Worried Mom
Posted , 5 users are following.
hi everyone. i am hoping for some encouragement and possible similarities to other peoples experiences. my son was first diagnosed last fall after practically passing out on the baseball field. he was 15. positive monospot in the office but blood work that was sent out was negative. (possibly too soon?) I don't remember any swollen lymph nodes, but he did have pain at his spleen. missed a couple of weeks of school and gradually got better. that was september. At the end of december he got a really bad cold...coughing etc. took 3-4 weeks to finally get better but he still coughs some. Dr recommended allergy meds. It may help but I'm not convinced. No other symptoms at that point. April tonsillitis, positive monospot in office. No blood drawn. Different doctor. I was concerned bc I thought you weren't supposed to get it again. He said he has kids that get it every year and that it does happen but symptoms are usually milder. His sore throat was better in about 3 days. We went for follow up last week. He was feeling fine and had only complained of his side hurting about a week before. Dr did thorough exam and wasn't concerned. He wasn't really sure about whether the monospot back in the fall was a false positive or not but he was doing good now. 2 days later we went out of town. swollen lymphnode, sore throat, fever, laid in hotel room for 2 days. feeling better about 4th day. lymphnode still swollen. talked to nurse...she said this was very typical of mono and to let them know if he had any bad pain in side or abdomen. I got him some liposomal vitamin C and a multivitamin with iron. Is this "normal" mono stuff? I know cough is not typical but i watched some videos about different types of coughs and his definitely sounds like a cough that comes from throat..almost like he is clearing it...but he does cough up mucous..so allergy like. Sorry for the long post. Any help appreciated. As a side note, he had been working out twice a day too.
0 likes, 8 replies
josh46287 2chr2015
Posted
That sounds pretty hard on a 15 year old but at least he can rest and take his time to recover. He is young and from what i have seen the younger the person the quicker they have gotten over it. I am 28 and have had it for 7+ months and working while sick like that is almost impossible. If he says he can not do something or does not feel like it or feel well enough to believe him i could not get off the couch for 2 months straight. It is a very limited virus with so many symptoms.
2chr2015 josh46287
Posted
Thank you for your response Josh. yes, he is now 16 and an athlete...which i think may be prolonging his recovery. Everytime he feels fine, he starts back at the gym. I think the scariest thing about all of this is that the doctors say 4-6 weeks...and as I am reading through this forum I can see that is not always the case. and googling it can be very scary!! I can tell when he isn't feeling well and it stresses me out bc he is usually 100 mph. i keep telling him he needs to slow down. i am encouraged that from what you have read the younger the better. I hope you continue to recover .
lori93950 2chr2015
Posted
i too was working out a lot when i got sick and many athletes get EBV /mono . make sure he rests well loads of healthy food and liquids . i worked out for 5 months with this ( unduagnosed) tell him to rest !!!!
2chr2015 lori93950
Posted
Hi Lori! I think I am on another forum with you 😃 Is there a connection between athletes and this? It is hard to manage what a 16 year old boy eats, but i am trying. you should read our texts messages lol. do you know if his experience sounds normal for mono?
krys1948 2chr2015
Posted
I would suggest the fb page PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH CFS X
craig07920 2chr2015
Posted
Hi 2chr,
So sorry to hear that your son has been going through an awful time with mono since last fall / autumn. I really empathise having went through the virus myself when a was a bit older, in my 20s, it truly is such a horrible virus and I just want to write to reassure and encourage you that even though this has been going on for so many months with such struggles, your son will recover and get better.
For me, it was about 10 months before I really seen a major turning point and started to feel much - it can be normal for the post-viral stage of this to take a while to settle down, but please note that it will and that your son's body resilience and full health will return again with time - I was so down and depressed during it, and I know it was only down to God that I was able to get through as I was struggling so much - I believe He healed me and will heal your son too.
Vitamins and herbs certainly helped me a lot during recovery, taking a good strong multi-vitamin per day (I take Immunace Extra here in the UK), higher doses of Vitamin C (1000mg-3000mg per day), a B complex vitamin (great for nervous system and energy levels) and immune boosting herbs like siberian ginseng and echinacea. But of course I'm no expert in vitamins / herbs, just going on what helped me and it's important to check for any interactions with other conditions / medications before starting anything - especially with your son being in his teens, important to check what is appropriate for a younger person to take also. But they can help for sure was my experience.
Definitely the symptoms you describe sound like classic mono, it is so horrible to live through day by day feeling like that and for the family members too - thinking about you and absolutely I want you to know that there is life and full health again after mono - and that is even after an extended period of feeling so unwell - my experience was that whilst most of the first year was horrible. Year 2 was SO much easier and one of recovery and good health again, thanks to God only - hang in there and thinking about you.
Craig
2chr2015 craig07920
Posted
Thank you Craig. I appreciate the kind words and encouragement. Thanks for the tips on the vitamins. Prayers are greatly appreciated!! ((hugs))
craig07920 2chr2015
Posted
Thanks 2chr for your kind words that means a lot, been having a really tough week and terrible day myself with headache pain, so to have some hugs and words of kindness is a great help. Thank you!
Craig