Glandular fever symptoms or bad flu?

[mumontherun14]

Hi
Does anyone have experience of glandular fever in older kids? My DD has had sore throat, sore glands and total exhaustion for 2 and a half weeks now. She was sent home from school 2 weeks ago and hasn't been back since. She has been at docs 3 times and each time they say its viral but today they did a blood test for glandular fever and we will get results back tommorow. I am really hoping its not for her as i know it can go on for months and she is normally so active and loves horseriding and she might not be able to do it for a while I think?

She has been sleeping most days till 11am then yawning her head of at 9pm so sleeping soundly for 14 hours a night.She hasn't been out of the house for 2 weeks and when we went to a friends for a few hours at the weekend she was exhasuted afterwards and went straight back to bed. I am worried about her missing so much school but can't see her getting back this week as her symptoms are not seeming to get any better and she is taking daily paracetemol for her throat. They say her tonsils are ok so its not tonsilitis . Does this sound like glandular fever?

I've spoken to her guidance teacher and she says we can make a plan once we get the blood test results back tommorow. My work have been good and I have been working from home but not sure how long I can do that and if I will need to ask for some special leave. Anyone's kids had anything like this? Thanks xxx

Hi, my 12 year old DS has just recovered from glandular fever. He was diagnosed last April and was very ill for six months he was also diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome as a result of the glandular fever. It is an absolutely awful illness, I had to give my job up to take care of him. It changed my son completely, he went from an active child to a bedridden, pale, depressed boy. On a positive he has fully recovered and he is back to how he was a year ago. Hope this helps!

Aww thank you Muckingfuddle I am so glad your DS has recovered now. Everything I read about it sounds awful. I asked the GP about it last week and she says she thinks it's not and it's just a bad flu but I think it's unusual for kids to be so floored with a flu for over 3 weeks. DD is just constantly shattered. Was the rest of your family ok? I hear it's highly infectious but me, DH and DS all ok. Hopefully hear more tommorow. My work are quite good thankfully as we have no one to help so I would just have to take some long term leave xxx

We are a family of six and the rest of us were absolutely fine, I can safely say I'm pretty sure it's not contagious. My son was diagnosed with blood tests after being unwell for around six weeks they do say to get them repeated if they come up as negative if your still unwell. How old is your daughter? My son just managed to get back to school in September he missed around four months of school he nearly had to go back a year thankfully the timing was good due to the summer holidays. Everything I read online about GF was so depressing I honestly didn't know if he was ever going to recover fully from it. I'm so glad I can share my sons story as I was so desperately worried but he has made a full recovery really quickly, eventually after a very long six months. Keeping my fingers crossed that is is flu though x

She is 11 and just started the high school. It's such a worry as she was just getting settled in making new friends etc. Oh well we'll just need to see what today brings. I'm glad I did get the blood test done as I just feel the doctors are so quick to put everything down to a virus and just let these things run on until you keep going back about it. 2 years ago both of mine had terrible coughs and the doctors kept saying it was viral then after 6 weeks I asked for blood test for whooping cough and that's what it turned out to be. If they'd diagnosed that at the start they could have had antibiotics that would have helped but after 6 weeks it was too late. And it's highly infectious so a few of their friends caught it too and it lasted 3 months with both of them ending up on inhalers and attending asthma clinic. Thankfully it did fully clear up after 3 months but it was miserable for them. Xxx

Test came back negative, hopefully that means she doesn't have it though do have the fear a bit with reading that some tests are negative even when people do have it, hopefully she will feel a bit better soon x

That's good news, I wouldn't wish glandular fever on my worst enemy x