Long term consequences of Glandular Fever

Sickanon,

I am on sick from work and have been right from the start of my 'journey', my mum and husband have done pretty much everything for me, ive relaxed, rested and have tried to do exactly what my gp has told me to do. I avoid alcohol, eat healthy, take vitamins and yet still it's taken me this long....please don't beat yourself up! You've done nothing wrong. ?

it doesnt effect some people, who knows why?! I'd like to know how I caught it!

xx

Hi Sickanon,

?Everyone is very different in how they respond, if you get it when you are a teen you recover much quicker, my granddaughter was sick about three months and has now recovered, my daughter and I, 27 and 55,have been  sick r 10 and 11 months. I think age has a lot to do with it. Another thought is that the immune system overreacts in some people and causes the flu like symptoms.

We will get better,I am better than I was when this started for sure, however I do hate feeling low energy and flu like. Don't despair the immune system will get a hold of the virus and we will recover, even if it hard to see while going through it.

 

Hey Sickanon,

So sorry to hear that about what your co-worker said about recovering after a week from glandular fever. I'm not saying that's not the case for her but I find it hard to believe. If she had it when she was much younger then recovery time is usually lesser from my understanding, but please please be reassured that the journey you are on is not abnormal and that nothing about this is your fault - this is the way it went for me and so many people with this virus, and it starts to play with your mind and do this to you because you can't understand why you're not feeling better.

You have nothing to beat yourself up about Sickanon - believe me this is true - and rest assured that the story of your co-worker is more the abnormal one than yours from all my knowledge of the illness and how it affects people. It might even be the case that it wasn't the first time that the virus affected her, sometimes years later a positive test can show up again when feeling run down but it has nowhere near the same impact and recovery is much quicker - this may be the case for your co-worker.

You are going to get better - you ARE going to get better, without any doubt Sickanon. I know it's hard to believe that right now, but better times are ahead, just take each day as it comes just now is all you can do, you're doing more than enough.

Craig

P.S. Caroline and Mono you are both blessings to the site so please do stay on it!

Hi craig

you put it all into words so very well, and I can feel myself nodding with everything you say.

my mum tells me all the time, "all you have is now, so we will deal with that!" That is so true and it feels easier to deal with, nothing else matters.

ive had a really good day today, the breathlessness has lifted again and I've been into my local town. Things seem to be going well, I hope I haven't jinxed anything by saying that.

every day is a nearer day tofu lol recovery.xxx

 

*every day is a nearer day to full recovery*

Hi Sickanon,

​I agree with Craig about your co worker, I think it is impossible to recover from glandular fever/ Mono in a week. Perhaps her doctor saw her throat and said GF when it was probably something else. I have never talked with anyone who recovered within a week.

Thank you Caroline / Mono - your words uplift and help me too at the moment with my own pain and issues.

Mono, that is too true, I'm always asking people about gf and I now know at least 6 people ages 15/18/20 and older who all suffered with it for about a year and suffered badly too.

makes me at least feel normal that I've had it for this long.

thoughts with you always to all on here x

 

Sickanon, it is hard to relay to your family, and I've said this to my mum, I've also thought how hard it is for her to know exactly how I feel. We talk A LOT about it. I talk every day how about how I feel, I try and relay my aches and moods. I have three boys and I only worked very part time, so being off work doesn't feel strange for me. My spirits are better now, I feel I'm getting better.i know I am. I've just thought, well, there's nothing at all I can do so I might as well go with it. I'm never on my own either. Husband/mum/children, someone always around.

i have also come off group chats(in whatsapp or messanger) all talking about the next night out or what drink they are drinking tonight, that didn't help me!! 

As you see improvement, you'll feel better and see that this will all be over one day. I don't know anyone who hasn't recovered. 

You will beat this xx

 

Hi Sickanon,

​I honestly believe that this virus brings your spirits down, because when I have a good day I feel normal and when the symptoms hits I feel right back down again.

​I finally had to give in to this virus and give myself permission to have a down day and just take to the bed and rest or better yet outside in a lounge chair. It helps to come to the forum when you are feeling down, I agree with Caroline, I have talked to many people who have had it and they all recovered, however they were all sick for long periods.

I too talk with my mom about it, she is a retired nurse and she believes in the power of the immune system and the ability of the body to eventually get the virus under control, I read an article recently that said the virus dying off can also cause the flu like feelings, that was comforting.

