Kids with MONO?

My brother had mono at the same age, diagnosed after months of wrong diagnosis. He was wiped out for a while (a couple of months), but he's now a very healthy adult. He has never had another case of it.

Hi X.,
I woiuld definatly either have the sitter speak with the girl's parents or you speak with her yourself... I actually had mono myself in middle school... it was not fun. It's labeled the "kissing disease" but you can get it by just being around a person with active mono, at least that's what I had been told. You do live with it... but as long as she stays healthy otherwise, gets plenty of rest, A full night's sleep each night. she should be fine once all the major symptoms have passed. I have not had a problem with it in years... it really only crops up when i get overly stressed and then overly exhausted. I try not to let that happen.
Good luck, and i hope this has helped
-N.

Dear worried mom
It is hard to say how your little one got Mono. What you need to do is to make sure that she does not drink from any other child's or adult's cups. It is caught by saliva. Mono is not always detected in people, but some people can be a carrier. I had it at 13 years old and my son had it at 15 yrs old. To find out more about this disease go to the website, www.webmd.com I love this site. Another thing I would do is to ask the babysitter what exactly the little girl that is always sick, what are her symptoms and diagnosis. If it is constant tonsillitis, it could be mono. You do need to inform the babysitter your daughter has it, because she needs to tell the other parents being that it is contagious. I understand that daycares can be expensive, but in the long run, the safety and health of our children come into factor by using them. If you live in the Carlstadt/East Rutherford area, look into the Children's Studio, in East Rutherford. My daughter was 6 weeks old when she started there and now she is 8. She now attends their summer camp. I live in Carlstadt, feel free to email me anytime. Good luck. C. ____@____.com

Any transmission of saliva will spread mono. Kissing, sharing food, sharing utensils, drinks, or even putting a slobery toy in ones mouth after someone else. Mono can not be treated with antibiotics. They were probably for an infection such as strep throat she may have had with the Mono. Mono lowers her immune system so be sure she gets plenty of sleep, and is not running around and being crazy like most children. You definately need to tell the daycare provider that your daughter has mono, and it is her responsibility to inform the other parents as well. Mono is not something your daughter will have to deal with the rest of her life except that it can stay dormant in her body, and appear at times of stress or low immunity. It's mo more worrisome then having once had chicken pox and it stays around and can someday show up as the Shingles. Just becareful that you don't take her out much while she is recovering since she can easily get sick with other things right now.

Mono is a viral infection that is passed by close contact, like sharing a cup, or touching an infected person where their may be a transfer of mucus. It is diagnosed with a blood test. She could have caught it easily at a daycare or doctors office. Kids that age are very touchy, and they stick there hands in and out of there mouth, so while she has it, please be sure that your boys wash there hands and don't touch their eyes or mouth when playing with there sister to minimize risk of catching it. If an expectant mother catches it, it can also cause a miscarrage or birth defects, so stay away from pregnant mommies for a while, and if you were thinking of trying, wait. It used to be called the "kissing disease" because the kids that usually got it were teenagers. I had my first bout at 12, and I was not kissing boys at that time. I probably caught it in the nurse's office, since I spent one of my class periods as a helper. It affected my spleen and caused it to swell, and took me 6 months to fully recover. You need to take this seriously, and follow your doctor's instruction, and make sure that she gets plenty of rest, avoids stressful or exciting events, and keep her at home as much as possible. Also, make sure that you clean like one of your children have the flu. I caught it twice, so you can get it again. My second time was at 20. I was less sick, but it kept me home for 2 weeks.

A cursory overview of the infection does not indicate that it will have long-term affects on your daughter. Why would she have to deal with this for "the rest of her life?".

Of course you should make your sitter as well as the parents of the other children aware of the situation and even provide them with a flier or printout educating them on the virus. Unless they are kissing your daughter in the mouth they won't catch it but they should be careful since small kids tend to put everything in their mouths.
Good luck

Its not unusual for only one family member to have the mono. It is very important that you let the day care and family members you were in contact with, that the virus mono is in your family so if they have symptoms they can be checked. It does not matter who she got it from, except for them to be able to take care of themselves for the 2 to 6 weeks. Those who have it you need to treat the virus. Your child will have many virus illness, there body gets stronger, none of us want our children sick. Good hand washing and don't share drinks and food. stay strong. I am a pediactric nurse.

Hello. Thanks for sharing your situation. MONO is TOUGH. I had it at 17 years old and missed that year's prom. Fatigue is majorly linked to this. I was exhausted. I would definately tell the other mom's in the babysitting circle, as mono is passed through saliva...which is why it was thought as a 'kissing' disease. Still is to those who don't understand it...with babies with fingers in their mouths (and each others mouths) I see how this can happen so young.
You do recover from MONO...with heathy habits including sleep and excellent diet, be encouraged, she will recover...one friend's son did take several months to recover and it affected his school attendance...so it does take time. Be calm. Be patient....and do not blame yourself. You sound like an excellent Mom.
H.

