Mono

[cuban star]

I was diagnosed with Mono about three months ago. About a month ago, I felt like I was almost fully recovered from it. Then, a few weeks ago, it came back. I sleep all day long and can hardly pull myself out of bed every day. I have been having some other problems too, and I was wondering if they could be related to the mono. I have been getting very winded really easily and sometime when I breathe, there is a whistle in my throat/chest both when I breathe in and out. It has recently gotten pretty cold here, so I thought maybe the weather could be playing a role in breathing problems. I have a difficult time sleeping on my back, because it seems more difficult to breathe. I am also now getting a severe sore throat and cough. I feel like I've been sick constantly for the last three months. Even when I thought my mono was gone, I got a cold that lasted until the mono came back. I have been in and out of the doctor's office for the past few months and I hate to keep going back for every little thing that is wrong with me and I was wondering if mono does weird stuff like this. Does it cause breathing problems? Every time I go to the doctor, they listen to my lungs and they sound clear, so I don't know why I'm having problems. The whistling isn't all the time, just usually at night, so I've never had the problem while at the dr to have them listen to. I also have some anxiety about illness, almost borderline hypochondria, so the mono has really brought me a lot of anxiety since I always feel sick. So, basically I'm wondering what kind of symptoms occur during a relapse of mono and also if it can cause other "weird" things to happen in your body such as changes in breathing, weight loss (about 8 lbs and 2 inches off my waist), and the constant feeling of being sick. I don't even know how to describe my problems sometimes, but my body just feels off. I know something is wrong, but I'm not sure if it is the mono. Does anyone have any stories of things that mono has done to their bodies? Things other than the normal sore throat, rash, fatigue, and weight loss. The only info I can find online is the "typical" 2-3 month long case of mono, but I want to know about the stuff that isn't so "textbook" about mono. It's a weird virus that does weird things and I just want to know what some of those things are so I can stop running to the doctor every time a new symptom occurs.

 

[roman pierce]

Has the doctor run another set of blood work? There are two strains of Mono. I know because my son was infected with both strains within a 6 week period and it caused him to really feel ill. He dropped about 15 lbs. and we ended up in the infectious disease doctor's office because they couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. It can linger on and take a long time to go away..and Minn. winters aren't alot of help. Worry won't add to you getting any better either.

Thw wheezing can be related to an asmatatic type condition. If you are fragile breathing wise, you might ask to be referred to a specialist who handles this type of problems.

But first you need to get a grip on the hypochodria. That will cause you not to be taken seriously at the Dr. office. That sort of issue tends to put off the staff real quick....

 

[Sek S]

First let me tell you that I'm very sorry that you are going through this. Mono is a horrible disease, and very rarely is there a 'textbook case'.

I would definitely consult your doctor about running more blood test to rule out the different strain. And while your there ask about getting a breathing test and chest scan.

My sister was diagnosed when we were juniors in high school. It came on here very strong and she had just about every complication that you can imagine, which included a spontaneous collapse of her right lung. She didn't want to tell anyone, when her breathing became labored, but it scared me and I told my mother when she got winded climbing to the top of our bunk beds. The lung collapse was detected after a throat scope and then eventually a chest scan.

I sincerely hope that this isn't the case with you, but it's something you can rule out. I don't mean to scare you but there is no way to "re-inflate" the lung (well, maybe there is now..but about 5 years ago there wasn't) and I think it's something that you should rule out, as your daily actions need to change when living with 1.5 lungs.

Good Luck & Feel better!

 

[Sweethunai]

I had asthma as a child, but when they listen to my lungs, there are no signs of asthma. I haven't had asthma for over 10 years as I outgrew the condition. As for the lung collapse, I just had my lungs listened to today, and all my lobes were working just fine. I'm seeing a counselor tomorrow about the anxiety which I think is making all my problems a lot worse. I never know for sure if I am truly having breathing problems since my anxiety stems from my not thinking I can breathe. I know all my symptoms are real, but I think the anxiety makes them worse. I don't think it's possible for anxiety to cause me to get winded so easily, but who knows, maybe it could. I do think the cold is playing a big factor in it too, since the wind chill here today is -30 degrees fahrenheit. I'd prefer to not have any tests run, since I was just at the dr's office the past two weeks in a row. I'm concerned that they are about to stop taking me seriously which I do not want to happen. I think my mono is causing me a lot of problems which are all connected, but I'm making assumptions that they are more than just mono. Does anyone know what kinds of red flags I should watch for? I don't want to make any unneeded trips to the drs office.

 

[Peace Maker Advice Giver]

Oh, and I don't know for sure which strain I have, or exactly what that means. I just know that my test results for EBV came back positive. I don't think they've run any further tests for the mono. What kinds of symptoms go along with the "other" strain of mono?