The Dreaded MONO

I have been at home EXTREMELY sick for 2 weeks now. I have had a high fever (39.5 C or 103 F) for the whole 2 weeks as well as a very sore, inflamed throat. I've broken out in terrible rashes all over my body twice during the night. I've been having trouble breathing because of the swollen tonsils, and my glands are so swollen that I can't move my neak. I've been to emergency at the hospital twice, been to throat specialists, had at least 7 blood tests all on seperate occassions, had chest x-rays, and 3 ultrasounds. The doctors have all concluded that I have an extreme case of mono. So at the hospital the doctors prescibed me pure codine for the pain because I can't have anything else that may irritate the liver, but unfortunately this has just been causing me to vomit and sleep constantly but does nothing for the pain. The bottom line is that I have not eaten, slept or moved in DAYS. I can't eat anything because I cave contstant nausia and it is agonizing to swallow. The worst part of all of this is that I'm in my last year of high school and im missing soooooo much school. Universities se your first term marks when you apply and the doctors say I'm not going to be able to go back to school for at least another two weeks. Thats half of the first term I will have missed and I'm terrified as I am a very good student and had set high goals for universities and now I don't know what is going to happen. I'm going completely insane because the only people I've seen in two weeks are my mom and doctors. ALSO, everyone is saying I'm not going to be able to work out for a few months!!!! Before this happened I was working out (cardio and strength) vigerously EVERY DAY, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm so depressed and I know I'm losing all the muscle I've been working so hard to build as I can barely walk.

I'm so upset and don't know what to do...I HATE mono this is the worst exxperience of my life. I'm so bored and so lonely and so anxious and I feel like complete shit. I can't fathom another two weeks of sitting around at home sleeping and watching daytime tv.....ugh This has completely ruined everything.

anyone?

kauf -  First of all, you need to know that your high goals for university are not demolished. Yes, they can see your grades, you will have to send them a copy of your transcript. But in your college essay you can easily touch on what happened, how you got terribly sick and overcame it, what you learned, etc. You can also knock 'em dead in your interview.

The important thing is that you need to listen to your body. The fact that you got this ill in the first place means that you weren't paying attention to what your body really needed, which was proper nutrition and sleep, and I'm guessing you probably overdid it on the exercise. PLEASE eat what you can, chicken broth is the best if you eat animal products, drink LOTS of water, take a multivitamin if you can keep it down with your other medications, listen to your doctors, do what they ask, and sleep as much as possible. Your body really, really needs it right now.

It may seem like your body is torturing you but the truth is you tortured your body into this condition. Stop worrying about college and muscle tone - worrying is going to keep you sick. You've got a free two weeks off of school! Take it easy, and do whatever you can while staying horizontal - tv, lap top, write, draw, etc. I'll be hoping for your quick recovery. :)

the rash is signaling that its ending. i had mono. and it made me lose wt.

i missed a school year. i had enough credits that i just took my g.e.d. (at the time gym was mandatory) and went to a com. col. tranfered my credits to main campus and towards my h.s. diploma to make it official.

its a medical reason. they dont look down on that.
plus you can transfer credits and its cheaper to get your general edu classes and a smaller school.

look into whatever school is accepted by the school you want to go to. it will be fine.

now go to sleeeeeeeep!

thanks guys for responding, but unfortunately I live in Canada and it works much differently here. First of all we don't have G.E.D.'s, also there is no essay that you have to write to get in to university and there is no interview. Your acceptance is based entirely on your marks, which are also different here. We go by numbers (0-100) and percentages, not by letters. For example I would get an 88 in a course not an A or B or whatever. My boyfriend is from Pennsylvania and he was very confused by this when I tried to explain it all to him as he actually got a G.E.D. and not a diploma. Also, I was planning on ALOT more than just finishing highschool, I was planning on applying for programs at top universities that require a minimum of a 93 average, so this is really puting a huge damper on my future and I'm very worried. I don't want to end up working in a coffee shop when I'm older when I could have been a journalist or a writer travelling the world all because I got mono in grade 12. I'm so terrified...

dont they let you take your work home?

i only failed gym because..well obviously...

but they sent a tutor (school paid for it) and my work.

your future is what you make it. there isnt a timeline where you just give you and stop trying. you could always move to the u.s. and pay for school by taking out loans etc. im not familar with the canadian system...but here..you bust your butt you can do anything you set your mind to.

also you dont need to go to school to be a writer. you just need to write.

there is always a way. it may not be easy or the way you planned. you just have to not think anything can stop you.

anyway you have the rash..as soon as that cleared i went back for the last few months. i did extra credit to make up for some things. i talked to my teacher. its all you have to do. these things happen.

hey, first of all, i'm really sorry. i also had very very severe mono and i know how it feels to not be able to swallow because your tonsils will stick together... too much info, haha. look at how you were treating your body pre-mono. very vigorous workouts+school stress is a recipe for disaster. this is your body's way of telling to to slow the heck down! try not to worry about school (i know, it's hard, i was going into my first semester at college when i got mono, had to change all of my plans) i stressed myself out about it to the point of tears all the time which only made it worse because the added tensions prolonged my mono (definately was out of commission for SEVEN months). if you just allow yourself time to recover then you will miss the least amount of school. as it is, keep up with whatever reading/notes they do give you so it will be easy to acclimate back into the swing of things when you do return. remember that colleges need students, they want to accept you, they are sympathetic to extenuating circumstances. also, remember that there are always other options which aren't as bleak as they may first appear. i had to leave uc san diego and take classes at the local community college due to my mononeucleosis. and thank goodness I did! i went into college initially not knowing what i wanted to do. now that I have gotten a chance to sample lots of different classes I have found what i want to major in. turns out my initial college of choice isn't the best fit for me. also, having gotten the opportunity to visit friends in various universities around the country gave me the chance to see how a student really lives and functions in the different environments. i was able to find a university that really suits me perfectly- all while saving $14,000+ a year! so just allow yourself time to recover. and recognize that even when you think you're feeling better, don't expect to be vigorously exercizing any time too soon. if you try to push it before your ready (i remember a certain incident where on a day that i was feeling particularly energetic i took a seven mile bikeride and was bedridden for two days afterwards) you will only hinder real recovery. good luck! be patient! 

You definitely should make arrangements with your school to complete the coursework at home.  Surely they will accommodate you if you have a statement from your doctor that you cannot attend school.