Mono recovery story collection!!

It can be very different for everyone Maty how long it takes for the lymph nodes and symptoms to subside, I just want to reassure you that it will get better and not to panic if it takes a little while for things to get back to 100% again, it can be normal with this stubborn virus but everything does settle and go away with time, just about getting plenty of rest and recovery time and just taking it one day at a time - thinking about you. Always wise to check in with the doctor to discuss any concerns and hoping they can offer some good advice and reassurance too.

Craig

i think the hardest thing with this virus for me is the fatigue. is anyone doing anything or taking anything that is helping with the fatigue? i want my life back

i take d ribose natural fruit sugar supplement

not sure if it helps or not ... but worth a try . or just eat loads of fruit

I totally agree Jessie - the two things that I found most debilitating were the fatigue and the low grade fever, there were other symptoms too but if those two weren't as intense then it would have been so much easier to handle.

Vitamins and herbs for me did help with the fatigue, a B complex (B100 is good) vitamin can really help and is great for helping with fatigue, also Co-enzyme Q10 I took during the virus is a supplement which they call the 'spark of life', it contains B vitamins too and I found it helpful. Siberian ginseng can be good too and higher doses of Vitamin C (1000mg-3000mg per day) and immune boosting herbs like echinacea and oregano. Of course I'm no expert and just going on what helped me and my own research, it's always wise to check for any interactions with other health conditions or medication before starting any supplements, or checking in with a doctor or herbalist for advice too.

Hang in there Jessie - it took a while for me to get over the fatigue and for my body resilience to return - but thanks to God only I was able to recover and energy levels did return - it is normal to have an extended period of fatigue and I want to reassure you that it DOES get better and even if it takes a little time, you truly will get your energy levels back again and be able to do things again without feeling so tired or drained - hang in there Jessie, thinking about you and remember it's okay to rest at this time and even if things are not great today it will get better in future - truly it will.

Hoping for a settled weekend for you and message any time, do let us know how you are doing and keep in touch.

Craig

I forgot about D Ribose Lori I remember reading about that being something that can really be helpful too - can't actually remember if i took it or not but it's another option to research / consider.

Eating healthy too of course as you say is good, avoiding things with lots of caffeine and sugar if possible, I know it's easier said than done though. 'Superfoods' like blackberries and blueberries can be really great. Also taking a probiotic supplement too, or eating yoghurt daily, can help particularly with your stomach (peppermint too also great for stomach).

Craig

thanks Craig!

i have found that EmergenC in the morning, b12 and monolaurin are whats working for me. i did just order some Vitamin D and ill start taking that with my morning dailys. i also want to let the lady know that adrenal fatigue is very similar as the virus attacks everything . definitly have your thyroid checked on regularly . im slowly improving . i am truly backing the fact that it takes time. im 7 months in on this and alot has improved . i didnt have the fevers to often, so for me its definitly the fatigue and the headaches . ill keep everyone updated!please keep me updated as well.

I agree that to help with fatigue vitamins and eating healthy in general helps, along with making sure to drink enough water and sleeping a lot. If you are busy throughout the day it helps to take breaks from whatever task you're doing, also found that getting fresh air kind of helps too.

Also, anyone else taste/tasted a weird bitter taste in their mouth with mono? It doesnt go away no matter what methods I try so I'm wondering if this is something normal

Some great advice Kei, drinking plenty of water is very good for you for sure, especially during mono when your body is constantly fighting against this virus. Also fresh air can be really good too, I set a target of trying to do a small walk each day when I was feeling able to during recovery, sometimes it was just very short 5 or 10 minutes but just getting that fresh air when feeling so flushed with running fever was a great help to me I do remember. Also taking breaks in between tasks is great advice too - you're wise beyond your years Kei!

I have read others talk about a funny taste in their mouth with mono, I do think it can have all sorts of strange effects on the mouth, gums, throat areas, so anything strange within that region certainly could be attributed to mono. I do hope this is something that will settle down as you start to get better, certainly something worth mentioning to the doctor. Not sure if trying extra strong toothpaste (fluoride) or mouth wash could help with something like this, even just to try and take that taste away for a while at least.

Still thinking about you Kei and hoping for a settled week ahead for you - remember just one day at a time and you are going to get through this! It's so hard to go through I know but you're doing well under very difficult circumstances right now, so just take each day as it comes and don't look too far ahead. This will all pass over with some more time, I know that doesn't help much when in the midst of it mind you. Hang in there.

Craig

Hey Jessie,

It sounds like you are doing all the right things to help yourself, sometimes it's trial and error with different supplements and therapies to see what helps. Glad that you are finding that the B12 and monolaurin are helping, that is wise to keep monitoring your thyroid and bloods fairly regularly during recovery, and hoping and praying everything can be well and settled in this areas for you over the coming period.

