It’s been 2 years since I first felt sick, I’m much better now.

Hello,

yesterday was 2 years since the first time i experienced symptoms. i got a recent mono diagnosis in november 2017 but it started a few months prior. i think my sickness developed because i had been overtraining for quite some time, several years of intense work outs without resting enough. i also think i had been ignoring my mental health in certain ways. when i got sick, i had been doing lots of hard rock climbing in intense heat and during the time of smoky wildfires polluting the air. i think thats what helped trigger the illness to grow and thrive. i am a 29 year old athletic guy btw.

The course of the illness has been like this; got gradually worse and peaked in december 2017. slowly got better through june 2018; really overdid things in july of last year and back slid a good bit. was feeling pretty good in december 2018, though after taking a vacation to a hot and humid place and doing lots of activities, set myself back a little again. since february of this year, ive been getting progressively better overall. i havent had to call in sick for work in over four months, which is food because before id have periodic bad days where i didnt feel well enough.

the main symptoms ive had is anxiety,malaise, a feeling of a theobbing/pulsing feeling in my throat and chest, a scratchy sore throat, getting winded more easily after exercise, and little surface pains in my body like in the chest shoulders, arms, occasionally legs. i used to get m ive had lots of tests done to rule out other ailments. earlier on i would have other symptoms like spaciness, dizziness, sensitivity to noise, tingles in my arms or legs, muscle spasms, a lump in my throat feeling, easily developing canker sores in mouth, probably others.

im much better than i was this time last year. i am better at judging how much activity is appropriate. i am highly physically active, as i teach rock climbing for a living. i dont get as winded as i used to. i sleep much better. i look and feel great the majority of the time. i still have lulls in the day sometimes, and i can still overdo it, but my overdoing it means climbing three days in a row instead of only two. mind you i used to climb seven days in a row without a rest day, that was my mistake.

things that helped me, drink tons of water, put tour technology away for two hours before bed, it sounds harsh but it has a huge impact on sleep quality and that is when we heal. meditate, not 10 minutes, but 45 minutes to an hour, you get way more benefit at this length and with daily practice. dont eat sugary comfort foods. do gentle exercise if you can, like a slow eliptical, yoga, swimming is awesome, or just wading around a pool. get emotional support from others, find reasons to smile and laugh, be grateful you live in a safe and well developed land and not the middle ages where youd be way worse off now.

i believe i will get fully well but i think getting the very last of the symptoms to go and stay gone may be the longest part of the process so even if its a bit more time i am eternally optimistic.

despite the ailment, ive changed jobs, got promoted, got engaged, got married, went on a honeymoon, and have done numerous climbing trips in the last few years. its been because of good lifestyle choices and constant belief that i can heal. please everyone stay hopeful and make the lifestyle decisions each day to move you toward recovery.

Nick

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