Please help

do you just mean exhausted by horrible?

Yes and how this virus can effect your life. I don't think the doctors understand the power of this illness .

no i agree ! it needs more attention the way it messes with your being.. your mind ...is so scary and the fact that you could lose everything over this ....im not big into medication but there needs to be a pill for this. as one lady told me going through chemo and cancer was easier than this !

Hi David,

It certainly has been a rollercoaster for you since March this year for sure by the sounds of it, as you say so many doctors don't seem to fully understand or appreciate just how badly and intensely this virus can affect you, and I definitely think more emphasis should be placed on giving people emotional and mental support to cope with being unwell for a number of months with this thing.

Hoping and praying so much that the worst and most intense phase of this is past for you David, and that better times are ahead and you can get back to your exercise and normal levels of activity again gradually with time. Remember just take everything slowly though, frustrating I know, and that your full body resilience and strength will return again - it really will David I thought mines never would when going through this but it did thanks to God and you will get there fully with this. My experience of Year 2 of this thing was that it was one of recovery, SO much easier than Year 1, still had to be sensible and watch I didn't overdo things but was able to get back to a normal way of life generally with God's help only and hoping and praying for a similar experience for you too - the stage comes where this virus loses it's power and bite and can no longer harm you, you WILL get the victory and your health and life back again - praying for 2019 to be the year of recovery and breakthrough!

Craig

How are you doing today Lori? Hoping your sleep has been settled this weekend and you are feeling stable, still thinking about you and still truly believing that God is working and is going to give you victory and full recovery. Hang in there and hoping for a good day - and remember be kind to yourself and give yourself rest when your body needs it!

Craig

yes im managing to now stay up later hopefully thats a good sign ..im waking up tgroughout the night but able to get back to sleep . the mornings are still rotten though . takes me hours to come around and get moving ...

Thanks Craig ,

You have been such a help to all of us on here . Thanks again for all the time and thoughtfulness you have given . I can tell you this place, you, and the others who have posted positive and supportive stories have been a huge help for me. I'm not sure how it would have went for me . The doctors will tell you 4 to 8 weeks and you should be better . That is a joke because the more time that

Just take it a day at a time Lori, hoping today can be a much better day for you and remember don't panic as it can be (unfortunately and frustratingly) normal to have setback days even when starting to feel better.

The power of this whole virus will be broken and the stage is coming where it won't be able to harm you anymore Lori, I am trusting Jesus with that and thinking about you - hang in there and remember just take things slowly and keep trusting God - He's got you in the palm of His hand still.

Craig

Oh I know David,

I also got told by the doctor that it would be in the region of 4 to 8 weeks, and although that is a blow you feel like you can cope because you are told it will pass within that time frame. And it's the dealing mentally with why it's not passing when you were told it was supposed together with the physical symptoms each day which just make this such an awful experience to go through.

I do wish that doctors would spend more time with people going through this and not just send people away saying it's a virus and we can't do much for you other than wait for things to pass - there is a real place for more emotional and practical supports to help people through the longevity of this virus and I do hope that with time the medical profession can improve their supports in these areas to people going through this, even if they can't take it away with a medicine right away.

Really grateful for your kind words and support for me too David, have found this year so hard for different reasons too and just to have kind people like yourself offering encouraging words and support here and there has been a huge help to me also.

Still truly believing that better times are ahead David and that 2019 will be a year of recovery and breakthrough for you - hang in there and there is most definitely hope.

Craig

Hi David ,

The roller coaster that is mono. My recovery started just as you are describing. I felt this way for a full year, the first six months were awful and then the up and down pattern you describe. After the first year a more steady progress happened and now I feel back to normal.

Thank you Mono_too , I can not put it in words how much this forum has helped me . All the crazy symptoms and up n downs of this crazy virus . The doctors say a few months and you will be good . I consider myself and very health person , i never had health problems in the past and was very fit before this ebv. As you know it will take the life right out of a healthy person. The hardest part for me is how you can feel okay one minute and next

minute the tiredness and dizziness can set in and take you down . How long this goes on for is crazy to say the least . I hope I am like you and get my life back in the second year . The days go so slow now hoping for recovery soon . Thanks again for your reply .

thats great news mono so glad you are back to health gives us all hope . my worst months have been 6 7 8 and now 9 but i guess we are all unique and nobody heals the same .... praying everyday for recovery had a few ok days the bam! it hits you again ! like a freight train !

