Mononucleosis?

cockroachfarm

cockroachfarm

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Jan 6, 2001
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Anyone here had mononucleosis recently? My son (26 yrs) has just been diagnosed with it and he is really suffering! (I had mono back when I was in college but I don't recall suffering like he is! :( ) The glands in his neck are really swollen and he has such a sore throat that he was awake most of the night. He looks and feels so bad that I'm about to take him to the local ER. Our doctor just told him to keep taking whatever over-the-counter stuff he's been taking - zinc lozenges, Neo-Citran, etc. (we've already Google'd this and come up with all the links; I just want to see if anyone here has anything)

Anyone have anything to get him some relief?
 
Unless they've come up with something recently, it's just a waiting game.As I recall, the sore throat goes away fairly quickly, dont worry he's gonna sleep plenty the next four weeks.;)
 
Mono is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) - a member of the human herpes viral family - and usually runs 3 - 4 weeks. As the symptoms mimic other illnesses such as strp throat, mono is confirmed with a blood test. Rest and relaxation are still the recommendation. Symptoms like aches, fever, and sore throat are treatable using OTC or MD prescribed drugs. Mono is considered a childhood/young adult disease and symptoms are more severe when it strikes later in life. Individual reactions also vary and many people who never display symptoms of mono test positive for EBV exposure. To allay your concerns, your son should be retested if symptoms get worse or later to ensure his liver functions have returned to normal.

I had mono at 18. No sore throat: no fever - just a sluggish feeling. My two mile time went from 9:30 to 11:45 at the sectionals and blew me out the state finals. Couldn't figure out why since practice showed me ready to drop below 9:30. Mom ran me to the hospital where it was confirmed with blood tests. About 3-weeks later I was fine.

Hope he feels better soon.




J
 
Thanks. As I mentioned, I had mono in college - but not THIS bad. Poor guy's throat is so sore he can barely croak. Even hurts to drink water. We've read all the info on the various medical websites and I guess time is the only answer. Just thought that someone here may have found a 'home remedy' that can ease the pain in his throat a bit.
 
In case the doc didn't mention it, no alcohol till the mono has run its course. The liver is already hurtin';)
 
Thanks, guys. (term used generically)

He's not much of a drinker so that's not a big deal. His neck is swollen like a chipmunk on one side and his throat is raw. :(
 
Time is not the only answer. Mono depletes the sytem of stored nutrients.You can just wait 6-12 months to recover or you can cut that time by 1/2 or more by taking generous amounts of vitamin and mineral suppliments !! Your choice.
 
mete said:
Time is not the only answer. Mono depletes the sytem of stored nutrients.You can just wait 6-12 months to recover or you can cut that time by 1/2 or more by taking generous amounts of vitamin and mineral suppliments !! Your choice.
Click to expand...


I'd be a bit careful. Megadoses of vitamins are a strain on the liver too.
 
I know how he feels, my throat was so sore I almost started crying every time I swallowed (and I have a pretty high pain threshold). I used ES Tylenol coupled with Cloroseptic spray. Although I have to admit, I can't used Cloroseptic spray to this day, or I start to gag. :grumpy: The best thing I found was...ice cream. Yup, I got one of those 10-gallon food service size "barrels" of strawberry ice cream, and it got me through. Amazingly, I still like ice cream. :D Hope the sore throat thing goes away soon for him!

- Mark
 
Hi. When I had it, my doctor suggested gargling with soluble aspirin, it seemed to help.

I hope he feels better soon, its not much fun.

Andy.
 
Gollnick said:
I'd be a bit careful. Megadoses of vitamins are a strain on the liver too.
Click to expand...

The fat soluble vitamins are all a "strain" on the liver as this is where they are metabolized. That means Vitamins K,A, D, and E doses should not be jacked up as treatment. If mete is referring strictly to recovery, a sensible regime of balanced nutrition with supplements can be good. The fat soluble vitamins mentioned above are all toxic in large doses and have been implicated in various degenerative conditions. Use caution and research.

Vitamin C is a better all around immune system aide and since it is water soluble, excess C will be excreted in urine. I'm not up on many of the benefits of other homeopathic remedies and vitamin therapies but, IMO, an EBV infection like mono is not the smart time to experiment on megadoses of anything without consulting your medical professionals......and I'm just a semi-pro. :D


J
 
I had mono when I was 11. It didn't help that the doctor prescribed a medication that, along with the mono, nearly shutdown my immune system. It's never good when you only need two hands to do a white cell count.;) I had a sore throat as well, the same as your son's, but that only last for a couple of weeks. My main symptom was lack of energy.

I ended up staying out of school for about 4 months. I was fed a protein shake every day (eggs, milk, peanut butter and bananas or strawberries), along with an increase in the amounts of vegetables I ate. I ate so many carrots, my skin took on an orangish hue. Along with plenty of sleep, that's how I got over it. Another positive side effect of that diet was that I went from weighing 85 lbs at the beginning of the school year, to 120 by the time I got back.
 
