Has Anyone Had Mono as an Adult?

I feel for you - children that age just don't understand when Mama is sick. I had it a few years ago, when my son was about 2 years old. I was lucky; it was a mild case. I had a bad sore throat, but I didn't feel that tired. It was more that I tired out easily. I pushed it, and, next thing I know, my doctor says my spleen is enlarged and insists I go onto full disability from work for several weeks.

Fortunately, my Mom came and stayed for a couple of weeks and my husband, in addition to his job, took care of my son completely when he was home. Between them, I was able to rest and get better.

Good luck!

Yes, I had it under same circumstances as you, and it was horrible, tired all time spent alot of time on the couch. It seems like the first few weeks were the worst with sore throat and fever, being tired all the time, it will be hard to do, if you have family that could help u that would be great for u I did not have that. Just hang in there the effects can linger on for several months as they did for me but be strong no matter what BS some may say o u should be over that already not so for many... just get lots of rest eat good foods and drink lots of fluids...AND TELL YOUR PARTNER TO CHILL OUT YOU CAN GET THIS FROM BEING RUN DOWN AND NO HELP. ITS NOT ALWAYS THE KISSING DISEASE...
HOPE U FEEL BETTER SOON
CDA
I WAS 29 AND STAY AT HOME MOMMY AS WELL, HAD TOXEMIA WITH PREGNANCY OF YOUNGEST WHO WAS 2 AND OTHER CHILD 4 JUST LIKE U..

you HAVE to get help!!whether its a nighbor to do the laundry, grandma's for dinner, whatever. yu will never get over it if you don't take it easy. it also enlarges your spleen to dangerous sizes. too much activity can be dangerous. every few years i get a mild case of it because i didn't take care of myself the first time i got it. be careful and good luck!

Expect to be even more tired than usual (running around after 2 small children is exhausting enough). Expect your throat to hurt and for you to only be able to do things in short spurts. You'll feel completely wiped out doing the simplest of tasks! If you have a sitter- utilize it for the 2 two weeks and rest every chance you get. Feel better soon!

Hi L., I'm sorry to hear about the Mono. That's difficult to put it mildly with 2 young ones at home. Do you have any family in the area that could help out for several hours during the day? How about a few close friends? I know at our church we have a wonderful support group that are there whenever someone has a need such as yours. If you don't belong to a church you still might contact a church near you and see if there is a way that you could get some help through them. They are usually a good source. Or they may know of someone that would come in and help out for several hours a day to give you some extra time to rest. Good luck L.. My prayers are with you.

Please try to get either your mother or your mother-in-law to move in for a few weeks to take over caring for your children. Even a close, trusted friend. Maybe your husband could take some vacation or some women from church could come over daily to sit with the kids until your husband gets home?

When I had mono, I laid in bed for about three months. I got out of bed only to go to the bathroom, shower, or go to the doctor. I couldnt eat, and didnt have the stregnth to if I had had the apetite. I was ROASTING hot, but I had a water-bed at the time that I kept turning the heat UP on, layering flannel and fleece on top of me to get comfortable.

If you dont get help and rest, youre going to have some horrible side effects to add to the effects that mono leaves behind in it's wake anyway. It's MORE important for you to relinquish the care of your kids to someone who can help than to try to do it yourself.. Your kids need you to rest and get well, and you cant do that if you dont get help so you can take care of you..

If you dont take care of you, you may not be able to take care of anyone else for a long time.

You also need to take caution to avoid secondary infections with mono.. step throat and hepatitis are examples, but they can get much much worse, and more deadly.

My husband had it when he was 27. This was really tough on him because he was working full time. He ended up taking 14 weeks off of work and lost +/-30 pounds. His eating habits also changed. It took him a while to get back to "normal". I would get as much REST & SLEEP as possible. I am sure this is tough in your situation. I would also check with your pediatrician for advice with handling your kids. You have to really take care of yourself now so that you do not have any future reoccurances. He has bronchitis and tends to take longer to recover from colds, etc... Help from anyone will in turn help you get better quicker and safer. Good luck!

