one year update

Ears, nose and throat
1

Hi all,

It has been about one year since I became ill with mono. I wanted to post a one year update to hopefully encourage and show those that are struggling that it DOES get better!

In late February 2018 I got what I thought was the flu. It was the worst “flu” I ever experienced. Starting in March 2018 I had sudden bouts of anxiety. I was not worried or stressed about anything. I would be sitting on my bed relaxing, doing homework, etc, and suddenly my heart would start beating fast and I would feel anxious. For a while this only happened occasionally. I thought nothing of it. Then, slowly, it got worse and worse until I felt anxious at all times. The only way that I can really explain it is that in my mind I was not worried, but my body felt tense all the time and was in a constant state of fight or flight. I could not calm the sensation down no matter what I tried.

Finally, in May, after enduring two months of the anxiety for seemingly no reason, I really fell ill. I had a panic attack one day and did not go back to school after that. The worst of the physical symptoms seemed to materialize in a matter of a couple days. I got suddenly very weak, dizzy, had immense brain fog, lost my appetite, felt very unbalanced, had even more anxiety because of the scary physical symptoms. I stayed in bed all day. I was very sleepy, slept until lunch every day, and could only muster up the energy to even shower every couple days. May and June were the worst months, luckily I have an amazing family who was there with me every step of the way. For those two months they encouraged me to go outside and walk, even if it was a little. I would go to the park and walk maybe 50 steps to go sit down on a bench by the water. Even though I felt horrible, this boosted my morale a little. At times I would get weird new symptoms popping up. Things like a weird tingly sensation on one side of my face and forehead or heartburn after eating diary. Some of these would only last for a week and then go away, but the weakness and dizziness were the most persistent symptoms.

Little by little, I could walk more and more. I was able to hang out with my friends for two hours by the beach in July. I went to my sister’s wedding in August. It was in our backyard but I had enough energy to talk to the guests and actually enjoy myself. I also went for a short vacation in August and was able to walk quite a bit more than usual. Finally, by the time my birthday came around towards the end of august I had enough energy to invite my friends over to celebrate. I could do things around the house like taking out dishes, and I actually had the energy to dress up, make my bed, do normal things that I hadn’t done for ages.

I went back to school in September for my senior year of Highschool. At that point I was feeling better but still pretty crappy about half the time. It was hard to get up in the morning, I was still extremely sleepy and dizzy. Luckily, I got through it. I had to take some days off during the fall semester, but I can say that it only went uphill from there. When Christmas break rolled around, I was able to go skiing for a couple hours. I was also able to take a snowboard lesson and do some snowshoeing with my family. After these activities I would have to rest for a couple days and regain some energy, but I was pretty glad to get out.

everything between the Christmas break and now has been pretty normal. Yeah, I still get sleepy, I still feel a little wobbly sometimes, but overall I don’t even think about feeling unwell anymore and thats because I don’t. I think I feel 90% better by now, and I am able to enjoy the warm spring weather and pretty much lead a normal life again.

One other note - this whole time I not only suffered from physical symptoms but also felt quite depressed most of the time. Even after the worst months in the summer, a strange feeling of depression lingered, even as I was getting better. It has only recently subsided. So for those of you struggling, know that you are not alone. It’s so hard to really describe the horrors of this virus, I could have gone on for much longer and in much more detail, but that isn’t the point. These symptoms and feelings suck, but it won’t be forever. It takes time and it takes patience to recover from this, but all of you who are going through it will be stronger for it. If anyone has any questions about symptoms, please feel free to ask me! Knowing that someone went through the same thing as you is very reassuring and I know the forum really helped me with that. Anyways, thank you for those of you who took the time to read all of that.