Hi Lori,

I had a relapse during the 6-9 month time frame also, it is very discouraging when you are going through it to say the least, Craig and everyone on the forum were my lifeline. I always thought if I recover I will always be here to help people going through it because it is so discouraging at the time.

we're so thankful for the support as you know it can be horrendous...awful days get you and you cant do anything

Hi Lori,

I feel like I'm going through a bit of a relapse/down phase now too. I initially got super weak in may. end of august, september and october were pretty good but since november i feel a bit worse, and it always starts with my mood- ill get slightly more anxious or feel a bit depressed. not as bad as before but definetely frustrating because it is the christmas season and i would like to enjoy myself. how are you feeling and what are your current symptoms? I hope both of us can pull through this bump soon.

I know David this thing has no respect for how fit or healthy you are, when I took the virus I was 25, fit and healthy and active, a member of a running club and did 10ks and half marathons, but had to take a step back from all that for a good while when went through this - so please don't think it's anything to do with your own strength / resilience / health - in a strange way I do think there could actually be a link to this thing affecting super fit and healthy people even harder than the more regular person in society, it's amazing how many people on the forum here are runners, climbers, sports players, gym goers, etc.

Hoping things are settled for you at the moment David, and definitely hoping and praying that the second year is going to be one of recovery and hope. My experience definitely was that the second year was SO much easier than the first, but remember try not to put timescales on things either and just take things a day at a time as everyone recovers at different rates - but the key thing to know is that you WILL get there and fully recovery, truly believing that David!

Craig

Definitely Lori a freight train is a good description, it hits you so hard and the intensity and longevity are the two things which I found so tough, at times you just don't feel like you have any breathing space with it and every day is a struggle and fight just to keep your head above water, and as we all know it gets so draining to keep having to do that day after day for months on end.

But there is hope Lori, things are going to get better for you I still have great faith in that - you are a survivor and your body has more resilience than you think and our amazing God wants you well and is faithful to that.

Craig

You have been an outstanding support to me and everyone on the forum Mono too and I'm really grateful for that and for your kind words for me too - means a lot, it's only with healing from God that I was able to get through it and from a hindsight view want others to know that no matter how hard things might be with this virus right now or how long it has been going on there, there is hope and there is recovery out there with God's help.

So pleased that things have been much more settled for you Mono too, remember just keep taking it day by day and believing that even further improvement is going to come in 2019 and as time progresses, God willing. How is your daughter and granddaughter doing at the moment? I do hope they are coping okay and seeing improvement too, it's been such a hard time for your whole family thinking about you still.

Craig

It is a really good forum Lori, I see such goodness and strength in everyone on here (even though they may not feel strong, it's there believe me!), and it gives me hope seeing that in others!

yes i was a runner too worked out a lot and was superfit. many athletes get this .

hi dominika

yes i had an ok few days the bam ! i mostly feel exhausted and like my skin is crawling ... id been sleeping good for a while and then this morning wide awake at 4am. so thats really disappointing. i was doing way better than oct and nov but now feel like ive taken a step back

Thanks a million Craig ,

Your support has helped me and many others . Thanks for your time and consideration . You are truly a great person and god must have big plans for you . If you don't mind me asking whats wrong with your back ? I Too have battled back injuries over the years . In my younger years I did a lot of dirt bike racing and had a few high speed crashes. The older i get the more it reminds me of yard sailing at high speeds because i don't have a day where I'm not reminded. I wish you a merry xmas , happy new year and good health to come .

Thanks again for your kind words ,

Dave

Hi Craig,

My daughter still struggles with the exhaustion, better than a year ago but still not herself. My granddaughter is better, she has lupus so she still battles that. This virus is just a tough road, but looking forward to their full recovery.

How is your back feeling?

Things will come back round again Lori and Dominika, it's so frustrating when setbacks happen but they won't last forever and the best thing you can do is just to take a step back, rest more, try to keep calm and not panic (I know it's much easier said than done) and be kind to yourself, knowing that things will pick up again with a little time.

Hoping for a better day for you both today and a good weekend ahead.

Craig

Hi David,

Oh believe me I know for sure it's much easier to give advice / talk about the right thing to do than to actually take it or apply it or keep hanging in there when things have been going on for a while. I know for sure I find it hard to keep my head up at times when going through stuff so don't want you or anyone to think I feel like I have the answers or anything, I just know how badly the virus affected me when I had it and just want others to know that things do get better and there is hope!!

