Mono/Glandular Fever 2 months
Posted , 6 users are following.
Two months ago I moved in with my mum and her boyfriend to save some money for a deposit for a flat. I was quite stressed at the time leaving all my friends far away and my independence and looking for a local job.
My first symptom was pain in my left ear and a puffy feeling in my left eye. That was fine I got on with my life running round to job interviews and starting a job doing lots of overtime. Then I got a brain fog feeling where I found it difficult to concentrate asking people to repeat themselves, lights were too bright for my eyes and looking at the computer screen made me feel sick. I remember going to an interview and having to excuse myself if I wasn't on top form as I wasn't feeling all that well. Running for the bus was harder than usual and my heart rate was way higher than it usually is for such an activity as I'm pretty active and fit usually. But I was still doing things, going to work, hanging out with friends, drinking alcohol.
When I first got sent home from work it was because after I'd eaten my lunch and ran up two flights of stairs I felt super dizzy and my heart was racing like crazy. Food seems to make it all worse for some reason. I was off for a week and tried to go back but after 4 hours it was too much and I had to go home again. I've been off ever since, it'll've been a month tomorrow.
When I was at my old place about 2 weeks before I moved in with my mum I had a bit of a tonsil infection with little white patches but not too severe. Over the period of time with this current illness the white patches have gone but my tonsils have swollen up huge, it hurts when I swallow on my left side mostly and inside my left ear. My lymph nodes on the left side of my neck are swollen up pretty big, from under my ear (I'm kinda worried about that one as it's pretty solid, I went down a health anxiety spiral of thinking it was Lymphoma but considering it's in the exact spot of my symptoms and hasn't got any bigger it's unlikely I guess) down the left side of my neck. My right side is a little swollen too but not to the same extent, and on both sides on the back of my head. As well as directly under my chin being swollen. When I eat my heart rate shoots up and I get lightheaded also my jaw area gets rather red and hot. This never happened in the past. I have a slight ache in my upper left abdomen which I guess could be my spleen but I'm not certain. Also my left arm and both legs are aching and cramping quite a bit.
The thing is when I usually have standard infections my lymph nodes don't noticeably swell. That and the length of the illness is what made the doctor do a blood test. Originally I rang up the doctor's surgery and the receptionist said all bloods were fine so I was like wtf. I went in to see the doctor and she was like "no, it says here that you tested positive for EBV, while the lab technician said it can't be causing your current illness because it's been in your system for more than 8 weeks (or something to that effect, I wish I knew the details of it, i.e. how precisely they can narrow down how long you've had the virus) I disagree because 8 weeks is around the amount of time you've been experiencing this and it can last a long time."
I asked her how accurate it was, as in, could I have had the virus for 5 years and it's irrelevant to this current illness, and she said, no it's a recent infection, 8 weeks. I guess with my anxiety brain I find it hard to believe because A: there's not certainty i.e. the lab tech and the doctor disagreed, B: it's mostly all on my left side for some reason for which she had no explanation for and C: I didn't have a 'classic' acute illness like I've read on the illness with having a high fever/flu. Also my tiredness doesn't feel like fatigue, I don't need to sleep extra hours, more just that going on a light stroll makes my heart race and I feel dizzy after it, rather than 'sleepiness'. The thought of going to my friend's child's birthday party tomorrow is awful, not because I'm too tired, but because I don't feel all there in the head to socialise and I'll probably feel wiped out with my heart racing and head going funny just getting the bus there.
The doctor asked me when I raised my doubts "What do you think it is instead then?" I didn't really have an answer, I said "maybe a chronic tonsil infection?" and she said "no the antibiotics would've made you better", she gave me a 10 day course with the blood test to see if I got any better. So fair enough I can't really think of another cause. But I just want to be better.
The thing is this illness is making me very depressed, I'm crying all the time, I can't go out with my friends, I can't exercise, I've had to put back my move back to my city as I'm not working and thus not saving any money. In fact I'm losing money as I still need to pay for food and bills such as a bank loan and my phone etc, I just see my money go down and down which is stressing me out. I'm just stuck in my room everyday. I receive a small amount of sick pay but nowhere near enough to live on. Also my mum's boyfriend treats me a liar, he thinks I'm lying about this illness and that there's nothing wrong with me, he's very cruel and leaves a room whenever I enter and if he walks past a room I'm in he'll shut the door, almost like to deny I exist, which I already feel like as I can't do anything. He's very childish and acts like I'm a piece of s**t on his shoe for no apparent reason, I'm clearly not choosing to be like this. So all that is stressing me out.
I'm trying to drink plenty of water, not drinking any alcohol (I tried a glass at christmas and it made me feel worse anyway), taking vitamin C supplements, eating pretty healthy yet there is absolutely no change. I'm usually such a sociable and active person so this is killing me.
I'd just like to know if any symptoms sound similar, and how long it took for you to get over it or feel a little better? I feel like I'll never be better and I'm just so down.
0 likes, 9 replies
lisa29739 ballerina
Posted
Hey there. Man, I'm so so sorry you are in the middle of it. To answer your question- yes I have similar symptoms. I just hit 5 months. What I'm left with is weakness and fatigue of both legs and sometimes arms. My left side too took it really bad and I had the sore left abdomen. I actually had an ultrasound on my spleen but it was totally normal.
I understand the fatigue you describe. Mine was never mentally fatigued it was physically. Like a 40 pound blanket rested on my limbs. And it was painful and made it hard to sleep.
