Hi

I'm not looking for advice as such but wondered if anybody had experienced any long term issues with glandular fever.

My 11 year old was diagnosed 6 weeks ago (after what the GP said was tonsillitis, that two lots of antibiotics did not shift).

On the final day of taking antibiotics she ended up covered from head to toe in a rash that apparently was the virus reacting against the medication, the rash started to fade after about a week.

Then just before Christmas she ended up in hospital after starting with what looked like a meningitis type rash, they felt it was post viral vasculitis but after various tests decided it was idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (something to do with low platelets) they felt that the glandular fever had weakened her immune system which had then started causing issues with her blood. She started to improve and by boxing day blood was getting back to normal.

I'm concerned though as we are now 6 weeks into the virus and she is still not well. Always cold, skin tone very pale but blotchy, tired all the time and her throat is constantly sore!

GP said it just needs to work it's way out of her system and will take time.

I'm wondering if anybody has experienced similar effects and how long they took to improve (I know everyone is different)

She has an appointment in around 6 weeks to see consultant just so they can give her the all clear from the issues she had with her blood.

Hoping someone can share their experiences so I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

X

I knew someone who had glandular fever as a young adult and the main issue after the illness had seemingly cleared was ongoing fatigue which was quite severe and lasted a good couple of months.

I hope your 11 year old starts feeling better soon.

I picked up Glandular Fever when in the last years of High School, took most of the Winter/Spring term to finally clear up so was a good 12 weeks.

The rash may be part of the infection as I developed a rash. It felt like having a dose of the flu for months, except with the sneezing and snuffy nose. I recall it was just so painful to move, I just wanted to sit or lie down and even wanting to move took such a huge amount of effort and when I did there was just no energy

But it did pass, after a couple of months the energy started to return again

Also happened to my Sister at the similar age as mentioned above. And it went in a similar pattern.

Thanks everyone.

She has missed so much school and when she does go she's tired and achey and falls asleep as soon as she gets home.

Her glands are like golf balls still! Crazy how much a virus can wipe you out.

The first rash was a itchy bumpy rash that they said was the virus reacting against the amoxicillin they had prescribed for her throat. Apparently that's pretty common.

The second rash was more like a meningitis rash that was purple and didn't go when a glass was put on and apparently that was because her platelets were so low.

Even now her skin tone is strange. She's ghostly white with sort of a mottle blue the under the skin and usually she has pretty decent colouring...very odd. They have said her spleen is inflamed too so no contact sport for a while.

Thanks for the reply seem there is light at the end of the tunnel eventually

I had it when I was about 20, so nearly 24 years ago now - I'm pretty sure I caught it through kissing. The disease is spread directly through mouth contact with infected saliva. The virus connected with it is called the Epstein Barr virus.

The symptoms I had, started gradually at first with a persistent sore throat, then a slight fever, which persisted for several weeks, from the end of May, pretty much throughout June. The glands in my neck, both sides, just below my jaw, were swollen and painful. There then followed months of feeling weak and below par, although the glands went down - it was the loss of strength which was most noticeable. Everything seemed strangely much bigger than me (difficult to explain). I had a terrible flare up in October, when my mouth was literally full of tiny and extremely painful ulcers. Although more acute than the original, the flare up only lasted about a week.

Finally in about mid December I started to feel better, and this was very marked as I suddenly got my appetite back very strongly and felt "normal" for the first time in many months. However, I still had weird "flashbacks" where the feeling of overwhelming weakness would return for literally a few seconds. That might have been some form of PTSD.

During the time I was ill, life kind of carried on, but in reduced form - if that makes sense.

Once it had physically gone though, it actually went completely.

Interestingly, the girl I got it from, also got it, and she was worse than me - went on to develop Chronic Fatigue syndrome. I reckon she had picked it up from someone else, and then passed it on to me.

It's a nasty, protracted and debilitating illness. Not to be taken lightly.

For about 4 or 5 years afterwards, I did get a lot of short lived sore throats.

ETA: Doctor was quite casual about it, and just assured me it would pass in time. He was right. I did ask if there was anything that could make me feel better, but he said no. Interestingly enough, I said I started to feel better from mid December. I do remember at the beginning of December buying some Vitamin C and Zinc lozenges from Boots and kept sucking them. Probably no connection, but still.

Great Summary, I'd forgotten about the Mouth Ulcers.

It is a nasty pernicious and often unremitting chronic illness.
Don't want to frighten the OP but my o/h had glandular fever in his twenties and he has never really recovered.
The symptoms he had at the time were severe, causing weakness and exhaustion, and it has left a legacy of fatigue and flare-ups. He's ok in most regards - he works and lives a normal life, but things can trigger a relapse of the problem and he has episodes when it can knock him for six.
I would not wish glandular fever and its consequences on anyone.

I had it in my late twenties and made the big mistake of forcing myself to go back to work after two weeks. I'm sure that affected me for years afterwards.

From these stories I feel quite lucky. I had GF for six weeks when I was 16. I felt rough for the first week but then felt fine for the last five weeks. I was fine afterwards and have never had any problems that I could relate to it.

Thanks for the replies everyone I appreciate it.