r/Mononucleosis

I (27F) have completely lost hope. I have had one hell of a ride with this and Ive seen so many people post on here and I was wondering if there was anyone in the same boat as me?

Okay so:

First 2 weeks - classic cold and flu symptoms but I pushed through by going on holiday etc

2-4 weeks - scaled back as I was feeling constant fatigue but was still drinking occasionally and going to parties

4-6 turning point - scaled everything all the way back stopped pushing through and went home to be looked after

6-8 developed very severe depression at home and really struggled with the isolation so came back to my city and started sertraline

8 week mark - didn't sleep for 5 days whilst coming onto sertraline to help with anxiety attacks and depression

9-10 weeks - saw gradual improvements before being struck down by cold/flu symptoms. Been exhausted and ill since Wednesday.

I haven't been back to work yet, I am barely seeing anyone. I feel like I'm becoming progressively bedbound. Can anyone provide me with some reassurance that it gets better? I'm so scared of hitting the 3 month mark. I'm so scared of CFS. If it carries on this way I don't know what to do.

first i’ll say please excuse any errors typing is very hard rn

ive had mono for about a month and have been admitted to the hospital about 3 times for severe complications with symptoms. recently like in the past few days ive been losing motor control in my hands and legs, i’m really worried that this is another moment that i should go to the er. has anyone else experienced this?

Hi friends. I got diagnosed with mono this week. My tonsils are normally very large (I’ve seen an ENT doctor) but with mono they’re now touching. I’m only a week and a half into this (and only got a sore throat 3 days ago) and I’m worried they’ll get bigger and obstruct my throat. Has anyone had this before and what was the treatment? I’m scared they’ll do an emergency tonsillectomy 🥺

My throat has been irritated for a while since that initial exposure it’s been kind of ramping up a bit now. It’s also irritating my ear causing some dizziness . Today I feel unwell - nauseous and lethargic a bit. There’s no white spots I see in the back of my throat and I don’t have the full blown fevers yet, I just have night sweats so far. I have some plans coming up soon and idk if I should cancel or not. My family is probably going to stress me out if I don’t go and they’re probably gonna push me to my limits when I’m at the event too- mentally and physically.
Should I get tested now or just wait for full blown symptoms?

i’m hoping i’m just being silly but i’m 19F, yesterday i shared a fork with my friend without thinking 20M. he had mono just over 6 months ago and was very unwell. he’s since been fine with a few complications but i’m quite anxious about this. i know it stays in the body and after the pandemic i was left with dysautonomia :/ the last thing i want to do it make it worse so would anybody know how likely it is for me to pick it up that way? i had like two bites of food with this fork and his girlfriend used it inbetween us (we were just trying something whilst eating out, not a regular thing for us obviously) thank you!

edit: i just wanted to include that i spent a while bedbound until this year due to said dysautonomia, that’s why it’s throwing me off so much 🥲

After two weeks of being sick, I just got diagnosed with mono. My doctor said about 6 to 8 weeks, which sounds about right, but I wanted to hear from people who've had it before: How long did it last for you?

My biggest worry is the swollen spleen that comes with it. My doctor said no heavy lifting, and I'm listening to that 100%, but it sucks because my job requires heavy lifting. I'm self-employed, so it's not like I'll lose my job, but if I can't work, I can't generate money to live on.

I am a teenager and I have got mono last March and it is now late June and I still have full blown body aches, and feeling like I pulled an all nighter while sleeping 10 hours. I have no life, I sit inside all day, I have no connections with friends. I’m desperate for a way to recover, because what I’m doing doesn’t seem to do anything. I have missed so many important things in my life, that this illness has basically changed me as a person and is leaving me with long lasting consequences. Please give me advice anything helps.

I’ve written on here countless times over the past 1.5 years (since my reactivated EBV diagnosis) and want to start by saying thank you for being such a supportive, helpful community!

For a little context, I’m 22F and have had mono since January 2025. I had to medically withdrawal from college and basically change my entire lifestyle in an effort to recovery. I stopped drinking, smoking, exercising, partying, traveling, made diet changes, etc etc. I started seeing a holistic doctor, was put on supplements, etc. Still, 1.5 years in, I deal with fairly intense flare ups of migraines, throat aches, muscles aches, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia… the list goes on. It’s very cyclical as well, and some symptoms are more frequent/ intense than others.

Having just graduated, I have an opportunity to be unemployed/ without major responsibilities the next few months. I want to focus on my diet, meditation, nervous system healing, limiting screens, etc… basically breaking all the “poor” habits I have yet to fully commit to! At this point, I’m VERY aware that this illness presents itself differently for everyone, and the recovery is non-linear. But I do have a question for people that have recovered after 1 year+ of symptoms…

How did you manage to cross that bridge? My fear is that I commit my lifestyle to healing, and do see improvements, but then can never eat sugar or exercise or drink a glass of wine or anything like that ever again. Obviously, making an intense commitment to lifestyle changes is going to make me feel atleast a little better, but is it sustainable? Truthfully, after 1.5 years it’s hard to even imagine my life without this bullshit!

