Argh, freshman D is sick and thinks she may have mono. I’m thinking she might be correct even though blood test was negative when she went to Health Services on Friday.
She’ll return to Health Services tomorrow (after dad and I convinced her) but I’m worried.
Does anybody have any experience with this? If it turns out to be mono, of course we’re worried about her ability to stay at college. Health comes first but she would be devastated if she had to interrupt her semester.
I caught mono my freshman year (many moons ago). It was miserable, but I was able to keep dragging myself to class and finished my Fall quarter and was able to complete my recovery over Christmas break. I’m thankful for my hall mates that made sure I ate dinner each night, even if it was just a grilled cheese. I was very far from home, so I know it was hard on my Mom to be so far away, but there wasn’t really anything she could have done. It’s a virus, it just has to run its course. Get rest, stay hydrated and fed. Let your professors know what’s going on.
If she does have mono, then all she should be doing is going to class, doing homework, eating, and sleeping. She should drop any other activities. If she is diagnosed with Mono, then talk to the Dean of Students. Have her ask if incompletes in the toughest courses would work…keep going to classes/doing work but put off finals until she feels better.
Not all cases of mono are that bad. I had it in college, and it didn’t affect my ability to get my class work done. Maybe I slept a little more, and stayed home on weekends, but that was about it. The sore throat at the beginning was the worst part. If she has it, I hope it is a mild case!
The same thing happened to me. My lymph nodes swelled up, and the school nurse made my dad pick me up and take me to the hospital. They ran several tests, but mono didn’t come up. I was convinced of it though. I felt fine, but the next day, the mono symptoms came back. I missed two days of school after that, and I went back and fell asleep three times before classes started. If her situation is like mine, she’ll be totally fine, just a bit tired.
Thank you. She returned today to health services and they confirmed the diagnosis. She spoke to her boss and took a leave from her dining hall job and promises she’ll get plenty of rest.