Mono recovery story collection!!
Posted , 52 users are following.
Hey everyone,
Let's post some positive mono recovery stories so that they're all in one place to give people encouragement. I think there's a negative post bias that understandably happens where most people post when they're concerned, but not when they've recovered. This can give someone viewing the posts a pessimistic impression of recovery. On the other hand reading someone's recovery story, including the darkest parts of the illness, can give hope and aid in the healing process.
I'm still in recovery myself, so I don't have a story yet, but I invite you all to post your recovery story, or other stories you've found / been told.
Thanks!
-Jesse
8 likes, 282 replies
JP40738 jesse27406
Edited
I have always been an active and busy person and am rarely sick. In Jan 2017 I became more unwell than I had been for a number of years but thought it was a bad flu or cold. Initially just very tired with a very bad sore throat. As with other colds/flus I pretty much ignored it and carried on with my day to day life. I work 3- 4 week rotations often in remote locations and returned to one of these rotations still feeling unwell as we had managers visiting our project. Back at work I continued with long days but after work would have to sleep for a few hours before dinner, which was very unusual for me. Over the next few days I would wake up in the night with a heavy fever or chills and had completely soaked my sheets with sweat. Other than getting a malaria test I continued with work but felt shattered.
On returning home I crashed for the next two weeks with improvements in the fever and sore throat but fatigue remained present. The next 2-3 months were very difficult and I felt continually exhausted. I continued to go to work but felt useless. Went to the doctor who took blood tests (no EBV/mono test) which returned normal. I managed to retain a degree of ‘normality’ by attending work but had no motivation to do anything extra and my exercise was minimal. The brain fog, lack of energy and associated low mood were worse than the physical symptoms.
After about 4 months of talking to family and friends as well as the internet I started to link my symptoms to some form of post viral fatigue, possibly glandular fever (which I had previously thought of as a bad sore throat). On returning to the doctor I had more bloods (all normal) except this time I was also tested for the EBV antibodies which were found to be present. Although this only indicates I have had it at some point in my life (I had never been aware of contracting it earlier in my life), it finally felt like some sort of diagnosis which made me feel a lot better.
I tried lots of the suggestions on the internet – rest, exercise, Echinacea, vit C and nothing made an overnight improvement. From about 5 months I started to feel progressively better – but this was definitely CYCLICAL. I would feel pretty good for a week and let myself get carried away with rushing back to all the things I’d missed, then the following week I would feel low again. The low weeks would comprise of low mood, low energy, subtle sore throat and low grade fever plus frustrating brain fog. This cycle continued until around September (month 9), with longer periods of good health and shorter periods of bad. Also, each bad health cycle wasn’t as bad as the previous and each good was slightly better. What I did notice during this period was that low points were often after busy periods. If there were very busy weeks with late nights and too much alcohol, I would often suffer the next week or two.
From September to late November I felt pretty good – 90% myself again – and thought it had gone. The first two weeks of December and its come back with the same feeling. A feeling I find very hard to describe to others – ‘just not right’ is the best I can offer. I’m confident it will pass and I hope it continues to become less frequent.
My feeling is that there is certainly both a physiological aspect AND a psychological aspect. I was definitely really ill but the low mood creates a negative spiral which is difficult to kick. I remember being in tears to my wife that I would never recover – completely out of character for me. When you start seeing some recovery remember those points for when you’re next low and know that you will feel better in the future. Gradually increasing exercise also helped.
My biggest learning is probably in relation to how I judge others. If someone had previously told me that they were off work for 6 months with GF I wouldn’t have believed them. Definitely learned to be more understanding of issues and illnesses I haven’t experienced or don’t understand.
craig07920 JP40738
Edited
Hi JP,
Thanks for sharing your story, I know it really helps others when folks share their stories on here. I do sympathise having went through a similar experience as yours about 10 years ago. It was awful and draining physically and emotionally and mentally.
But I do want to reassure that that this dip you are going through at the moment is just that - a dip and you will get back on track again, the intensity and severity of these dips does definitely lessen as time goes on and you will never have to go through anything like what you've been through this year again with it - year 2 was a breeze compared to year 1 for me!! I felt so much better and virtually back to myself again, with a few wee dips but it was nothing compared to the first year.
Hang in there and remember things will get better!! Fully!!
Craig
gee29819 JP40738
Posted
Hey JP,
Thank you for sharing your story. Couple of questions, if you don't mind please:
1) have you had tinnitus with mono? If yes, do you still have it?
2) did alcohol give you immediate horrible headache at the beginning of mono?
3) how much do you sleep now ?
4) do you drink coffee?
5) did your wife catch mono as well?
gabe26065 jesse27406
Posted
Well guys, I think I will contribute to this forum and let you know how my story ends when it does with this vile Virus.
