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Mono
I was diagnosed with Mono in June. My symptoms pretty much went away except for fatigue. I'm tired basically all the time. I go to bed around 11pm and I have to take 2+ naps during the day, usually when I come home from school. I recently had a blood test done and it said that I was still positive for Mono since it can show up on your blood test for months or even years. Is there anything I can do for the fatigue?? Am I still recovering from Mono or could it be something else?? Thanks!!
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I'm sorry to hear you are ill. Mono, particularly when it leads to protracted symptoms of fatigue and generally feeling under the weather, is a nasty disease to have to deal with when you want to be busy and having fun as a teenager.
Mono (or Glandular Fever) is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, which is actually one of the most common viruses in humans across the world. After exposure to the virus (which for many people, particularly when they are younger, doesn't lead to any noticeable symptoms) you will develop antibodies. These will then be in your blood (in greater or lesser amounts) forever. This is a good thing, as it helps you from relapsing and getting the really nasty symptoms again, but it makes active cases of the virus quite hard to detect, as the test for Mono is just the test for the antibodies in your blood. A very high count means you either have the the disease, have recently had it, or the spike is caused by other damage to your immune system. An average or low count just means that you have been exposed to the bug and now have some resistance to it. My point is, your blood test doesn't necessarily mean that you still have Mono, or that you have relapsed, or anything you need to worry about. It sounds like you are unfortunately just one of the unlucky ones that take longer than average to recover. Although you should keep an eye on things with the help of your doctor, if you don't experience any symptoms other than the fatigue, I think all you can do is try to take it easy and give your body time to repair.
Unfortunately there is no real cure for the fatigue associated with mono other than a good amount of rest, and the normal recommended eating well and taking care of yourself. Getting to bed at a reasonable time is important, but routine is also cruical. It may be tempting when you feel exhausted to crash at the weekends and sleep in till lunchtime, but this may well make you feel more exhausted come Monday morning. If you have a set routine during the week of 8 hours sleep and a nap, don't sway too wildly from this during the weekends or time you have off so that you can eventually return to your normal routine.
Also, try not to let others get you down. Fatigue, like other 'invisible illnesses' can be trivialised by well-meaning friends who aren't able to understand just how exhausting doing not very much can be when you are ill or recovering from this illness. Be patient with them, as it's difficult to understand unless you have been there, but don't let your friends or family push you too hard to do things if you are not yet ready.
All the best. I hope you feel better soon.
Ona
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