[Nike Air]

Anyone any tips on dealing with Glandular Fever, all I've read are horror stories about how long it lasts and the grim after effects...
Whats been 3 weeks of sore throats, headaches, extreme fatigue like i ve never experienced before, aching joints, sore glands, feeling lightheaded and whatever else I wondering how others have got on with this. I had a few trips to my GP but eventually asked for some tests. I know its a virus and will pass but what time scale have others had to endure?
Im still waiting back on the blood test but i am pretty sure this is problem.
Id heard of folk having this before but didn't realize how awful it was...

another question....
Why is there a banana skin in my rope bag??

[abarro81]

I had it when I was in first year of uni. Severity and timescales are really quite varied I think so hard to say, but for me it was a few months of the lacking in energy. Made me very susceptible to getting other illnesses/infections, hence got hospitalised on a climbing trip to France before I knew what I had (still flashed my mate's proj on the way to the hospital  ). Hope it gets better soon! (Incidentally, they tested it for me twice, first test came back negative and second positive, so don't always believe the tests.)

[tomtom]

I had it when I was 21. Was off work for 3 weeks then weak for a while but it passed reasonably fast...

[abarro81]

Yeah, was only off climbing for about 3-4 weeks, then was just a bit weak and low on energy for a while.

[slackline]

I had it when I was in first year of uni.

Same here, although I didn't climb at the time.

For me it lasted a couple of months, but involved hospitalisation too for about four or five nights.

Probably the worst illness I can remember having, with the described aching joints/swollen glands/extreme fatigue.  Rest up properly and I hope you get over it soon Jordan.

[Oldmanmatt]

I basically lost the entire third year of Comp to this.
And then had issues with Bursitis for a further year.
But, that was it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Three Nine]

(still flashed my mate's proj on the way to the hospital  )

Yeah but your mate is shit.

Worth speaking to Emma Twyford about GF. I recall from when Barrows had it that there is some issue with wearing a harness (ie. you shouldnt).

Also, if you have GF its not worth trying to push through it. Rest up or it will take longer to get better and you can end up with ME-type things. He might have forgotten, but he only actually got better when he binned all exercise for c. a month.

[webbo]

(still flashed my mate's proj on the way to the hospital  )

Yeah but your mate is shit.

Worth speaking to Emma Twyford about GF. I recall from when Barrows had it that there is some issue with wearing a harness (ie. you shouldnt).

Also, if you have GF its not worth trying to push through it. Rest up or it will take longer to get better and you can end up with ME-type things. He might have forgotten, but he only actually got better when he binned all exercise for c. a month.

You don't get ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from glandular fever.

[Three Nine]

Oh well there you are

[Pebblespanker]

had it as a kid aged 11/12 ish very unpleasant off school for 2-3 weeks but wasn't  climbing at the time so can't comment on that element. One thing that has always stuck with me was the memory of the doctors saying that once you had contracted it you had it for life and it was likely to recur but probably with less severe symptoms ... no idea if this is current medical thinking (I am 50+) on GF also given the symptoms was never sure if subsequent bouts of what I thought was 'bad flu' were actually GF recurring

[abarro81]

Yeah, Steve R reckons he gets occasional relapses IIRC. 3-9 is right, it did only go away after I came back from France and actually spent a month doing nothing.

[slackline]

One thing that has always stuck with me was the memory of the doctors saying that once you had contracted it you had it for life and it was likely to recur but probably with less severe symptoms ... no idea if this is current medical thinking (I am 50+) on GF also given the symptoms was never sure if subsequent bouts of what I thought was 'bad flu' were actually GF recurring

Never any need to wonder with the wealth of human knowledge at your finger tips...