Hey Sickanon,

Believe me I was exactly the same as you when facing it, I felt helpless and down and depressed, the best advice is just to take it to God and trust Him. It's hard to see it and feel it when feeling down and that way though, I really do get it and have been there.

Even just trying to keep in some kind of small positive routine if you just to keep your mind occupied, whilst taking rest when you need to also. Even if it's just going out for a short walk each day, or listening to music or having a bath, reading, or anything that helps you de-stress a bit. I know it's so hard because you don't feel like doing anything when feeling that way, but just want to reassure you that I TOTALLY believe that you have been through the worst of it and that recovery is much much closer than it seems right now.

It's so hard to keep going when feeling unwell and weary, I'm really thinking about you but remember it's okay to rest and accept that today might not be the best day and you might need to rest or not get much done but that doesn't mean to say that things won't be on the up again very soon - things will get easier, honestly honestly honestly, hang in there and sending best wishes and prayers.

Craig

Hi sickanon2,

I am so glad I found this forum.I can sympathise with your situation as I have also been diagnosed with the dreaded GF.

I first became ill in May this year with sinus headaches,dizziness and brain fog.I went to the GP who did some tests and said there was nothing wrong with me according to the results.After a further fortnight of the same symptoms i went back to the GP who referred me to a ENT specialist and a Neurologist.The ENT did a endoscope test on my front sinuses and arranged a CT scan for the other sinuses because the endoscopic test was negative.The CT showed slight inflammation of other sinuses and mucus.The GP then gave me a 10 day course of 1000mg amoxycilin to clear the infection.On the 7th or 8th day of the course I suddenly became  very weak tired with muscle pain and inflamed lymph glands.

After finishing the course I went back to the GP and he said that I should now be Ok.It was only when I went to the neurologist a week later that he suggested I have a blood test for certain viruses including Epstein Barr.

This came back borderline and in another 2 weeks I underwent another blood test which showed I had a recent infection(something to do with IGG and IGA antibodies)

That was in June.I have since had the full range of symptoms-enlarged spleen,pins and needles in arms and legs,insomnia,feeling weaker after 8 hours sleep,no energy whatsoever,waking in the night struggling for air,bowel problems,constipation,night sweats you name it.It is aliving hell.I then had a good couple of days about the end of July and I started going back to my normal routine-big mistake.I went back to square one and now I am somewhere in between.We have triplets who are 9 years old and they finished school for the Summer hols here in Spain on June 23 and they do not go back until Sept 14th so getting rest during the day is a non starter.

However the posts on here tell me that possibly the worst is over.I thought I was going crazy for a while because on the outside there are not many symptoms.My wife(who I caught the virus from recovered in a month back in March/April and cannot understand why it is taking so long.It has ruined the family Summer which I feel guilty about and you feel like a hypochondriac.

I hope you feel better soon.

Hi johnhategf.

welcome to the club!  How are you doing three months on?!? Everyone's recovery rate is different. I'm about 10 months in now and have been seeing better improvement lately.I still have aches, tiredness, breathlessness, burning thighs, but recovery is quicker and episodes don't last as long. I am cautious as I don't want to ruin my recovery. So I'm taking it slow! And listening to what my body says. Having triplets has to make it harder, only two more weeks left and then a little bit more peace! 

Take care.

the people on this forum are great, it's great for support, I thank all of them.x

Hi John,

What an awful time you've had last few months, thank you for sharing your story and Caroline is right you will most definitely recover, it just seems to be different for everyone! My experience was the first three months was definitely the worst, recovery absolutely definitely will come John but don't panic if it doesn't come right away as it can take a bit of time for some folks.

Rest and trying to live a stress free life as much as possible is key, I know it's so hard because the torment you've been going through causes worry and stress in itself, and of course when you have children it must be hard. It's okay to accept that today you might not feel great but trust that it will get better because IT WILL, believe me. I was same as you thought it never would but it did. Taking some vitamins / herbs can definitely help, a good strong multi-vitamin per day, B complex vitamin can also help energy levels, high dose of Vitamin C (1000mg-3000mg per day) and an immune boosting her like siberian ginseng or echinicea.

Hang in there and thinking about you - I truly honestly believe you will make a full recovery, even if it doesn't feel like it now. Better times are ahead!

