Hi all. I hope you are all doing at least a little better each day.
I’ve been doing rather well lately, besides a few minor set backs like a head cold. I havent had a fever in quite some time, my energy level has been much better and in general, I’m doing much better.
But…yesterday I decided it was time to ease back in to my work out routine. I went very light, since I havent worked out in 6 months, and did some very light cardio. It was a light work out compared to my normal. I felt fine during the work out, but about an hour later, I felt completely exhausted. I took my temp because I felt hot, and sure enough I had a low grade fever. It was so bad that I spent the rest of the day on the couch. The work out was pretty much the only thing I had done all day, and it put me down for the rest of the day. My temp, however, was back to normal in a couple of hours.
Last night felt like a mono insomnia night all over again, and I havent dealt with that in months. I was burning up all night and had some night sweats.
This morning I am achy, but that’s probably due to the work out. Besides that, I feel fine.
Has anyone had this type of experience during your recovery? I cant decide if this is something I should push through, or back off and give myself more recovery time.
Thanks.
maybe you need to go slower…i just started again too but very very simple short bursts of workout .i do a walk everynight and each night now try to do some floor exercises and weights . last night i tried a few minutes of running on the sand .
the key is to start off slowly and not go and do a full workout . this would be the rule for doing any workout after a long time of absence .
Hi Jen,
I can definitely relate to this experience in my recovery too! It was good to read that you had been feeling a bit more settled lately and feeling like trying some exercise, it’s so hard to know when the right time to do this is and to find the right balance between activity and rest during recovery, it really is trial and error and just listening to your body and learning as you go really.
I’m no expert or anything but certainly I would listen to your body and not try to push through, frustrating I know when you are keen to get back to exercise, it might be that although you feeling not too bad when just doing normal day to day things that it just needs a little more time before it can be pushed for exercise. And remember this won’t set you back long term, these kind of episodes and minor lapses can be very normal during recovery, and they do get less and less as time goes on and as your body gets stronger was definitely my experience. Frustrating I know though know!
Hoping you are feeling more settled again after resting up and still believing that 2019 is going to be a year of recovery for you - hang in there Jen.
Craig
Thanks Lori. I actually thought I had taken it very easy for my first go at it, but you are probably right, I need to take it slower. Thanks.
Craig,
You are right, listen to the body. I’ll give it some more time. The last thing I need is a set back.
How are you feeling these days?
Thanks for asking Jen, yes I have been okay a bit more settled this past few weeks but still a long way to go and feeling quite flat today. I guess it’s just ups and downs with things and overcoming things, as you know all too well as well I know.
Let’s hang in there and remember 2019 is going to be much better for us all!
Craig
Jen,
The same thing happened to me a few days ago too, but the symptoms came on about a day and a half later. I did some light cardio and weights and felt fine afterwards. The next day, I went to the doctor to make sure everything is okay, which it is, thank God. But the day after that I felt like I was having a symptom flare up. 5 days later and I am still feeling pretty bad. This all stinks because I was feeling almost completely better before my workout!
Hi Madison,
It’s so frustrating when you just want to get on with things and do healthy and positive things like exercising but your body feels rough for doing it afterwards. It won’t always be that way and your body will get stronger and be able to cope with doing physical and stressful activity again, even if it’s hard to see it right now which I know it can be I remember how I felt too when struggling with this it was so hard.
Keep listening to your body Madison and if you need to rest a bit extra right now and not push things so hard then remember that’s okay, and that it’s only temporary - still continue to do things if you can it’s just about managing your activity as well, even if it’s just a short walk each day or whatever rather than a heavy workout for now.
Wishing you a Happy New Year when it comes and absolutely hoping, praying and believing that 2019 is going to be a year of recovery and restored good health for you - hang in there.
Craig
Thanks for the response. Its just so disheartening because I thought I was getting better. Sigh.
