<p>Halflokum - I completely sympathize with you - While I am a mom of a prospective MT Major (just finishing Junior year in HS), I have an older daughter - who is a Sophomore in college, and was admitted to the Athletic Training program at her University over Christmas - and found out 2 days into the semester she had Mono - it was a LONG recovery - and she got worse before she started to get better. They delayed steriods, because she has Type 1 Diabetes - but she ended up being so swollen she couldn’t breathe when she tried to lay down to sleep (she was fine sitting/standing up). I drove the 3 hours across the state to take her to the ER, since the campus clinic would not give her the steroids due to the Diabetes. I’m sure that the weeks delay in getting steroids delayed her recovery as well. I can tell you that she is about 90% back to normal - she’s a figure skater and a dancer, and still notices reduced stamina - but otherwise is doing well. I do not envy you or your daughter. Mine was ready to quit school one particularly bad night - and we were all set to call the department about deferring her admission to the program, and talk to the University about how her academic scholarships would be affected… but by the next morning - she decided she could make it. She’s doing well in all but one class - that has been particularly hard to recover from so much missed class time. We’re also a little concerned that she’ll be able to get all 200 of her Clinical hours in this semester due to the lost time - but I think she’s going to make it on that. Hang in there… she will recover - but lots of rest and fluids are crucial.</p>
<p>Wow SoozieVT, you certainly caught the unlucky brick. 33 is a very unusual age for mono and 2 kids to boot. I can’t begin to imagine. I don’t know how that compares with what teens/20’s go through since it’s fairly uncommon for grown adults to get it but I suppose it is all relative degrees of hell (hell or hell+ take your pick.) I keep hearing about students that had to leave school for a semester or longer. She has had good support from her instructors and gotten some paper extensions into the spring break. In many respects she is her own worst enemy because she is not wired to say, “It’s not perfect but it’s good enough” or “I’ll settle for a C and go to bed.” Worse, she’s a fanatic about not being seen as a slacker in her studio classes. </p>
<p>Kategrizz you are clearly in the trenches as a parent right now like me and a kindred spirit. Your daughter is a trooper for hanging in especially with diabetes as a complication. I’m glad the worst is behind her. I cannot wait to be able to say that too. It was brave of your daughter to stick it out. My daughter is trying hard to do the same. I think I’d have to drag her out of there and I fear her lack of sufficient rest is making things worse. </p>
<p>Mono is pesky and sometimes you start to feel a lot better and in the next moment, you are running a high fever, can’t swallow, are utterly exhausted and feel worse than you ever did before. There have been several ER/clinic trips and sobbing phone calls just this past week. Unfortunately, she’s on the east coast and we’re on the west so I cannot easily get to her. I would if I thought it would help but I know her; she’d still insist that she must get to her studio classes because she does not want to lose the momentum of the work she is doing there and she feels obligated to her scene partners etc. She would also continue to drag herself to her crew work on the show she’s assigned to because she’s it, there is no back up for her and the show must go on. Yes momcares, I cannot wait to get her home on Sunday so I can finally do something other than be the safe place to phone in the depth her misery. </p>
<p>My advice in all of this for you seniors/senior parents: the second your HS senior MT prospect has the acceptance he/she wants in hand and is in the warm embrace of senior spring, suggest they celebrate by finding somebody with mono to give a big smooch to. Sure, it might mess up prom and graduation but you should be mostly in the clear by college. I’m of course kidding (mostly).</p>
<p>Thanks again one and all for your input. Gosh you MT kids need to want it badly to navigate the challenges that lay ahead. You think admission is tough? Oh young grasshoppers…</p>