Mono leaving me hopeless

Hi christina31300, sorry to hear you're struggling so much with GF, it really is an awful virus and affects you not only physically but also emotionally and mentally. Not only does the virus make you feel horrible, it also stops you in your tracks and temporarily robs you of the life you used to have. I remember that I also felt hopeless and helpless around the two month mark, and I felt like it was never going to end. I also had a pounding heart, dizziness, anxiety and terrible fatigue. I am at the end of my fifth month now and am starting to feel like myself again and have also learnt some really valuable lessons along the way. My number one tip would be to try to accept that this is your new reality for a little while (which is so hard to do because it feels like you're giving up to the virus, but in fact its accepting reality and letting your immune system take over)  and to do everything you can to rest and recuperate. The fatigue can be so overwhelming and depressing but the more you rest and take care of yourself the quicker your recovery will be. I stopped exercising, stopped hanging out with friends, stopped leaving the house or even my bedroom for months, but this is what helped me recover. It does get better, I promise.

Hey there, 

First, I want to say that you WILL get better. I know how it feels when it's been going on for so long that you start to doubt things will return to normal. But that's just how mono goes for a lot of people — it takes a long time to get over it, but you do eventually get over it. 

I got mono in February, and I have had all the same symptoms that you do, including some of the more distressing ones like ringing in the ears and anxiety.

I can tell you that other people have had the same symptoms as us and did fully recover (I'm not all the way there yet), but it takes awhile, on the order of months. Don't worry though — I didn't know that I had mono until 4 months after I had gotten sick, so I didn't take care of myself as well as I should have. However, since you already have your diagnosis, you have the upper hand! Just make sure you're giving your body what it needs: plenty of rest (as much sleep as you can get), a break from alcohol and sweets, lots of nutrients in the form of good protein, fruits and veggies—supplements and herbs can be helpful too. If you feel up to movement, walking and yoga can be good, but maybe no high-impact exercise until you've been feeling better for awhile. 

I know it's a super discouraging virus, but take this time to catch up on all of the TV, books, video games, and music that you enjoy. Another thing that I found encouraging to think about: there are so many great works of art that were composed during periods of convalescence — you could even try to fill your time with a relaxing creative pursuit, if that happens to be your thing. 

I do also want to let you know that Mono caused me to become anemic (which contributed to the ringing in the ears, fatigue, and shortness of breath I experienced), so liquid iron and vitamin C supplements helped me to feel TONS better. You may want to check your ferritin levels with your doctor to see if that might be helpful for you too.

Hope you feel better soon, (and I'm sure that you will). Relax and take good care. 

Hey. I'm in the same position as you, I'm 21 and got sick in February. Had to drop uni too, felt horrible until November, since then things got a lot better. My energy levels are back to normal now, I still have a lot of symptoms but I've definitely started improving a lot. The best thing that you can do right now is accepting that you will be sick for about a year, and just trying your best to be patient and help your body. This came out as a shock to me as well, I've never been sick for more than 2 weeks in my entire life. 

Hi Christina,

So sorry to hear you've been having such a terrible time with mono. I had it about 10 years ago, and it felt fairly similar for me and after a few months I just felt hopeless and helpless and didn't know what to do. That feeling is so awful Christina, and I just want to reassure you as someone who went through the same that you WILL get better. It's so frustrating with this virus that for many folk it can take often a few months to recover, for me it certainly did but just want to let you know that it does get better (even when you feel at your most hopeless remember that) and don't panic if recovery doesn't come right away, because it will definitely come given time.

Things that helped me included taking vitamins and herbs, a good strong multi-vitamin per day helped me, as did B complex for energy levels and extra Vitamin C. Immune boosting herbs like echinicea and siberian ginseng and oregano can also really help.

Hang in there and remember you WILL get better! You're young Christina and that's another advantage in that younger people get over the virus better and quicker than older adults, and you have lots of healthy and happy times to look forward to I truly believe - just concentrate on each day at the moment when it's so tough like this.

Craig

Hi Christina,

Mono causes so many horrible symptoms and is a very long lasting virus, it is good that you are younger it helps. I got it late October of 2016 and it lasted almost a year( I am 55 so you will probably recover much quicker) I started to feel less tired six months in but felt very flu like, heart palpatations,anxiety, down feelings and weakness for 11 months. 

This forum is a great source of support, it was a great comfort to me to know that people do recover, I didn't think that I would ever fell like myself again and thankfully I am much better.

By month three I started improving and thought I fully recovered. I took on too much too fast and relapsed in late November. Just coming out of that relapse. So I would say to take it super easy when you start feeling better. It’s so hard I know! But relapsing is not fun.  I’m planning on no exercise at all until Ive been symptom free for at least two months. 

Video games and Netflix helped. And the comment about being creative I agree 100% with! I’m an actor so being bed bound is miserable. But I found I could write and it distracted me greatly. 

This forum also has been a godsend. I wish I had found it sooner. Hang in there!