Mono - Chronic Fatigue - Connection?

I'm curious to find out if anyone else "out there" can make a connection between current chronic fatigue and a past bout of mononucleosis. Smile mentioned the possible connection in an email to me, and I've been researching ever since. There's nothing definitive medically speaking, but I'd just like to ask how many others out there who suffer from fatigue (and depression) had mono in earlier years.

I had Mono in high school but don't have fatique.

Most people with mono, all they want to do is sleep, sleep and then sleep somemore. It is usually one of the major symptoms of this disease.

[ September 16, 2005, 08:58 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]

I had mono in 1979, but despite 2-3 months of bedrest, and a reasonably active life since, I've still never had the same energy level that I had before. I hear the same story from a lot of people who had mono in their early years. So I'm exploring the possibiity of a connection between the long-term fatigue and that old bout of mono. Some studies call it "chronic mono", and some report that this chronic mono actually develops into chronic fatigue in some people, possibly caused by the same Epstein-Barr virus that caused the original mono. Nothing's conclusive, of course. So I'm just doing a casual study of my own here.

Eagle, Epstein barre is the causative agent for mono which can recur again and again. I too have heard of both chronic fatigue and recurrent depressive episodes in people who have had mono as young adults. I'm not sure there a direct relation but I just keep hearing the same story and there seems as if there might be a connection. When mono starts coming on my voice throat hurts in the nasopharynx area and my voice changes. I have come to recognize it and before it can put me out of commission, I just take a day or two to rest and it goes away.

As I'm reading your book, I was reminded of being completely immobilized by my first bout of mono when I was in my twenties. I remember the depression also. I think my mono often followed a time of great stress so as with many conditions it was difficult to know which came first, the physical or the psychological.

Here's a website I found about it.
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/ebv.htm

smile

HOORAH! HOORAH! smile is back and posting her wisdom for all to see.....Now question, I always heard Mono called the 'kissing' disease and that it can be spread by kissing someone who has it. Is that true

[ September 17, 2005, 08:27 PM: Message edited by: chatty lady ]

I had mono in high school too and right now am going thru all kinds of tests because of constant exhaustion. I thought it was a result of my back surgery last December but seems worse. It is really starting to get me down because I feel like I'm getting nowhere and I feel stressed from the feeling I'm losing little parts of myself

Chatty, I had mono when I was studying theology in a Catholic seminary. I know for a fact that my mono was definitely not caused by kissing someone...I'd remember kissing ANYONE back in those days. I was 24 at the time and hadn't had a date or a kiss since grade 12. Unless you count the "kiss of peace" during Mass...I did get lots of those, but since they were all on the cheek, I don't know if they'd count as possible points of infection!

Pattyann, Persistant extreme exhaustion has been the most debilitating factor in my life for about three years now. The doctor keeps checking me for different causes, but everything comes back normal...except an unexplained elevated WBC. It really is demoralizing, because it feels like I'm dragging cement blocks around everywhere I try to go (and so like you say, I usually end up going nowhere fast!).

I seem to have finally come to terms with the reality of my limitations, and am trying to go with it, rather than expending more precious energy fighting against it, which only fatigues me even more. But there's no denying that it really does cripple me and make a lot of my favourite activities impossible to do anymore. It would somehow be so much easier to tolerate if I could at least point to a better reason for the fatigue than just "I don't know!"

Eagle,
I wonder if your initial attack might have been related to antibiotics. At the time of my first mono attack, I had taken a lot of antibiotics for what they thought was strep. There are theories that mono may result from the toxims of fungus that over develop as a result of taking antibiotics. The theory is that antibiotics (which are also in meat) destroy the normal bacteria in your intestine to balance the fungus and other normal organisms thus there is an over growth of fungi, and other toxin producing organisms. Symptoms of fungal toxicosis include fatigue and depression.

My recurrent bouts of momo followed a course of antibiotics. I am beginning to wonder if they might have led to a fungal condition that led to mono. I was given a lot of antibiotics following my surgery in Dec. and was so exhausted and depressed. The pain didn't help either.

Some of the problems that led to my surgery began to develop following a supposed strep infection in 2003. As it turned out, I didn't have strep at all, but had breathed draino that burned my throat. After the antibiotics, I hurt all over, gained weight, became depressed, and was exhausted.

It's all just theory, but pro-biotics to combat fungal infections might help. I took them and am also attempting a low carb diet (carbs contribute to fungus development). Only this week I got enough energy to begin exercising again. I am slowly beginning to feel like myself.

It might be worth a try.

smile

Thanks Smile. I've already been weaning myself off the carbs and will look into the pro-biotics. That draino thing is REALLY scary!!!

About 15 years ago, I read an article in the doctor's office about yeast, and how women who are on extended doses of anti-biotics can develope chronic yeast infections throughout their bodies, the main symptom of which is severe fatigue. I showed it to my doctor, because at that point, I had been off and on anti-biotics for about 10 years, due to recurring severe strep infections (which first started when I had the mono). What she did in response was take me off all anti-biotics and forced me to fight that particular strep infection on my own. I was so sick for two weeks, but guess what, I've never had another strep infection since then.

Unfortunately the fatigue never disappeared with the strep!

My mono came right out of the blue. There was no warning that I can recall. I was in university, on the student council, thoroughly enjoying my life and studies there. Then one day I was literally hit in the the head with violent headaches. Went across the street to the pharmacy to get some pain medication (up until that day, I had hardly ever taken medication of any kind). The pharmacist urged me to go to a clinic nearby. That's where I was diagnosed with the mono, but left the clinic without anything more than a prescription for bedrest. Two hours later I ended up in the hospital with the mono, asceptic meningitis, severe strep throat and an eye infection. I was in hospital for ten days, and then in bed for close to three months.

