How long does it take to recover from mono?

[DisneyPhD]

I was out of my freshman year of high school for 3 weeks and didn't recover for 6 months. Still have tonsil problems.

Yep, me too. One has always been really swollen since I had mono. I thought about getting them removed as an adult. My best friend did last month and it was hell for her. So I am going to keep mine for now. We tend to do things together (we have the same car, kids are the same ages etc...) She can keep this one to herself though. I went through a time where I was getting strep throat about 4 to 5 times a year for a few years. I haven't since having my 1st child so at least I got that working for me now.

 

[Muhlenberg]

Three of my family members have had it. (And I can't rule myself out...cause I always HAVE been tired.) DD had it when she was 12. It took 5 YEARS to MOSTLY recover from it. Since it's an autoimmune disease, it had many side effects on her. She caught everything that came along. DS and DH had it at the same time. DS had a milder case, and had an occasional illness as a repercussion for maybe 2 years afterwards. DH has not totally recovered from it, and it's been 5 years. He still sleeps a lot and gets sick a lot.

I don't mean to scare you; he could recover within a few weeks. The older you are when you get it, the worse it is.

Don't make him go back to school too soon. Homebound instruction works well in elementary school. If he suffers too long, homeschooling may be an option. (We did both for DD. I sent her back to school too soon and she continued to catch everything that came along.)

I wish you luck, and may he have a speedy recovery.

 

[Hootiss]

I had a severe case when I was 16. I missed 3 months of school and then could only go for half days for 2 months. The DR. put me on high dose steroids because I was so weak. I really thought I was going to die. At 34 I have had many relapses.

 

[Sinderelli]

These responses are scaring the you-know-what out of me.

 

[DisneyPhD]

These responses are scaring the you-know-what out of me.

I was thinking the same thing.

Just to let you know, when DH had it (he was boyfriend then) he was pretty sick for 2 weeks and then went back to being his normal self. Healthy and happy no problems.

This type of thread gets worst case scenarios all the time.

Best of luck to him. I would take the advice about keeping the vitamins up.

 

[SharkyGoddess]

Mono is an autoimmune condition that can attack your liver and that's why it is similar to MS and Lupus, both of which are autoimmune diseases, but attack different areas of the body. Not to scare the original poster, but another common by product of mono is rheumatic fever, which can permanently damage the joints in your body. I think this is something that happened more in the past before the higher level of medical care we have now. Back when people had poor nutrition or poor recuperation conditions.

Mono is nothing to mess with at all and it's not just "another" childhood ailment. It's something you need to be very careful with for years to come. I blame mono on my ability to sleep 12 to 14 hours at a time without waking and its been 30 years since I had it. I still need a great deal more sleep than most people I know.

And I totally remember not even being able to swallow my own spit too!

Is it possible you deveolped chronic fatigue from having mono? With the way it attacks your whole system, I suppose things like CFS, FM and Lupus or even MS aren't totally out of the norm as after affects.

 

[lsyorke]

That I never heard of, that mono causes Lupus...I was recently diagnosed with Lupus..OMG..I will be calling my Dr. tomorrow..

Lupus can give a false positive Mono spot since Lupus can elevate some of the same antibodies as Mono. I've never heard of a mono lupus connection other than the testing abnormalities.

 

[suzannews]

I had mono at 21 and have relapsed a few times but never as bad as the first. I've always been a long sleeper but when I get rundown since having mono, I can sleep for 10 or 12 hours and wake up feeling like I never went to bed.

As others have said, lots of fluids and whatever he is able to keep down. Doesn't matter what it is, just in small amounts. I remember sucking on apple slices. Weird I know.

Anyways, hope your son feels better soon.

 

[RobInBigKC]

I had mono when I was 27 years old. I think it was about 3 weeks before I felt like doing anything. I remember, somewhere close to the 3 week mark, going to the grocery store about 4 miles away just to get three or four items and being exhausted when I got back to the car in the grocery store parking lot. I then spent another 2 weeks "fully" recovering so altogether I missed about 5 weeks of work. Make sure he is plenty well rested before you send him back -- best not to push him back too early.

-- Rob

 

[Sinderelli]

Thanks for the responses, everyone, even though some were making me

DS started taking prednisone yesterday- after one day his tonsils have gone down significantly, he actually slept all night, hasn't run fever since yesterday afternoon, and ate like a horse last night.

Considering that yesterday morning he was wrapped up in a sheet in the doctor's waiting room, moaning in pain and falling asleep every ten minutes, we are feeling hopeful that was the worst of it.

I am going to have him take it very easy- he cannot afford another relapse. I've already broken the news to him that he will not be going to recess or PE for a while. Luckily, I teach at the school he attends so he can come into my classroom during those times and not feel like he is being punished.

