Kissing what?

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nor am I in the medical field. This entry only relates my experience with the virus. Please visit your physician if you believe to have the following condition.

Things happened this week that are too coincidental to ignore. Today, in the company for who I work, a memo came out explaining mononucleosis since there have been some questions regarding the virus. On Monday the local news channel interviewed me about why I took Yogalates for the last year. I sounded like a dork. Truth being, I started taking the class because somehow I contracted the EBV virus (mono) last year and was having a hard time kicking it. My doctor encouraged me to do as much activity as I could handle, including exercise.

Let me start out by saying mono is not fun. Mononucleosis is a virus that is accompanied with a host of symptoms, most notably exhaustion. I'm usually a very active, sleep 7-8 hours a day, alert, and cheery person. When the virus hit the hardest, my personality turned the exact opposite. Flat out, I was a bitch. Sleeping 12+ hours a day didn't help the mood swings, and no amount of caffeine could combat the tiredness.

After subjecting my blood to the EBV test last winter, I took it easy for the month. Didn't do much besides going to work and sleeping. Took a day off and slept for the entire day only once -- the day was particularly bad. I notified my boss about the condition, and took extra care to watch what activities I did. Being a considerate person, I carried around alcohol wipes to clean the surfaces that I touched, sneezed on, or with which I had any type of prolonged contact.

As it progressively got better (sleeping 10 hours instead of 12), I tried to go to the gym on occasion, and that's where I got hooked on yoga and Pilates. I invested $10 in my own mat, and then had a relapse of the mono. Went to the doctor for another blood test, nothing too abnormal came back, but the doctor told me to stay home for the rest of the week. Luckily, I had the week off and was traveling to relax see my family. Over time, the virus subsided without the help of any medication, but with a good diet, lots and lots of fluids, and plenty of rest.

I respect my M.D. (who happens to be a D.O.) for not placing me on medication right away and allowing me to choose if I should attend work. I think some doctors are slowly replacing the "you-have-to-stay-home-for-the-week" stigma. They know that the mono virus affects people in different ways, being the most contagious when a fever is present. I never got the fever. I certainly did get the headaches, though. Now, however, I'm glad that the whole ordeal is over and my energy (and sleep schedule) is back to normal.

To everyone who calls it the kissing disease, here are a few words for you: I only wish it were that fun! I truly do not know how I got mono, but I hope I had fun while it happened...

If you want more information on mono, please visit WebMD's overview.