<p>She should stay home until she is well. Health comes before school.</p>
<p>Agreed that mono can vary considerably in severity among individuals. I had it as the same time as my college boyfriend during finals week. We dragged ourselves over to the student health center & collapsed. They checked us out & confirmed that we were ill & he had mono (don't remember them testing me one way or another). They refused to let us leave the student health center except to pack for our flights & leave for our respective homes for winter break. We both had to get incompletes, which we made up as soon as we returned to school. My mono was mild & I was OK within a few days of solid rest. I believe my boyfriend took most of the break to get better.
My son was miserable when he had mono in 9th grade & could only leave his bed to use the bathroom & for meals for weeks. He missed 64 days of school that year!
I hope everyone who gets mono has a mild version of it & is able to fully recover--some individuals really don't & end up with "chronic mono" or chronic fatigue immune deficiency syndrome or the "disease of a thousand names." I have known many folks who have never recovered and there is no known cure. :( Sometimes, over time, some folks do improve, while others worsen.</p>
<p>DD had mono last semester of high school. Got sore throat in late Feb with only a low grade fever but wouldn't go to Dr. Tried to carry on full steam for full semester but was overly exhausted, headaches etc. She would sleep in class, was overly emotional due to exhaustion, had trouble concentrating, etc. Teachers and counselor chalked it up to stress of deciding on colleges and this convinced her I was being overly protective. Went to Dr. in April when sore throat returned and treated for strep after cancelling an earlier appt I made for her. Summer hit and I refused to let her work. She slept 12 hours a day. Finally, she agreed to go to a different Dr. as wasn't getting better and tonsils inflammed again. This dr. ran several tests and confirmed mono - also confirmed she had had it awhile cause did more than monospot. It was October of her freshman year before the exhaustion completely subsided and that first semester she dealt with a lot of sinus related problems and another case of strep. It was really a bad time for all of us and this affected the way college started for her. </p>
<p>My two nieces reacted differently. One had bad sore throat for several days and was out of school with the can't even drag myself out of bed exhaustion for 6 weeks and another 2 weeks of low level activity. The other had to be put on steroids to get the inflamation down but was back up and running at almost full speed within about 10 days of being treated. </p>
<p>I think you just have to go by how your daughter feels. Certainly, if she is still running a fever, she doesn't need to be at school. I'm convinced rest early in the process is important but I don't really know for sure. I think you can only go by how your daughter feels. This disease can be a minor blip for some people or a major long term energy crisis for others. If she feels up to returning to school, maybe she could just do part of her classes and take incompletes in one or two. One things is for sure, she needs to listen to her body and not feel bad about giving into the exhaustion. If her body says rest, she needs to do that.</p>
<p>Having mono a second time is not all that rare. (I work in college health)There are also several other viruses that cause the same type of illness. The treatment is the same. Rest and avoid alcohol and sports because of liver and spleen involvement. As far as timing goes as long as she is not graduating this May everything can be made up when she is well.</p>
<p>My d had mono last yr (senior yr of HS) and missed a couple months of school. Actually, she went in on and off (because the school strongly encouraged her to come each day for at least a class or two) but we should have kept her home until she was fully recovered and caught up in her work. Teachers expected her to make up the missed work while trying to stay caught up in the current assignments - despite the fact she was coming home and sleeping most of the time.</p>
<p>This yr she came home March 1 (between 2nd & 3rd qtr) complaining she had felt crummy for about a week or two but thought it was the stress of ending 2nd qtr. She was sick the entire break - fever, extremely sore throat. She too was diagnosed with tonsillitis )neg for strep). Her condition worsened and after about a week, she had hives over most of her body and could barely speak. We returned to the doctor's office, but saw the doctor she had the previous yr. She said she thought it was mono again. She did bloodwork but my d had to return to school that day since break was over. The results came back positive and this case was worse than the previous one. SHe was on bedrest because her spleen and liver were enlarged. She slept tons, missed classes, gave up one of her jobs and took a few weeks off from the other job. SHe told all her teachers she had mono (& showed them test results that I faxed her & her health center) and wouldn't be able to keep a normal schedule - would come to class when she could. Seemed like it would work out ok.</p>