 

[eh24fan]

I had mono when I was in the 5th grade and was out of school for at least 6 weeks. I also had to miss a ski trip. That really ticked me off. I told my mom that my dr. was stupid and I was going skiing no matter what. My spleen wa sjust fine and my dr. didn't have a clue. HAHAHAHA I don't remember feeling that horrible, just tired all the time. I hated that I wasn't allowed to do anything. I did win the reading contest for most number of books read for my grade that year. I had an unfair advantage, but I didn't care. I also got to go out on the truck with my dad for 2 times and both times we ended up being sent to Florida after goign to Chicago first.

 

[eh24fan]

Shoot, hit post too soon. Anyway, after reading everyone's experiences, I'm wondering if the fact that I can sleep for hours and hours and still be tired has anything to do with the mono? I also tend to get any cold that comes down the pike. Hmmmm..

 

[Chantilly]

I had it at 17. I had major symptoms for about 3 - 4 weeks - swollen glands, tonsil yuk, the whole shebang - then just cold-like stuff for another couple of weeks. I had a true relapse about a year or so later that lasted a week or so. Haven't really been bothered by it since, though I think I get more colds now. Could just be that I'm getting older too.

In addition to the liver issue they told me to be careful about physical activities because mono can cause an enlarged spleen.

Hope he's feeling better soon! Oh, and ice cubes made from Kool-Aid make the sore throat feel much better!

 

[OK!]

I had mono when I was 9 or so and IIRC, it took me a couple of months before I was feeling something close to normal. I got it in the summer during a swim meet and really remember being sooo run-down, even when I wasn't doing anything. I'd go to doctor's appointments and fall asleep on the exam table, and then again on the way home. It was really rough on me because I'd always been so active; I was supposed to be going to soccer camp and had to miss that, too...I remember forlornly carrying a soccer ball all around the house with me everywhere I went.

As far as school went, I ended up only going for half-days for the first few weeks because I was just too tired all the time to handle more than that. That was a pretty good compromise.

 

[SamIAm21]

Is it possible you deveolped chronic fatigue from having mono? With the way it attacks your whole system, I suppose things like CFS, FM and Lupus or even MS aren't totally out of the norm as after affects.

No, my cousin did develop a chronic fatigue type condition that lasted well into her 20s, but I feel fine all the time now. I hardly ever get sick (knocking on wood) now. I do however have the ability to sleep for really long periods of time. I get a guilty conscience about it now though, but as a teenager and in my 20s, I slept A LOT and really just didn't care what didn't get done. Once you have kids, you have to care about the laundry, cooking decent meals, keeping a tidy home, etc.

I don't think that because you have mono, you are automatically signed on for Lupus or MS. They are just similar types of conditions. However, mono is not a disease, it's a condition and it can be overcome whereas something like MS is debilitating and never cured.

Most cases of mono clear up within six weeks with some residual relapses over a period of a few years, which feel like a bout of mild flu, but then usually everything is fine. I think nutrition and recuperation conditions are much better now than in the past. As long as you rest a lot, get good nutrition (as much as possible), stay warm and try to stay away from any other colds or flu's, all will be fine.

I hope the little guy feels a lot better really soon.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

I got it about three months after DH and I got married, and then had it about 6 months before I was ever diagnosed! Between working the night shift, shift supervisors who were actually keeping it quiet that it was going around, and stupid an after hours health care facility (That seemed to hire nothing but foreign doctors), I didn't have a clue what it was.
It was only because I had a reaction to a Sulfa drug and to go to another facility that stayed open later that I was finally diagnosed.
After having it so long too, it would reappear on me, usually because of stress. I think I finally had the last attack about a year after my son was born. (He's 13 now) I think the attacks lasted from '86 to '95! Not good.

Hopefully your child will get well quickly. Just having it diagnosed is the biggest thing.
Kim

 

[anna_chronistic]

I know a lot of people suffer a lot when they get mono, but when I had it as a senior in high school (I missed performing in the musical and all the Christmas celebrations) it wasn't too bad. For as long as I can remember, I've been one of those people who can sleep anywhere, loves to nap, etc. Give me a blanket and a place to stretch out, and I'm on

Personally, I didn't notice much difference in my behavior between the time I got sick and when I was diagnosed. Sure, I was really tired, slept through class sometimes, had a hard time waking up, etc., but I was a senior, so I expected that. My mom finally insisted I go to the doctor. She knew I would downplay any fatigue, so she went with me and insisted they test me for mono. I remember the doctor saying he was sure that wasn't it, because I had so few symptoms. He returned with the news that I did, in fact, have mono ... which just cemented in my mind that Mom is always right. I got a two-week vacation from school and was not teased for sleeping most of those two weeks away.

I still enjoy a good nap and can sleep the clock around, but that may simply be the way I am and have little to do with my bout with mono. I can count on one hand the number of times in my life where I've had serious trouble getting to sleep. Just those few times has helped me appreciate what my mom and other light sleepers or insomniacs have to go through.

 

[luvwinnie]

I was out of school at age 14 for 4 weeks when I had it. The exhaustion can't be described. Hope your son feels better soon.