Post-Viralmas

Posted , 7 users are following.

Happy christmas everyone!

So I've just got back from my grandparents house that we always go to and stay over for a few days every xmas. In all honesty it was probably the worst xmas I've had in recent memory although that makes it sound like a disaster but tbf it wasn't that bad...

To start off it was my uncles birthday on xmas eve so we went round their house to celebrate as we do for everyones birthday this side of the family, and I actually didn't feel too bad; the dizziness was under control and i didn't feel ridiculously tired like i usually do. My auntie even recommended a new type of herbal tea for me to obsess over (redbush if anyones interested), as since i've stopped having caffeine i've had to find something else besides normal old tea to satisfy my addiction to drinking hot drinks regularly. We ended up ordering a takeway for the occasion (classy I know) and i had a meat feast pizza which i regret really, one because i've now decided to go vegetarian and two i've really tried to improve my diet since having post viral and barely have "junk food" so a big greasy pizza disagreed with me quite badly. It was quite nice at my uncles tho alot of family members asking how i've been and just generally seeming to care about me is nice.

So after my uncles do we ended up going back to ours, packing, and then heading to my grandparents. Once we got there everyone started drinking and it was quite horrible to feel left out really, I mean obviously you don't have to drink to enjoy yourself but it's different when you don't have a choice I guess. Well saying that after people were on there second drink I decided to give it a try, at the start of the month I got blood test results saying my livers now fine and always had the thought in my head that i'd at least try to have a drink at xmas, so I did. I had what must have been half a shot of amaretto and coke and initially actually felt fine but about halfway through the drink I started to feel really REALLY dizzy so i immediately stopped drinking and about half an hour later had to go to bed. It was a horrible nights sleep really. I got put in my 8 year old cousins bedroom and his bed is unbelievably small. And considering I'm 6 foot 2 just getting comfortable was pretty difficult nevermind feeling extremely dizzy. I must've woke up about 3 o clock feeling unbelievably anxious for no reason at all and just couldn't sleep properly for the rest of the night. It was really horrible and not something I've had to deal with in quite a long time.

So I wake up on xmas day feeling sleep deprived, dizzy and honestly abit hungover which considering i'd had such a small amount of alcohol is ridiculous. Still I took paracetamol and tried to power through and managed to enjoy xmas until just after xmas dinner (at around 2) , then I ended up needing to go to bed again and passing out for a good few hours. I wake up still feeling dreadful but again try to persevere for the sake of xmas and lasted a few hours until needing to sleep again for the whole night. If it seems like I'm skimming over alot of xmas it's because I honestly don't remember alot of it which is worrying considering it was yesterday, the brain fog was unreal.

Wake up today feeling better then yesterday but still unbelievably grim and have had to go lie down at various points throughout the day just so I can kind of manage, and as of writing right now I feel really really bad and i'm probably going to go straight to sleep afterwards.

So in summary christmas was pretty dreadful thanks to our good friend mono but I did try my best and it was nice to see family for a couple of days. Also, out of curiosity, what have other peoples experiences been with mono and alcohol? Because it seems abit strange that i'm now in the post viral stage of glandular fever and my liver is apparently now fine, but my body seems to just not be able to cope with alcohol still.

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • Posted

    i think it was xmas a struggle for eveeybody suffering . i was doing ok until i had a glass of wine then i crashed at 4.30pm eyes so heavy . having said that at night i think im drinking more at home just to deal with this ! not massive amounts but enough to just relax me .

    my teeth are so sensitive as i think im grinding and also nerve endings inflamed ...this illness causes so much stress i cant relax ...thinking all the time 'what next ' 'when will it be over ?'

    all i can say is thank GOD xmas is over too much pressure for us suffering.

    please GOD this is over soon im

    at month 9 and hoping and praying .

    • Posted

      Still thinking about you Lori, hang in there - 2019 is going to be your year of hope and breakthrough and recovery. Trusting God with that - He hears ALL your prayers and you will get that breakthrough thanks to Him. Hang in there.

      Craig

    • Posted

      thank you craig ...i do hope so this year has been just awful! ready for 2019!

    • Posted

      I know Lori goodness knows it's been a horrible year for you, just hoping and praying next year will be a better one and that God restores your hope, peace and health. Thinking about you.

      Craig

  • Posted

    Hi George,

    Just reading your message touched me and brought back memories of the Christmas I had when I went through mono, it really was such a tough one to get through and really empathising and so sorry you've had such a horrible few days. It's so hard to try and put on a face for family and people in general when not feeling up to it, and how humbling it is when you have to go through this experience when in amongst others George. Thinking about you and hoping that things can settle down a little that the stress and business of Christmas Day is over, and that you can catch up on rest without the same pressures and in a more regular environment.

    I've never really been much of a drinker George but I do remember right at the start of mono, just before I got diagnosed, I had many one or two drinks on a night out and I felt really bad for it the next few days, even though in normal circumstances I may have felt okay and in reality it wasn't too much to drink. Absolutely don't beat yourself up for having pizza or a small drink or whatever, just so sorry that you felt so bad afterwards. I do think it's wise to avoid alcohol completely during the virus, but again that's coming from me as someone who is not a drinker or a big fan really, I can understand it must be harder if you are someone who has been used to having a drink to relax or whatever.