So my story started on the 2nd of June 2018 (which is literally 11 days ago), from that date till the 6th I have a terrible weird migraine that seems to be abnormal .. my left eye started to hurt when I move it and I developed all symptoms of a migraine but it wasn't really ...
On the 6th of June, Migraine symptoms persisted BUT this time I started feeling a tingling sensation in my left tonsil, left work went back home, took Ibuprofen and slept like a baby afterwards ... but then the nightmare begins:
on the 7th of June 2018: I woke up with a painful left tonsil, I could see it inflamed and since I am a very busy person decided to go directly to the clinic and get it checked out. The doctor directly diagnosed it as your typical bacterial tonsillitis and gave me antibiotics, mouth wash medicines and pain killers, to which I started using the same day but oh hell I totally felt the night will be horrible and it was, pain just got worse and worse.
8th of June 2018: I woke up with a severely inflamed left tonsil with puss all over it, headache was surprisingly gone but a worse pain started to blossom.
9th of June 2018: I woke up with agonising pain and now my right tonsil is started to get bigger and bigger in size, I started to freak out but I calmed myself down and took my meds as prescribed to which lead to the worst night of my life, I could NOT sleep at ALL. I was waking up every 30 minutes because of pain and feeling of getting strangled, I knew something wasn't right and I decided to return back to my doctor on the next day.
10th of June 2018: Horrible pain on both tonsils, with pus all over, I can feel my left glands around my left ear bigger in size. I went back to the doctor that afternoon to save my life cz I felt like I was dying, doctor was shocked when he saw the size of my tonsils and requested me to start IV administration of antibiotics the same day and for every day the next 5 days. I was happy to hear that, a new solution to a hellish problem, but that day the doctor was smart, he asked the nurse to test me for Mono as well as inject me with antibiotics thru IV as well as Steroids.
The night wasn't bad, compered to the hell I went thru the past 2 nights, I was able to sleep for 3 consecutive hours and I was so happy.
But then Monday 11 June 2018 (yesterday) came up, I receive a call from my doctor to see him and I obliged, I went to him and he told me that my mono test came back positive! I freaked out but he assured me there is nothing to worry about and it will only get better. that day pain was somehow better but my tonsils were so inflamed to a degree they were touching, I was barely able to eat, talk or speak at that point, the doctor asked me to check into the hospital to monitor my case and avoid any possible complication like suffocation or whatnot. So I did that and checked myself into the hospital where they started to administer steroids that night alongside antibiotics and pain killers (according to the specialist, antibiotics are necessary since the sheer inflammation of my tonsils might lead to secondary infections, that night I slept for 6 hours and I was so happy.
And then there is today (12 June 2018): I woke up with weak pain very much duller and weaker than all previous days and I was happy, they continued with administrating my medications and then my doctor checked on me, he said if there was improvement tomorrow they will check me out of the hospital in the afternoon after continuing a full course of steroids as well, my tonsils still are the same size as before BUT pain is barely there now, its only the feeling of fullness in throat area that is irritating and the difficulty when eating or drinking. I also noticed a small reduction in puss on my tonsils.
And now I am about to go to bed with way less pain than any of the previous ones, I will see what tomorrow brings and keep you guys updated as I go. I didn't have any other symptoms of this virus as of yet, but I lead a healthy lifestyle and I take lots of supplements daily, from vitamins to rutin to Curcumin and I drink fresh ginger tea every day and night, I never eat fried/fast food or drink coffee/tea or any type of cokes (basically no caffein). I hope this helps anyone suffering although I am not in the clear yet but I feel positive.
I will update you guys daily with anything major related to the subject. Cheers.
craig07920 gabe26065
Posted
Hi Gabe,
Oh goodness what a terrible time you have had this past 2 weeks, thank you for sharing your story and just want you to know I believe you will get better having been through mono myself. I know it's a scary diagnosis but actually it is a good thing in a way that they have discovered what is causing these awful symptoms you have been having, mono is very capable of doing this and just seems like you have had the rough end of the throat and tonsil symptoms especially - you've done the right thing getting checked out by the docs and the hospital and really hope they are giving you treatment that is helping.
Just want to reassure you that mono does get better absolutely, the first few weeks can be so hard to cope with you and just feel like you're hanging on and feeling awful all the time. This will pass it really will, when I had it thankfully didn't go through as horrible a time with the throat and tonsils as you but did feel drained and unwell all the time which was hard. And remember don't panic if full recovery takes a bit of time still, that can be normal, but you most definitely will get there and get over this and back to full health again. Sounds like you are doing all the right things in terms of vitamins and herbs and healthy eating, etc, B complex can be good too for energy levels particularly and siberian ginseng / echinicea for the immuen system.