Once the acute symptoms of an initial infection disappear, they often do not return. But once infected, the patient carries the virus for the rest of his or her life. The virus typically lives dormantly in B lymphocytes. Independent infections of mononucleosis may be contracted multiple times, regardless of whether the patient is already carrying the virus dormantly. Periodically, the virus can reactivate, during which time the patient is again infectious, but usually without any symptoms of illness. Usually, a patient has few, if any, further symptoms or problems from the latent B lymphocyte infection. However, in susceptible hosts under the appropriate environmental stressors, the virus can reactivate and cause vague physical symptoms (or may be subclinical), and during this phase the virus can spread to others.

Then there is the NHS Choices : Glandular Fever thats worth a quick read if it hasn't been already.

[Pebblespanker]

Cheers Slackers I'll have a read

[galpinos]

You don't get ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from glandular fever.

Is there not a degree of post viral fatigue?

[turnipturned]

Now then,

Had glandular fever at Uni, I had it very acutely, to the point I could barley breath, I was hospitalised and stayed there for a couple of days. Once I came out, I felt like a recovered quite quickly, returned to Uni a week or two later and started climbing again soon after that. (Probably where I went wrong)

However, the story continues, I now get ill quite regularly, my glands swell up and become quite sore with the slightest infection, that been athletes foot, spots or cuts. Even to the point I had a biopsy a few years ago (all was good just have reactive glands). I feel I get pretty tired and worn out easier as well. I totally think you can get post viral fatigue from glandular fever.

Lessons learnt: Rest up longer than you think and don't rush back into climbing. Don't go to climbing walls especially, it would suck to spread it around!

Regarding not wearing a harness, I presume this because around 50% of people with GF have a swollen spleen. Rupturing your spleen would not be fun!

Good luck!

[tomtom]

Yes - important to rest up... when I had it, towards the end of my couple of weeks off work, I was piss bored of being sat around at home, so got in the car to just go somewhere. I drove 50m down the road - felt shattered, parked up and walked very slowly back home.

I deliberately did nothing for at least a week after that...

[Nike Air]

thanks guys,

glad to hear your stories although none seem to make me too happy!!

Before this I had heard of GF and its effects but just passed it off as folk being a bit soft.  All other virus's I ve had before have gone pretty quick.
My worries got worse when I googled 'Athlete's and Glandular fever' (not that I am a real athlete...)

All what you guys say does seem to point to it taking ages to recover from the actual GF itself then a significant period of fatigue following.
Looking forward to shacking of the initial symptoms first plus the ear infection that has been present for 3 weeks too...

Thanks again,
Jordan

[webbo]

You don't get ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from glandular fever.

Is there not a degree of post viral fatigue?

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that ME/ CFS have a significant a underlying psychological aspect and these days in the NHS are run through mental health services.

[Schnell]

I had glandular fever about 5 years ago, it was pretty miserable because I was just starting an Erasmus year in Spain and basically missed the initial socialise/meet lots of people stage.

I was doing a bit of climbing as well as a couple of other sports at that stage and I think from an athlete's* perspective, the most annoying and lasting effect of GF was losing muscle mass. I'm pretty skinny and don't gain muscle very easily to begin with, but I was exceptionally weedy and weak by the end and it took me a good year to get back to normal weight/strength.  Weight loss if obviously a feature of GF but I think it could have been prevented by eating better and a lot more.

* in my case someone who worries about performance while not actually being much good

[Footwork]

another question....
Why is there a banana skin in my rope bag??

 

Hope you feel better soon Jordan!

[r-man]

You don't get ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from glandular fever.

Is there not a degree of post viral fatigue?

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that ME/ CFS have a significant a underlying psychological aspect and these days in the NHS are run through mental health services.

This from the NHS website:

Some experts think a viral infection such as glandular fever can trigger the condition.

Having lived for several years with someone who suffers from ME, it was quite clear from dealings with doctors, consultants and experts of one type or another that although there were various theories floating around, nobody really had much of a clue what ME was, how it was caused, or how to treat it. Since ME develops in many people following viral infections, can you really dismiss this as being a contributory factor?


p.s. Get well soon Jordan!

