Has anyone had glandular fever?!!!

[Aero]

Have been ill now for a few days with symptoms which stink of this virus. Hopefully it's not, but will be making an appointment with GP this week. Am just wondering if any of you have had it. Can I still breastfeed with it - ds2 is 20wks and still exclusively bf. How can I recover quickly with 3 kids and all their requirements???? Any advice/tips will be gratefully received.

CountessDracula had it a while back. You could do a search for relevant threads (probably archived by now). Hopefully she'll be on later and will be able to comment. Hope it's something else and that you're feeling better soon.

here is CD's thread.

Thanks Gingernut - will read it now.

bump

I had it, Aero, when I was 25 (a fairly bad case) and then again at 29 (less severely). Hopefully your gp will determine you just have a garden variety virus with a shorter duration.

If it is glandular fever, best to avoid alcohol and fatty foods for a little while because extra stress on your liver can slow recovery. Rest helps, of course, but your body will recover when it wants to. Many people recover in a matter of weeks, so you have no need to assume you'll be ill for ages.

To answer your question about handling 3 kids. . .get help. Blunt advice, maybe, but necessary. I got a nanny for a month when I was ill second time around, and I'm sure it had everything to do with my relatively swift recovery. Feel better, Aero. You have lots of sympathy from me. Keep us posted on your results from the gp.

Sorry to read this Aero. I had gf twice at the age of 15 and was hospitalised for 2 weeks each time(don't know if they still do this?).I still remember it was so delilitating and I had such a sore throat making the first swallow of the day unbeliveably painful.
In my experience, you need to rest, eat v nutritrious food and gargle with soluable asprin for sore throat - is Asprin still prescibed?
Obviously being a mother there is little time to sit down let alone rest and if like expatkat you could have help for a month, that would be perfect. Unless you rest, you don't recover.
I didn't rest after first spell and that's why it recurred. It can take up to two years to fully recover - yes! - so do take this virus seriously. I remember when I used to take the bus to school, when I saw it I would start running, by the time I got to the bus stop, it was long gone! I was so weak, it was like I was running on the spot and that was three months post GF.
It is diagnosed by a blood test. I have no idea if it is appropriate to bf as a) how can your body fight a virus when it is working to produce milk and b) can you pass virus to baby?

No advice really, just bucket loads of sympathy. I had it when i was 20ish, but i was a student with no responsibilities so was able to rest when i wanted.
Listen to your body - don't fight it. It is almost like being pregnant, when you want to eat, eat. When you want to sleep, sleep etc. Get as much help from friends and family as possible. Forget the housework.
Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks for all your sympathy/advice people. Still feel rubbish though can now swallow though it still hurts. Neck still stiff and the headache refuses to leave. Some of the symptoms I've had have gone though, like the 39.8c fever and the shivers and aches (apart from neck glands) have gone. Have GP appt tomorrow. Am hoping it's just a really bad virus and I'm over the worst. Dh has been a real brick though despite living with the patient from hell! Bless him!

Aero I really hope it isn't - I have had it since last October and am only just back to work (and not 100% yet but getting there)

And in answer to your question, some people seem to get better quickly (ie a couple of months) others take up to 2 years apparantly

If you do have gf I suggest you contact Jo Dunbar at www.botanicamedica.co.uk - she is a herbalist who specialises in treating people with gf and the like and should be able to help you get better quickly.

I am not online much at the moment, but will try and look in later in the week to see how you're getting on

Any news Aero?

Think it was a false alarm cd though thanks v much for asking. Blood test results not back yet but I seem to have recovered the really nasty symptoms I had (really nasty gland thing going on), but don't seem to be left with the awful tiredness that GF sufferers can have - well no tirder than I am with a new(ish) baby in the house and two bigger ones to look after. Thanks again though.

Thank goodness for that Aero

Phew, Aero,

That's what I was hoping. Other viruses can cause the same symptoms but short-term. I'm so relieved for you. Clearly not what you needed.

Sorry to hear you're not 100% yet, CD. It took me a year to feel fully recovered, though I, too, was just well enough to slog through life & work at your stage of recovery. Happy to say that years down the line it feels like it never happened & I feel as strong as ever, even with 2 small kids in the picture. You'll get there, too, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Thanks guys.

Yes - false alarm! Bloods came back normal. Typically though, now I have mastitis - again! Will I ever feel well???!

You will, Aero. When I first joined mumsnet about 3 yrs ago, the first thread I ever started was called something like "My Child is Making Me Ill" because I constantly had some virus or another with a proper fever, then had 5 consecutive tummy bugs in a 10 week period, not to mention a relapse of gladular fever. It was an endless period of illness that lasted not quite a year but almost. . .and then it lifted for a while, came back very briefly, and now I'm happy to say that although, yes, I still get something flu-like a few times a year, plus lots of colds like everyone else, I've been through a long stretch of pretty good health. And I REALLY appreciate it in a way I never did before. You'll start feeling better too, Aero. Sorry about the mastitis. Never had that; sounds AWFUL. Stress has a lot to do with your physical health (or so I've been told by docs etc) and you're surely in a stressful situation with a new baby and 2 others. The lack of sleep is bad for your resistance, too. Feel better.