Glandular Fever - How many times have you had it?

[mawinter]

I suffered a bad case of it in 2006 and two mild cases in 08 and 09. Now I along with my GP feel I have another case of it pretty badly as the first time and has ordered blood tests. I get the results on Friday.

In the meantime I am curious for those of you who have had it, how many times it resurfaced for you if at all?

I was told you cannot have it more than once- but that what you get are relapses when run down etc.

I had it once and was very ill- off work for over a month and not 100% for another 6-12 months.

Yes, sorry, relapse. Was in shock when writing my original post that a person could relapse so strongly, still am. Run down, I have been and pretty badly. :/

Just the once, years ago. I was about 15 I think, I recall I was waiting to go into an Art class and just collapsed. I think I was downed for about 4 months until I fully recovered, it left me drained. Thankfully it never reappeared.

My initial case was when I was 15, it lasted continuously about a year with me attempting and failing to live a normal life.

I had relapses every other month lasting up to a week. At 23, I had my tonsils out and my relapses more or less vanished after that.

I still feel it! In my neck, throat and bones when I am run down! I'm now 38.

I immediately take high dose Co Enzyme Q10 when I feel it in my bones and I drink 3 litres of water immediately to flush it out. This tends to work for me.

I have two close friends who have had GF more recently. It kinda wiped them both out for a year.

GF is notoriously difficult to find in blood tests. I had so many blood tests in my teens - at least 8 until they discovered it. And two months later, the same test came back negative.
Don't be surprised if it doesn't show in your blood anymore.

Take care of yourself!

I don't think the actual virus can relapse but the post viral problems can. I had it in 2008. The actual virus for maybe 3 months, but I was laid up all that year, and only able to work part time for the three years following it. Mine was an extreme case. I still actually only work 4 days a week now due to tiring easily and getting flattened by colds etc, but am going full time in the new year.

Re blood tests, glandular fever my doctors said GF is very easy to test for: you test to see if you have the active virus so they can tell you whether you are currently fighting it, and you test to see if you have immunity i.e. that you've fought it in the past. I am now negative and positive respectively. If your tests aren't showing those things/are otherwise normal it may be a post viral thing which doesn't show up on any blood tests but for me was incapacitating and very real.

LL0015 - Yeah, I suffer from the sore throat all the time since the first hit. It is usually more of a dull throb but constant ache. I had this again since weeks now, but it feels 10x's worse and is also burning at times. Interesting thing about the tonsils. When younger a doctor suggested I have mine out as I suffered constantly from strep, but my GP here feels it is not warranted. I will give the Vit C a go and see if it helps. Keep safe, during the winter months!

BigPawsBrown I can relate to you, I have had my energy drained since 06 and need constant naps throughout the day to survive. I'm crossing my fingers for you that things go well when you go back full time!

I had two surgeries this year and the last one really set me back, leaky wound followed by bronchitis afterwards, destroyed stomach flora and now this crap on top of it. I swear i need a drink as soon as i feel well enough to leave the house. lol

I had it badly when I was 15 (6 months of hardly being in school) when I am run down I often get some sort of 'relapse' of it. Probably had about 5 in the last 15 years

I'm fine now mawinter, I just have quite a demanding job and is easy for me to slip into being run down and getting infections and get in a cycle but I haven't had a fatigued relapse since 2011. I never nap now and often work 12 hour days, just feel and get ill quite a lot. My part time working is more caution than anything!