I don’t know any other section where I could ask this question. I’m a high school senior and my parents don’t know but I went to the doctor because I’ve been feeling sick and they think I have mono. I took a blood test and will know soon but they’re pretty sure. I’m scared. Right now I’m in the middle of IB exams, and they are super serious. They can only be rescheduled after I graduate. My question is, what should I do? Should I tell my parents or teachers? Should I skip my finals? I’m honestly so lost I want to get better but I don’t wanna miss my finals and if I tell my parents or teachers they may force me to miss them. Or I might have to take a zero and then I won’t get my diploma and that would suck because I’ve worked so hard in high school. What should I do?
Why on earth would you NOT tell your parents? People can get mono in many ways. Please do not let yourself be hampered by some outdated idea of mono as “the kissing disease.” As if kissing someone is shameful!!!
I would want to know about your health if I were your parent.
You should ask your teachers about the procedure for taking an “incomplete” and rescheduling your finals – but I wouldn’t actually put in a formal request until the diagnosis has been confirmed by the blood test.
You should definitely NOT just “skip” your finals.
Your parents and your teachers (most likely) want you to succeed, and are (most likely) willing to help however they can, but they can’t help if you don’t tell them about your situation and ask for their help. You are not the first student to ever get seriously sick at finals time; chances are your school has dealt with this before and has a procedure worked out.
In the meantime, take care of yourself, get rest, and continue to study as best you can.
I agree that you should immediately notify your parents and teachers. When I had mono during finals I was forced to obtain incompletes and make up the work because mono is quite contagious and they didn’t want me in class infecting other students. Your parents and teachers are on your side and want to help you, whether you have mono or just something LIKE mono that is impairing your ability to think and function.
Agree that you need to rest, stay well-hydrated and continue to study as best you can and be flexible about when the faculty wants you to make the work up or how they will want it made up.
@Hlmom @colfac92 @Consolation I know I should tell them eventually but, I really really don’t want to delay my finals. The IB exams can only be rescheduled again in November, AFTER I graduate high school. If I tell my teachers or parents, they’ll force me to stay home 
my questions are, is mono highly contagious? If I keep to myself and dont hug or kiss my friends, don’t share food or drinks, will I still give it to them? Does it spread that easily? And since my exams go for a month from now, do you think it is possible for me to make it through that period without treatment? I feel guilty hiding this and it’s really stressing me out I don’t know what to do. Taking my exams in November sounds HORRIBLE but I feel horrible physically and mentally lol
Mono can be debilitating and the more you push yourself, the worse you feel and some think the longer it lasts. You doctor can communicate with the school. You should rest. Period.
It’s tough to miss the regular timing of the finals but honestly, you cannot do them with mono, not mono in the form I have seen. It seems to be commonly recognized that rest in bed is good for mono, and trying to stick with regular activities is not.
Good luck!
What happens if you don’t take the IB exams? I assume you are already admitted to a college for next year. Honestly, except for college credit, those exams don’t mean anything at this point. Are you counting on credit for them?
My D got mono in the fall of her senior year. Terrible timing, with lots of college apps coming due. You know what we did? We made sure that her first priority was her health. She stayed home for two weeks, and we worked with her school and they were great about it. You need to do the same thing. If you really have mono, you are not going to perform well - at all - on those exams anyway. Tell your parents and your school.
ETA: yes, mono is highly contagious.
Yes, mono is contagious- not just through sharing saliva directly but also through particles coughed and sneezed out. Please don’t expose others to it. It can also be quite serious.
Tell your parents. Go home. Get better. Your health trumps everything.
What you want to avoid is getting chronic mono. I’m not trying to scare you, but my D does have chronic mono that flares at very inconvenient and stressful times. It has really gotten in the way of her life and caused her a lot of problems in college and since. Work with your doc, parents and teachers and be considerate of YOURSELF and those around you. Mono is especially contagious among folks who are stressed (like people who are in exams or studying hard for end of the year). Health comes first and is very hard to regain if you don’t take care of it. If you’re very good about taking care of it, you may be able to lick it quickly and then go on and take your exams, since you have a month before them, but HEALTH is really the priority here.
How will you do well on the exams if you don’t get healthy? You need to tell your parents and come up with a plan between you, the teachers, and the school. Meanwhile, if you do have mono, is it fair that you are spreading it by continuing to go to school? That’s very selfish, frankly. Inform your parents and get a diagnosis.