My husband and I both had mono as adults. He has a milder form that he didn't even know he had until it was almost gone. I had what I thought was a bad virus but I felt so tired that I got checked and sure enough. So- was your doctor able to predict which stage you were in, beginning or end? If you get the bad virus in the beginning, you will definitely need some help. Ewww. I'm so sorry. There is no such thing as a sick mama.

Hope you feel better soon!
Meanwhile Noggin.com and PBS kids are your friend. Treat it like you did when you first bring the baby home sleep when they sleep. Plan activities like coloring and reading stories, finger painting that will allow you to at least sit if not indeed lay down. Check around your neighborhood to find a high school or jr high kid to come play with the kids for a couple of hours after school and perhaps do some light housewok on the weekends. Also try to get as much prepared meal wise on the weekend as possible. Or invest in the meals available at grocery stores these days.
Good luck

I have had mono twice within one year. Find someone who is able to stay at your house to watch the children. I was not able to watch my children during the time I had it. The medicine knocks you out.

Mono is nothing to joke about. It can seriously mess you up for the rest of your life. I got it at 16 and it took a very long time (I am talking years) to get my health back in order. My friend got it at 30 and had to be hospitalized because he didn't take it seriously. It can lead to permanent organ damage (like your liver and kidneys). You mention you are married, so your husband is just going to have to handle things, or you are going to have to find someone to care for the kids, at least during the day. You need to get plenty of rest and this virus can last up to 6 weeks, but you can recover sooner IF you take care of this now. You may start out with mild symptoms, but you will feel worse before you begin to feel better. The symptoms are usually a severe sore throat, swollen lympth nodes, and extreme fatigue. I am sure you already know, but it is very contagious, so just be careful. Your spleen actually swells regardless with this virus, so make sure no lifting and drink plenty of fluids. After 10 days or so, they symptoms should start to ease up, if not, call your dr. Now, go to bed! :)

I had mono as an adult and I have 3 boys ages 10,7 and 4. I was not able to rest at all. Then again I had kidney stones at the same time. I would suggest resting as much as possible when your husband is home. Just make sure to do whatever the doctor says because when I had mono my spleen was quite swollen and I ended up in the hospital and they thought I was going to end up needing surgery to have it removed. If you have to, ask neighbors to come over and help out as well. My husband works second shift so even with the mono and kidney stones I had to take care of the boys while he was at work and it was no fun. Be sure to drink plenty of fluids too. Good luck and I hope you get well soon. D.

Find family, friends, neighbors - anyone who can help as much as possible. I got it when I was 20, I'm 34 now. I had it for 8 months and my health was permanently damaged from it b/c I was a single parent with NO help working a fulltime job to barely survive. I never rested and I never recovered. I might be an extreme case but I can only speak from personal experience. You have to give in to your body, stay under close Drs. care and take total care of yourself foremost the best you can right now. For me, it was the start of a downward spiral that I will never fully recover from, Fibro, Chronic Fatigue and so much more. You HAVE to take of you first or else you will never be able to take of anyone else....

Dear L.

I had mono when I was a JR. in high school. Missed 3 months of school. I pass it on to my children will I was pregnant. My daughter missed all of her 4th grade year of school and her 7th grade year of school. So what to expect well sleep is the best medicine you can get. But you need to have your doctor keep an eye on your liver and spleen my daughter got so big she was not even alound in the car for 2 months except for doctor appointment. If you don't get enough rest it turns in to cronic fituge synsdrom (spelling???) But as an adult it is hard to get over and it will always be in your system it can lay dorment for years and then all of a sudden it can reappear. Hope this helps you and good luck!!!!!!! A mom that has had it!!!!!

I had mono when I was in college (about age 21). I didn't even know that I had it. I felt so exhausted like someone was physically pushing my shoulders down. I guess its from a very weakened immune system? I heard it could be passed on? No kissing allowed?

The weird thing is that I remember resting and sleeping for a few hours here and there, but I never liked naps so it was hard for me to do. When one of my cousins had it as a teenager they slept for days. For me, I didn't. I don't know when it ended or if it ever did.

I heard that once you have it your immune system is more vulnerable to it in the future, but it appeared as mysteriously as it disappeared. Don't even know if its a real illness?? Just seems like a result of a lot of stress and exhaustion---which I'm sure that you are experiencing having two young ones!