mzsooz

My mono brought on my fibromyalgia but they are definitely two animals. Yes, you test positive for Epstein Barr but the dr told me that by a certain age everyone tests positive. Most people don't end up with mono with it. You need to have the mono antibodies tests. They show what stage of mono you are in whether it is in incubation, active, or recuperation. they have to do two consecutive tests to see if your numbers are going up or down. Most drs only do the one test that tests for epstein barr which will always be positive if you have ever had mono before. But the mono can still flare into the active stage again.

Yes, mono brings on my fibro flares but it also has its own distinct symptoms that aren't the fibro. I can always tell the difference.

My suggestion would be to get tested again for the mono in a few weeks and see what your numbers are.

amandasgramma

I'm going back in 3 weeks to have another test...........is that too far off?

Lynnejean

Would you mind sharing with me the difference in your symptoms.

amandasgramma

Not sure if there's a "difference"....
major fatigue (not like when I went thru the CF/Fibro.
Nausea constantly (morning sickness 24/7)
heightened allergies (problems with sudden onset - eyes swelling shut)
brain fog (yeah, just like fibro)
burning/tingling in extremities -- think foot falling asleep only would be 2 toes maybe -- and excruitiating -- not just tingling - more like stabbing with a knife
cold/hot sweats (yeah, thought menopause was back)
confusion
decreased alertness
urinating problems
dry cough -- been coughing for 9 months ---- I know - thought it was cancer!
earaches
fevers
headaches -- every day
irritability --- attributed that to sleep problems
malaise - "something's wrong - but don't know what"
night sweats
ringing in ears -- mild to severe for me
sore joints and muscles
sore throat
tremors -- mild -- comes and goes

I went thru the list online for symptoms and checked off mine......very enlightening. I attributed a # of things to normal older age and arthritis. Some were scaring me.

cathyvv

You can have such a mild case of Mono that you don't know you have/had it. Had mono when I was 18 - throat so sore and swollen I could hardly eat, and glands swollen all over my body. It was agonizing for a few weeks - and my Dr said I had a mild case! My daughter had it when she was 17 and played soccer. She was tired all the time, but didn't complain much of pain. The main thing to worry about with mono is liver/spleen enlargement. If they're enlarged, they can rupture and you can bleed to death. Luckily, since we didn't know that my daughter had mono until the end of soccer season, my daughters spleen and liver were not enlarged.

It was over a year before I felt like I had any energy.

Feel better.

quilting cat

And I thought MONO was a teenager's disease! Isn't that the one they call "kissing disease"? ;-)
(Laughter's the best medicine; I'm not near enough to bring you chicken soup. :-( )

mzsooz

With mono i generally have swollen glands, sore throat, extreme fatigue like I can't keep my eyes open, and pain in my joints like I have the flu.

With fibro there are no swollen glands or sore throat. The fatigue is different. I feel very tired but am still able to function on some level. Not with the mono. My fibro pain is all over the place. It migrates from here to there or sometimes I just feel like I've been run over by a truck. My trigger points are tender and I have problems focusing.

Hope this answers your question!

moonangel12

I had what the doctors think was mono in 8th grade (tested positive for it in 9th, so who knows). I got sick (was out of school for a full 2 weeks) and truly never was the same. It totally wiped out my immune system for a few years (things are a bit better now). Diagnosed with Fibro/CF and a whole host of other things by my senior year in HS. It's like whatever it was attacked my brain and took a part of me with it :( Rest up! It's a miserable feeling and there's no point in pushing it!

amandasgramma

I am adament that I believe MSG, Aspertame, high fructose corn syrup and a host of other additives in our foods are causing these problems. I things they screw with our immune systems and then all the "stuff" creeps in. When I go on a totally "clean" diet....no Pepsi (man, that's hard), meat that has no horemones (fresh caught fish, etc) and home grown veggies, I feel great. Problem is it's hard to stay on that kind of diet where we live. Veggies/fruit cost twice what they do on the other side of the state and are poor quality for the most part. We're putting in a greenhouse next summer...I'm sure that'll help.

Lynnejean

I have had everyone of these symptoms in varying degrees and from season to season is also different.

I too cleaned up my diet and went to 90% fresh organic raw fruits and veggies and clean meats. Felt TONS better BUT I still had bad days and I never felt completely well. I maintained that diet for I think about 3 yrs. Then hubby lost his job and we were barely making ends meet so had to go to cheap food again. WOW what a difference. LOTS of my symptoms returned and now I am so bad again that I can't do any type of exerize or I am wiped out.