Throat.... new white spots at 5 wk mark

Ears, nose and throat
1

hi all.
im feeling pretty down after 5 weeks of feeling rubbish. i had bloods taken yesterday for GF as well as full blood count but the uncertainty of knowing whats happening in my body is making me so anxious.

i started with a low level sore throat about 5 weeks ago - i thought it was a tonsil stone coming as was just mild - this continued for 3 weeks coming and going.

it then got slightly worse and at this point noticed white spots ans swelling of tonsils. at this point i started feeling “odd” and nauseous and was given antibiotics to treat strep throat. 10 days of those and though some reduction in swelling and spots they were atill there. THE gP then gave me fungal meds thinking it was oral thrush which seemed to ease sore throat a little.

at same time i started feeling weak and tired which has been on and off this week.

so antibiotics done and fungal meds finished yeaterday … and then this morning i have a NEW white spot on tonsil.

glands in neck still feel big and i can feel one specifically when i swallow. on and off feeling jelly legs.

i feel down about this feeling of no improvement (and bow new synptom). as yet ive no diagnosis but now hoping (after reading this forum) that it IS mono as im fearing something worse now.

2

Hi,
All of your symptoms sound like mono to me, so your bloodwork should probably clear anything else.
I had all tests done, even pet- and ct scan, all came out fine, except for the mono test.
This illness can bring many symptoms, all of yours have been described by others here on the forum, so be assured they are pretty normal, although terribly annoying.
Keep us posted, and I wish you a speedy recovery.

3

thank you. my instinct and this forum make me believe its mono/Gf but thr uncertainty is playing on my mind and making me thibk the worst.
Thanks for commenting x

4

Hi Used-to-be-me,

So sorry to hear what you’ve been going through this past 5 weeks, I had mono a number of years ago and what you describe in that first 5 weeks reminds me so much of what I felt in that time too, both physically and mentally. It took me about 4 weeks or so to get diagnosed after first starting to feel unwell, and similar to you I had just a strange ‘off’ feeling, just knowing I wasn’t right, felt drained and fatigued, with low grade fever and swollen glands and different aches and pains.

You’ve absolutely done the right thing going to get a blood test for mono, I remember how awful and worrying it was not knowing why I was feeling so unwell and just wanted you to know I was thinking about you, and absolutely to reassure you that if this is mono, you most DEFINITELY will get over it and back to full health again. It is such a horrible and frustrating virus to go through, it can take a little time to get back to full health again and that is normal with this thing, but truly you will get there - just so important to rest a lot, remove stress if you can (although I know this virus in itself is a terrible stress so it sounds silly to say), and definitely put your health first, if you need to take time away from work / studies / school whatever.

This virus feels so intense and is so draining, so it certainly could be that, hoping either way that you can get the results soon and it can put your mind at rest. And most definitely remember you will get better! I struggled so much during this virus and I know it was only down to God I was able to get better, and I truly believe God will help you to get better too be this mono or another similar type thing.

One thing that helped me a lot during recovery was taking vitamins and herbs, a good strong multi-vitamin per day (in the UK here I take Immunace Extra), higher doses of Vitamin C (1000mg-3000mg per day), a B complex vitamin or Co-enzyme Q10 (great for nervous system and energy levels) and immune boosting herbs like siberian ginseng, echinacea and oregano. But I’m no expert at all in herbs or vitamins, only going on what helped me and my own research - it’s so important to check for any interactions with other medications / conditions before starting any supplements - also seeing a good herbalist or herbal specialist can be really helpful.

It’s a great and supportive forum on here - please feel free to message any time and let us know how you get on with your blood test results, thinking about you and remember be this mono or not - you WILL get better - I know it’s so hard to see that in the midst of it, I remember how awful just getting through a single day was with mono in those first 5 or 6 weeks, so hang in there and remember your body will recover with a bit of time.

Craig

5

thank you so much for the reply and advice. i just had a call from GP tp say my bloods were normal and EbV bloods were normal. i cant help but feel a bit disappointed as now have no explanation for feeling so off and weak. i was convinced my symptoms fit GF/mono.

craig - ill still fpllpw your advice on the supplements and hope whatever this is is soon put of my system.

thanks all

6

It is mono. 100%. Antibiotics didn’t help, fungal meds didn’t help, it can’t be anything else. The thing is it is a very small time window when the iGM (active infection) antibodies actually show positive on the tests. While the actual symptoms of the infection often last months. Doctors act like they don’t know this, so they almost never diagnose mono. For most people the tests only show past infection - and that’s not very helpful since most people had mono at some point.
I think you can be sure it’s mono, believe it or not.

7

Hi Usetobeme,

The same thing happened to me. You will feel this way for awhile. I also felt it had to be something more, as I had never had feelings like this before with any illness. It also causes a weird anxiety feeling to go along with everything else. You will recover it just takes time.

8

thank you @Mono_too for replying. what bit was the same? in that you tested negative for mono/gf?
ive felt so weak these past fee days, with sore throat and ear to one side… its really confused me that my test results are all normal as i dont feel like that!!

9

Hi Mono too.
Yep same boat here. It funny how the timing of a blood test can either show it or not. Apparently its pretty common Usedtobeme.
Wishing you all the best of luck and hoping for continued healing

10

Hi Usedtobeme,

So sorry to hear that the blood test results hasn’t offer any explanation for why you have been feeling this way, not having a definitive diagnosis is so hard and I hope and pray that you can find a doctor that can offer the right support / advice to help with this.

One thing worth keeping in mind as Sweebee says is that many people miss a mono diagnosis because the blood test only shows positive for a current infection of mono for a short period of time, a few weeks or so I believe. It was about a month after I took unwell that I had a blood test for EBV, and it showed positive but in a way that the levels were going down (even though I still felt terrible and continued to for some time), so if I had a blood test a couple of weeks later it might not have shown positive for mono and I wouldn’t have had an explanation.

One thing maybe worth asking the doc if not already done so is that they can tell I think from blood tests for EBV if there has been a past infection or not - so that might be something worth asking, or asking for blood test for if it is a different blood test (sorry my knowledge on blood tests and things is very limited).

Yes the supplements can help for sure, and remember whether this is mono or another similar type virus / illness, you will get better from it - nasty viruses like mono can leave you feeling wiped out for many weeks so just make sure you rest and look after yourself, and remember that you will get better! I truly believe you will with some time, trusting God with that, keep in touch and let us know how you are doing over the next few weeks of course.

Craig