Recovering From Mono: What Doctors Want You to Know
If you or someone you love has been sidelined by mononucleosis, aka mono, getting lots of rest and taking good care of yourself will be key to feeling better and recovering sooner.
Though many individuals may be eager to get back to their usual routines, not rushing the recovery process is actually one of the most important steps you can take to not interfere with your body’s healing process.
Here are some tips for managing symptoms:
This prescription can be a tough one to follow if you’re used to being active. But getting extra rest is key to recovering when you’re hit with mono, says Henry Balfour, MD, professor emeritus of laboratory medicine and pathology at the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. “Not sleeping enough can make the [infection] worse.”
He advises getting at least the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep per night that everyone should be getting (and more if you feel like you can) for at least the first week you’re experiencing symptoms. After the first week, Dr. Balfour recommends gradually becoming more active.
When you’re not sleeping, you don’t need to completely be on bed rest, says Octavio Ramilo, MD, chair of infectious diseases at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. “There is some risk of ‘deconditioning’ [losing physical strength due to lack of physical activity when you’re sick, injured, or sedentary],” he says. But you definitely don’t want to keep up your typical schedule either.
Make sure you drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration and to help relieve a fever and sore throat. Ramilo recommends drinking at least 12 to 16 cups of fluids (which should include water as well as broth, soup, herbal tea, and other soothing liquids). You’ll need to up that quantity if you have a fever. And be sure to avoid caffeine, which can worsen dehydration.
Mono symptoms will likely clear up in a month or less. But your body is still recovering for another month or two after that, so it’s important to take it easy. Here’s what doctors recommend:
If you’re unsure about how quickly you should be getting back to your usual activities, talk to your doctor about what’s right for you.
Recovering from mono can be particularly difficult for teens and young adults who aren’t used to being sick, extremely fatigued, and resting for large chunks of their days. “Young adults are psychologically not used to being tired,” says Ramilo. Getting the right support can help you cope as you heal.
Remember to talk to your supervisor at work (or teachers, if you’re in school) to let them know what’s going on and that you’ll be taking some time off. Ask your doctor for a note explaining that you have to recover from an illness that is temporarily debilitating. Tell your teachers and school that you’ll need an adjustment and allowances in your schedule and assignment due dates so that you can get extra time to complete your work. “We often write to the professors and explain that a student can’t complete an assignment on time,” says Balfour.
And remember to ask friends and family for help when you need it — whether it’s picking up groceries, or talking on the phone when you need some cheering up — or to help you in case you need more medical attention.
Here are answers to some common questions when it comes to mono recovery:
If you have a job that doesn’t require strenuous physical activity or manual labor, it’s up to you to decide whether or not to work and how much you can handle while recuperating, says Eric Johannsen, MD, professor of infectious disease in the department of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, who researches EBV. “We typically leave it to the individual and how he or she feels,” notes Dr. Johanssen.
Adds Balfour, “I tell patients to listen to their body, and to stop working for a time if fatigue begins to interfere with work.” Balfour also advises letting your coworkers as well as your supervisor know that you have mono so that your colleagues can understand why you need to rest.
As for when to go back into the office, if someone feels well enough to go back to work, they should do so. “Mono is not spread by casual contact so there is no reason to stay out of work due to concerns about contagion,” says Johannsen.
While it’s fine to check in with work if you feel up to it, Johannsen says only do so if you’re actually feeling well. (And it may be a good idea to have someone backing you up at work for when you don’t feel up to checking in.) “I think it’s important to bear in mind that you may not be at your best while recovering from mono,” says Johannsen. “Mono is a legitimate reason to use sick leave.”
Emailing might be a good way to stay in contact for some, Johannsen says. “The recovery time can be long — it may be reasonable to do some work from home or to check in, especially if that reduces your stress.”
But the situation differs for everyone depending on how you feel and what type of work you do (and the practicality of doing it remotely or not full-time).
“A minority of people can have fatigue beyond six months, though even most of them can expect to make a full recovery,” Johannsen says. “Graded exercise programs, where the person sets specific goals for increasing activity, can be very helpful here.”
For someone who is physically active, “I recommend waiting until acute symptoms have resolved and fatigue is decreasing, which is usually at least a month,” Balfour says about returning to typical activity.
Doctors usually caution mono patients not to engage in any contact sports for up to four weeks after symptoms go away to reduce their risk of rupture of the spleen, but for a noncontact sport (like running) someone can typically return to training after taking it easy for about three weeks, Johannsen says. But, he adds, it’s important to “respect your limits and realize that it may not be possible to return immediately to peak activity.”
“The most common serious complication is splenic rupture, which can, of course, be fatal,” says Johannsen. “Throat swelling, leading to difficulty breathing, can also be life-threatening. But generally [most people with that type of swelling] respond to corticosteroids if medical attention is sought promptly.”
Mono often feels like a bad case of the flu and can leave you feeling extremely tired, even after symptoms improve. Slowly ease back into your routine to avoid a relapse and speed up recovery. When you are recovering from mono, you’ll heal more quickly by getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, listening to your body, and eating healthy foods.
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