Thinking of you and hang in there!! Hoping that you can get home and remember just allow yourself a period of rest and recuperation - be kind to yourself right now and don't expect too much of yourself or push yourself. You will get there absolutely I believe that Gabe, trusting God to pull you through.
Craig
gabe26065 craig07920
Posted
Thank you for your encouraging words, I totally believe the road to recovery is surrounding ourselves with positive thoughts and energy. I totally agree about the relief I felt when the doctor finally figured out what is wrong with me. Oh man it has been one bumpy ride but it does get better, and I am happy to have you as a witness that things get better, and I am glad that it did
As of today (13 June 2018), I woke up with your average sore throat pain not much difference from yesterday but the doctor did check me and told me that my tonsils are doing better, and although they are still oversized, the redness came down dramatically, so he advised me to check out of the hospital and rest in my comfortable bed (which I'm so excited about) alongside an arsenal of painkillers, 2 mouth wash solutions (iodine and Hydrogen Peroxide), antibiotic and steroid pills for 2 more days.
2 more facts about my case I forgot to mention before are, I am a 28 years old guy and one other symptom I did not mention was fever, first 3 days of tonsil pain I had a fever ranging between 37.8 and 38.8, but it dropped to low grade in the past 3 days not surpassing 37.5 and today I am fever free as well.
What I want everyone to take from my ongoing experience is, as you mentioned in your own reply Graig that, if you are positive and you live a healthy life, nothing can take you down, and with this virus is very important to be appreciative to every tiny improvement you see per day, although I am still feeling exhausted from all the medicines I have been taking, but I can't but look outside my hospital room window to the sun and think how beautiful the weather is.
I will definitely not stop here, I will keep on updating you guys with how my story progresses, I will not take away from you guys the happy ending once I reach it.
Cheers,
craig07920 gabe26065
Posted
Hi Gabe,
I hope by the time you read this message you can be home and out of hospital, if not definitely hoping it is near and won't be long. It must be awful to be in hospital and having too much time to think as well isn't good, I definitely struggle when not able to be in a routine around my home.
Definitely agree Gabe that a positive attitude helps so much. It's not always easy when going through something like this and really admire that courage in your attitude. I need to take a dose of that kind of positivity and courage in my own situation with back trouble too!
Really hoping that today is a better day for you and that each day things can settle bit by bit, remember if you get out of hospital to get plenty of rest still that's really important at this stage of the virus. It's so frustrating I know, but I think a key mistake a lot of folk make (me included) is trying to push yourself too soon when you feel a little better, it can cause a setback so really really need to take things slowly even on days / times when feeling a bit better.
Hoping and praying and believing you will get through this Gabe - trusting God with that and hang in there!
Craig
craig07920 gabe26065
Posted
gabe26065 craig07920
Posted
Hi Craig,
I am sorry to hear that you have back issues! I hope it gets better for you and try to always surround yourself with positive thinkers and steer away from negative nellys! Praying for you as well and I am sure you will get better (if you didn't already do
).
I cannot agree more with you about Mono, rest rest rest is very important and I experienced it first hand.
So I did check out of hospital on the evening of 13 June 2018, during that day I was feeling better compared to the previous days BUT I did one mistake that I hope I can prevent others from doing it in case someone who's going through mono is reading this, I mildly exhausted my self with packing and dragging one bag down to taxi and then drag it back up to my place. And it was a mistake, mono was triggered and I felt horrible that evening/night. I barely was able to sleep, not because of the pain but because of the size of my tonsils, even my temp went up to 37.8!
As what Craig said, rest rest rest and more rest, ask for help in case you need anything.
Thursday 14 June 2018, I woke up yesterday exhausted with no improvement whatsoever due to what I did in the previous day, but after resting and taking naps during the day I started feeling better in the afternoon, and I was so happy to go back to my supplements which I think did miracles, and I was so glad to be out of the hospital.
My supplement list is as follows: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Biorutin, Turmeric/Curcumin supplement and one multivitamin as well, alongside antibiotics, painkillers and steroids Hydrogen Peroxide and Idione mouth washes.
I focused my diet on Yogurt, Ginger/honey, Creme Caramels, fruits and soft veggies.
They helped me so much and I felt it that day because, for the first time in 2 weeks I was able to have a good night sleep. I slept for 8 hours!!!
And then there was today (June 15 2018), I woke up feeling GOOD! I did not even have the mild throat pain I get every morning, my tonsils are still very large but that was it, today I did not take one pill of painkillers yet and I feel fine and this makes me so happy. I even can speak better.
My advise to anyone going through Mono and reading this is, diet is the real cure for this disease, going back to my usual healthy eating made a huge difference.
