Mono Sucks!

[dksart]

My daughter (and 6 other kids in her thespian troupe) all came down with Mono a few weeks ago, so I am only assuming that is what I have. No insurance, no doctor. I have been having ear ache, swollen glands, scratchy throat, dry cough, extreme fatigue and muscle aches for about two weeks now. I am so sick of this, I am absolutely miserable. I can not complete a simple task without becoming completely exhausted.

Does anyone have any advice? Nothing in particular really hurts enough to complain about it, except my throat, and then only if I've been talking too much. I am used to muscle aches and pains, but I just hate how frail I feel. I usually sleep from about midnight until 6:30am, but I have been going to bed between 7:30 and 9:30pm and sleeping until 8am. Plus, most days I am in bed already from the fatigue so I drift off and nap as well.

I do take B-12 (along with a host of other supplements) but, are there any other suggestions to help boost my energy level? Help! I am tired of feeling so tired!

[amybeth]

Vitamin D has seemed to help my energy level -- but I have no idea if that is a typical result.

Fruits and veggies also seem to give me a little pep sometimes.

[*lee-lee*]

i had mono 11 years ago, when i was in high school. you definitely have to keep up your fluids. water, juice, tea, whatever works. my throat got so bad they had to admit me to the hospital overnight (on New Years Eve!) to hydrate me because i hadn't eaten or drank anything for days.

my throat hurt soooooo bad. i was miserable. the hospital made some kind of mixture of Listerine and minty mouthwash and peroxide (i think) to spray at the back of my throat. it helped "disinfect" me, helped my stinky mono breath and to break up the yucky stuff stuck on my tonsils.

i spent a lot of time in bed...and was on half days of school for about 6 weeks. i slept every opportunity i could.

i sympathize...mono does suck! i hope you all feel better soon!

[kbtoyssni]

I've also had mono, and it's not a fun time. I guess the good news is there's not much a doctor can do for you so not having insurance isn't super critical. You have to just ride it out. Get lots of rest and don't overexert yourself. Get the kids to help with chores. Take naps to allow yourself to do some work. Google "coping with fibromyalgia" - there will be some good tips on getting through the day with fatigue, luckily yours is just temporary.

[happygirl]

Sleep, sleep, sleep some more.

I overdid it when I had mono, and it only made things worse.

Sleep, sleep, sleep. Please.

[silly-ack]

Bummer you can't get antibiotics for your strep throat (which I'm assuming is your throat issue since it goes hand in hand with mono), because that helped me a lot. Besides that just sleep and water like everyone else said! And obviously try really hard not to get anyone else around you sick, because it's really easy to pass it back and forth for months and months. Good luck though and feel better!

[MollyBeth]

Is there a free clinic you could go to anywhere? The antibiotics would help you a lot. Also, I was on prednisone towards the end of having mono. It really helped with my energy levels. If you don't get some rest though.... You won't get better. You have to slow down and sleep sleep sleep. If you don't get over it now you may start to fel better for a short time but it will spring back up.

[JNBunnie1]

Vitaminc C. Hyssop tincture. If you've got lots of stuffy nose and chest congestion, Eyebright tincture will help drain it. Wild cherry bark extract helps me when I'm sick a LOT. It tastes good too. Yogi throat comfort tea has lots of beneficial herbs for illness. Homemade chicken soup. Make your own tea from crushed ginger root, lemon juice, and honey. Honey honey honey for sore throats. Zinc drops to help kill the virus where it lives, in your throat. Cod liver oil for Vit D & omega 3's to help fight the infection. NO SUGAR except the honey while you're sick, viruses and bacteria love sugar.

I don't recommend echinacea for Celiacs, I have read that it can increase the response to gluten if you happen to get glutened, I don't know this for a fact but not worth risking.

I'm just getting over a nasty cold right now, I kicked it's butt in half the time I used to with all this. I also take a probiotic daily, that helps too. I'm gonna go eat my homemade chicken noodle soup and drink my honey tea.