[tomtom]

Is glandular fever transmitted by banana skins?

[turnipturned]

You don't get ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from glandular fever.

Is there not a degree of post viral fatigue?

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that ME/ CFS have a significant a underlying psychological aspect and these days in the NHS are run through mental health services.

That might be the case, however, I almost feel it can develop in to a mental think if you let it. i.e, always blame GF when you feel unwell, then that leads to a negative spiral of mental decline.

[webbo]

It may be a contributing factor or trigger but often sufferers and this is a genralisation have a major conflict in their lives which they are unable to deal with.

[r-man]

It's a major generalisation. What do you do with all the sufferers who don't fit in that box? Unfortunately the NHS is a pretty unhelpful place for many ME sufferers. I'll leave it at that because this is off topic and it's a complicated situation which would swamp the thread to discuss.

[Nike Air]

Cant  believe so many have been affected by this. Got the results back this evening and they are negative.
Leaves me just a nasty none descript virus that I need get shut off and maybe test again if I don't improve..
As to the mental side of health I'm in both camps and so until you have experienced ill health or know someone who has, you realise they really don't want to be sick or tired.



Probably unrelated but I started taking manuka honey yesterday and do feel ever so slightly (5%) better! A case of expensive placebo..?
Thanks
Jordan

[Fultonius]

Any tick bites recently? Could be Lyme disease? Might as well get tested for that too.

[tomtom]

Any tick bites recently? Could be Lyme disease? Might as well get tested for that too.

+1 good shout. And get re tested for GF and above in a couple of weeks...

[Fiend]

Probably unrelated but I started taking manuka honey yesterday and do feel ever so slightly (5%) better! A case of expensive placebo..?

It's used in hospitals etc and apparently is genuine, anti-bacterial properties. Unless slackbot comes along with an extremely long link to correct that. Apparently you'll need the UMF stuff and at least strength 10, the higher the better. Get well soon beast!

[slackline]

It's used in hospitals etc and apparently is genuine, anti-bacterial properties. Unless slackbot comes along with an extremely long link to correct that. Apparently you'll need the UMF stuff and at least strength 10, the higher the better. Get well soon beast!

Why do you assume that I always seek to refute?  I'm interested in evidence not proving someone wrong just for the hell of it.

Why do you not bother providing a link to some evidence rather than adding speculation?

Anti-bacterial substances do not affect viruses (glandular fever is caused by a virus), they affect bacteria (Lymes disease is caused by bacteria).

[Nike Air]

A friend of ours did suggest looking down the lyme route. We have not long returned from Provence and I did not quite feel myself there. You do end up with all your clothes on the ground and tramping through bushes on these trips but I never saw any ticks or had the classice bullseyes  bite mark but near half way through the trip I was not quite feeling myself. I just put that down to climbing in the heat. On reflection I was probably staring with all this back then.

If all this continues I will book into my GP and push for more tests. Though as you know  when you go to the GP you dont half feel like all they will do is say 'sit it out, take some painkillers as their is no cure for a virus..... '

As to the honey I dont think it was that helping after all, maybe it helped with a few of the troubles but deffo not the cure. A few days later after  feeling ever so slighty better probably due to doing nothing, I upped my activity and yesterday went back to square one, ear pressure problems returned, blurred vision, poor eye sight, dizziness, sore throat, back pain and totally abysmal coordination.

I guess Joni Mitchell understood how its feels to have been as fit as a fiddle and then next minute its all gone..


anyway cheers for the texts and PM's.

Jordan

[tomtom]

C.30% of Lyme disease cases don't have the bullseye symptoms..

Though never go to the WWW for a diagnosis..

Hope you feel better soon Jordan.

[mrjonathanr]

You don't get ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from glandular fever.

Surprised you wrote this.

ME/CFS refers to a post viral condition, following a range of possible viruses, especially entero- (gut) viruses. Glandular Fever refers to the acute and post viral condition caused by the Epstein-Barr virus.