I really do appreciate your kind words David, I do hope and pray all of us here can have a good purpose ahead for God, He tells us He has a future and good plans for us and know that He is faithful so that is something wonderful to keep in mind, even when it's hard to see or feel it we know that much is true!

It has been lower back pain that has been my trouble David, as well as prostatitis, both have got on top of me quite a bit and I've finished up with my job now because of it and just hope I can get life back on track again sometimes I worry I'm not pushing myself hard enough or just taking the easy way out of things. I know my back pain could be worse too, I'm lucky that I still have been able to be mobile and do things and thanks to God only not needing anything like surgery or anything like that, it's a disc bulge but just can't seem to get by it or stop my muscles seizing up and finding it mentally quite challenging just to sit and do normal things without being bothered with it.

Goodness that sounds frightening those high speed crashes you were in, I do hope that you don't have any lasting injuries or pains from those times, and remember just to look after yourself too and listen to your body - it will get through what it's going through just now that I really do believe!

Thanks again for the best wishes and amazing kind words David and wishing you and your loved ones Merry Christmas and all the best for the New Year too - it's going to be a much better year for you I have faith in that.

Craig

Hey Mono,

It's been such a long road for you and your family, I do hope so much that next year can be a much better one for you all and that your daughter can get her strength and health and energy levels back over the next while.

Lupus must be an awful thing to have to deal with, I don't know too much about it but I have heard that can be a tough and debilitating condition too, I really hope that there is good treatment and management of that out there and that your granddaughter is able to live the full and happy life that she deserves as the young person she must be.

Thanks for asking about my back too, it's been a bit up and down, certainly better than it was a year ago but still struggling to get confidence in it to live a full way of normal life without it getting tight and sore and bothering me, just hoping with God's help we can all get there and find our way to healthier and free-er places.

Craig

thank you craig and yes today i feel like where i was months ago ? i was doing a little better with everything .... fatigue sleep etc and now back to square 1. its all so so sad .... especially when youre mostly alone with no family around . not sure how much more i can take of this horrible virus im going into month 9 please GOD it gets better soon .. i cant take much more .

Oh I know Lori I remember that too at times feeling like after a period of progress that I was back to square 1 - believe me even though it may feel that way, you're not Lori, your body is well down the road of getting on top of this thing, and during recovery there are often days when it feels just as bad as the very beginning but it doesn't mean you are back in that place again, your body is much better equipped to deal with this now and it will continue to get stronger until it has finally got a grip on this thing and it can no longer harm you.

I can only imagine how hard it must be when you are on your own, I'm still thinking about you Lori and remember God is with us wherever we go - Jesus is our real friend and never leaves us. Praying that there can be new people and encouragement come into your life, sometimes just even trying a wee social group (nothing stressful) can help just to be in others company for a while.

Craig

Meant to say, I find it hard when on my own too Lori, it's so hard you have so much time to think and it's not easy at all - but you are going to get through this and once feeling better you will be able to get out and doing more things again and meeting more people God willing - 2019 is going to be YOUR year.

Craig

Craig , Here is few things that helped my lower back problems and keep in mind i was supposed to have back surgery for a ruptured disk , and 2 bulging discs . I made it without the surgery and was down for 8 months. What I did was stretching exercises and a lot of them. When the pain finally started to go down I slowly built my strength back up by light exercise, once I got my muscles somewhat strong again I kept stretching the back out . This all was about a year process .For me the less I did the worse I got . Take it easy but stay moving if you can.

The key is to get your back muscles very strong and keep limber and stretch a lot . It worked for me and I hope it can work for you too .

Thanks David,

I really appreciate your advice regarding the back exercises and stretches - I'm always looking for tips / advice / ideas to introduce so thanks so much!

I've been trying to be consistent with some stretches and basic exercises each morning, I know I could be doing so much more and was thinking about pilates class or something, but in truth probably been too lazy or not motivated enough to take that step forward. Been trying to strengthen the core area although I find those exercises such a chore and that I'm often not working the right areas.

With God's help hope to keep persevering with exercises and keeping as mobile / active as possible, and that hopefully God can guide me to the right form of exercises / self-help that can really give me the confidence to move forward with it all.

It's amazing you overcame your back issues with stretching and exercises David - gives me real hope, sometimes I think I'm maybe not as mentally strong to overcome it all but then I try to remember that's not God telling me that and that's not true.

Thanks again David, wishing you many blessings and any tips / advice in this field always greatly appreciated!

Craig