Your doctor can advise on the need for rest as well as whether it is safe for you to attend school. My D had mono her freshman year of college. The university doctor advised her to rest as much as possible (and definitely no sports, alcohol or kissing for weeks) but told her she could attend classes if she felt up to it. He also advised her on minimizing risks to those around her. She cut out all extracurricular activities and slept a ton, but only missed one class. She also discussed her doctor’s recommendations with her suite mates, none of whom ended up catching it. Please talk to your doctor and your parents and follow their advice!
As you can see, there is a range of severity. But listen to the post about potential chronicity. And sometimes people think they are better enough to do things, only to relapse. This disease is complicated. Rest!!
Tell your parents and then work with your IB teachers about exams. With IB exams typically a 1 1/2 -3 hours a day, and depending on your specific exams, you might have only 2-3 tests a week – IF you rested at home, in bed, napped, stayed hydrated, AND your school could set you up in a separate room for testing, then you might be able to get through at your HL exams, since those are the ones colleges generally given credit for. At this point, getting the full Diploma is bragging rights only, it won’t matter at all (unless you are going to a school which gives, for ex., a full year college credit for the Diploma and you were counting on that to make the finances work).
But tell your parents and go from there – there is no reason to shield this from anyone. Mono is exhausting, it is difficult to drag yourself anywhere, let along be intelligent and write coherently.
Good luck, and hang in there.
Oh, for crying out loud. Tell your parents and teachers immediately. They can help organize and prioritize so you may be able to still take your exams in a way that is safest for you and those around you.
Tell parents and teachers. I had mono in HS. I played in and won an under 16 tennis tournament and fell asleep in the back seat of the car on the way home from the tournament - which was very unusual for me. Mother thought that was odd so off to the doctor and the diagnoses. Had no problem at all keeping up with school work, but it varies a lot. Effects can range from virtually non-existent to requiring 24 hour bed rest.
I understand the OP’s panic – IB exams can’t be made up and they make a huge deal out of telling the kids you CANNOT miss them. (I didn’t even know it was possible to reschedule them to next November - my kids’ school certainly acts like there is NO OTHER CHOICE but to take them now. The exams are not within the school’s control – everything is determined by some dictator at IB headquarters somewhere in Europe, from what I can tell. Not very accommodating or friendly.)
OP. @Midwestmomofboys gave you good advice. You need to tell your parents and your teachers, as well as your school’s IB coordinator if you have one. What would probably be best would be to have you stay home from regular classes, but take the IB exams at the scheduled time – probably in a separate room so you won’t infect others. But you’d get to stay home (and study in bed, if you really want to!) instead of dragging yourself to school every day when you feel awful. As you know, IB exams are spread out over the whole month of May – you don’t have to force yourself to attend every class in order not to miss those exams.
Of course all this is dependent on the results of your blood test – it could still turn out that you just have a less serious virus. But you still need to get some rest! If your school is like my kids’ school, the teachers are not making big demands on the kids or giving out homework that isn’t related to preparing for exams, so you won’t miss much if you stay home from school most days.
I promise you, you CAN both take care of yourself and take your IB exams. But you need to tell your parents and teachers so they can help you – don’t hide the fact that you’re sick and hope nobody will notice.
In addition to your parents and your teachers I’d also let your guidance counselor know. In case your grades fall off in the last marking period he/she can address your illness when the final transcript is sent.
Aren’t your parents going to find out when they get the insurance notification from the doctor visit and blood test anyway?
I had mono my senior year and there were weeks when I could not even stand up, let alone take a test. You have to tell your parents!
“Oh, for crying out loud. Tell your parents and teachers immediately. They can help organize and prioritize so you may be able to still take your exams in a way that is safest for you and those around you.”
Perhaps more politely, Please tell your parents and teachers immediately.
People get sick sometimes. Occasionally this occurs at inconvenient times. We adjust (for example by letting people take tests when they get better). This is not anything to be embarrassed about.
It might be possible to do what was suggested above: prioritize the uses of your energy, stay home, and try to take the exams. This is tough in senior year and you may want to be with friends. But please be prudent about this. Your effort to hide feeling ill are, I think, misguided.