Now at 5 months, it's not near as bad as it was the first 3 but I am not back to normal. Every day is different. Right now sleeping makes the fatigue worse and it takes until the afternoon before I have any energy. I go to bed feeling pretty good but the whole thing starts again once I sleep. And eating can make it worse- I've def had the racing heart.
The anxiety does get better though! The depression I've managed once I fully submitted to the virus. I lowered my expectations and set small attainable goals every day. And really haven't looked to the future at all. I know I'll heal, it's just going to take time.
Hang in there! It's absolutely awful going from healthy and social to bed ridden. And nobody can understand unless you've been through it. These forums are wonderful.
ballerina lisa29739
Posted
Thank you so much for your reply
I'm glad you're feeling better! I just wish I saw a little improvement, as in the moment I genuinely feel like I'll be like this forever, I've never been ill for such a long period before, besides anxiety issues.
It's hard for me not to look at the future as I get constant messages from friends saying "hey when are you coming back!" and I'm like, I have no idea, I don't even know when I'll be working. I'm itching to get back there, if I was in my permanent home maybe I wouldn't feel so down. I'm so daunted at the idea that I could be in this state for 2 years with no improvement! Away from my career and friends wasting away at my mum's house
it sounds dramatic but when you've just got progressively worse it's hard to have hope!
lisa29739 ballerina
Posted
No it's not dramatic. It's awful. I've had to cancel sooooo much. Including a vacation to England (I'm in the US) on the day we were supposed to fly out because I couldn't get out of bed.
Does your mom help take care of you at least? I can't imagine going through this without help.
And it really is only super bad the few first months. Then it just get's up and down. There's exhausted days and days where you start to feel back to normal. But yeah I'm so impatient and ready to be normal and active again. So much so that when I start to feel better I totally overdo it. Netflix, video games and writing has totally saved me. Do you have distractions?
Samsick ballerina
Posted
I just want to reassure you that how you feel is completely normal and you need to completely relax and let your body have time to recover.
I am at the 9 month mark now and have still only seen some small improvements. I remember putting my first post up on here at the 2 month mark and feeling daunted when people said 9 months - 1 year or more but I have learnt now to accept that this will take a long time.
Financial stress is not great but just focus on buying things that are completely necessary for you and nothing else. You will start to see improvements probably sooner than I have but the key factor is not to over do it and AVOID stress completely. Getting yourself worked up like you have been doing will just make it all that much worse for you so stop worrying as much as you can and let your body have the time it needs to recover.
Hope this helps,
Sam x
ballerina Samsick
Posted
I am soooo daunted by that time frame! There's no way mentally I can survive at my mum's place for that long. Which obviously is stressing me out completely.
I've read online it says "you should feel better in 2-4 weeks, but some people feel tired for months" Feeling tired isn't really a problem I'm having it's more so my throat, heart and brain fog. May I ask what your ongoing issues are? Are you able to work?
My mum did just say to me just now "you look better, you're eating more and you've got colour in your face, you looked white as a sheet two weeks ago" I hope she's right, I don't know if she's saying that to perk me up, but I don't feel any better myself!
Avoiding stress as an anxiety sufferer is difficult as I always think of the worst case scenario, aka never getting better and leaving my life behind to sit in my childhood bedroom forever!
Samsick ballerina
Posted
You must listen to me when I say to Calm Down as much as you possibly can!!
There is absolutely no rushing this virus.. When I hear you type it reminds me of myself this time 9 months ago.. panicking and getting myself stressed out but the reality of it is this makes things ten times worse and 100% will delay / prolong your recovery. You MUST just accept you are ill and let your body have whatever time it needs for recovery.
I am lucky somewhat as being self employed I can choose my own hours so currently I can just about manage working 9:00 - 15:00 at which point I immediately have to go home and rest. It is also very stressful though having a lot of staff to pay and to keep things going.
Today I am feeling kind of okay but I know very well as soon as I push it then all the symptoms very quickly creep back so I am sitting by a nice log fire at home doing absolutely nothing! I have learned to accept this now and when I am feeling slightly better I use this time to remain positive for a full recovery.
Please take my advice and rest and try not to worry.. It will probably pass you a lot quicker than me but only if you completely relax and remain positive!
X
christina31300 ballerina
Posted
craig07920 ballerina
Posted
Hey Ballerina,
Really so sorry to hear what a terrible time you've been having. Having been through EBV / glandular fever about 10 years ago, I really do sympathise. It's so frustrating also if you can't get a firm diagnosis. I'm not really sure how it all works with the blood tests, but yes I do believe it can show up that you have had a past infection of EBV even if it's not current, if that makes sense. The symptoms you describe do sound like an EBV type infection though, so it could well be that which has been the cause.
I just wanted to reassure you that things will get better, just hang in there just now when feeling so low and unwell. I'm going through a simliar kind of thing for different reasons at the moment just feeling so low and in pain, I'm believing that you will be healed thanks to the hope Jesus gives us, hang in there and you WILL get through this I truly believe that.
Thinking of you and just take each day as it comes,
Craig
ballerina
Posted
Thing is now I'm going through a time where I'm seriously convinced it's some sort of localised infection in the left side of my mouth/tonsil/ear that won't clear. The doctor won't send me to an ENT to check it out and said the waiting list is too long and I want to scream. The lymph nodes are all on the left side of my ear/neck and all the pain is on that side as well as the puffy eye. The doctor said it would've cleared with that one round of antibiotics but I've read loads about people whose chronic tonsillitis doesn't clear from one week of basic antibiotics. Otherwise why would anyone have their tonsils out?
I'd understand it being glandular fever if I was left with the fatigue etc but my main problem is this painful left side issue for 2 months with huge nodes on that side of the neck and basically nothing on the right.