Glandular Fever

LegacyUser

Ive just been given probably the most crushing news in my entire life, i have glandular fever.
Just lookin to find out from people whove had it, how long should it take for all of the symptoms to go?
i have been training 8 times a week for 4 months for a race i was supposed to have soon which is the main reason im so upset as i had put everything i have into it, absolutely gutted now.

dudara

Your GP should be able to tell you how long it takes to recover. I've never had it, but I know that it can be fairly dehabilitating and takes a while to come back to full strength.

biko

A feeling of fatigue or tiredness may persist for months following the acute phase of the illness. It is recommended that patients with mono avoid participation in any contact sports during the first six to eight weeks following the onset to prevent trauma to the enlarged spleen. The enlarged spleen is susceptible to rupture, which can be life-threatening.

http://www.medicinenet.com/infectious_mononucleosis/page3.htm#6whatis

barbiegirl

Most important thing is to take care of yourself. Worry about the race next year. This needs attention now :-) Good luck

Pythia

unr_egistered wrote: »

Ive just been given probably the most crushing news in my entire life, i have glandular fever.
Just lookin to find out from people whove had it, how long should it take for all of the symptoms to go?
i have been training 8 times a week for 4 months for a race i was supposed to have soon which is the main reason im so upset as i had put everything i have into it, absolutely gutted now.

It differs from person to person but when I had it I was absolutely wrecked for about 2 months and then maybe another 2 of not 100%.

Patricide

I for one wouldnt wish glandular fevar or anything like it on anybody. I had M.E. Which is like glandular fevar X100 . Lasted a full year and im still only at like 80 percent capacity 2 years later. Not fun, get well soon op.

mydarkstar

I had glandular fever when I was 17, it really sucked.
Took me 6weeks to stop needing hours & hours of sleep every day and then another month before I really got back to myself.

I know you're annoyed about missing the race, it must be so hard on you after putting so much into it. Unfortunately the only thing you can do now is listen to your body and rest as much as you need.

Hope you start to feel better soon.

napoles

Oh God I know just how you feel.
I compete horses and a few years I took a silly fall off a young one the day before the first competition of the season. I broke my ankle in two places, (landed on my feet, the ground was just too hard!!)
I spent most of the time bawling cos I wouldn't be able to compete all summer. Mind you, luckily for me, I must heal quickly because I was just ready for the RDS at the end of the summer.
I really hope you will get better earlier than expected too, because I know just how heartbreaking it is to be cheated out of a competition like that.

daiixi

Funny was only talking about this the other day. I found out I had had glandular a couple of years after the event. I was 17 and I was tired a lot but hey, everyone said they were and teenagers often are! Unfortunately I never really complained and didn't get any time off school or allowances to sleep all day!

smiler26

Not being funny, but just think for a minute how much worse this could be.

There are people out there in agonising pain constantly, or diagnosed with illnesses far worse.

If I were in your shoes, I would be counting my lucky stars that it's just a temporary blip.

BanzaiBk

My best friend had this around this time last year. Her recovery period was around 6 weeks, with about another 3/4 weeks of not feeling great. She's fully recovered now. In the great scheme of things, while this might seem very bad, you'll recover relativly quickly.

estar

sounds like you ran yourself into the ground

glandular fever happens mostly to those with a low
immune system, i have heard. although im not a gp

you are probably very fit, so well placed to fight back!!

focus on what you can do now, and not what you were meant
to do!

that will bring you fastest to recovery.

i know its not easy when you are angry. but getting down
will make recovery harder.

Zzippy

estar wrote: »

sounds like you ran yourself into the ground

glandular fever happens mostly to those with a low
immune system, i have heard. although im not a gp

Not true, if you haven't been exposed to the virus you have no immunity, and it will hit you no matter how strong your immune system is. A strong immune system might help you get over it quicker, but you will still be very sick for a while.

OP, what I was told when I had it was - there are basically 2 types of infection, either you get it really badly but recover relatively quickly, or your symptoms are not as severe but it takes a lot longer to get over it.
I had it about 10 years ago pretty bad, lost 2 stone in a week and had to spend another week in hospital on IV fluids. Apparently thats about as severe as it gets. But I was over it in 2 months - went back hurling training almost exactly 8 weeks after getting sick. Other people I know who had it spent 6 months or more feeling really tired and lethargic.
For now, forget about the race. There will be other races in the future. Concentrate on getting over it first. I know its really hard to swallow, but keep yourself hydrated. Once you're over the worst you'll need a few weeks to get back to normal - healthy diet, lots of protein and carbs to get the weight back, plenty of fruit and veg. Don't be tempted to go out - hangovers will really set you back.
You're obviously very fit so you're probably strong enough that you'll recover quick enough to be racing for the summer. Good luck!

sixpack's little hat

I had it last year and the only problems I had were a constricted throat for a few days and feeling under the weather for a week or so.