<p>Well, sure enough, a couple weeks later she received a grade alert saying she was getting an F in one class. She eventually got that teacher to reconsider (to give my d some time to make up the work). My d probably missed 3-4 weeks of classes (going to some, missing others). She tried to get to 1/2 of them per day, napping in between. Not sure how it will all work out. Qtr ends in a few weeks. She's hoping to wind up with an Incomplete in one class (that she can't possibly make up the work until summer) and grades for the rest. Hopefully, she can pull it off. She had a 4.0 up til this point - which did help because some of the teachers knew she worked hard. </p>
<p>BTW, I read in a few places that 6% of kids get mono again. In addition, there's more than one virus that causes mono so kids can keep getting it but from different viruses. Despite that, many teachers and school nurses believe you can't get it again and seem to question the diagnosis (which is really annoying).</p>
<p>Good luck. Have your child speak directly with the teachers and ask for incompletes. Then deal with recovery first.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the feedback. I looked back over her test results the last time she had mono, and it looks like she did actually have it, but not such a severe case. I guess that she is one of the lucky 6% that gets it twice! All your stories make me think I should definitely be encouraging her to stay home. Better rest now, work later. Also, she is heading off to Chile for 5 months in mid-July and she needs to be healthy for that!</p>
<p>I haven't read this whole thread, but I just wanted to pop in and give my opinion as someone who has had mono.</p>
<p>I got mono my 8th grade year and I am not being dramatic when I say that it changed my health and my life permanently. Everyone reacts to mono differently, but if you have read about the nature of the virus, you probably know that it doesn't always "run its course"--some of the symptoms take months to go dormant, especially if you don't take care of yourself. Some people's symptoms actually never go away--its called chronic fatigue syndrome.</p>
<p>When I first had mono, I tried to "soldier through it" and it was very bad for me. I also did not take any vitamins or supplements or change my diet. I was sick for almost two months. After that, I still had serious problems with fatigue. My immune system was wrecked--I could get (and still can get) a cold at the drop of a hat. </p>
<p>I've known a lot of people who have recovered well from mono. I have also known people who have had a lot of difficulty like I did. Its extremely important to take care of yourself when you have mono, and I think most college students living in dorms would not do that to the degree nessecary. </p>
<p>The OP's son should have a blood test if he hasn't already (again, I haven't read the whole thread) and if he does have mono, I think he should go home to recuperate under the supervision of his family doctor so he can get better quickly and his health and education will not be affected long term.</p>
<p>Sheesh! What a year. When I started this thread, it turned out to be a false alarm for us mono-wise. Whatever he had, it wasn't mono and he soldiered through. Did great on his exams. Now, it's Exam Week again, he is back at Tulane and this time he actually does have mono. Has been feeling bad for awhile. Health Services diagnosed either tonsillitis or mono on his first visit. Gave him z-pac for the possible tonsillitis, said it was too early to test for mono. He took his Chem Final feeling pretty poorly (fingers crossed; it's his "worst" subject among the sciences.). Having gotten worse over two days, he went back today and the blood test says mono. He'll get to the Dean and work out postponing remaining exams. Luckily for him, there's no contact sports and the way he feels I don't think he'll be ingesting any alcohol. </p>
<p>He's scheduled to fly home for a week on Saturday and then returns to Tulane one week later for Lagniappe term (special Katrina extra term), where he's taking 10 credits. One day at a time, I guess.</p>
<p>Natch, this is all in the midst of the transfer decision process; most of the decisions will be unrelated to his performance on these exams, although some schools are waiting to see his transcript for a final decision. Oh, well.</p>
