<p>D came home from first semester at college very sick with mono. She is having a lot of trouble with swelling in her throat and mouth, and can barely walk, her fatigue is so severe. Her doctor said there’s nothing to do but stay hydrated, sleep, and wait. Any tips on how to get through this?</p>
<p>I know it sounds awful - but it really just takes time. The best thin she can do is get as much rest as she can over the holidays. Then, back at school, rest some more. </p>
<p>Back in the “dark ages” when I had it - it easily took me 3-4 months to fully recover.</p>
<p>Good luck to you (and you!!!).</p>
<p>The doctor is partially right. If she truly is having difficultly walking, that would be a huge red flag and I would certainly watch that symptom with eagle eyes and react with further medical treatment (ER) if she can’t hold up her own body. </p>
<p>Just make sure she stays in bed. When my son had mono, we basically kept him in bed, just like a hospital would for two weeks. If she has any severe upper left side abdominal pain, her spleen could be in distress, so take her to the ER asap.</p>
<p>But really, all you can do is love her and baby her. As she starts feeling better, make sure she doesn’t “hang out with friends” as this will fatigue her and set her back. (at least for two weeks). I know it stinks, as most kids walk in the door from college only to walk out an hour later to hang with their friends…but mono can be a beast if she doesn’t manage it fast.</p>
<p>S just got over a much milder case of mono. His college health center gave him prednisone to reduce the swelling in his throat, and told him to take lots of ibuprofen for the throat pain. Those two things really helped him get thru the first week or so of symptoms. He was also told NO alcohol and no physical activity for a month. He was fortunate that his spleen wasn’t swollen. </p>
<p>Our neighbor’s son ended up hospitalized with mono, because of a swollen spleen and pancreatitis (apparently an unusual but not unheard-of complication).</p>
<p>Rest really is the key. Good luck!</p>
<p>I think that some integrative medicine centers/providers sometimes use IV therapies for mono (Vitamin C, nutrients, not sure what else).</p>
<p>I arrived at college only 3 weeks into having mono; I’d only just started eating again.</p>
<p>I was able to have a good fall term because I scheduled no classes before 11 a.m. or past 3 p.m. I was able to do all of my schoolwork and also sleep 12 hours a night whenever I needed it. I also took as few classes as possible. </p>
<p>I had to make getting rest my priority and I streamlined my life as much as as I could. I hope your D can take it easy next semester, but I would think she could go back to school and be fine. It does go away!</p>
<p>I actually feel worse for kids who get mono in HS than in college - I can’t imagine having to sit in school from 7:30 - 3:30 every day and keep up with everything else. College really is a flexible time, within a small geographic space. I found lots to do without ever having to walk very far.</p>
<p>Best wishes to you both!</p>
<p>Oh gosh. I have had this twice - once as a teen and once in my thirties. The worst was my sophomore year in high school. I had such a bad case that my spleen was swollen, I was falling asleep in class, and had jaundice. I’m assuming your doctor checked for that, but if not, keep an eye on her stomach. If it becomes badly distended have her checked out.</p>
<p>Bottom line is I was out of school for at least a month (I think it was longer but I can’t remember). She has to really, really rest for as long as it takes to feel better. When she comes back, she needs to do so slowly and not push herself or the recovery takes longer. Eat well, drink fluids, and sleep as much as she needs. This may be hours a day. My throat was very sore and swollen. I was utterly exhausted. It took my a very long time to get back to normal and I was a competitive athlete who was in excellent shape.</p>
<p>As an adult, I did not have as severe of a case, but it took a long time to recover because I had three children under my care. I selpt hours on end and I was not 100% for around 6 months. </p>
<p>It’s a very tough illness. Don’t worry. She will be okay. She just needs to rest as much as possible. Hang in there.</p>
<p>I had mono my freshman year for about six months. The doctor told me he wanted me to stay in bed for two weeks and from there just rest as much as possible. I think I got some vitamin injections and something for nausea that I was experiencing. The swelling in my throat didn’t last very long. </p>
<p>I had no choice but to maintain my regular school schedule, I couldn’t even take off the two weeks that the doctor advised without failing all my classes. It was hard, but it got easier. The worst part was the fatigue. I was a commuter and had to drive an hour to school every day by myself.</p>