Hang in there everyone,

Dominika

2

Well said! So glad you are feeling better. At times when suffering from this virus it does seem there is no light at the end…but there is. It comes at you fast with all kinda of weird effects and lingers and lingers until it slowly decides to give up…just before we do. My experience like a lot of others has been mind boggling. I have never been through and hope i never will again something that leaves you feeling so helpless, hurting and literally beaten down. Although after 15 months i am not yet 100% i am now optimistic and amazed how well i do feel. You are correct about patience because it will take all you have, but with time and will power we all can conquer this virus. Thanks for posting as it is great to see that we can be normal again !

3

Hey Dominika,

Just reading your story really hits home how much you have had to go through since last February. Living through those days and weeks and months on end when you’re body is feeling so beaten up and you’re frightened and worried and just not sure at all what’s happening in your body is something so intense and awful, it really is, but you have shown great courage Dominika and I truly believe that horrible as it has been that this experience is going to make you a stronger, more resilient and better person in the long run.

For me I found that once I went through mono it put a lot of other silly and relatively minor things I used to worry or get upset about into perspective - makes you realise how much we rely on God for everything and how good and amazing and kind He is when He helps us up again when we’re in our lowest and darkest place with this virus.

I truly agree Cjay that this thing can be so deep and painful to go through indeed, and Dominika it is very normal and understandable to go through some real depression and anxiety when going through this and even in the recovery phase because it can be so long and drawn out.

But I believe that you guys Dominika and Cjay are overcomers and will continue to improve and get stronger physically and mentally over the coming period - I know it took me a while for my confidence to rebuild after going through this virus, but it does come so hang in there if still feeling a bit shaky at times just now! And I definitely believe that your stories of progress and recovery can really help and encourage others going through the tough stage of this virus right now - that people will know that even though it can be a dark and long tunnel, that there is light at the end of that tunnel and that they will get better.

Thanks for your wonderful post again Dominika - you truly are a blessing to this site and are helping others so much with your words - amazing!!

Craig

4

Thanks for sharing. You sound like such a mature person for your age, that’s amazing. You have handled this situation so well.
My story is exactly like yours. My one year mark is in August and I’m at 90%. It was terrible for a long time and then around February I rapidly improved. I still have a weird symptom every now and then, but mostly I feel normal.
Glad to hear life is getting back to normal for you and hoping the same for everyone else.

5

Great to hear you are feeling better too! I saw a very big improvement around February too. I totally still have some odd feelings every now and then too, but it’s like nothing compared to the summer! Just silly little inconveniences at this point.

6

Hey Jen,

Really pleased to hear that you have been doing much better since February. It’s strange but it can be such a common thing with the virus that it can be a real struggle with seemingly little progress for a long period and then all of a sudden there can be a real major step forward or improvement in a short space of time. My experience was a little like that too, although of course recovery wasn’t overnight or immediate, but just to feel a real step forward gave me so much hope and encouragement at a time where I had been struggling t hold onto hope and optimism.

Things will continue to improve Jen as the months go on, gradually your body will get stronger and stronger until you just feel normal again, that was my experience and hoping, praying and believing that it will be yours too. Also believing that your recovery story and timescale will give a lot of others finding it hard today or in an intense phase of the virus real hope and belief that they will get better - because it’s true there is recovery and good health and full and active life after mono / glandular fever - there really is! And that’s coming from someone who struggled badly with it during that first year.

Craig

7

I fell ill in spring 2016, started resting properly only in spring 2018, but then in fall went for uni. Im still sick and another summer is going out of the window. its been over 3 years for me. Doctor were absolutely useless, actually encouraged me to live normally, parents useless as well. I finally know what to do, but wasted so much time. Hopefully one day Ill be back

8

You WILL be back to good health Lob, I still believe that. You’ve been through such a tough 3 years, to keep going with your uni and everything through that time I can only imagine how tough that has been but it says a lot about your character, that you are a fighter and that you are courageous. Take heart from these things. You WILL get the victory over this thing once and for all, even though it’s been so long and goodness knows you must be weary and drained - there is hope Lob cling tightly to that, I strongly believe God’s divine intervention is at hand and on the horizon in your situation.

Craig