Hi X.,
first of all - calm down. Mononucleosis is just another infectious disease, anyone can get it and once your are done with it you have immunity for the rest of your life. Just like with mumps, measles, rubella etc! She shouldn't have gotten antibiotics for this since it is viral, unless the doctor thought she had another infection on top of that (btw - diarrhea could have been caused by the antibiotcs). So you just keep her home for as long as she has fever and doesn't feel well, feed her well (chicken broth, garlic and onion to boost her immunity, fruits, diluted orange juice for vit. C etc. try not to let her run and do crazy things until your doctor tells your that her spleen is back to normal size (has she had it enlarged at all?). Last - have you had good experience with your doctor so far? It seems like he is not giving you the feeling of security. Of course it's always tough when your child is sick, but this one is REALLY not the end of the world. She will be fine! It just needs time.
Yes, she might have gotten it at babysitter's house, and you should definitely let her know about it, and you should keep your daughter at home since she can be contagious to other children (after all - you cannot be sure where she got it from). Yet again - it could have happened in any daycare setting, and by the way - parents are always obliged to inform the school if their child is sick, for the school to know what's going on and to perhaps be able to take some precaustions and/or at least let other parents know. This is the down side of having your children socializing and this is not the last sickness she will acquire.
Last but not least - wash your and all member of your family's hands! As often as possible! This is really the best way to avoid spreading viral diseases. Also wash thorougly all the dishes and utensils that your daughter has been using.

Good luck and keep your chin up! Everything will be fine!

hi, not to say anything against any of the other mothers...but 1 had said to calm down, and relax, once she gets over it, she'll never get it again...well, that mother must not have ever dealt with it before. i had it once in my life yes...but that's because once i got it, i was EXTREMELY careful about who i kissed, and shared a drink or food with! just because it's a "kissing" disease, doesn't mean that's the ONLY way to get it. i got mine from a long time friend that i merely shared a soda with. w/in 20 min i was told NOT to share anything food/drink with her because she had mono..which i wound up getting. she had gotten it by kissing a boy, and actually had gotten it maybe 3 times since. she was lucky though, only getting the mono. i personally had gotten epstein barr....now some say that epstein barr causes the mono, some say that everyone has it, but if you get mono, it brings the epstein barr out to effect you. once you have a problem like that, it's something that can effect you for the rest of your life. causing fatigue, easily getting sick (which is most likely the reason that the 1 lil girl is always sick).

i would definitely talk to the babysitter. let her know what happened. tell her that you don't want to stop having her watch your daughter, things are great, however you feel/want to tell her. but let her know that the lil girl that's always sick most likely gave it to her, being that no-one else in your family has it (and have all been tested) and that you don't want her kid, or any other kids getting sick! she really should have the same rules of a daycare...if the kid's sick, they have to stay home! when i babysit i do the same. i wouldn't risk my daughter, me, or my husband getting sick just to watch someone else's kid no matter how much i need the money. just let her know what's going on, and hopefully she'll do something about it.
oh, and don't really worry about it, i did suffer from all of that while i was in school, they had me out for about 1-2 months....and i had some of the side effects (fatigue) for about 2-3 yrs afterwards, but i'm fine. just make sure you talk to the dr about certain things she should have. like vitamins, and foods. once the fatigue started to effect my schoolwork, my mother took me to a nutritionalist and she gave me many vitamins to take (remember i was much older then ur daughter is now) and w/in a couple of months, i went back to taking a one a day vitamin and i'm fine. good luck!

I had mono 3 times. I got it as a child and 2x as an adult. Once your body had it once you can get it again. You are not suppose to drink out of someone's cup or use someone's utensils and share someone's food. This is how you pick it up. Now that I am an adult I get mono from just being runned down. Your child should also take vitamins. The first time you get mono is the worst, but if you get it again, it's not as bad.

I would think about maybe changing babysitters. Is the place disinfected? Kids washing hands? If you live in NJ I own and operate my own daycare/preschool and the kids are healthy.

Best of luck.

M. S.
Owner/Director
Little Achievers

Hi:
My daughter caught mono at a much later age (14) than your daughter. My daughter caught it by drinking from a soda can that her friend had been drinking from. It is possible that your daughter got it from the little girl you are talking about since they are in the same environment. Mono is easy to catch. Maybe they used the same cup or a spoon and the baby sitter may not even have known. Please know that even though it remains in the body it only flares up under really stressful conditions once the initial period is gone through (my daugher was ordered to bed rest when she was initially diagnosed for a couple of weeks and then just to rest and watch herself for another couple of weeks.) My daughter did not have a flare up for 8 years. She recently had a relapse because she is overdoing it in college in terms of courses, activities and work.

I would advise you to speak to the baby sitter. Ask her if she does know if the little girl has mono and also alert her not to let the other children she watches drink from the same cup as your daughter or the little girl you suspect may have given your daughter the mono. I would also consider speaking to the other children's parents so they can talk to their own kids about mono and how to prevent it. Be aware of your daughter kissing other people, including you, hubby and other children in the mouth (mono is also known as the Kissing Disease) while she is still going through this flare up. Once it is over (usually 4 to 6 weeks), it's okay but not while she is still going through it. Advise your children not to share cups, utensils, etc. until she is over the hump so to speak. She will also need a lot of rest and I know that will be difficult with 2 year olds bundles of energy.

Hope this is helpful.
D.