I will keep on reporting my recovery story and I hope this helps anyone who is suffering from this nasty virus, I am still not in the clear but I can finally see the finish line.
Cheers,
gabe26065
Posted
Even I had a slightly enlarged lymph node under my ear that today I can barely feel anymore.
I feel positive and full of energy but will take couple of more days to rest and make sure I recover fully before I try to do anything that might cause a relapse.
I am grateful to every story I read here and all positive attitudes I was surrounded with from friends and colleagues that made my recovery way faster than I expected.
craig07920 gabe26065
Posted
Hello Gabe,
Just read your previous updated message on the other threat and this one also, so pleased to hear you are home and have been feeling a bit better and that things are going in the right direction. Thank you so much for praying for me Gabe really appreciate it as have been having issues for a year and feeling weary and struggling to see a finish line in sight. All prayers for me are greatly appreciated and the best gift I could have.
Praying for you too Gabe and that things completely settle down for you and can get back to some normality soon. Your positivity is amazing and I definitely need to heed those words, been speaking too many negative words about my situation lately and need to steer clear of that. I think everyone on here knows what it's like to feel discouraged with this virus and other trials, just need to trust in God that He will restore us and pull us through.
Absolutely sounds like you are doing all the right things in terms of vitamins, herbs and diet - well done! Remember as you say key thing is when feeling a bit better not to overdo it, to take things very slow still for a number of weeks even months if need as sometimes the zig-zag nature can cause it to bite you in the bum with a setback if you don't keep getting rest and jump back into a full and active lifestyle straight away. Glad to hear you have had a better sleep and really hoping these awful intense symptoms are disappearing more and more each day right now - been such a tough few weeks for you goodness knows, things about you Gabe and thanks again for all your encouraging messages and prayers!
Take care and hang in there, and remmeber don't jump straight back into a full and stressful life right away build things up slowly!!
Craig
gabe26065 craig07920
Posted
I now am closing in my 3rd week from when my symptoms first started and I am doing great, I am back to feeling normal with no symptoms whatsoever, except for some mild headaches sometimes developing at night, which is easily manageable with one pill of Advil.
I am taking it slowly for sure and I am very excited for the fact that the worst part of it has passed, any setback I am ready to deal with it heads on, especially that in August I have to travel twice! So I need to work on taking the maximum amount of rest in July.
I will keep you guys posted in case any major change happened! Staying positive and optimistic is very important to fight this nasty virus.
craig07920 gabe26065
Posted
That's great things are continuing to improve Gabe, yes definitely wise to keep taking things slowly as 3 weeks is really no time with this virus for a lot of people and stepping up to do too much too soon can cause setbacks, so hoping this won't happen and things continue to go well and very pleased the worst of the symptoms have settled - you've been through a rough few weeks for sure but lived to tell the tale!
Craig
gabe26065 craig07920
Posted
Hi Craig and fellow Mono patients 😃
I thought of passing by here and update you guys on what happened with me 7 months after my initial infection and I would wanna ask you one question.
So basically in the past 7 months I was on and off getting tonsillitis almost every 1 to 2 months, my tonsils size even when normal is now bigger than what they used to look like before mono, and today 7 months after, I got tonsillitis again, and I cannot shake the feeling it is a mono relapse, it has been quite consistent to have a sudden extreme tiredness followed by a very mild tonsillitis where pain is minimal but what annoys me is their size and it is uncomfortable.
I honestly want to avoid getting my tonsils taken out so do you guys think with time it will get better and I won't have to deal with tonsillitis anymore? especially that I heard many cases where some didn't really improve before a year of initial infection.
Gabe
tiffany45198 jesse27406
Posted
craig07920 tiffany45198
Posted
Hey Tiffany,
Oh really relating to your experience of the virus, it sounds so much like what I went through many years ago. You are so right that the anxiety and hopelessness and worry can be so overwhelming with it, the whole physical and mental and emotional experience of it is draining and as you say makes you appreciate times of good health so much more.
Just want to reassure Tiffany that the first 6 months is by far the worst, it took me a little longer up to 9-10 months to see a major turning point, but it did come thanks to God and believing absolutely it will come for you too! Remember just still to manage your activity and not push things too much right now - the thing I worried about was my body resilience never returning, being stuck in that 'new normal' - those thoughts can be banished because absolutely your body resilience returns, where you feel you can get up and do something a bit more stressful and then not feel awful during and after it - you will get there Tiffany and if that stage still takes a little while longer don't panic because it definitely comes!! And by far you've been through the worst I truly believe and things will get easier and better from here.
Thinking about you and hang in there - trusting God to bring full health and healing for you Tiffany
Craig