It’s understandable to be feeling that way Jen, goodness knows I remember going through all the stages when dealing with this virus, fear, distress, worry, anxiety, anger, discouragement - it was just an awful time Jen and I really do want you to know that things will get better.
One thing I picked up on was in your other message the phrase ‘our new normal’. That resonated with me because I remember so much maybe at a similar stage of the virus to you are at now, when things had gone on for a number of months and was so drained and weary but only seeing some improvements, but nowhere near where I felt I could cope with normal life again, thinking that this is the new normal I have to cope with - thinking that this was as good as it got now and I would need to find a way to manage feeling like I did.
But Jen my experience as time went on was that that was not at all the case, at that stage I now know I was still recovery and still had a further part of the recovery journey to go and things did improve and get back to more or less like my old self again with some time - thanks to God only - where body resilience and ability to cope with normal life became much much easier.
So Jen I really just want to encourage you that although for now things might still be in an up and down and fragile place - they won’t always be this way, your body will continue to recover until you get back to FULL health again - this thing might be biting right now but doesn’t have the sting or stamina to hold you back long term and absolutely I truly believe this is going to be a year where you make real progress towards recovery - hang in there Jen and thinking about you still!
Craig
Thank you Craig. The last few days have been good for me so I’m trying to enjoy them before my next crash. lol.
Hi Jen,
What you experienced after your workout seems pretty typical. I think the body is just so shocked since you haven’t done so much exercise, even if it is light, for a long time. Just a couple weeks ago in December I did one day of skiing and took a snowboard lesson and I felt just fine during the activities but felt kind of cruddy and sore and mood was down for a couple days afterwards.
I think doing some light exercise once in a while won’t harm you and at some point the body has to get used to some more activity. Just don’t over do it and I think you will know at which point when you need to slow down and rest.
Glad to hear you have had a better few days Jen, it’s just ups and downs sometimes with recovery of this - but it won’t always be that way things will settle down and be more stable and you will feel more resilient and strong again. Hang in there and hoping for a good weekend for you too - and remember any setbacks / crashes are temporary and they are going to stop happening, I believe that.
Craig
im starting too to do a ‘little’ bit of exercise nothing major just a walk and some medicine ball exercises. the key is to start off very slowly and gradually build up . dont rush it take your time and if it tires you out skip a day . i too used to work out really hard and think thats what a activated my ebv lesson learned!
Lori,
I did a very easy 20 min bike ride today. so far I feel ok. Fingers crossed.
same here with working out hard. I’m so ready to get back to it.
yes i did a mini workout last night the went out for an hour. im so groggy today …did too much !
Wow this really hit me. I just found out last week I have mono. I had hand foot mouth disease in October and I am suspicious that has something to do with this. I started feeling sick around dec 1st. I had 2 days of fevers, aches, chills and it left me with an awful sore throat. A week later my eyelids swelled up so bad and then the week after that I ended up with the flu which my whole family had too. Through all this I was just so tired and we moved to a new house. Plus I have one year old twins. Twice in early dec I went to urgent care about my throat, negative strep test and told I have a virus. Right before chrostmas it feels like I’m swallowing knives. I go to the ER. Positive strep test now. Antibiotics helped a lot but it still was on and off hurting. I go bask to ER the Friday after Christmas and they say ok more antibiotics you must still have strep. I feel this isnt right and Monday I go to a new urgent care. Explain this whole saga to a PA. He says “I think you have mono”, takes a prick of blood and comes back in less than a minute later to tell me monospot test is positive. Wow. I had so much anxiety not knowing what was wrong. I thought I had throat cancer. I was so happy to have a diagnosis that matched my symptoms. By now I’m in week 5 and most things feel better but I still get random low grade fever especially if I do too much. I became preoccupied with the thermometer and my husband has hid it from me. I got super paranoid that I have lymphoma bc the symptoms match mono! Towards week 5/6 now of the mono I have been having bad night sweats and awful insomnia, I am up more of the night than I’m asleep. I started having so much anxiety about the night sweats I became obsessed with thinking I have a worse illness and I have now booked an appt to start therapy because of the anxiety this illness has caused. the weigh loss hasnt helped either between the mono and the anxiety I have such low appetite but I am hungry, my stomach growls and I feel too anxious to eat. I am so glad I found this and see that Google is a liar, and what the real course of having mono feels like for adults.
