Glandular Fever.

[Johnny_]

Hello everyone,

Firstly I’d like to say thankyou for the stories you have all shared on this site which have helped so many people get through the days, weeks, months and years.

Recently i too have read your stories as I too didn’t know where to turn.

I am a fit an active person who is always on the go and have lived a healthy lifestyle.

About 12 weeks ago, I had a ear/throat infection that cleared up within two weeks while taking antibiotics. About 6 weeks ago, I suddenly felt tired during a gym workout.

I went home and rested for the remainder of the day thinking I was just tired however I woke up in the morning exhausted and with a little to no appetite. I had muscle aches and was just fatigued.

I rested the next day too and since I was not getting better I went to the doctor the following day.

After numerous tests (bloods/ecg/xrays) blood tests showed I recently had glandular fever. (Possibly about 12 weeks ago when I was sick) and was advised to rest rest rest.

Since then I have very slowly had a little bit of energy to do the normal domestic duties around home and walk for 20min twice a day.

In the last week I managed to return to work on light duties however today I crashed...like I am back to square one! I just want to cry and it feels like I am not getting better.

i look at the changes in my body and it just upsets me...the weight I’ve lost is shocking and I don’t know what to do.

over this time I’ve experienced anxiety which was scary and relied on your stories to get me through and advise me on how to cope...and .it worked so I saythankyou.

i guess if anyone has a glandular fever success story, it be great to hear it.

I’m hoping this isn’t chronic fatigue syndrome as I’m scared it is as I don’t know how I’d financially support myself. I’d like to go back to work as I enjoy it.

thankyou for reading my post.

[Flowertop]

Hi Johnny

This sounds really hard for you, understandably and especially since you were so active, so you must be missing that as well

I guess you just have to listen to your body and do as much as you can. I hope you have someone looking after you or people that will do things for you so you don’t have to over exert as I know that makes things work.

Hang in there and I hope you get well soon.

[Johnny_]

Hi Flowertop,

thankyou for your message. yes it’s been terrible...I’d give anything just to be normal again or just to be able to work.

I don’t really have anyone helping around home but I am doing things in an smart way to only use small amounts of energy.

again, thankyou I’m holding in there:)

[Matchy69]

I to had Glandular fever,i was about 18 y.o and it really knocked me back,i was like you with no energy really struggled to do anything even stopped seeing my friends.I was still living at home and had my parents support.I dropped out of TAFE and just stayed at home for months.It would be a couple of years later i would get a job as a builders labourer but still strughled with that.I am 50 now and still feel the effect of having glandular fever.I am a carer for my special needs kids and they wear me out.

Hang in there and hope things improve for you.

[Johnny_]

Hi Match69,

thankyou for your reply and sharing your story with me. You have certainly been through a tuff time yourself.

Its so debilitating far more than I thought it would be and progress is so slow too if any at all right now.

thanks again

[Flowertop]

Hey Johnny

Just wondering if you woke up feeling rested at all, if you haven’t just go with it. It is awful that impeding feeling of doom when you know you want to get up and do things but you just can’t. We take our activity and jobs for granted.
Have you tried anything to make you at least feel relaxed like those meditation apps, won’t make you more energetic but could relieve the angst that goes with it.
I have known a few people that have gone through what you have and I think there would be thousands in the same situation. It is pretty silent because it makes you isolated. I don’t think people really understand what it is like.

Is your weightloss because you have no appetite or it is too much effort/exhausting to shop, prepare food and eat.
Are you able to reach out to friends/family for support with household stuff. I just know that rest and nutrition will aid your recovery.

It was good that you managed to get to the point to trail back at work. Hopefully you will get to that point again soon.

[Johnny_]

Hi Flowertop,

I appreciate you reaching out to check on me. Thankyou:)

I had 7 hrs uninterrupted sleep which is my norm but woke up much the same, still very fatigued. I am doing meditation though and that seams to help so I do that at various times of the day as it settles me.

I’ll admit, the aches and tingling are not as intense as yesterday since using a cold pack across my forehead so I’m doing that on and off too.

the people you know that went through it, do you know if they relapsed at all? and did they get past it in a few months? just curious. I am concerned it’s something else but my blood tests clearly say I had it recently so that what I tell myself too.

initially the weight loss was because I had no appetite at all so I was force feeding 3 normal meals a day. I did expect to loss some weight as I ate a lot due to my gym training. Atm since this relapse my appetite is mostly still there so I’m managing to eat throughout the day but it tires me a little so a cook in bulk.

No family nearby but I have friends who will help out if I ask. They are not around the corner but will come if I need them. Atm I’ve just been ordering coles delivery and eating loads of vegetables too.

I hope to return soon too. Thankyou again for replying.

[Flowertop]

Hi Johnny

I guess everyone’s experience of this is different. The people that I know all tried different things but I think it’s important you have a good GP who you see regularly or refers you to a doctor that has a real interest in this and can monitor and guide you.
What I do know is low mood is part of it and it’s like what comes first the chicken or the egg.
You sound very motivated to do whatever it takes and great you are eating properly.
The aches and tingles sound relentless but good you have found ice packs give you some relief. Relieving the pain surely helps your body rest and recover.
It is a good thing that you were able to sleep last night.
You will get through this.

[Johnny_]

Hi Flowertop,

Thankyou again for replying to my message, I appreciate it:)

My GP actually just went on holidays a couple of days before my relapse otherwise I would have seen her as she is great! I am still following her advice even with this set back as it worked before.

The low mood is frustrating, crying for no reason multiple times today was just weird but I know I was very physically fatigued at the time so I just went with it and felt a little better after.

Its crazy how everyone experiences this so differently but in a sense the same in regards to it unpredictability of physical and mental changes.

i like what you said there, “relieving the pain surely helps the body rest and recover” I honestly never really thought about that and it’s so obvious too. I think this can apply to anyone experiencing these kind of symptoms, thankyou for that.

I’ll admit, this evening, I feel much better then yesterday and my mood is much better too even though I have a long way to go, it nice to feel better then I did 24hrs ago .

Thankyou..when I make small amounts of progress it gives me confidence that I will too:)

[Flowertop]

Morning Johnny

How was your night? Today is another day. It is so hard over Christmas with all the services like GP etc, taking a break. It’s like this with everything over this period. Warning: don’t get a tooth ache on Christmas Eve because there is no help out there for days as a friend of mine learnt a couple of years ago.

I know sometimes with health, it is 2 steps forward and one step back. It seems cruel especially when you are living it and it can feel that it is more backwards than forward at times.

You said that you had friends and I believe that connecting with them even for short periods can at least lift your mood. That can be hard especially if you have always run around after them when they come over, but you need to let your friends know that you can’t do that at the moment but company for a short time may be good for you. I don’t know what your family situation is like but we had a friend a few years ago who went through a similar thing and occasionally he would come and stay with us for a few days and I would cook for him and just being around people seemed to make a difference. He mainly rested but when he was up for it we would play cards(nothing too heavy). Just a thought.

You said you have no control over crying on and off yesterday and you are right just to go with it. That is really hard when you are use to having a lot of control. You have to remember that it is just the illness.
Hope your day is bearable today and you are at the least comfortable.

Take care.