course of mono?
Posted , 15 users are following.
Hey everyone,
My name's Jesse. I'm a 30 year old guy from Los Angeles and I've been reading many of your stories. I thought I'd share mine and get your feedback.
I own a business, work hard, and am generally in good health. In November I did two intense trade shows where I was on my feet 7-8 hours a day for weeks.
At the end of the month I felt very tired and developed what I thought was a bad flu (sore throat, body aches, headache, fever, malaise, pink eye, sinus pain, congestion, brain fog, fatigue. However no lymph swelling or neck pain). Most of the symptoms went away in about 10 days except for the fatigue which intensified to the point where I've been more or less bed ridden for 4 weeks. I was hospitalized overnight about 2.5 weeks ago to rehydrate and it was there that I tested positive for EBV / mono.
Some days I feel like I'm getting better, other days are worse. The brain fog, malaise, and headaches have dissipated over the last 2 weeks but the fatigue is holding steady. I also have very strong anxiety, occasional mild chest pain, and some depression(which is due in part to now being dependent on my parents and not working / exercising).
I was able to walk about a block a week ago but today I could only walk half a block before I got winded, and that's what's concerning me the most. Why is my endurance worse than it was? Will this fatigue ever go away?
Would love to hear some recovery stories after a couple months in (especially about how the fatigue lifted), and anything that helped.
Thanks!
1 like, 26 replies
rhonda21886 jesse27406
Posted
So just a word of caution. These along with B vitamins and anxiety has a diuretic effect. So be sure to drink extra water.
Jesus has been my constant compaion in all of my suffering!
Hoping your days of recovery go by quickly and you are back to full health soon. I think we will all be more grateful for good health when it arrives!
Take care.
Rhonda
jesse27406 rhonda21886
Posted
Thanks Rhonda. Didn't realize that about Vitamin B, but I've definitely been drinking a lot of water.
Have you found that any of the supplements have helped you? And has the fatigue gotten better at all?
rhonda21886 jesse27406
Posted
Jesse, I really can't say if they have helped . I have had such ups and downs. The b vitamins do seem to give you more energy.
They also made me feel jittery. Everyone is different.
I've lost so much weight and didn't have any to lose. I am taking zinc, selenium, digestive enzymes for the most part now.
This virus has attack most all of my systems
The left side more than the right. I know rhat sounds crazy.
Take care. Keep us updated.
Rhonda
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craig07920 rhonda21886
Posted
Hey Rhonda,
Just wondered if you have tried adding in Amino Acids, which is essentially just a massive protein boost. I take them every day and I think they can be quite good at helping to maintain a healthy weight, maybe worth a try anyway as well as the B complex. High does of Vitamin C such as 1000mg per day can also be helpful.
Hoping you are having a good day today and just want to let you know I'm thinking about you and still firmly and totally believe you will make a marvellous recovery from this awful virus Rhonda.
Craig
Mono-Hit-IRAN jesse27406
Posted
I felt sick in the end of November too, I'm a physicaltherapist... It was really hard for me as I had to move my patients and do manual therapy... I had to cancel alot of my appointments, I stayed at home whole day long, felt fatigued, dizzy, nauseous, anxious, depressed and on above all that, I live alone, I have no family members with me... Totally scary, now after two month (on January 9th)...I feel fatigued, not like before, and I've my ups and downs.... Someday feel like in getting well then the next day it's blue...
I hope you recover fast.
P.s. I never stopped walking, I walked everyday at least 30 minutes to maintain muscle tone, now I can walk more than that and I go almost everyday on the seaside... That's where all my worries go away, I give my anxiety and depression to the sea waves so they can wash them away!
craig07920 Mono-Hit-IRAN
Posted
Hey Nicky,
I totally sympathise just the ups and downs are so hard to deal with, one day you could be feeling like maybe it's heading in the right direction and then it can come crashing down on you the next. But be assured that overall 'down' period you have is because your body is getting to grips with another element of the virus and everything is part of the recovery cycle, so when you feel worse it doesn't mean you're actually getting worse if you know what I mean, it just means you've unfortunately having to deal with another period of the cycle of recovery - every day away from infection is another day towards my recovery in my view.