No energy, for sure. But I think the raw, scraping sore throat is what's really getting him down. I guess rest is still the best 'medicine' in this case. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. I printed them out and let him read them - it always makes you feel better to know that other people have suffered from the same thing and survived. :)
 
I've discovered that Mono is definitely something to take seriously. My significant other came down with it about a year into a two-year masters degree program (about 24 yrs. old at the time). She just thought she was tired and stessed from school. Finally, went to a doctor a couple months later, but the Mono had completely screwed up her body chemistry. The doctor put her on a full treatment of drugs for 3 or 4 different conditions affecting her brain chemistry and metabolism just so she could get back to normal. Two years later, she's still not back to her normal level of energy.

So, just be careful and do not push yourself if you have Mono, especially if you are older.
 
I'll back Java on this. The only vitamins that you can't OD on are B and C. XXL amounts of C can help in some cases, but ask your doc before doing anything, just to be sure.
 
I came down with mono at the tail end of my first year in grad school. Averaging 3 hours of sleep a night for 3 1/2 weeks straight didn't do my body much good it seems. I had an awful sore throat and felt super tired. My jackass of a hometown doctor prescribed me antibiotics for the throat and told me to take it easy. Well he prescribed the wrong antibiotics for mono and he forgot to explain that "take it easy" means "if you do any kind of physical activity where you can fall, you might rupture your spleen and die."

So a week later I go for a nice long, gentle rollerblading session. Not enough to work up a sweat or anything, but I needed some exercise. I then proceed to break out in a rash over 100% of my body - super painful and it turned hard . . almost like a scar. I freak out and call my hometown doctor. He won't return my phone call. I then track down a doctor at the student medical center and tell him what's going on. He asked me what kind of antibiotics I'm taking. I tell him and he asks, 'why in the world are you taking that?! Everyone knows that if you take that with mono, you'll get a painful rash!" I mention the rollerblading. He mentions the ruptured spleen thing and starts implying that I'm not really taking advice from a real doctor. Needless to say, I never went back to the first doctor.

Overall, it was just a real drag - feeling super tired for about a month and not being able to any kissin'.

Tips: Gets lots of rest and healthy food and don't fall on your spleen.
 
I am 5'6", weighed 153 lbs at the time.

I thought it was strep, but the blood test confirmed mono.

2 weeks were very, very bad, high fever, no energy, barely able to go to the bathroom. I simply could not eat for 4 days. Then Jello, then chicken soup. I was able to return to work after two weeks. I lost 8 lbs. to not eating, and sweating from the fever

One thing that helped me get my strength back was Ensure, and prescribed steroids.

I was seriously weakened for two months. I have a friend that I have been arm wrestling for 15 years, whenever we go out drinking. He always beats me right handed, I always win left. It was two months before I could win my side.

It is no joke, at its' worst, you are pretty convinced that you are going to die. The physicians' biggest concern was pneumonia, and he felt that I was not far from it.

Lessons learned:

1. When you are down, you are down, leave all unnecessary activity alone until your body is on the mend.
2. Eat as soon as you can, but make sure to drink water/gatorade constantly, otherwise you run the risk of dehydration.
3. When you start feeling better, SLOWLY bring your body back up to normal activities, trying to do too much, too quick will result in a lengthened healing time.
4. Consult a nutritionist and speak frankly with your doctor about how you are feeling, after you begin to beat the problem. Their assistance is vital.

Good luck, and Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Since your son is 26 he may be past Reyes Syndrome if he takes aspirin, excerpt from an article I Googled....
"While the cause and cure remain unknown, research has established a link between Reye's Syndrome and the use of aspirin and other salicylate-containing medications."

And he should stay away from Tylenol because it can be harmful to his liver as well.
I've never had Mono but a friend of ours daughter was supposed to have had it but I don't know whether they ever got a firm diagnosis for it or not. Mono sounds really rough! :(
 
Thanks guys. You've been a big help. My son is feeling a bit better just knowing that he's not the first person to have suffered this severely from "only" a case of mono!
 
A close friend of mine shared his experience with mono with me one night over dinner. He is a very tough, plain spoken gentleman who I deeply respect. He said that he was travelling at the time when he began experiencing some of the symptoms. I don't remember the details, I just remember that he said he stopped by the first doctors office that he could find. The nurse told him that they didn't have any availability on their schedule for him. He replied something to the affect of, "Oh, that's okay, I'm just going to lie down on the floor over there and die." He then went over there and layed down. He's really not the type to overexaggerate anything. He said that he really felt that bad. The doctor suddenly had an opening on his schedule. Apparently, he had a very bad case of it. It took him many months to recover.
 
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