Mono - The Boring Killer

[the_std]

So I have mono, as does the guy that I'm seeing. Ha ha ha, I've heard every joke already. I've been out of work for a week now and it's showing no signs of abating. I'm lucky in that I don't actually feel sick - no sore throat, no congestion, no severe fever, nothing that makes me really uncomfortable. I am just so tired all the time, all of my muscles ache like I did ten workouts yesterday, drugs won't touch it, and I'm really fuzzy-headed. This I can all deal with.

But my god, the boredom! Not having the energy to do anything except get out of bed and walk the five steps to my computer and then sit and watch movies/tv shows all day long. No one to visit because I'm either too weak to go see them or they think I'm contagious (not unless I'm makin' out with them). I haven't even gotten to see the guy that I'm seeing because his immune system sucks and he actually ended up in the hospital because of the mono, and I am not allowed to go because I'm sick.

I am actually starting to get depressed because of how bored I am. Last night I tried to take a walk, but what usually takes me ten minutes took me half an hour and I passed out on the couch as soon as I got home. My boss is being really understanding (a shock, he's normally a douchebag) and I miss work! I miss being productive! I miss doing... ANYTHING.

So has anyone else suffered this fate and have any tips on how to occupy oneself until the soul-sucking goes away?

[Taboo]

I got mono freshman year of college. It absolutely blows. I hate to say this, but what you're doing right now is about as good as it's going to get. It is boring. Boring boring boring. Try to vary what you're doing; don't just watch movies and tv, play some games or something a little more interactive too.

Do you have a webcam on your computer? Do your friends? If so, try skype or some similar program to chat online with them. It'll also just do sound if you have a mic but no cam. If the guy you're seeing is able to get online on a laptop, that would be a way to see him too, but I don't know whether that's possible from that hospital or not.

Do you do any sort of crafty things, like knitting or origami? Something simple and repetitive that you can work on while you're watching tv might make you feel like you're getting something accomplished.

[Seshat]

So has anyone else suffered this fate and have any tips on how to occupy oneself until the soul-sucking goes away?

That's my life, and the life of anyone else with a debilitating disability. Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis. And for us, it won't go away.

Ever wonder why I'm such an advice distributor? I READ. And read and read, and learn and learn. I study anything and everything.

I draw. And write. And paint, when I can do that. I'm the clothing-mender for anything that needs handsewing. I spend time on online games and online social events.

Now is your time to learn Japanese, to read the Feynman lectures on Physics, to borrow a makeup book from the library and experiment with new looks for yourself....

[Greenday]

I didn't really experience the extreme fatigue when I had it. Got it sophomore year of high school. I puked every day for a week straight before going to the doctor and was told I had mono. Missed two months of school (score!). My liver and spleen were enlarged to the point where I couldn't let anything bump me or they would rupture. So it was two months of staying in my house bored.

Look on the bright side: I lost 15 pounds when I had mono! Almost makes me wish I got it again.

[the_std]

That's my life, and the life of anyone else with a debilitating disability. Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis. And for us, it won't go away.

Ever wonder why I'm such an advice distributor? I READ. And read and read, and learn and learn. I study anything and everything.

I draw. And write. And paint, when I can do that. I'm the clothing-mender for anything that needs handsewing. I spend time on online games and online social events.

I appreciate the advice, Seshat, and I know you didn't mean it this way, but the guilt trip was a little much. I fully realize that people with disabilities have to deal with situations like this and worse every day of their lives. I hope I wasn't coming across as demeaning to your and others' situation. I was merely asking advice in a situation that I am not used to. I'm used to being able to go out for a walk, or going to work, or hanging out with my friends. Being forced to sit at home all day for a week is not something I'm used to.

Thank you.

[AnaKhouri]

I had mono when I was 22 and luckily still lived at home. I had it for 6 weeks, and at the worst point my mom swears I slept 23 hours and 40 minutes out of the day.

So I wasn't bored, just sleeping. But books and movies are about all I can think of for you, since it sounds like yours isn't quite so bad.

One thing to watch out for (and this probably won't happen to you but just in case), once I started getting better, I had the worst sore throat ever. Doc said that was part of it. And the mono pretty much killed my immune system; I never got sick before, but since I had it, I get sick pretty often.

Yeah, it sucks. But it'll go away. Eventually.

[AccountingDrone]

Be happy, I did it in the mid 70s, pre internet, pre cable tv, pre everything. I had to depend on my mom to take books back to the library and get replacements, and we had 1 tv in the house that got 4 channels badly [abc, nbc, cbs and pbs]as we lived 30 miles outside Rochester NY. 3 months of stultifying boredom. Only bright side was it is true, you can sleep pretty much any time you are not getting up to go pee.

