[TheMarchingMule]

Yeah, I never thought it would land on my doorstep of life, but recently a friend of mine was diagnosed with it out of the blue. Turns out everybody in my section of marching band (tenor saxes) shared water bottles with him within a few weeks ago except me, so one would think I was safe.

Not so! My girlfriend, who is part of the section, frequently let him drink from her water bottle, and last Friday we, uh...shared a lot of saliva.

To make matters worse, tonight after doing marching band she complained about her spleen area hurting, which is a symptom when you have mono.

So now I'm kinda afraid if I have mono (my whole section is, and who can blame them?), and I don't feel that awkward lately, just a heavy weight in my mind that makes me feel like I shouldn't do any work and just space out on the couch. But it's been there for years, just lately it's heavier than usual.

But the part I want you guys to help me with is I cannot pinpoint all the facts about mono (Google'd and Wiki'd it a lot today in computer class.) It's scary enough it stays with you for the rest of your life, so does that mean it is inevitable that my girlfriend will pass it on to me? I read an account from one guy who said it always nips him in the fall/winter (the time when immune system is lowest)ever since he contracted it, which is really scary to me, imagining that I have to keep my distance away from others at certain times for the rest of my life.

And is it mainly passed through saliva and sexual contact? If so, how "sexual" are we talking here?

Anything else I should know about this surprise invader? My girlfriend and I are kind of freaking out about the whole thing, mainly because the arrival of this mono virus seems like a major roadblock in terms of our physical contact. Do we have to keep tabs on one another and ourselves for the rest of our lives in fear that it can spread to me? Or do I just stop worrying and get it from her soon, since right now it does seem inevitable?

Thanks a lot in advance for your support, tips, advice, and stories to share here. I hope I don't flood the Member's Lounge board with my personal issues!

 

[LawnGnome]

If it can be passed by water bottle being shared, it can be passed by you and your GF's mouth marching.

Get tested.

 

[patman657]

First of all, very few people have recurring mono. Most people get it once, and that's it. So I wouldn't worry much about that. But yes, the Epstein-Barr virus which is the general cause of mono is a form of herpes and can recur. Don't even bother worrying about contracting it from your girlfriend unless you don't plan to kiss her ever again. You are either going to get it or you won't, but much like the chicken pox, you probably won't relapse.

You will probably hear some horror stories, but I have good news for you. When I got it, I slept for pretty much two days straight and had a fairly high but by no means terrible fever. After a few days of morning headaches following that, I was feeling fine. My spleen and liver became enlarged, but as long as you avoid physical contact to that area, you shouldn't have any complications (though the spleen is known to occasionally rupture for no apparent reason).

 

[patman657]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LawnGnome /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it can be passed by water bottle being shared, it can be passed by you and your GF's mouth marching. Get tested.

Don't get tested. There is no point. According to the CDC, approximately 95% of the US population are carriers of the virus by age 40. Many children get mono when they are very young but do not experience severe symptoms because of their age. If you already had it as a child, you will test positive if given an EBV antibody test. If you just got it, you will also test positive, but you won't test positive on a mono spot test until a week or so after you get symptoms. Any test you take at this point will tell you nothing. Besides, you only have a maximum of about a 50% chance of developing mono if infected during young adulthood, so no reason to worry until your glands start swelling.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by patman657 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Don't get tested. There is no point. According to the CDC, approximately 95% of the US population are carriers of the virus by age 40. Many children get mono when they are very young but do not experience severe symptoms because of their age. If you already had it as a child, you will test positive if given an EBV antibody test. If you just got it, you will also test positive, but you won't test positive on a mono spot test until a week or so after you get symptoms. Any test you take at this point will tell you nothing. Besides, you only have a maximum of about a 50% chance of developing mono if infected during young adulthood, so no reason to worry until your glands start swelling.

Thanks for that. My friend that got tested said something to the effect that the blood test turned out negative, but they did much simpler means of narrowing it down to mono.

Plus, if you saw my recent topic about my phobia of needles to inject/suck...

 

[feh1325]

we use squirt bottles in marching band. i avoid using them unless i'm the first person...or if its really really really hot like after parade
what high school you go to, mule?

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feh1325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif we use squirt bottles in marching band. i avoid using them unless i'm the first person...or if its really really really hot like after parade what high school you go to, mule?

Naw, we bring our own water bottles, but of course there is always that one dumb nut that forgets to bring theirs or drink too much of their own too fast.

I go to Leigh High School, Class 4A (used to be 5A for awhile).

 

[feh1325]

i go to lynbrook
i'm not sure what class we're in now...but we've downsized :[

i'm pretty sure we'll be competing against each other at least once

anyways, sorry to divert from the point of this thread

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by feh1325 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i go to lynbrook i'm not sure what class we're in now...but we've downsized :[ i'm pretty sure we'll be competing against each other at least once anyways, sorry to divert from the point of this thread

We'll see...I'll look for a guy with funky headphones on if I notice your trailer nearby.

 

[averydonovan]

Well, experiences can definitely vary with mono. When I got it, it was really bad. Knocked me out for about a week and a half and a week after I got it I was to the point where I could not eat and drinking even water was extremely painful (my mouth and throat were very inflamed). Not fun at all. And ever since then my energy level has never been quite the same and I seem to be far more prone to getting sick than before (some times have been like a milder recurrence of mono). It seems that those in my family that have had mono have had similar reactions.

But this stuff is actually atypical for those who get the Epstein-Barr virus, it seems a good portion of people who get it will not get mono from it. And the vast majority of people do contract it some time in their life so it's kind of unavoidable. The symptoms and severity, as well as after-effects, vary wildly from person to person. It's not one of those things that is worth laying awake at night worrying about. If it happens, then it happens and all you can do is ride it out and treat the symptoms.

 

[FalconP]

If you keep on googling Epstein-Barr Virus you'll bound to find something that scares you to half death. The fact is, the biology of that virus is extremely complex and much are still remains to be discovered, and that many people (especially in Asia) have been carrying it since a young age, apparently without ill effects.

 

[pne]

i highly doubt that your mood for procrastination is an indication of the symptoms of mono. no need to freak out, just give your GF plenty of space until she gets better.

 

[nfusion770]

I got it in 2000. I had a sore throat and was tested, but the result was negative. The sore throat went away but returned about a week later. I have a long history of strep throat, but this was by far the most unbearable sore throat I had ever had. I had to go to the ER because it hit full force on a Saturday. After drinking some numbing agent- god bless that doctor- a sore throat recurred for a few weeks and I felt pretty fatigued/ had body aches for about a month. I can't say I have experienced any long term affects other than a higher tolerance for throat pain.

It must have been passed to me like a cold, because I did not personally know anyone with the virus. In fact, I ended up giving it to my wife- then girlfriend.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

So for sure the degree of how hard you are hit with it vary a lot.

...Think it's okay for me to kiss my girlfriend now, or must I wait it out those 2-4 months?

 

[dan1son]

You're thinking about it wrong. She can pass the virus onto you anytime after she has it. It's one of those things that doesn't really go away. They call it the kissing virus because of how easy it is to pass via saliva. And much like chicken pox most people get it.

I tested positive for it and showed symptoms in 99. I got it from my girlfriend at the time who had it probably 3 years earlier. Each of my three sisters have had it, most people I know have had it. It's not that big of a deal. You get a nasty soar throat and have some pains in your spleen and you sleep more. It should go away in a few days to a week. I felt pretty much back to normal after about 3 days. Haven't had it recur yet and it's likely that it never will.

Don't let it bother you too much. You're going to get it eventually... whether you show symptoms or not is the question. Some people are immune and just carry it.