I absolutely want to reassure you Jessie that you will get better from this. At 7 months I was like you I felt I had made a little progress, but it felt so slow and I still felt I had a way to go with this. Please know Jessie that you will get better, it takes time. I felt a real change / turning point happen at around 10 months, and thanks to God only was able to get stronger after that and get back to full health again and feel more normal and able to cope again. I know it was only down to God as I was feeling so low and beaten up with this thing and eternally grateful for God's healing, as I remember how dreadful an experience going through this virus was and wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

Sometimes with this it is just a time factor and about trying to be patient, which is so hard I know! But you truly will get over this and it is normal still to be feeling this way after 7 months and then go on to make a full recovery. My experience was the first 6 months or so were by far the most intense and awful and I hope and pray that you don't have to experience anything like that again. It can still take some time to get back on your feet again and gain your confidence again after this virus, so don't panic if that takes a little time, but truly you will get there - there is life after this virus I want to reassure you of that, it was over 12 years ago now since I had the virus and truly you will get back to normality again with God's help, I believe that given my own recovery experience and reading the recovery stories of so many people who went through such hard times for many months and went on to make full recoveries also!

Thinking of you and hoping today is a good one! Do keep in touch, let us know how you are doing and message any time!

Craig

HI G,

Oh goodness it sounds like you've been through a terrible few months and just want to let you know that I empathise having been through a tough time with mono a number of years ago. You've absolutely did the right thing by going and getting these blood tests done and I hope that they can give you some answers and a firm diagnosis, it certainly sounds like it could be mono as the symptoms you describe as very classic mono and it could have been passed on if sharing a cigarette with someone else who had the virus. Also take it as reassuring that the other blood tests showed nothing to worry about - this is also very classic for mono, and an encouraging thing for sure.

I absolutely want to reassure you that it is VERY common still to have swollen lymph nodes, body aches, sore throat, low grade fever and awful fatigue after 3 months of this thing. This virus is nasty and it just can take extended time for recovery, but please know that if it is mono then absolutely you will recover, and try not to panic if it takes a little while for full recovery because that can be normal but truly you will get there! All the symptoms you describe sound very much like mono and I had most of these too - it got me so down and frightened and depressed too, I just felt so unwell for a number of months and it was dreadful G, but please know this is normal to feel like this at this stage and then equally normal with some more time to go on and make a full recovery - I know it was only down to God I was able to get through it as I felt terrible, so hang in there God is with you and will get you through.

It's so important to rest and look after yourself and eat well and drink plenty of water. So sorry to hear you've lost your job, but definitely you've done the right thing to take time out because so many people with this virus try to work through and push through and that just delays recovery further - this virus really needs proper and true rest and to remove stress as much as possible. So just take this time to give yourself and your body the time and space it needs right now, and absolutely please know that you will get better with time!

One thing that helped me greatly during recovery was taking vitamins and herbs - a good strong multi-vitamin per day (I take Immunace Extra here in the UK), a B100 complex vitamin and/or Co-enzyme Q10 (great for nervous system and energy levels), higher doses of Vitamin C (1000mg-3000mg per day), and immune boosting herbs like siberian ginseng and echinacea. Of course please do make sure you check for any interactions with other conditions / medication before starting any vitamins / herbs, that's so important - I'm no expert just going on things that helped me and my own research - seeing a herbalist can also be a good idea and helped me a lot too for the right advice / info.

Definitely it's a good forum here and people who truly know what it's like to go through this virus, when so many others don't understand when you look fine and there are no outward signs that you are ill, whilst they don't know how awful you are feeling. Please message any time G and let us know how you get on with the blood test results - thinking about you and hang in there - and remember you WILL get FULLY better from this with some more time. I believe Jesus is the great healer, hang in there and thinking about you.

Craig

Thanks man.

Will get EBV blood results in 8 days still. I can't think of anything else to be honest. It's making me really depressed you know, especially being uncertain for months. I panic and think about the symptoms a lot - maybe even imagining some things.

It's been horrible. Even though I'm an atheist i thank you for the kind words.

I will try to up my vitamin intake. Until now I've been taking some iron and 1000mg C daily. Might need some more.

Cheers,

G

Hi G,

Waiting on test results can be so worrying and stressful, hang in there man just hoping that the results can bring some good news and peace of mind for you. It's so understandable to experience all sorts of emotions and anxiety and depression during mono, it really is G and it's the worst thing I wouldn't wish it upon my worst enemy.

Definitely worth thinking about a B complex vitamin and a good strong multi-vitamin as well, the B vitamins can really help with your energy levels and nervous system which can take a dunt during nasty viruses like mono.