Please give me some hope, or any tips or ideas to keep me motivated to healing. I’m losing some steam because my progress is so slow (if i’m even progressing at all). I’ll have a few weeks of feeling good and then BAM, horrible flare for a few weeks. It’s so discouraging, frustrating, and hopeless.

Also, if you’re someone that’s been dealing w this for MANY years please do me a favor and don’t respond. No offense, it’s just that sometimes I post something like this and get a response like “I’m on year 12. No changes.” While you’re in my heart, that is incredibly discouraging for a girl looking for a little courage.
Thanks.

Hi everyone

my name is Hannah and i am 23 years old.

I've been dealing with fatigue after an EBV infection for about 5 months now, and I'm looking to connect with others who are in a similar stage of recovery (roughly 3–8 months after the initial infection). Please do not write me if its shorter or longer than that. Thanks ;)

I'd especially love to hear from girls between 18 and 25, since I'm a girl myself and think it might be easier to relate to someone in a similar age group.

It would be great if you're from Germany or middle Europe, as it's easier with time zones.

It would be nice to share experiences, talk about recovery, and support each other with a positive mind. 💙

Hannah ;)

Hi, I got diagnosed with mono about 2 months ago now and I don’t think I’ve ever been this depressed in my life. It’s destroying me I’m 21 and am so scared to give it to anyone or to tell anyone (I’ve only told a couple close friends) because I feel so dirty. I can’t explain it but I feel like something has been taken from me and I feel scared to actually live, I would literally rather hermit and disassociate from everyone. I’m a really big sharer of drinks and things with my friends and I’m struggling to adjust, I’m so insanely paranoid now. I just feel like I can’t do this, I don’t know how to approach dating again, not sharing drinks, and not that I do but if I wanted to kiss a stranger or something in a club I don’t think I could do it out of guilt and anxiety. I guess I’m just asking does it get better? Can anyone help me figure out how to live with this and not feel like my existence is an inconvenience, I’m really trying but it’s taken over my life. Have you made meaningful connections since mono? Do people judge you? Literally anything would help at this point I just feel so isolated and alone in this.

i have recently found out i had a mono infection recently, and i have been dealing with iron deficiency and pots-like symptoms. my iron is getting slightly better, albeit slowly, and i feel somewhat better. however, i still am very low and have post-viral symptoms. doctors think i may have dysautonomia and that terrifies me, i don’t want to be sick forever. was anyone here ever misdiagnosed and got better?

I had mononucleosis in mid-December 2025, and the acute phase lasted about a month. However, I remained contagious until early June, and I haven’t had any alcohol for 6 months now. I’d like to hear about your experiences and find out if you think it’s safe to drink alcohol. Of course, I’ll consult a doctor, but I want to hear from others who’ve been through this.

Hi mono friends - I want to first of all say that I see you, and I'm so sorry you're struggling with this awful awful virus. BUT I want to share some positivity and an update on my journey at 10 months. This sub helped me so much throughout my journey and there's no where near enough positivity here so wanted to share the good update.

I slowly slipped into mono 10 months ago - I was completely bedridden for three months (29f). Had to move into my parent's house to be looked after. I had everything from puffy eyes which lasted three months, throat caked in pus, fever, full body rash, couldn't stand up, swollen liver and spleen, numbness in legs, face and hands, extreme face tension, headaches, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, extreme depression, GI issues, you name it, I had it.

The first month was the active virus, and the second and third month was convalescing - I couldn't move. I wasn't able to see friends or even have anyone over, as it would exhaust me too much and I'd be extremely fatigued for days after.

The fourth month I started trying to walk again and slowly building up strength to go about my day. I was also able to work a bit more (from home, desk job).

After the first four months, I steadily progressed by slowly SLOWLY building up my baseline. I was able to reintroduce Pilates once a week, walking 10k steps a day (slow) and generally was able to do more outings, see friends etc.

By six months I was slowly able to tolerate a wine every now and then without setting myself back, and do Pilates 3-ish times a week, walking every day too.

Now at 10 months, I wanted to pop in here to let you know that there is hope!!!! I still wake up every day scared about slipping into the virus, but with every week and month that passes, it's getting easier.

I still get very tired - especially around my period - and still experience headaches, brain fog, light sensitivity/eye floaters, neck tightness and some neural issues sometimes.

I'm definitely still rebuilding, but I'm 90-95% back to my regular programming, and want to share a positive story with you as I know how scary it can be at every stage in the journey.

As for things that helped me, acupuncture was the best thing that I tried that truly helped me. Getting to appointments was so hard, but I found that 48 hours after every treatment, the fatigue lifted significantly. I started acupuncture around week 8 so if you're in the acute phase and extremely fatigued, I really recommend it.

