<p>S2 (sophomore) started feeling sick Friday (headache, sore throat, congestion) - went to health center and they did a quick strep test and mono test and both came up negative. The strep overnight culture was also negative. They told him he probably has a viral throat illness and those take 5-7 days to resolve. BUT, they want him back to run a complete blood test for mono as they think its still a possibility.</p>
<p>I realize those quick mono tests are not always accurate but I’m hoping and praying it isn’t mono. Weirdly, he had mono when he was 5 although I have heard you can get it again??</p>
<p>I know lots of you parents have dealt with this so kindly share some positive news and any other advice other than the basics I already know (rest, no sports, no drinking, etc). I am a terrible worrier so all I can think of are the horror stories I have read about in the past. If positive, every ounce of me will want to put him in a hotel room so he can rest appropriately - which I realize is crazy but that is what I worry about the most when living in a dorm!</p>
<p>When I had mono as a freshman, I barely got sick at all. It was more of a low grade malaise that lasted months, which was unpleasant but I had no problem completing my semester. I only even went to the doctor because the glands in my neck were swollen to softball size. My only problem was that I was borderline narcoleptic the first few weeks, I remember getting into my car, buckling my seatbelt, and waking up 3 hours later still in the driveway. It lasted for months, much too long to live in a hotel, but I managed and my grades didn’t suffer. I just had to take it easy, I stopped doing my volunteer work for those months and did a lot of vegging out when I wasn’t in class. I used to volunteer with dogs and my doctor asked me to stop because he didn’t want them jumping on me, I was told to avoid activities that could result in an impact to the abdomen.</p>
<p>It seems to me that a doctor’s mind always jumps to mono for sick college students, and they just want to be extra careful and rule it out. Try not to jump to conclusions and invent problems that aren’t there yet! It’s probably just the throat virus!</p>
<p>My D was finally diagnosed with Mono after feeling sick for 4 weeks. She was exhausted and had a sore throat, but could function. She finally went in again at about 4 weeks because her neck was all puffy, whe couldn’t swallow, and she couldn’t stay awake- she was finally missing work. They diagnosed her but right after that, she started feeling better. It was as if it had run its course by the time they figured out what it was. I had it years ago when my kids were little and it was much the same. I felt really crummy for a long time but was not diagnosed. By the time it got really bad and they diagnosed it , it was almost over. </p>
<p>Hopefully your son just has one of those things that seems to be going around and hanging on forever. Mono can be miserable, but it is possible to keep going and keep up on school. Best of luck with this!</p>
<p>I had mono senior year of college. (It came along with strep–the horrible sore throat was what sent me to student health for the first and only time.) I didn’t get that sick–once the sore throat was gone, it was just a general feeling of tiredness/weakness for a couple months–which I may not have noticed if I didn’t know I had mono. Still walked to all my classes,etc. Used it as an excuse to go home a few weekends. Did not celebrate my 21st birthday. . . In spite of the horror stories, many cases of mono are relatively mild. So don’t worry too much! </p>
<p>Since your son has had mono & initial screening has come back negative, maybe it is just a cold.
I suggest garlic, lots of it.
D was diagnosed with mono a couple weeks ago, but after a few days of kim chi soup for lunch she was able to go back to school.
:)</p>
<p>My D had mono …twice…and she almost died from it…hospitalized twice with severe dehydration. She had it once bad and then a few months later got it again way worse.</p>
<p>One time I took her to the Dr office because she was just so sick… They couldn’t even get a blood pressure on her. Called the ambulance. She was sitting up talking. I followed the ambulance and next thing you know the lights came on…siren screaming…and they took off like a shot.</p>
<p>Fever running 104 for days on end. Because of the fevers…so high and so long she ended up losing all her hair about 4 months later. Totally bald. Slowly grew back in.</p>
<p>She was 19.</p>
<p>This is no joke. I am truly not exaggerating. Some kids get it and get it bad.</p>
<p>Not meaning to scare anyone. But it is truly not anything to mess around with or take lightly.</p>
<p>WOW - that is awful sax! I’ve heard horror stories but that is way worse than anything I’ve ever heard. Very scary.</p>
<p>I’ve done some reading and there seems to be so much conflicting info on getting it more than once. Guess everyone is different and there isn’t a simple answer.</p>
<p>My doctors are under the impression you can get it more than once and retest me for it whenever I have an ailment they can’t otherwise explain. The last time I told them “enough already,” but it does seem like you could get it more than once. I wonder if some of the double cases could be people who were misdiagnosed one of those times.</p>
<p>My son had it this fall, was pretty tired for a while but was only super sick for a few days. I would text him bugging him to eat, drink lots of water and take his vitamins. He did drop his writing class to keep his schedule light. He lost almost 10 lbs, probably due to not exercising. It definitely took him 3 months or so to start feeling normal.</p>
<p>Our D has had chronic mono off and on over the past 12+ years, as reflected in blood tests and symptoms. It has been very debilitating to her and sapped her stamina. </p>
<p>Best of luck and health to everyone. Hope that those who do get mono have mild cases like me, rather than the nasty acute and/or chronic cases some have suffered. </p>
<p>D1 was diagnosed with mono twice, but there was only six weeks in between episodes, so I suspect more, it was a relapse. She was out for the count much worse the second time around, but at least she was home for the summer then and I could take care of her.</p>
<p>My D also had mono twice - once when she was 7, and then as a college sophomore. The second time around, we pulled her out of school, she came home and spent the next 4 weeks in bed. The first illness was worse initially, but she recovered within a couple of weeks. Some/many college kids get through mono without having to withdraw, but for others it can be a rough road. </p>
<p>We also had a horrible case of mono at our house. Extremely high fever, vomiting, headache and wooziness. DD probably should have gone to the ER at one point. She’s 6 inches taller than me and I couldn’t figure out how to get her down the stairs and to the car. I spoon fed her liquids for a bit and thankfully she perked up and I didn’t need to call the ambulance. She missed three full weeks of school and went part time for a while after that. People often dismiss mono because it is the kissing disease but it can be debilitating.</p>
<p>Older DD got it at college and was fine in about a week.</p>
<p>I got mono my 1st semester as a transfer, when I was 3000 miles from home during finals week, of course. I was not allowed to take final exams or do final projects, but was allowed to receive incompletes. They did release me to fly for Christmas break, from OR to MI (where it was VERY cold and snowing). I recovered in less than a week and had a quiet time preparing for Christmas at my sister’s apartment, decorating the place while she and her room mate studied for finals.</p>
<p>Mono can certainly affect all folks differently. REST and nutrition are important, especially to minimize relapse. Good luck!</p>
<p>I’m going to second what some others said. I got mono -oddly - in my mid-thirties. I was married, no kids, and working at home so I don’t even know where the exposure was.</p>
<p>I wasn’t feeling sick. I just began sleeping 12 hours a day, which quickly moved to near 20 hours a day. Suddenly I realized that 30 year olds were NOT supposed to feel like that and sleep all day!</p>
<p>It took about a year to resolve, honestly, before I felt energetic and 100%. So, I would not be thinking mono at this juncture. Sounds like a cold or some viral thing to me. </p>
<p>He will likely be just fine. STOP worrying. It will just shorten your life, and most of what you worry about will not happen. I used to be like that but it was a horrible way to live. </p>