Hang in there G, if you can even try and distract your mind for parts of the day through doing something you enjoy or helps relieve stress, be it reading, having a bath, listening to music, watching tv, whatever you find helps really but isn't' taking a lot of energy out of you either, that can help. I used to find going for a short walk each day helped me, getting some fresh air, although I know when feeling so drained and unwell it's not always possible, just listening to your body is the key, rest and take things one day at a time.

And most importantly, please know that if this is mono that you WILL get better and make a full recovery - truly you will G - thinking about you and let us know how you are doing over the next while and how the test results go.

Craig

Cheers mate, what you have to say really means a lot to me.

You are a great person.

To be honest I try to be around friends and family as much as possible, but its kinda hard sometimes cause even though I try not to drain them too much by talking about my symptoms and worries they think I'm just being really paranoid or something.

Obviously my medical problems aren't the only things I talk about with them, I try to bring up distracting things or just do the things that I like, but there's some tiredness, brain fog and the constant feeling of the swollen nodes in my neck for months really hinder my ability to enjoy things.

So far my mother has been fairly understanding and tries to reassure me. She is the only one who can really provide me with some peace of mind from time to time and can really distract me with some activities. However she has a lot of stuff to do and works a lot so it's kinda awkward always trying to be around her, you know.

It has taken a toll on my relationship with my gf, who also is convinced that I must be imagining all of this and just cant seem to understand what mono can be and what these symptoms are about. It sucks big time. We've argued a lot in the past few months when I was trying to get some relief by talking about my thoughts on my GP misdiagnosing me, etc.

Gf is convinced I'm hypochondriac and brushes off everything I say about this. That hurts horribly. Our relationship is nothing like it was before I was constantly tired and worried about my swollen neck. I had a good paying job and I was out and about in my car all the time, smoking weed, driving to places, having fun. Now I can't even afford some gas and I don't have the energy to do any of these things. Even though I have a new job lined up I don't know how will I perform with this tiredness and neck discomfort.

While I understand it can be hard for people around me to see and hear me in a state like this, I really try to not push it too hard on them and come off as some kinda crazy person. However 99% of people around me assume I'm just horribly hypochondriac and it hurts me a lot because I've never been that way, I never talked about my problems like this before so... there's no reason to assume that, they just can't wrap their head around what I'm feeling, they haven't heard about problems like this before, is all.

I'm trying to stop googling everything and just getting into a horrible spiral of thoughts. It's been hard especially cause of the swollen nodes in my neck.

I know however that I have to be understanding towards my loved ones and not push them away but this s**t has really taken a toll on my life man, I've never felt so s*y and worried before in my life.

I understand there are people who are way worse off, but that doesn't help my own situation. It's just hard and I'm really craving to get some reassurance/diagnosis/treatment after 3 months of being passed back and forth with bullsh diagnosises.

Thanks for listening to me, and sorry for this not being a recovery story YET.

I hope it will turn into one eventually and I'm not just sh**tting up the forum with this.

Wishing you the best

G

Hi G,

You have nothing to be sorry for at all, I really empathise with so much of what you are saying as I went through so much of the same feelings, emotions, fears, symptoms - it truly was an awful time and I wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

I was lucky also to have a patient and very understanding mum and amazing friends / family who supported me during this. It's so hard though when people try to tell you that it's 'in your head' or that you are a hypochondriac - people who say that G have NO understanding of this virus whatsoever, it truly is a REAL physical illness, thinking back to my own experience of mono I often liken it to a physical breakdown a bit in the sense of a mental breakdown but in your physical body, where simple things that your body could normal handle suddenly become so difficult to manage.

I hope so much that you can get some reassurance from the blood test results this week, let us know how you get on man. If it is mono, then absolutely want you to know G that you will get better COMPLETELY, it just takes time with this thing, after 3 months I was feeling so unwell and drained mentally, physically and emotionally - it's an awful feeling G and want you to know I'm thinking about and to let you know as someone who went through similar lows and tough times with it that there is FULL recovery and FULL health after this dreaded virus, it just takes a bit of time but you will get there.

Oh it's so hard not to go on google and search everything. Just remember it's only the tiny tiny proportion of people on there who are the ones posting scare stories, the vast vast majority of people who have mono recover with time and as a result tend not to post things!

All the stress with your work and relationship and everything must be so hard just now man, just remember to look after yourself and be kind to yourself at this time - this is a nasty nasty virus but truly you will get better G!

And remember post any time on here when feeling down or looking for some support or encouragement - better place to come than going on google because people on here truly know what this virus is like to go through and many who have experienced recovery still come on and can tell the truth that things do get better with this - which they will for you, so hang in there and just take it one day at a time! Thinking of you man.

Craig

Cheers man.

Will get back to yous eventually

Great man, hope that this can be a better week for you G, hang in there.

Craig