How F$CKING long is this mono going to last?

[MyThirdEye]

I'm 18 years old.
Workout 5 days a week, very active.
I've been getting loads of sleep. (8hrs+)
I eat healthy.
Drink at least 2 gallons of water a day.

How long will this last? This is the sickest I've ever been, and I can't stand not lifting.

I went to the gym on Saturday, because I started feeling better, and when I came home I crashed. I went to school today for 3 periods, feeling fine, then just completely crashed and returned home.

Is there anything I can do?!

 

[Kipper]

Take time off from the gym, let your body recover. Eat what you would normally eat since it is apparent you eat a healthy diet. Sleep more.

You cannot possibly hope to recover from an illness quickly if you divert resources away from your body that it needs to fight off the virus.

 

[MyThirdEye]

I read this:

Infectious mononucleosis is generally self-limiting and only symptomatic and/or supportive treatments are used. Rest is recommended during the acute phase of the infection, but activity should be resumed once acute symptoms have resolved. Nevertheless heavy physical activity and contact sports should be avoided to mitigate the risk of splenic rupture, for at least one month following initial infection and until splenomegaly has resolved, as determined by ultrasound scan.

It's from Wikipedia, so I'm not sure how true it is. 1 Month?!

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: MyThirdEye
I read this:

Infectious mononucleosis is generally self-limiting and only symptomatic and/or supportive treatments are used. Rest is recommended during the acute phase of the infection, but activity should be resumed once acute symptoms have resolved. Nevertheless heavy physical activity and contact sports should be avoided to mitigate the risk of splenic rupture, for at least one month following initial infection and until splenomegaly has resolved, as determined by ultrasound scan.

It's from Wikipedia, so I'm not sure how true it is. 1 Month?!

What did your doctor say about it? Did you ask? You should call and ask him/her if you didn't. Mononucleosis can last a fair amount of time. Heavy physical activity can dampen your immune system. Because of that, it stays around longer or you get worse momentarily. You need to rest, to eat well, and to drink plenty of fluid. As hard as it is to take a break, you need to realize that you're hastening your recovery if you just do it right the first time around. Don't be so stubborn as to keep yourself sick via working out. Talk to your doctor.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: SociallyChallenged

Originally posted by: MyThirdEye
I read this:

Infectious mononucleosis is generally self-limiting and only symptomatic and/or supportive treatments are used. Rest is recommended during the acute phase of the infection, but activity should be resumed once acute symptoms have resolved. Nevertheless heavy physical activity and contact sports should be avoided to mitigate the risk of splenic rupture, for at least one month following initial infection and until splenomegaly has resolved, as determined by ultrasound scan.

It's from Wikipedia, so I'm not sure how true it is. 1 Month?!

What did your doctor say about it? Did you ask? You should call and ask him/her if you didn't. Mononucleosis can last a fair amount of time. Heavy physical activity can dampen your immune system. Because of that, it stays around longer or you get worse momentarily. You need to rest, to eat well, and to drink plenty of fluid. As hard as it is to take a break, you need to realize that you're hastening your recovery if you just do it right the first time around. Don't be so stubborn as to keep yourself sick via working out. Talk to your doctor.

Yeah, a highly active friend of mine got mono during our senior year of college. It kept him out of sports and lifting for nearly six months, but his case was pretty severe.

 

[eits]

i had mono for 4 months... it was hell. i couldn't swallow for 3 of those months... my bedroom had towels and cups all over the place for me to spit since it was excruciating to swallow. waking up in the morning was the worst, because my mouth had to be open in order to breathe (my throat was swollen so much it practically blocked off my nasal airway). i'd wake up with a completely dried out mouth, so i had to make some saliva and swallow to rewet my throat... it killed everytime.

 

[Riverhound777]

It can last a long ass time. I had it in Jan of this year. I lost 20 lbs due to not being able to eat (185-165) and was not back to normal till march/april. Good luck man.

 

[MyThirdEye]

My throat is no longer swollen as of last night. I think I'm starting to recover!! I doubt it though.

 

[Merithynos]

Originally posted by: MyThirdEye
My throat is no longer swollen as of last night. I think I'm starting to recover!! I doubt it though.

I got mono as a freshman in college...I think it was a solid 4 months before I stopped sleeping 10-12 hours a day. I also went from never having a hangover in my life regardless of how much I drank to getting a hangover after anything more than a couple drinks.

Don't push it, it will just take longer to recover.

 

[crownjules]

Originally posted by: MyThirdEye
My throat is no longer swollen as of last night. I think I'm starting to recover!! I doubt it though.

The danger is not in the acute symptoms (swollen throat, fever, sneezing, etc) but in the fact that when you have mono your spleen enlargens. That's not a good thing because if you get hit hard or put yourself under extreme duress then you may rupture the spleen and you certainly want to avoid that. It is extremely painful and can lead to death.

Make sure you talk to a doctor and get the all clear before resuming heavy lifting and exercise.

Side note: Mono is caused by a type of Herpes virus. Did not know that.

 

[MyThirdEye]

an update for anyone who cares:

i went to school today for 3 periods, i could feel myself start to crash pretty hard, so i returned home. i've been home since 10:30 and i feel decent. I'm hoping to 100% by Monday.

 

[SergeC]

Yeah, mono tends to last for a MINIMUM of 3 weeks. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Pushing yourself to come back too fast is how you end up having it for 3-4 months, fyi.

 

[MyThirdEye]

Originally posted by: SergeC
Yeah, mono tends to last for a MINIMUM of 3 weeks. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Pushing yourself to come back too fast is how you end up having it for 3-4 months, fyi.

fak.

think i could at least do resistance training? low weight high reps at the gym? Does that knock out your immune system?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: MyThirdEye

Originally posted by: SergeC
Yeah, mono tends to last for a MINIMUM of 3 weeks. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

Pushing yourself to come back too fast is how you end up having it for 3-4 months, fyi.

fak.

think i could at least do resistance training? low weight high reps at the gym? Does that knock out your immune system?

Ok, man, seriously? Do you not understand the term "rest?" Do you understand spleen rupture? That's death or at the very least a fun hospital visit and many, many more weeks out of the gym.

Yes, resistance training in general suppresses your immune system. Quit being an ass. Enjoy the time off and stop asking about it.

 

[BeauJangles]

Originally posted by: MyThirdEye
an update for anyone who cares:

i went to school today for 3 periods, i could feel myself start to crash pretty hard, so i returned home. i've been home since 10:30 and i feel decent. I'm hoping to 100% by Monday.

You won't be 100%. Look man, you're fucking sick. Rest and relax. When you feel better, hit the gym at 110%. Until then, take time off and stop stressing out. The more you push yourself, the worse you're going to be and feel.