So I have a daycare and have been sick a lot in December (due to stress) and closed 2 extra unpaid days and this brought stress to my families. Then last week I found out I have mono from a blood test. I've obviously never had it. I have not told anyone as everyone here seems to be sick and I can't close when I'm so beyond tired so I am just dealing with it. Can anyone tell me about your experience with mono.......when did you have it and what kind of job did you have at the time and how did it affect you? I'm wondering how long this will last! I'm exhausted and so not happy lately I'm just trying to stay positive. My dr. told me to take Monday and Tuesday off to rest, but I couldn't but I don't understand how two days will help if I could feel like this for 2 months? OYE I need support please!

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I had mono as a teenager. I missed almost a month of school and all I could do was lay on the couch. I had no energy and didn't want to eat. I lost weight and. It took a while to get my energy level back.

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Oh goodness, you need to make yourself getting better your top priority for now. I had it when I was 18(kissing disease and all that ya know). I had it so bad, my throat swelled right up, couldn't eat and could hardly drink. This was 40+ years ago and it went misdiagnosed for quite awhile. I ended up in the hospital for a week, had to take 6 weeks off from my factory job, and slowly regained my health and strength during those 6 weeks.
My dd also had it when she was in high school, kept trying to do too much so ended up missing 20 days her senior year.
If possible, try to cut your schedule back to the bare minimum that you can. Sleep is the best medicine for you.
Good luck and hope you feel better soon!!

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I always need one staff helper which I do and try to relax while the other helper is here too, but should I tell them and the parents about it? I need their help and they have already been exposed however it's spread. I just don't want to freak them out if they have not had it.

I need to hire one more helper for someone's maternity leave later this month so it's just a lot of stress. Then my own little one after hours is hard. It's so depressing having no energy I don't even feel like smiling. I've mostly just lost my voice and eat less but always thirsty. Did anyone else lose their voice? Did anyone throw up? Did anyone's spouses or kids get it at the same time?

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My DD had it when she was a senior in high school. Same thing....sick (in bed) for an entire month, slooooooow recovery period afterwards.

She lost a ton of weight and ended up anemic too.

It takes about 4-6 weeks from the time a person is exposed before symptoms begin. The contagious period can be from a few weeks to a year. Some adults are carriers of the virus but will never have symptoms.


The length of recovery is DIRECTLY related to how much rest you get. Our doctor suggested plenty of water and lots of good quality rest. Tiring yourself out will only prolong it.

I hope you feel better soon.

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It can also effect your internal organs if you're too active while sick. My sister had it and they said her spleen could literally rupture and she had to take time off work to recover. I understand your need to work but you won't be able to work if you end up in the hospital! My DS had mono last year but he was just 8. I took him to the ER because he couldn't walk his legs hurt so bad and was losing feeling in his hands and feet. They found his calcium levels were low and his liver enzymes were high. I guess the mono ended up causing a type of hepatitis reaction in his body! It was scary! Your liver and spleen are important and having mono can effect both of those! Take care of yourself!

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This exactly. Took me a long time to get better. I would not be working if I were you. Especially with children. It was the sickest I have ever been.

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I had mono and strep when I was 25 (not from kissing either, I was married!). I was working as a health inspector at the time and just finished inspecting 30 schools, including several high schools . I'm sure that's where I got it from! It caused a a bad sore throat and exhaustion. The prescribed medication resulted in a lot of gastrointestinal problems. In total I missed about 4 days of work. The problem came when it lowered my immunity and I got valley fever 3 weeks later. That put me out nearly 3 weeks, resulted in 3 ER visits including one in an ambulance and a hospital stay of several days. It was the worst experience of my life! I lost 25 pounds in a month (and I wasn't big to start with). I was literally skin and bones! It took me a few MONTHS to recover completely and get back up to a healthier weight.

Oh and the medical tally for the whole thing after all the doctor visits (before insurance of course) was $35,000 . We spend the medical max of $2500 that year.

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Got a severe case at 19. My glands swelled so much my airway became restricted and I ended up in the hospital with a non-collapsible tube down my throat! Great fun! Sore glands all over, sorest throat ever and sooooo tired.

After that......doc wrote me off work for 6 weeks to start. Taking a shower felt like swimming the English channel and going up stairs to bed was like conquering Everest.

After that, I worked only part days for another month. Eventually, the doc put me on steroids as my strength wasn't returning and I had lost so much weight (down to 83 pounds). My mother was in the medical field and carefully weened me off the steroids after a while.

In the meantime, I met my husband and planned a wedding! The day I got married, the steroids had me back to a whopping 95 pounds!!!!

My daighter had it a few years back when she 15. Not such a bad case, but still very sick and ttiirreedd........

Get as much rest as you possibly can.

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I had mono when I was 32 - it was shortly after I had baby #2 - he was premature & at 6 weeks he was admitted to the children's hospital PICU with bronchiolitis on a breathing tube for about a week. Then 3 weeks later he developed pneumonia & RSV - we almost lost him it was incredible scary. Anyway, it was a super stressful time (child is now 10 & healthy!) & I got sick & developed mono. Let me tell you I was pooped for WEEKS & WEEKS. I think 2 days will help but honestly you need more help- is there anyway you can find someone to come in to help you so you can nap when the kids nap? Are you able to go to bed early each night - these things may help. Hugs!!!!!

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I would definitely tell the parents, so they can get their kids tested for it. Could you maybe just say that your daycare had "a possible exposure" and that it is just " a precaution", and that for privacy reasons you cannot divulge the details? That way you don't look like the bad guy. Just a thought:-)

I had it as a teen and I was just fatigued. I was running long distance in track and on the way home from practice I would fall asleep in the car, which was very unlike me. So my mom took me to the doc, had no other symptoms, just fatigue. But that is enough!

Take care of yourself, and rest when you can!

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I had it at a teenager. I was off school for a month and did half days for a second month. I felt crappy for 6 months but I was playing sports again after 3 months.

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I also had it as a teen and missed 2.5 months of school - didn't fully recover for about 4 though. Take care of yourself!

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When I had it, nobody else in my family got it. But I remember my mom using disposable dishes/cups/silverware for me. When my dd had it, nobody else got it. And IIRC, I only used disposable stuff for a couple weeks.
But please, yes the best thing you can do is rest your body as much as possible. Some people don't get it that bad but it's also nothing to be fooled with either.

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