Three or four weeks ago I was diagnosed with a mild to medium cause of Mononucleosis. To give you an idea of how mild, my symptoms included:
-Extremely sore throat
-Swollen Lymph Nodes (Neck pain)
-Back Pain
-Slight fever (around 99 degrees)
-Sleeping up to 12 to 15 hours a day.
-Loss of Appetite
However, with all this I lacked a swollen spleen, which I told is uncommon, but not unheard of, as mono affects everyone differently.
A little history about me... I am an amateur bodybuilder and Mixed Martial Artist of three years. I don't compete, but I train two times a week in MMA and workout five times a week, giving myself two rest days a week. However after being diagnosed, and a little before it, I stopped working out. I think it's going to be two months tomorrow that I haven't worked out.
The reason I ask is because my doctor "cleared" me to workout again, and so I attempted to do a workout today, and failed miserably. Not an extreme workout like I'm used to, but not a mild one either. I didn't really trust him, because I've heard rumors of mono still affecting people months after they're diagnosed. However I did feel fine, I've been on antibiotics for about three weeks now, all of my symptoms returned to normal and I felt 100% better for the most part. I got about halfway through my workout and I felt horrible. Suddenly I was / had...
-Weak in the legs
-Uneasy stomach feeling
-Extreme dizziness
-Difficulty breathing / swallowing
-No energy remaining, desire to lay down and pass out (or at the time I was thinking... I needed a "nap." @_@)
I sat for about 15 minutes before I had the strength to stand again, I had brought my brother with me to watch out for me just in case something like this had happened. I checked for hydration via pinch test (even though I know I had been drinking plenty of water) and I was indeed hydrated.
Looking back it's pretty clear it was a stupid idea. We don't need to be attacking me for it, I realize it, and I'll be chatting with my doctor again. But what I want to know (before I talk to my doctor, preferably) is if this happened because of Mononucleosis, or just a bad return to working out? Why?
Well, I had similar problems when I tried to return to exercise after foot surgery. Even if the mono were 100% gone, you've still lost strength and stamina because you haven't trained for a while. And there's probably still just a "little bit" of mono in you.
I think that you are able to begin working out again, but you need to start a lot more slowly. Imagine you are a couch potato trying to get in shape. Start with just a few minutes of light exercise, like a brisk walk. If that doesn't tax you, do a little more the next day. It'll take time to build back up to where you were before you got sick. It won't take as long as it did for you to get in shape the first time, though.
Oh! Make sure you are eating enough, as well as drinking. Mono can kill the appetite, which is fine when you are lying on the couch, not fine when you are back in the gym.
I apologize for the late response... but what do you think the verdict would be on the use of workout supplements while having Mono?
Specially a Nitrous Oxide named N.O. Xplode. If you don't know what it is, in short (and I mean really short), it's a B vitamin complex, to promote more energy, and a great pumped feeling.
Would it be safe? Or better off skipping it for now?
