Here's my situation:

Last week I started getting a sore throat, which I thought was just a case of sleeping with my mouth open or somethinh non-harmful. The next night I go to my girlfriends house and we make out.

The next few days my sore throat sky rockets. It's been six days since that first minor sore throat, but now I am fatigued, home from school, horrible sore throat, and endless snot coming for who knows where.

I am certain that I have mono, as are my parents. I realize that there is no cure and to just get rest, but I've got a few other concerns.

Do you think my girlfriend will get mono now, even though there were no symptoms at the time we made out? And in the future will I ever be able to kiss another girl without giving her mono?

Please, please help me here so I can put my thoughts to rest. I appreciate it greatly, and hope you will help me in someway.

- Parolin

How do you know for fact its mono? And not the flu or sinus', etc? If in fact you are infected with the Epstein Barr Virus , yes your girlfriend will come in contact with the highly contagious virus unless she could be just a carrier. Especially if her immune system is low or if she is under stress so on so forth.
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wave.gif,,, been there done that,,, mono for 2 yrs and they say it never leaves your system.

I just wanted to tell you that I have had severe mono for almost a year and a 1/2 now and I have had it reacure twice. I really think the first thing you should do is go get urself checked out cause if you do have it you need to stay out of school. As long as your girlfriend doesn't have a low immune system she should be ok. I have had a boyfriend the whole time and he has never gotten it. See ya
Bree

[This message has been edited by moderator2 (edited 04-14-2003).]

Parolin,

I can feel your pain as I am currently in the fourth month of mono. I contracted it from my job where I come into contact with people that travel all over the world. The spread of mono isn't restricted merely to kissing as is sometimes thought. I received it simply by having someone cough within close proximity to me. You DO need to go to a doctor and first receive a diagnosis. Common symptoms of mono are fever in the first few days, exhaustion, swollen lymphnodes throughout the body...usually the ones in your throat are a first indicator, and some people even develop red splotches that resemble a rash. The need to see a doctor and get an accurate diagnosis is essential as this particular disease can also affect your liver.

You can expect to endure symptoms of mono for quite some time. You may experience occasional flair ups and when they occur you need to remain isolated from other people to prevent the spread of the illness. Should you be diagnosed with mono, your girlfriend should go and have herself tested as well.

As someone else stated, you can carry the virus for the rest of your life. Fortunately, many people seem to have an immunity to it and can be exposed to it without contracting it. My significant other has not contracted the virus and seems to be completely unaffected by it. So, do not worry about being unable to kiss others without giving them the virus.

See a doctor ASAP and take care of you,

sprout

Your girlfriend will more than likely not get mono. I consider myself an expert on mono, seeing that I've had it three times, and I'm only 15 years old. I like to learn about my illnesses and I read somewhere that most adults or teenagers, 90%, have already had mono earlier in life, that was minor and treated as a cold or flu, so they have antibodies toward the mono. So, chances are your girlfriend won't get mono.

I had mono at age 13 and almost flunked school that year. Since then I've had hypothyroid problems which my doc says were caused by the Mono. Also the mono causes other autoimmune problems. My regular doctors never told me this or helped me with it. Now I've researched the internet and started seeing an ND about a year ago. My mother died of lymphoma and her death certificate said she had a thyroid nodule, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I've read that mono can lead to lymphoma. Still learning.