Even then, I think now that I resumed a normal pace of life too soon. I was plagued with unrelenting, worsening fatigue, which I ignored as much as possible. But it was barely 2 years later that I had my massive breakdown which spiralled into major depression...I had never thought to pursue it until you mentioned it to me the other day, but looking back, it seems that there must be a connection between the two.

[ September 18, 2005, 12:02 PM: Message edited by: Eagle Heart ]

Eagle, I also resumed activity too soon after mono and have been told that I didn't give my body time to fully recover thus the causative virus may have only become stronger rather than being eliminated as it would have been with adequate rest. As a result it kept coming back when my defenses were down.

As to the mind body connection, it seems logical to explore our being as a whole when we encounter illness in any form. The mental and the physical are parts of the whole thus if either is out of balance, the entire system is impacted.

I am a firm believer in antibiotics when they are necessary, but I think we have to be careful about over reliance on them or any other alteration of our physical/psychological system. We should be aware that, like all pharmaceuticals, antibiotics affect God's wonderful design by putting it out of balance. That imbalance is sometimes necessary, but it can affect both the psyche and the soma because it affects the whole.

When our bodies lose equilibrium, our entire system is out of balance. We can't control the world around us or much of the psychological impact of it on our beings, but to a degree, we can control how the changing world affects us by maintaining a healthy physical system to contend with the inevitable stresses of life.

Our bodies are so beautifully designed that they will generally recover equilibrium unless we are out of balance for a long period of time or very seriously impacted by some of the broad spectrum antibiotics. We also have to consider that any antibiotics prescribed are in addition to the antibiotics that bombard our systems daily in the meat we eat (Animals are administered antibiotics to increase weight gain and they may be passed along in the foods we eat)

Antibiotics are generally chemical derivatives of a form of fungus, yeast or other organisms that exist naturally in our bodies to fight infection. By introducing those chemicals in large quantities, the naturally occuring bacteria in our bodies are destroyed and the fungi, yeast, etc. that also occur naturally can over produce thus putting our bodies out of balance. Those toxins are poison and they emit toxins that affect our entire system. We can aid our system to re-balance itself after antibioitic therapy by ingesting the naturally occuring organisms that have been impacted.

Yogurt and buttermilk are excellent natural sources of some of the organisms necessary to re-establish balance after a course of antibiotics. And though they may be missing the further benefit of foods containing them, pro biotics in capsule form contain a wider variety of organisms. Probiotics are available at most health food stores. The best pro-biotics in capsule form are usually those that require refrigeration because they contain live organisms which is one a facor to consider when purchasing them.

As we enter the second half of life, it seems more important to accept responsibility for our own existence and to arm ourselves with all the information we can in order to defend ourselves against spiritual and physical atack. Much of this is in the medical literature, but it is not generally accepted in the medical community. Most of it is still primarily regarded as theory so do your own research.

smile

Here's some more information to add to the heap.

My husband had mono, but does not have chronic fatigue. However, he believe his Type I Diabetes presented itself after taking massive steroids prescribed for the mono.

Smile, I'm with you when it comes to doing your own research. Thanks to the internet we can researach all we want.

My sister researched Mom's type of cancer when Mom was sick and dying. She was able to inform Mom's doctor about some of the latest and greatest medications for that specific cancer type. The doctor was grateful for the new insight. Mom was not a candidate for the medication, but he printed the article because he had other patients who may have been.

Interesting thread....

I had mono when I was in high school - missed almost my entire Grade 11 year.

My Dr. once told me, when I complained about always feeling tired, that I was probably having a recurrence - that could be mono or Epstein-Barr and to expect that I would have these bouts time and again.

I don't have CFS, because I've never had a bout that debilitating - but I never have oodles of energy either.

As I get older, and hopefully wiser , I'm learning to pay attention to my body and realize that I need to get rest when I'm tired - otherwise I get sick, have feelings like I can't cope, get a bit down and withdraw. Getting sick is my body's way of making me take the downtime!! Its like I need permission, so I get sick so that I have permission

I get sore throats and colds when I'm too run down, and lately lovely little cold sores.

Eagle, going back to some of your other posts and your book - you talk about being an emotional, sensitve type of person - wanting to help everyone - but needing to realize you can't do it all and that what little bits we can do are important too (I think I've paraphrased that correctly). This was a big AHA moment for me when I read it. I do often take on too many things because I do believe in their value, and want to help, etc. BUT I have to realize I don't have the same energy levels other people do, and that is OK. I need to step back, take down time and rest time and if that is more than other people need, so be it. You have helped me to understand that, and the value of taking care of me too - thanks!

quote:

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Originally posted by Evie:
BUT I have to realize I don't have the same energy levels other people do, and that is OK. I need to step back, take down time and rest time and if that is more than other people need, so be it. You have helped me to understand that, and the value of taking care of me too - thanks!

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Thanks for your insights, Evie.

It's so important to live life at our own pace as much as possible, precisely because it ultimately allows us to be "more there" for all those others we want to be there for. I'm no good to anyone when I'm broken and debilitated from fatigue that has come from stretching myself beyond my energy levels and physical limitations. It's much healthier in the long run to pull back in time to rest and replenish, rather than push forward until the fuel tank is below empty.

I've learned the hard way that pushing myself beyond my physical limitations (even for a good cause and a beloved family member) will only get me into such big trouble that I end up being of little functional use to anyone at all, including myself.

We do need more rest and solitude than others. That's our reality. Instead of fighting against those limitations, and constantly losing (as has been the pattern for me), our strength lies in knowing them and living healthily within them.

So then the value of taking care of me is so critical that it actually determines my ongoing ability to take care of others.

[ September 21, 2005, 02:07 PM: Message edited by: Eagle Heart ]