Glandular Fever Online

How long will it last?

How do I know if I am getting better?

How do I know when I need to rest?

These are just some of the questions you ask yourself while experiencing Glandular Fever.

Doctors and books will give you some indication as to what you can expect, but I believe nothing is as good as hearing from others who have gone through the same.  One of the hardest things about this illness is that no one can tell you exactly what to expect. While everyone’s experience will differ, I believe by sharing our story we can at least help prepare and support those going through it now.

What you may expect PHYSICALLY

Here I am not just talking about the initial stage of sore throat, fever and swollen glands. I am talking about what to expect afterwards. (Don’t get me wrong; this first bit is hard too – I needed morphine, anti-inflammatories and a few days in the hospital). But once this stage passes, the real challenge begins.

One of the most interesting things I found was the various different types of tiredness. I know – ‘types of tiredness’, what on earth do you mean?! Before experiencing Glandular Fever, I did not know so many different types of tiredness existed!There is the really really deep tiredness that feels like every bone and every cell in your body is just exhausted. Then there was the headache-y tiredness which is more like a warning that you are pushing yourself and need to back off. Or, worst of all, when you feel so tired all you want to do is sleep, but you can’t sleep, so you are stuck in horrible limbo for hours.

Glandular Fever quite often also affects the spleen or liver. Mine was my liver. Who knew that liver’s could hurt? I sure didn’t! The pain was hardly bearable at the start, but then later it only hurt when I was starting to get tired – a handy little sign from my body to slow down!

Now, 6 months later, I am feeling much better – I only need short naps during the day and feel almost like my old energetic self when I am awake. Something that really helped me feel physically better is when I started feeling mentally and emotionally better.

Please visit the section of “What you can expect mentally and emotionally” for more.

Everyone’s experience will vary. I would love to hear about yours!

Especially if you have or have had Chronic Fatigue or Fibromyalgia – these are obviously much harder to deal with and a different experience again.

Please, help others by sharing your story!

“Just rest” is not satisfactory if you ask me. While it is clearly an important part of the recovery, it does not help you mentally or emotionally because it doesn’t feel like you are doing anything. Feeling proactive in your recovery is very helpful mentally and emotionally (as well as physically, hopefully!).

There are several natural and alternative treatment options available and many places advertising how their treatment is the best one.

Personally, I found Chinese herbs to be extremely effective (much more than the loads of vitamins I was taking). In fact, I found the approach of Traditional Chinese Medicine extremely helpful because it deals with the illness holistically. After about two weeks of taking the herbs, I felt almost like my old self again! It was amazing!

I would love to hear from you.

What did you do? What did you try? What helped you?

Also, which specific people and places helped you?