As far as supplements, I found L-Lysine helpful around week 4-8, and NAC very helpful from month 4 onwards.

It's definitely still a journey, and I'd love to hear from anyone around months 10-15 about how their energy / fatigue continued to lift in those months.

But on the whole, I'm able to live my life, see my friends, hang out with my boyfriend and family, exercise, travel interstate - I'm just more cautious about overdoing it.

Only positive vibes on this post please! Sending so much love your way - lots of books, good TV shows and you've got this - it does get easier I promise <3

One more thing - I found that reading too much Reddit sometimes made me feel worse, and my best days were the days I didn't check on here. So I recommend using it sparingly, read some positive stories, then try and avoid it for a few days/weeks. Those were my healthiest days!

M16.

Last week i kissed a girl that last year was infected by mononucleosis.

I'm very scared to get it to because at the end of July i have a very important school exam.

So i wanted to ask you if most likely i will get mono, even if she had it 14 months ago and after three weeks of symtomps she was doin well.

Sorry for bad english, it is not my first language.

Hey there, I work in a very physical job, that means being on my feet for 9+ hours 5 to 6 times a week. I already had Ebv years ago and 5 weeks ago I got symptoms like sore throat, extreme fatigue, headpain and overall pain in my body. I didn't go to work for 2 weeks, started working again for a week when I felt like my fatigue was getting better and now my lymph nodes swelled up massively, especially on one side under my neck which makes me look also messed up, fatigue came back and everything. Went to the doctor and he said I have mono and I should rest alot. Called into work now and my boss said I shouldn't come anymore. HOW LONG does this take please. Lymph nodes are hot and burning. Did someone else have the same??

I have been having a hard time sleeping, after the severe symptoms faded. It's been around 3 weeks, and the symptoms faded about a week ago, or well, the severe ones at least. I have been feeling very tired and unmotivated, lazy almost. I used to be so active before getting this virus, but now I just feel tired. any advice? I wanna start getting active again. I also want to be able to sleep, since I absolutely have been unable to sleep.

I usually just try and wait till I get sleepy, but it's been impossible lately. I am unable to get tired no matter what I do. And in the morning, I feel exhausted because I would've been up so late. It's currently 3am. I and starting to feel tired, but this is ridiculous. Yesterday I couldnt sleep till 4am.

Is this normal??

Hello, I’m 21M and I got diagnosed with mono at the end of april. My symptoms were mostly High Liver enzymes, temperature, tiredness and swollen lymph nodes in abdomen. It lasted for about a month and then all of symptoms disappeared and my liver enzymes normalized. Last 10 days I’ve been having extreme nausea and occasional abdominal pain with the feeling of acid in my throat and sometimes chest. I tried taking pantoprazol meds once day for the last week and it slightly helps with acid but doesn’t fully stop the nausea. I’m wondering if anyone had developed similar symptoms and could it be that mono caused GERD all of a sudden, any advice is appreciated because this is unbearable and I’m losing weight because I got no appetite.

It had been over a year since my boyfriend had mono, (we started dating 6 months ago) so I assumed it was safe to kiss him. Wrong!

I'm 19 and was about to start my new very physical job, and now I'm out for a whole week with mono and strep. I've had horrible cases of covid and flu in the past, I've had an ear infection that burst my eardrum and left me deaf in one ear for six months, I've had period cramps so bad I passed out, and nothing even compares to the pain I'm in right now.

Everything from my shoulders up is pure agony. My lymph nodes are so swollen I can barely turn my head! Both my eardrums hurt, my jaw is stiff and achy, but of course worst of all is the sore throat. I can't breathe at all through my nose, but the dry air just irritates me more. I'm not able to keep my mouth closed and I keep drooling. I'm still pushing liquids even though it feels like I'm swallowing glass and razorblades. I can't afford any complications, my last (unrelated) ER visit dug me in a hole financially. But jesus I just wish I could get into a clinic and get some steroids or a numbing spray or literally anything.

My tonsils are HUGE and look utterly disgusting. I was prescribed ezithromycin for the strep, but it hasn't done a thing yet. I've tried everything: salt water, honey, coconut oil, popsicles, ice cubes, hot tea-- literally nothing gives me relief besides ibuprofen, but I've already taken it so much these past few days and I'm worried about taking too much. NyQuil can only keep me asleep for two hours max. I've slept hardly a wink in the past two days because I keep waking myself up when I swallow. Oddly enough, I don't have a fever but I have some really awful chills.

I just can't believe how bad this is, and how nobody told me beforehand! I mean, when my boyfriend had it, he was hospitalized but I assumed that was because he also had adenomyosis at the time. Can mono really just be that bad? I'm in so much pain. Please tell me it gets better. I'm so scared it will only get worse and I won't be able to do anything about it. I'm so tired. I just want to be able to sleep.