They're of an ilk. Best to treat a failure to bounce back from a virus with TLC.

[webbo]

I wrote that as a result of working with clients experiencing CFS and having numerous discussions with staff who work in a dedicated CFS team.

[mrjonathanr]

Then you will know that the term Glandular fever refers commonly to the post viral syndrome caused by Epstein Barr.

Unfortunately what you wrote is misleading because whilst one is not strictly causative of the other they don't preclude each other either, a point well worth grasping.

[webbo]

I already gave my opinion earlier in this thread and got flamed by rman. I guess you need to make your own mind up on the causes of CFS.
But then it doesn't matter as there will be someone along in a minute or two to offer a different opinion and treatment at no small cost.

[r-man]

Hardly flamed.

I too have a dislike for the quacks who peddle their expensive "treatments" and "therapies" to desperate ME sufferers. I'm sure that's something we can all agree on.

[mrjonathanr]

I hadn't read rman's comments - now I have.

'Flamed' seems a bit harsh. He pulled you up on the generalisation about psychological causes, which I'd say is about right. Really, the debate should have moved on from the Royal Free by now.

As he points out, no one aetiology is proven - therefore authoritative statements like this

You don't get ME/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome from glandular fever.

don't, to my mind, address the issue in a helpful way. And that's what this thread is about, isn't it, supporting Jordan insofar as the net can do so?

I'd say chill out, go climbing when there's a bit of energy with the expectation of a short session focused on quality rather than quality. And be prepared to rest loads whilst getting back on track, which will happen in due course.

[Rocksteady]

Jordan, sounds like what you've got is horrible. Hope you feel better soon.

Don't know what it is this year but there do seem to be some particularly persistent viruses around - I was wiped out for three weeks with successive sore throats and just feeling rubbish - as soon as I thought I was recovering I'd get another sore throat. Never had a sore throat for more than a few days before. Saw the doctor twice, said it's a virus. Have had blood tests, no results back yet, but after a month of taking it pretty easy (two climbing sessions over three weeks, felt worse after both, learned my lesson and just did nothing), I do now feel almost back to normal.

A friend of mine who lives in a different town and has had a similar experience - virus he couldn't shake off for a month.

Take it easy, eat lots of chicken soup/broth, drink lemon and honey. I read somewhere that we've forgotten how to be ill, and just expect to be able to carry on as normal. We have to learn to be 'patient', and give our bodies the time and energy they need to recover.

[fatneck]

Currently in bed after struggling to get through last week and having just been signed off by GP for ten days. Swollen glands, chronic tiredness after not having done much and general coldy symptoms. No actual diagnosis of GF but having had it badly at 15, GP seemed to agree this could be a recurrence.

Feeling for my GF bros...

[Nike Air]

GF is the new black hey.....

Six weeks later and im finally improving enough to comment on what has made a difference for me.
3 GP visits, multiple blood tests and still just a virus in their opinion. I ended up seeing a few complementary medicine type people as one day I just felt like I was going to be in hospital the very next day if I didn't do something, resting was making no difference..
Acupuncture massage was very nice and combined with putting into practice a new sugar/yeast  free diet(didnt realize how much stuff had sugar in) this seemed to make the only difference..


Who knows if at 5 weeks my immune system took care of itself but 2 days after doing the above I felt vastly improved.
I was skeptical about it being a yeast overdose and having to go on a candida diet. But after putting it into practice the 5 week headache, sore throat, blocked and itchy ears, blurred vision and fatigue started to fade.
The few times ive overdone exercise I have really paid the price though. Still a long way to go but its nice to feel remotely human again.

Ive never felt that ill and never wish it on anybody.

[shurt]

Glad you're feeling better Jordan.
GF is a bummer and even more of a bummer when it comes back a while afterwards. Been a while since I had any sort of relapse - must be about 3 yrs now. Sorry to hear of your current probs fatneck.