It's great you are able still to get out for walks, that is marvellous and if you are able to definitely keep that up - I was the same when going through it tried a 10 or 15 minute walk most days if I could, sometimes it wasn't always possible but when I was able to it helped de-stress and the fresh air was also great for me. You're doing all the right things, just a time factor, so frustrating I know but you will get there I do believe.
Take care and hang in there
Craig
jesse27406
Posted
Hey everyone,
Thanks again for all your thoughtful replies and advice. It's really encouraging to hear the recovery stories, and also to know that there are people currently recovering alongside me.
Some updates for me:
- I'm still quite fatigued. I feel it as a general windedness, where it feels like I just ran a lot and need to catch my breath. Did / does anyone else's fatigue present this way?
- It's strange, I'm not sleeping as much as I usually hear people say they do with mono (I've been tending to get 6-8 hours a night and wake up feeling more or less normal in terms of drowsiness), wonder why.
- Thankfully the strange chest pains have almost completely gone away
- I'm able to take short walks now. I ordered a step counter to track my progress. Started out walking 0.25 miles 4 days ago (broken up over the course of a day) and walked a total of 2 miles yesterday. I was really really tired after all that last night, but not to the point of debilitating exhaustion. I'm going to take it a bit easier today, and not push myself into always trying to top my last day
- Went to a restaurant with my dad for the first time (since I've been sick) yesterday. I got through sitting there, but for some reason I had huge anxiety, breathlessness, and dizziness the whole time. I've found that even the mildest social situations are stressful because I don't know how the mono will present and I pressured to carry on like normal with strangers.
- Appetite and mental abilities are still strong and holding steady
Unfortunately even with some progress my anxiety is still quite high. I'm considering going on medication to help being it down. It's still hard for me to wrap my head around being sick for this long, and feeling so limited in my life. Although I try to counteract it, I still have a fear that I'm going to get stuck like this or that any improvement is just the supplements I'm taking.
Anyone else have thoughts / worries like this?
Doing my best to stay strong and positive. Hope everyone else is doing well
craig07920 jesse27406
Posted
Hey Jesse,
Thanks for the update, for sure I understand your fears and concerns. Any progress you make is you though, the supplements and vitamins are only part of helping your body recover and you can take them as long as you like anyway. Yes the windedness thing is something that seems to happen too, I think that can definitely be a symptom and one that will go away in time too so try not to worry I know it's much easier said than done though.
It could be worth thinking about something for the anxiety, I know it's not a nice thought having to take medication or something but something things can help, anti-depressants I know have been a help to me in my life and if a tablet can help you feel better then that's the most important thing. Always of course speak to your doctor though and get the right advice. I still believe you will through it all and get fully better Jesse, I really do.
Take care and thinking of you
Craig
ernesto03965 jesse27406
Posted
Hey Jesse
Ive been struggling with mono for 3 months now after dealing with amebas and cdiff. It's been a rough year but the best supplements to help me heal so far have been bone broth, a lot of veggies, multivitamins, coconut oil, and hemp oil For herbs I'm currently using echanechia, cats claw, red algae, and red clover. I've gotten a lot better and I'm almost at the finish line but the fatigue and soreness is back and I'm worried.
craig07920 ernesto03965
Posted
Sounds like good advice to me, just a quick message to say hope you feel better soon, remember things do get easier with time and you will get back to full health again, without any doubt!
Take care
Craig
denise37907 jesse27406
Posted
Hi, I am in my 30s and a stay at home mom of three kids, ages 2, 4 and 7. I have been battling mono for three and half months now. It has turned my life upside down, and I guess I am looking for encouragement. I feel like I am a prisoner on a slow moving roller coaster. A good day for me is not feeling that sick feeling and having enough energy to interact with my kids for most of the day, except for a 2-3 hours mid to later afternoon when I get tired and rest in bed. I usually cannot fully nap because my small children are loud. I've slowly made progress to have more of these "good" days, but just when I think I might be done with the "bad" days, they come back. I will feel fatigued right away in the morning and my temp will go up in the 99s and I feel that sick feeling. The bad days sometime come as just one or a few together. I feel so broken and so desperate to go back to the normal life I life to have. I want to live without second guessing every small action I take, wondering if drying my hair or cooking dinner will cause me to go down hill. I want to be able to care for my family again. Will I ever get there?