My Glandular fever journey

Hi everyone

I have been reading this forum for the past few months and have found much comfort from reading your posts. I thought I'd share my experience in case it can help anyone on their journey or to make sense of their symptoms. I'm a 35 year old woman and was diagnosed with GF and CMV at the start of September 2017 after about a month of not feeling well (incubation period I guess) and after having sporadic sick days off work, which turned into many consecutive days. The first three months were definitely the worst, spending most days in bed with extreme fatigue, breathlessness and feeling really dizzy and off balance whenever I had to get up. I was anaemic for the first three months ( I had to go back to eating meat due to getting this virus, after being vegetarian (and not anaemic) for 9 years) and I was also low in vitamin D so I started on daily supplements for both as well as magnesium and vitamin c supplements. I also started taking a natural mushroom powder supplement about a month and a half ago with reishi mushroom and cordyceps in it, which are meant to directly fight the ebv and supercharge your immune system. I take this three times daily. For the second and third month of the virus I had a painful swollen feeling in my left upper chest (spleen) which really freaked me out but since taking the mushroom powder I haven't had that pain or swelling again.

Since having the virus I also developed terrible anxiety over really minor things which id never had before. The first thing i notice is a tight feeling in my chest like I can't breathe and my heart rate would become rapid, and I'd have to retrace my thoughts to figure out what had stressed me out! The past month I've also had some on and off numb and tingling sensations in my left foot, hands and sometimes my face. Strangely too I've become really adverse to perfumes and other strong smells which now really stress me out (which I read is another more obscure symptom of the virus).

I've been very lucky in that I haven't had to go back to work since my diagnosis due to having income protection insurance (anyone living in Australia- check your superannuation policies because a lot have automatic income protection insurance!) and I have a very supportive partner and parents who have taken over everything at home for which I am so thankful. Early on I also cut out all sugar, alcohol, coffee and processed food, eat lots of veggies and fruit and I didn't do any exercise in the past few months because my dr said it would make things worse. So I sort of feel I've done everything I possibly can to give my body the best chance at recovery.

I'm at the end of the four month mark (or end of five month mark including incubation) and my symptoms are fairly stable and predictable at the moment where I don't generally feel as awful but still sometimes have a couple of hours of tiredness in the morning (usually from 9am- 10am or 11am strangely) and then sometimes tiredness after lunch. If I manage to nap for a couple of hours after lunch I feel really good for the rest of the day then. I've also started some slow gentle walking of around 1km every day or two but I still don't attempt other 'normal' activities like grocery shopping, making meals or catching up with friends. Sometimes I feel like I might be up to undertaking these activities but make sure that I reserve that energy for healing instead.

I'm under no illusion that I'm much better or that I won't still have those inevitable down days, but I wanted to offer hope that it won't necessarily take you six or nine or twelve months before you start feeling not awful anymore and slightly human again. Although I still sometimes get tired, it's not that overwhelming bone-tired exhaustion that I was feeling in the first few months. I know that I am very fortunate to be well supported at home, not have kids to look after and not to have to work, and that not everyone has this luxury, but I strongly feel that because I've just been able to rest and I haven't had to push myself that I've been able to recover a bit and feel at least human again. My advice would be to try to make things a simple as possible to make things easier on yourself while you heal. Wishing you all a speedy and complete recovery.

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