Hi Jenna,
Oh goodness it sounds like it has been a terrible couple of months for you, so sorry to hear you’ve been going through this and I do empathise having went through a tough time with mono a number of years ago. It was about a month or so after feeling unwell that I was able to get a diagnosis too, and it was a relief as you say because your mind runs away with itself and it’s so draining when you are feeling unwell and don’t have an explanation for it - I’m hoping it can offer some reassurance even though I know you have still been feeling unwell with it (with is very normal at this stage please be reassured).
I went through so much of the same Jenna, the googling and worries about it being something more serious and that kind of worry and the anxiety it causes is just the worst thing in the world. It is a really good forum here Jenna, it can be really helpful to read the recovery stories of other people and to know that this thing DOES get better, and even if it takes a little time not to panic because this can be normal and your body needs time and space to get over this nasty nasty virus. It’s not like a normal flu / virus or whatever where you can just push through it, that can prolong things rather than helping, so it’s important to be kind to yourself and give yourself and your body as much rest as possible and remove stress as much as possible too. I know that can’t be easy especially when you have young children too, hoping so much that you have other supportive family / friends around that can help at this time Jenna - thinking about you for sure.
This stage you are at Jenna was the worst part of the virus for sure, the intensity after 5-6 weeks is so strong still and just getting through each day when feeling so drained is an achievement, believe me. I had all sorts of symptoms too, the worst I think were the constant low grade fever, the exhaustion, aches and pains in different areas at different times and just that general feeling ‘stunted’ and not at all well or yourself.
But it DOES get better Jenna - really it does. The symptoms and intensity of this virus are so intense that it can try to trick you into thinking ‘surely this ALL can’t just be from mono?’. And your mind can wander into awful places I know. But please Jenna be assured in the vast vast majority of cases it is just mono, this virus IS an awful one and the symptoms are often so intense and draining to cope with in the acute phase. And a good one I always try to remember when you start to worry about it being something more serious, is to remember that 90%+ of the western world population get infected with the EBV virus (which causes mono) at some stage of their lives, most as a child when they don’t feel the full effects as you do as an adult, but that the vast vast majority of people recovery fully and don’t go on to have any other issues. It just takes time with this thing Jenna, so hard to be patient and remember your body needs a bit of time to get over this but you WILL get there. I know it was only down to God that I was able to get through an awful time with it, and you will get there too with God’s help I truly believe that.
Things that helped me during recovery were taking vitamins / herbs, including a good strong multi-vitamin per day (I take Immuance Extra here in the UK), higher doses of Vitamin C (1000mg-3000mg per day), a B100 Complex vitamin and/or Co-enzyme Q10 (really good for energy levels and nervous system) and immune boosting herbs like siberian ginseng and echinacea. These can help your immune system cope better whilst recovery, but of course remember I’m no expert in these things, this is just my own experience and it’s always wise to check before taking vitamins / herbs regarding any possible interactions with other medication / conditions.
Hang in there Jenna - it’s only understandable for you to be going through anxiety and worry at this tough time - it’s so hard to deal with this thing and it got me so down too and I found it really hard, was very lucky to have amazing family / friends around me who helped a lot and stood by me and were understanding and supportive. Hoping so much that is the case for you too and will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. And remember you WILL get through this and this thing DOES get better, so just take each day as it comes right now don’t look too far ahead or put too much pressure on yourself / expect too much of yourself - your body really needs time and space to recovery but absolutely it will recover with time so hang in there and thinking about you! Message any time not feeling great or whatever Jenna, the forum has some really good people on it who are supportive and knowledgeable.
Craig