Craig

Thanks for the comments.This forum really does help.Just knowing that what you have is not out of the ordinary and that eventually things will get better is a relief.

I am 3 months in and I think although I am better than in the first month,I seem to have hit a plateau where my energy levels just do not get better.If they do it is unnoticeable.I have very strange symptoms still such as numbness and pain in the heal of my left foot as well as the other symptoms.I have had this symptom since the beginning and it is weird.I would like to ask if you do any chores or  light exercise whilst recovering.I have been trying to help the wife by doing a bit of cleaning and shopping but sometimes even that knocks me off my feet.Is this normal?

I am hoping that when the kids go back to school just the reduction in stress levels will help.

You sound like you are coping quite well considering it is now 10 months of this.....

Hi Craig,

Thanks for the encouraging words but I think my recovery will take a long time simply because I am 52 years old and from what I have read,the older a person the longer it takes to recover.I have started taking a 1000mg vitamin C and it seems to help a little.I have been taking a echinacea supplement for over a month.What I cannot understand is until I had my setback in July,up until then, that recovery seemed quicker than at the moment which I find strange.I suppose we are all different and we react different to setbacks.

It is good to speak to someone who has been through all this and recovered.Thanks again.

Hi John,

It's such a frustrating illness for sure, it doesn't seem to have a set pattern for a lot of people, and it can be very zig-zag, up and down kind of thing like you say with your setback. However, each setback I believe is your body getting further to grips with the virus and working towards recovery in the long term.

You will still make a full recovery John, I've seen people much older with the virus and worried about being older and not recovering but they did - you are still relatively young and have plenty of capacity for recovery, so don't worry about that!

Hang in there and remember you will get better!

Craig

Hi john,

i felt like every day was the same for a while, the getting better is so slow it's hardly noticeable plus when you feel a bit better and then the next minute or few days later you don't feel better it's so hard, I kinda thought I was worse somehow when I was back down again. and it's very difficult to judge how better you are from day to day.  And yes it is completely normal to wipe the table or clear up and then be collapsed on the sofa! Well, that was me anyway.

im 40 and at about 10 months in, I'm seeing good improvement, recovery is quicker. My friends daughter is has just turned 16 and has had it a year so I'm not sure age has a correlation to the length of the virus. 52 isn't old, you will still be strong and fit and your body will kick this no problem, maybe in your 70's and upwards I can imagine it be a lot harder (my opinion)

Yes, I do light stuff around the house, just a bit, whatever I can manage but also not going overboard

Yes, I am coping well, I suppose I'm just letting it run its course, I have no commitments and don't book anything in. I can't , so I won't stress about it. I'm signed off from work (I'm only part time anyway) so I'm concentrating on me!!!!

youll get there..x

Hi Caroline,

​I know what you mean about the day to minute changes, I feel better and then I have an afternoon of not feeling well or the down feelings in the morning. What changes have you noticed on a day to day basis?

How is your friends daughter doing one year in?

Hi mono,

i started really improving about 4  weeks ago, but the last two weeks, I've only had one bed day and just a few breathless feelings or 'dips' as I call them now..... Yesterday morning, I got up, felt OK, had a shower, then I had achy arms, and exhaustion, but it only lasted a couple of hours! Then I was fine the rest of the day. I am still worn out by evening and in bed 7or 8 ish, but I'm improving a lot now. And feel normal most of the time!

i am cautious and taking it slow and increasing activity slow, like actually going out to buy food shopping etc. I've even been swimming two or three times. It made me feel happy and relaxed as I,love swimming.

my friends daughter is very much like me, our good days well out way the bad, she sleeps in the day occasionally, but I've never been able to do that. For her, she's been ill just over the year.

Normally those dips would have been days in bed or feeling bad, now they are hours and less frequently... Looking back for you,   Can you see improvement like that?! Xx

 

Yes, I am just like that. More good days than bad, have had nausea on and off, I call it a mini relapse lapse, but nothing like the first few months. I have noticed it will last a few hours and then go away. Have a wedding to go to next weekend, fingers crossed.

 

Yes! Nausea does come and go, but not too bad. Oh, I'm so pleased for you, you sound similar to me.we are going in the right direction...

I hope you're ok for the wedding next week. just keep taking it easy x