<p>make sure it isn't Lyme disease or anything bacterial that can be treated with an antibiotic</p>
<p>herecomesthesun, if you are still out there, did you ever have your thyroid checked?</p>
<p>jmmom -- Sheesh is right! I hope his gets as mild a case of it as my son's during finals last year. It is fortunate he's flying home anyway. That no alcohol warning really needs to be reinforced. My kid was feeling better, then suddenly worse, and I believe (without proof, of course) that as soon as he started to feel better he began to take part in some of the end of term festivities.</p>
<p>How is the whole transfer situation shaping up? I remember Tulane was eliminating his program.</p>
<p>By the way, my son spent his spring break in New Orleans.</p>
<p>Jmmom - I'm hoping your son has a mild case, too! DD spent 2 weeks with fevers of 103, the flew back to school after a few days of 100 degrees. She attended the very last day of class to do a presentation, and is trying very hard to work on finals - without much success. She says that she will try to study then suddenly fall asleep for 3 or 4 hours. She still has yucky tonsils after taking a Zmax (that's the new, one-
dose Zpack. One mixes it with water, then drinks it.) The strep test today came back negative, so I guess they won't be trying any more antibiotics. Maybe she should have just stayed home to recover..... :( Again, good luck with your son!</p>
<p>anxiousmom - when I returned to this thread, I felt like your post #80 was pretty much our situation in a nutshell. I'm hoping for the mild case, too. Otherwise, we have more adjustments to make. And I am not in the mood!</p>
<p>sac- thanks, all hopes for mild case gladly accepted. The transfer decisions so far have been positive, but some key schools for him don't reply until late May. Two schools are waiting for this term's transcript, so the mono/delayed exams certainly doesn't help matters there. One step at a time is my mantra.</p>
<p>Of course, he loves Tulane and New Orleans. He doesn't want to change major, so transfer's gotta happen. But now he's thinking maybe transfer as a junior, not a sophomore.</p>
<p>complications 'r us - my new logo.</p>
<p>Jmmom. YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!</p>
<p>:). </p>
<p>We will rename you. Jobmom, as in the trials of.</p>
<p>JMMom, I think of all the parents on here who have had trials and tribulations with the college stuff...YOU take the prize (one you likely would rather not win). I'm telling ya, your son's case is a roller coaster ride for any parent. One thing, he sure is a resilient kid with all these setbacks and there is a LOT to be said for that. And you, who I am sure is stressed out, do have a good nature and seem to be a calm support system. </p>
<p>Your son's college process is like the neverending story!</p>
<p>I can't believe this (mono) happened. But I am sure that professors will grant extensions. I am sure that is a mixed blessing as you are waiting for transcripts to be sent to two transfer colleges. And I know your S is driving you insane with the "I might wanna wait one more year to transfer" (does this mean doing apps yet again next year??? Oy, say it ain't so.)</p>
<p>Sending you "hugs" and also I hope your S's case is mild. Some teens do not have too bad of a time with mono. Some can even walk around and function. I had mono when I was 33 and it was debilitating. I think it is worse at that age. I was bedridden. I hope your son is able to do some things but also takes it easy and gets those extensions as he will need them and deserves them. </p>
<p>Best of luck and hang in there. YOU need a vacation when this is over (I guess with kids, the stress never ends!)</p>
<p>Why would I need to get my thyroid checked? Isn't that when you gain or lose lots of weight for no apparent reason?</p>
<p>Actually when your thyroid slows down, it makes you VERY tired (happened to my husband). It doesn't necessarily affect your appetite or weight, but it can for some folks. It might be a good thing to ask your doc about if you're tired--can be checked with a simple blood test & then a more complicated test if the first one is suspicous.</p>
<p>herecomesthesun, if you are still fatigued, get your thyroid checked. Google subclinical hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism. These are common ailments that can easily be fixed. There are tons of people walking around with the above ailments and are wondering what is wrong.</p>
<p>Are you sleeping well? If not, sleep apnea or sleep debt may be a problem.</p>
<p>Last, how is your diet? Do you get enough protein in your diet?</p>
<p>If you are still feeling fatigued, I'm betting on a thyroid problem.</p>