    George I just want to reassure you that you are going to get through this and things will get better, God willing you won't have to go through another year like this one and another Christmas like this one. Just take it one step and one day at a time, it's so hard to be patient I know, but please know that things DO get better with time from this, you won't always feel this way and recovery DOES come, even after an extended period of feeling so unwell and our of sync with this. It's one of the worst experiences I ever have had to go through in my life but truly with God's help and grace and mercy only got through it and felt well again, and you will too George I absolutely 100% believe that 2019 is going to be the year when recovery and healing and breakthrough happens - again don't panic if it's gradual or it's not immediate or whatever, your body takes time to get over this but the key thing to remember is that there IS HOPE and there IS RECOVERY - truly there is, and that's coming from someone who went through a similarly hard time with this and my confidence and mental health and everything took such a knock with it all - but everything does get better with time.

    Thinking about you and hoping you can have a much more settled few days and remember don't beat yourself up, none of this is your fault, it's just the way of this horrible virus, you think one minute you can be making a little progress and then it can seem to hit hard again. It doesn't mean in any way you are back to the beginning again when these kind of setbacks happen, in fact each episode like that I think means your body is getting on top of the virus a bit more each time and it will get to the stage where your body is equipped to fight and defeat this thing for good and it can no longer cause any harm. My experience was that Year 2 was so much easier to cope with and manage than year 1, still had to be careful but generally it was one of hope and peace and breakthrough, and hoping and praying for that for you too George.

    Keep in touch and remember get plenty of rest and look after yourself right now, put your health first and you are going to get better - truly I believe it thanks to God!

    Craig

  • Posted

    I haven't touched any alcohol myself, for the whole duration which has been 10 months now, so I can't say from personal experience, but have read on here before where drinking a small amount can give a hangover where you feel like you've been out drinking. My doctor has told me to stay away from both caffeine and alcohol, although I am the same as where I do like a hot drink, so will drink tea. Christmas day was not an exciting day for me, people talking to me was too much In the end and I did shy away in my bedroom. I felt a little dizzy. Next morning I woke up where it felt my like both my ears were blocked, which I've never experienced before. I put ear drops in and have blocked my left ear now. It feels like someone has really got it in for me this year. I will call the doctors tomorrow and see if I can book an appointment to have my ears cleaned...hoping it's just ear wax...but strange that they both felt clogged.

    • Posted

      yes i get that too ! talking to people even on the phone exhausts me ...it like they are on fast forward and cant even be bothered listening ... hope that comes back soon as its such a weird feeling and you can become isolated.

    • Posted

      Hi Dodge,

      Oh man it's awful when it just seems like one thing after another, hoping that you can get an appointment with the doctor okay and that your ears can unblock, wax in the ear can be such a frustrating and horrible thing, hoping it's just a short lived thing and everything can settle down soon - goodness you deserve some respite.

      You've done great to avoid alcohol and caffeine by the sounds of it Dodge, alcohol for me was not an issue either as I'm not a drinker but caffeine was as I used to drink a lot of coke / pepsi, I continued to drink that when I had the virus if I remember rightly although I did try to cut it down and be a bit wiser at least.

      Hoping you are feeling a bit more settled today and definitely hoping and praying 2019 can be a much better one for you Dodge - believing that it will be.

      Craig

  • Posted

    George , I had a similar experience like that with booze . I am not a heavy drinker but i do drink especially while in social environments . In the early stage of EBV , some where in the first 3 or 6 months in I went out to dinner with some friends and had a few Crown & Cokes . About half way into my second drink I got really dizzy and weird feeling. I have had it a few other times along the way too while trying to relax and enjoy myself with a few drinks . I'm now 11 full months into this nightmare and I seem to be doing better as that does not happen to me anymore . But I know what your saying how it feels like your body is just rejecting the booze . Hang in there it does get better with lots of time . We will all have a great Christmas and holiday season next year .

    • Posted

      Definitely hoping and praying for that David, that God willing next Christmas everyone can be a better and healthier and happier place. But that's too far for us all to look ahead to right now just need to focus on each day at a time and praying for God's help and grace and mercy and progress each day.

      Wishing you a Happy New Year when it comes David and again just a word of encouragement - year 2 of this thing in my experience was so much easier and better and happier and healthier than year 1.

      I know though it's different for everyone and it's not always wise or helpful to compare one person's experience with another person's as recovery timescales are different for everyone, so just keep taking it a day and a step at a time and you will get that breakthrough, truly I believe you will.

      Craig

  • Posted

    Hi George,

    Thanks for sharing your experience.

    I was never a big drinking before mono but do have the occasional one. I have noticed that whenever I have alcohol now I have a mini crash so I only drink if it is a special occasion these days.

    I find caffeine makes me crash as well.

    P.S. I am a big fan of roobios/redbush tea

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.