Hi, I was diagnosed with glandular fever last June, and was told I had come into contact with the virus two months earlier to that. I was in bed for about two months, with exhaustion, I felt like I couldn't even lift my head. I was constantly having a fever and I was off food for quite a while because it made me want to vomit. Amongst many other symptoms I also had a very bad pain in the left hand side of my body. I was told this was an enlarged spleen. I had very big swollen glands in my neck aswell.
After the two months I felt a lot better and started back at work in a care home for the elderly. This involved very heavy lifting and lots of running around up flights of stairs etc. I felt okay to do this and I got back into my old way of doing things. I returned to university in September for my second year and within a week I was in bed again with dizziness, exhaustion and flu like symptoms. This lasted about a week and then I started to feel better again. Since then I have had sore throats on and off and tiredness cropping up on me occasionally. I have been able to deal with this. Until recently.
Over christmas I had an episode of sickness and diarrhoea and this knocked me back a bit. I started having the pain down the left hand side of my body, underneath my ribs and felt exhausted once again.
I returned to univeristy after the christmas break and was only back two week and had to return home to recover once again as I had flu like symptoms, a sore throat and was feeling tired.
I started feeling a bit better so came back once againt to university thinking I was okay. The following week I had tonsillitus again. I was in bed for about a week and had to have a taxi to the doctors because I felt like I couldnt even lift my legs. I was prescribed antibiotics and started to feel well again a week later. So I got back to my usual routine, doing lots of work for university, cleaning the house, walking around a lot, went back to work.
Then the following week it returned. I had tonsillitus, lots of white mucus on my throat, my glands were swollen in my neck and the pain in my side had got much worse. My sister came to visit and spent the whole time feeding me painkillers and had to get me in a taxi to the emergency doctor at the hospital because I felt like I couldnt breathe my throat was so swollen. They put me on more antibiotics and I went home to my parents to rest again. I was in bed for 3 solid weeks and couldnt move. I experienced loads of different symptoms such as shivering but having an extremely hot burning face. Sweating constantly, clammy hands, pins and needles constantly which were very hard to get rid of, it felt a chore to lift my head, my face was very puffy, I had sore eyes, lower back pain, I was short of breath, I felt like I could sleep forever but even if I did sleep for ages I would wake up feeling worse. Everytime I ate it hurt my side. My legs felt like they weighed a million pounds, my muscles ached so badly, I was constipated, I had a headache everytime I woke up and only worsened with light. I couldnt concentrate on anything. I was completely hopeless.

I probably haven't listed all of the symptoms but I have had so many I cant remember them all!

I then felt better for about a week and then I had all the symptoms back once again and my doctor sent me into hopsital for tests as the pain in my side had got much much worse. I had numerous blood tests, an ultrasound scan of my tummy and an x-ray of my chest. They came to the conclusion I may have IBS and should start treating it. They mentioned Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and that I might have that caused by Glandular Fever but didnt actually say that that IS DEFINATELY what I have.
I have so much work to do at university and I have no idea how I will get any of it done. No one understands, I feel like they think im lazy or just have the 'flu'. I feel completely hopeless. I used to be quite active and very energetic and now I cant even walk up the stairs without feeling exhausted let alone ride my bike...All I want to do is sleep! I would just like to know exactly what I have but I dont think the doctors know, all I got from the last one is a look of confusion and then he sent me to hospital. I feel completely depressed, I cant go out like I used to with my friends, I cant even do my university work, I feel like my old life is slipping away...Just wanted to write it all down really...does anyone have any advice?

Hi there - I know exactly how you feel and sympathise with you. I've had many similar symptoms to you & had to quit my job 3 years ago because I could barely function as a normal person. I barely go out anymore either. Everyone still thinks I'm just lazy or antisocial. The possibility of CFS has been thrown my way by 2 doctors, but no one has been willing to give me an official diagnosis, which makes it even more frustrating.

By the sounds of it, you just need to take a long break for your body to recover. There's no point in pushing things, otherwise you will just drag things out. Are you able to take a few months off from your studies (ie defer them for another semester?). Studying is stressful enough as it is & I don't think you'd want to add more stress to an already stressed out body.

When I first quit my job, I could barely walk up the stairs to the bathroom to brush my teeth in the mornings. But now, I am able to do this and more without getting too exhausted. Resting has helped in a lot of ways & I think that's what you need to do. Rest when your body tells you to & sleep.

Also, I would recommend taking some form of supplementation to help your body. Definitely a B vitamin complex, and also some vitamin C and zinc. Speak to a naturopath if you can & they could also recommend some herbal supplements to boost your immune system.

Good luck. Just know that you're not alone with this.

My wife has been using "Immpower" a natural remedy for her blood disorder. She has MDS. Her bone marrow is not reproducing her red and white blood cells nor her platelets. She has been taking immpower for about a year. It is Japaneese mushrooms. In 2005 she was told by a hemo. doctor that she had MDS and she would have to take this high priced drug that was going to cost us $2.000 a month or take blood transfussion when her hemoglobin got below 7 . at first she could only go about 4 weeks before needing a transfussion. Then a friend of our had cancer and he started taking this immpower and he improved. My wife stated taking immpower about a year ago and the 11th of April was 6 months since she had a blood transfussion. It boosted her immune system and her hemoglobin has not gone below 8 so far. She has developed an iron overload taking so many blood transfussion and that was what the high priced drug was far.....hope this helps.........good luck