chronic mono = CF??

meatball

I just put up a post of this as well.. when you say you have mono again are you actually feeling sick again? I have felt lousy for the past month and my doc just diagnosed me with acute mono eventhough I had it when I was 15. I didn't think you can get mono again... i'm confused...

kiya

Having mono twice is apparently highly unusual. However, doctors have said that you can have mono and a negative blood test, so it may be that it's more common than perhaps thought and you were lucky enough to have it show up in a blood test every time you've been sent for one.

If I were you, I'd be looking to find a doctor who is interested in finding out a cause for your recurrent bouts of mono, rather than going down the CFS route.

subway13

It IS very rare to test positive for active mono/EVB twice. Since the virus stays with you even when you aren't sick with it people consider that as "always having mono" too. The weird thing is I tested positive in summer 02 and then negative the next spring, and then positive again in summer 04. Which probably means I was re-introduced to the virus but my immune system failed in fighting it off. It's kinda like having the chicken pox, you are only sick with it once but then you still carry the harmless virus with you. Normally after you have mono your immune system will continue to keep the virus antibodies with you so that if you are infact re-introduced to the active virus you will be able to fight it off instead of get sick again. My immune system obviously didn't have the working anti-bodies to fight it off again which may suggest deficiency. So who knows!?! I give up for now.

staceymp

I have epstein barr and chronic mono that they said is the onset of chronic fatigue.. its basically the same thing. yes the dr also told me that the virus is permanent ..that my immune system is weakened, not to drink alcohol, etc. i was in bed for 2 wks when i got diagnosed w this after having mono twice. 3 yrs later, i am 21 and have not really had any mono symptoms or been sick at all but i am always tired. thats odd that you tested +,-,+ maybe it was just a relapse who knows ,, but good luck, i know this virus sucks!! stacey