[Seshat]

I appreciate the advice, Seshat, and I know you didn't mean it this way, but the guilt trip was a little much.

My apologies. As you said, I didn't mean it that way - I just happened to read that on a day when other members of my family were out having fun, and I was at home, sore and bored.

My bad, and I do apologise.

But please take the advice and suggestions: they're what I do to kill the boredom. Now really is a good time for you to learn Japanese, or whatever other intellectual pursuit you've been wanting to accomplish.

[Aethian]

When I had Mono the best advice given to me is remember to take a couple showers a day. Also to remember to change up your toothbrush or you'll end up making your suffering last longer. Another big thing is to not forget to eat little meals.

[MaggieTheCat]

A good friend of mine had GBS last year. I forget what it stands for but basically she became almost entirely paralyzed for several weeks. She slowly gained the use of her body back over time but she was extremely weak for a very long time and could not walk or move very far or long. She took up bottle cap art. I don't know how she does it, but she makes charms out of bottle caps and they're awesome! She said she really enjoyed (still does) having something to do with her hands and it also helped strengthen the muscles in her hands and arms. So maybe try to pick up some kind of craft like that. I make chainmail and charms out of polymer clay, which is basically the same concept with different materials, just to give you a few ideas.

My brother had mono when he was a kid. He had it for at least a month, maybe 6 weeks, and I'm pretty sure he was out of school for most or all of that. This was back in the 70s, so hopefully they've got some new medicine or something that'll help shorten the recovery time.

To add: GBS stands for Guillain-Barré Syndrome, for anyone curious.

[Solumina]

My roommate got it bad freshman year. She was out of classes for about three weeks on top of being sick for a week long break. We were in what our school called a "learning community" which means that everyone on our hall had at least 2 classes together, E and I had 3 and then we shared a proff for 1 of our other classes, just had it at different times since she was more of a morning person, so I was able to give her any notes and assignments (thank god that was early in the semester when my dad was still doing okay so I was actually going to classes myself) so she did at least have some productive stuff to do but still she only had so much energy and much of it didn't get done until she was pretty much all better. I didn't care how tired or sore she was I made sure that she got outside at least once a day, even if it was just to the benches or lawn directly outside of our building. Sometimes she hated me for it (which is generally how tough love works) but she did always feel a bit better getting out (fesh air and vitamin D will do wonders for a person's mood, not to mention a change in scenery).

If you don't have anyone who can come and see you then maybe you should try reading a book or something outside. You don't need to go on a long walk or anything just get a bit of sun and loads of fresh air. Also try to keep your mind active with puzzles or games as it seems you have grown quite tired of movies.

[the_std]

The past couple of days have been rough. I've taken some suggestions from the people here and tried to get into some intellectual pursuits (always wanted to learn more about Greek history), but any time I tried to get into something deep, something that took some brain effort, I would exhaust myself and fall asleep after ten minutes or so. It seems that, along with a lack of physical energy, mono has drained my mental energy as well. How frustrating.

However, my boss has kinda guilt-tripped me into trying a shift today and, seeing as how my backache and headache aren't quite as prevalent today as they have been, I'm going to give it a try. Hopefully four hours doesn't kill me, but I have permission to ditch early if it's too draining. But the past few days have been really rough in another way - being alone and bored has triggered a lot of depression to come to the surface. My life has been a long series of down notes for the past few years and, while I've dealt with it in the least whiny way I could, it has all caught up with me for the past few days. I don't know if I've cried so much in my life. I would probably still be a weepy mess today, but a friend of mine came over yesterday and we went and laid in the sun on top of a playground for a few hours. Before getting sick I'd never realized how essential human contact is in recharging my batteries.

I know I sound whiny, but I'm glad to have this thread to whine to about this stupid sickness. It's helped a lot so far.

[Solumina]

Hey we all need a good whine every now and then (and maybe a nice wine too ) so don't feel bad about it. I'm really glad that somebody came over and hung out for a bit, even for an introvert a bit of contact really helps lift your mood.

If you find that research is draining then maybe you can find some History Channel specials or something that would be more stimulating than a movie but not too draining.

[tollbaby]

Incidentally, getting mono from "kissing" is a myth. There are loads of other ways to share it, so yes, you *are* contagious for more than "making out".

I got mono from a friend of mine stealing a sip out of my fountain drink when I was a teenager. I could have killed him when, a week later, I could barely move.

[Flying Grype]

When I'm sick I catch up on anime. I think Ouran High School Host Club is waiting for the next bug to come around.

Also, do you realize how appropriate your username is? Not that it's an STD in the truest sense, but I did a double-take.