On the other hand, my brother had it before and he was fairly sick/weak for a number of months.

tread_softly

as said before, it depends on the person.

i had it twice, once a few years ago when i was about 16 and it wasn't three bad at all.

i also suffered it on top of pneumonia when i was 12 and i don't remember that being bad either! i think it was cuz i stayed in bed all day and got pampered but i really don't remember much except being very tired and drained.

just take it easy and follow your GP's instructions, stay in bed as long as you're advised to; if you cut your recovery short you'll end up worse than when you started

LadyJ

Really seems to vary. An ex of mine had it and was better within 2 weeks. Another friend had it and he was in bits for months.

eve

I had it when i was 17/18. I wasn't overly fit but did a fairly exerting job at the time so that may not have helped. Main problem I had was that I couldn't eat or drink and ended up in Cherry Orchard hospital on a drip for a week. Ended up sleeping all the time and I am not a person to sleep past 8am! Was allowed home but was still tired and couldn't do much. It took me more than 6 months to get to the point where I wasn't falling asleep at 9 in the evening.

Luckyduck

I had glandular fever when I was 21. Took me nearly a year before I felt back to normal. However, I didn't mind myself when I got it and was in party mode, so ended up with a liver almost twice its size as it affects your spleen and sometimes your liver. Lost a stone in weight. But I did look after myself after that second infection in my liver, had to spend 2 months in bed, not good. I took echinecia (can't spell it!) and it is very good for the symptoms as because its viral they can'y give you antibiotics. Contray to what a previous poster says it doesn't happen because you run yourself into the ground, however any time since if I over do partying etc I end up with a dose of swollen glands so I think you have to mind yourself afterwards. I was back to playing sports within about 4 months! Best of luck...it could be worse and if you mind yourself you will be fine within a few weeks.

DawnMc

I had it three years ago, the worst is the tiredness, it's not the absolutely worst thing that could happen to you but have plenty of rest and it will pass

Ginny

Be very very careful recovering, give yourself time and look after yourself.
I got it in college years ago, didn't give myself time to recover and got a relapse, and before someone says you can't get it twice, it is rare but you can.
the second time round really floored me and all in all nearly 6 months was written off between the bouts.

So yes its crappy but do everything you're advised to and take enough time to recover properly.

faceman

OP, only your doctor can advise you on your particular condition. Unfortunately medical advise is not permitted on the site.

Be careful also what you read from google searches as medical knowledge online can range from very good to down right bonkers.

best of luck, hope it works out for you

AARRRGH

unr_egistered wrote: »

Ive just been given probably the most crushing news in my entire life, i have glandular fever.
Just lookin to find out from people whove had it, how long should it take for all of the symptoms to go?
i have been training 8 times a week for 4 months for a race i was supposed to have soon which is the main reason im so upset as i had put everything i have into it, absolutely gutted now.

I had Glandular Fever. It lasted about two years.

The first year I was always wrecked (sickly tired) but just assumed it was due to boozing, etc.

A huge lump then swelled on my neck and I went to the hospital who told me I had glandular fever.

I then got very ill - vicious throat infection. I lost half my body weight (went down to six stone) and couldn't sleep or eat properly for a few weeks. Apart from the hunger, sweats and pain, the boredom of being awake all night was a real killer.

I didn't quite feel "normal" for about 6 - 12 months after that.

I really recommend you forget about the race and just rest.

LegacyUser

I had glandular fever about 2 years ago. Took me nearly a year to get over the worst of it. I still feel I have it still to some degree as I don't seem to have the energy as I did previous (maybe I'm just getting older). I have to be very careful these days that I get sufficient sleep so I'm can do stuff the next day and not "hungover" with tiredness. When I had it the migranes and the tiredness (and depression) made me almost useless. Unlike many people who posted here already I was very hungry all the time. I always wanted to eat and eat, putting on about 2 stone while I was sick. If I was hungry I got really bad migranes. I am usually quite a sporty person but didn't have the energy to do anything so just ended on putting weight.

As people have already said glandular fever affects everyone in different ways. I was quite unlucky, but I have heard people who had it worse but most people have it far easier. The main thing is try to recover as soon as possible and don't push your body too hard.

LadyGodiva

hi there, acupuncture would help you

Lyndzi

i've have glandular fever 4 times

LegacyUser

Hi OP,


Didn't have time to read everyone else's replies, so sorry if all this has been said.
The problem with glandular fever (I do have experience with it) is it can effect people very differently.

A friend of mine got it around a year ago, and only over the last 2 months has she been properly well. She got it extremely bad, and was even hospitalised during it (dehydration-drink lots of fluids)

You really, really need to take care of your self.
-Lots of fluids
-No extreme exercise(especially if your spleen is enlarged)
-Ibuprofen!
-Also, no strenuos exercise for about 4 weeks after you've recovered 'cause you can cause damage to your spleen!


It's a b**** of a virus and I wish you a speedy recovery.



X

TouchingVirus

I nabbed it during my Junior Cert year (a fews year ago ) and was messed up for about 3 weeks. Took about a month after that to get fully right