<p>My DD2 had really severe mono soph yr of high school. She required hospitalization and IV steroids because her throat became so swollen it compromised her airway. Really, everyone jokes about mono but when it’s bad, it can be awful. Keep a close eye on your daughter to make sure she doesn’t need an ER visit. When mono is really bad it can require leaving school or making other accomodations. A good guy friend of hers had the same awful strain at the same time (yes, she heard the “kissing” jokes) and eventually both required tonsillectomies after it was all over and they were well because the tissue in the throat was such a mess. (Constant strep ). If your D plays a sport, she may need to take a breather due to the spleen. OTOH, my DD3 got mono, seemed miserable for a week, and then bounced right back.</p>
<p>^^^ That was me, poppymom. I had to take months off from my sport. It was such a bummer. I made it back in time for my junior season but it wasn’t easy… Ugh. Not a good memory.</p>
<p>I’d ask about predisone for the throat swelling. I think they are still prescribing it. (Edit: just noticed Lafalum84’s post; yes, they are still prescribing it!) I had mono during spring quarter of freshman year, had the most painful sore throat of my life, and was helped immensely by the predisone. Also, one wants to be under a physician’s care while coming off of prednisone, because it may interfere with the normal function of the adrenal cortex (at least that was the theory about 35 years ago).</p>
<p>Second, it’s a really good idea to have your daughter’s spleen checked, as mentioned above by poppymom, momfirst3, and maybe others. I don’t think this issue was recognized 35 years ago. Not only sports, but also dance and some other physical activities may need to be called off for a few months.</p>
<p>Third: same old, same old. Lots of sleep. Take it easy. If your daughter could scale back classes for the spring a little (e.g., take 12 credits instead of 15, or 3 units instead of 4), while remaining a full-time student, it might be all to the good.</p>
<p>Watermelon…keep chilled. Has no acid, great for keeping them hydrated and has some fiber. My D lived on it for several months when she couldn’t eat anything else.</p>
<p>My spleen was checked and was fine and my doctor still forbade any physical activity for that whole summer, I’d been diagnosed in April. I was annoyed as I had been planning a trip to the amusement park and rollercoasters were explicitly forbidden, and I had to give up dog walking at the Humane Society in case I got knocked over.</p>
<p>My son had terrible throat swelling to the point of not being able to eat or drink so doc gave him a shot or steroids (not sure which exactly) and that brought the swelling down within hours. This was this past summer and he also had a trip planned to a water park which was strictly forbidden. ANY activity that could result in trauma to the spleen/stomach area was to be avoided. At least your daughter is home now with a nice break to rest. This has to run it’s course, but if you feel like she cannot hold herself up even to get to the bathroom, I would take her to ER to be safe. Good luck to both of you!</p>
<p>Best wishes to the OP for quick recovery!</p>
<p>Regarding the OP’s daughter, best wishes from this corner too – and I hope she’ll be able to take a light courseload next semester and gain herself some time to recover fully.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the tips and the concern. We’re keeping a very close eye on her. If the swelling isn’t any better by tomorrow, we’ll pursue the prednisone. She came downstairs tonight for a bowl of Cheerios, so at least she can get around and eat a little (although she went immediately back to bed). She’s not an athlete, but I will recommend she skip any PE credits this semester. I’m hoping she’ll be able to enjoy Christmas.</p>
<p>Younger son’s recovery from pretty severe case of mono was definitely helped by prednisone; his throat was so swollen he could barely talk and he wasn’t eating anything; I think the steroids also helped the severe rash he developed (due to the antibiotics he was given because they initially thought he had strep). It took several months to feel 100% but he felt considerably better after about two weeks.</p>
<p>As others have mentioned the steroids really do make a difference. I also had it in the dark ages when I was 11. I know I had a few steroid treatments, I think it was cortisone, and I think it was injected. I can still recall the bruitally sore, sore throat and that the meds helped with this a lot. At that time I remember the doctor saying that use of steroids was not routine. It did help. Good Luck, I hope she is well soon!</p>
<p>Notacook: My daughter came home for winter break with mono also. I’ve been surprised at how sick she’s been. She’s into her second week and finally starting to feel a little better. It’s not a fun way to spend a break, but it beats being sick at school. I hope your daughter feels better soon.</p>