Glandular fever

[tammybear]

My dp suffered from glandular fever about a month or 2 ago. He has stayed with me since Sunday night, and has been really tired. Today he has been really ill and thinks he may have it again. Problem is if he has got it again, then I may have it, and I could pass it onto dd. He has perked up since as he's been asleep all day, and has now gone home, so it may have just been nothing, as we had gone drinking last night.

What should I do?

First he shouldn't be drinking until he feels 100% better. The liver doesn't function optimally during & just after glandular fever and drinking will slow the recovery process.

As for getting it again. . .that's tricky because, like measles or other viral infections, you're not really meant to get it again. . .though it's not an impossibility either. (I got it twice, but there was a 4 year interval between the 2 infections.) He's more likely to have a cold or flu or flu-like illness rather than gf again. . .the immune system is compromised, leaving him more succeptible to run-of-the-mill infections. If he's EXTREMELY unwell and it lasts for a while, he may want to check he hasn't got hepatitis, which can occasionally follow gf. (But that's pretty rare.)

But gf can take ages to recover from entirely. Long after shaking off the infection itself, a person can continue to feel unbelievably fatigued. It varies so much from person to person, even in the same family. I felt tired and unwell for about a year; my brother was fine within a month.

To recap, most likely dp's not contagious, at least not with gf. And even if it is gf, you're most likely to have immunity from it (most people do). I wouldn't worry too much about you or dd catching gf, but I would say you might encourage dp to look after himself and take things slowly. But that's just my opinion.