Everyone I have ever talked to that has had lyme says they have had mono too.

I think it really lasted that long due to my lifestyle -- staying out till whenever, drinking and smoking like crazy. Best sleep I ever had though.

I could honestly sleep an entire day away. When i first came down with it I slept almost an entire week only getting up to use the bathroom and my mother had to call me out of work the entire week.

The fatigue was just uncontrollable and unrelenting. Lyme disease is definitely different and worse. Of course with Mono all you do is sleep and lyme you have periods of sleep and sleeplessness, but I still got the red ears with both i'll tell ya that.

Im going on 7 months with Lyme and I cant wait to get rid of it yet I'm afraid to stop taking my abx because of a relapse.

I think Im going to start aggressive herbal supplement therapy to just try to knock it out and continue the therapy for a year.

There is a company called Mannatech that specializes in wellness products that should do the trick. They are expensive though. I'm not trying to sell anything, but at this point I'll try almost anything.

yeah that about finishes my book for today..

quote:

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Originally posted by Lymetoo:
I believe I've had Lyme since I was around 8 yrs old. I was dxd with mono when I was 17. From that time on, I was never really well. Wasn't doing so great before then, but after "mono" [or was it just a Lyme flare?] nothing was ever right again.

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Lymetoo,
You sound like me - I was probably infected with lyme around 3 years old. I got Mono at age 16, and thought I was going to die, I was so sick. I even developed hepatitis because it attacked my liver.

The only problem is if your immune system gets real weak the EBV will come out and get you again. Turns out that EBV is a kind of herpes. So it never really leaves--just is waiting for an opportunity to come out. My doctor gives me valtrex--you know the stuff they sell on t.v. for herpes. He also upped my ranitidine--that is an acid reflux medicine--but I take it several times a day. I don't know what that bad boy does--but if I miss one I can sure tell.

Also, I got a CPAP machine and that thing changed my life--I wasn't getting any REM because of the pain I had at night from the lyme.

I hope that helps.

I have at least Herpes I almost every month, probably 10 out of 12months. Probably the others make regular apperances also, but I dont get obvious signs like cold sores for them, and its too tiresome to check constatnly. Hoarse voice, sore throaght was pretty constant these past years, but this last 1/2 year, pretty rare. Maybe Im getting somewhat better.

I think that my immune syatem is overloaded. Lyme, these various viruses, candida, all making problems. My strategy has been to take away as many negative loads for my immune systemas I can. And, over the years, before I started ABX last year, I had made progress and was less sick than I was initially.

(I was even finally able to get disability, when your too sick, you cant do the paperwork or handle how to get help even.)

So, I am sure that knowing I need to address Lyme and taking abx will be helpfull, but the viruses, etc.. also must be addressed.

There are many enviraonmental things that puts loads and strain on us, we are sensitive to everything. So, get rid of your exposure to these things needs to be done too.

Some things I did that helped:
-took herbal antivirals, ie St johns wort( cause its free, it grows wild) and others..black walnut etc..

- Have been fighting the long fight of demolding the house, ie, roof leaks fixed, drywall ripped out and replaced(well, in most places replaced...no money to texture paint yet) A functioning bathroom fan

-got my matress off the floor and away from dust mites

- Bought a new organic matress to reduce exposure to outgassing. I do not have particle board etc.. in furnature or in the house

-took out a loan to get a different (used) car that was easier for me to drive. This helped lessen my neck and shoulder pain so much

I think we need to adress all loads to our immune syaatem, bacteria, viral , environmental, diet.

Around the age of 20 or so (yes, when sewing the wild oats and living like a complete idiot) - I, too, got mono & it stuck around for well over 6 MONTHS.

Priod to my dx with LD back in Nov. 04 - my blood tests showed that the EBV is ACTIVE once again...and I feel it.

I don't know if I can officially call it "mono" now even though it is still the same virus -- all I know is that it will probably never go away...so I'm just hoping one day it will go back to sleep.

It seems so many of these diseases run around together like a pack of wild rabid dogs. Lucky us.

I was in bed for a week. I became fatigued easily after that, and my stamina was never as good as before.

I began to get migraine headaches when I was 20.
When I was 31, I got a booster shot for German Measles. The next day I woke up with pain in the wrists, which progressed to my knees and ankles.

When I was 34, I had a round rash on my leg, but didn't see a tick. I began having memory problems and 6 months later got pains in my calves when standing for awhile.

I could work in the kitchen for an hour, and then I'd be in bed for one or two hours, and my leg pain and fatigue STILL weren't any better!

I had problems sleeping, and terrible fatigue. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia.
Continuous headaches, body pain, very irritable, screamed at my children all the time (I really feel bad about that).

Diagnosed with Lyme Disease at age 49, when my children were in high school.
I wanted so badly to be a mom, and I ended up that I was sick the whole time. Sigh....

Dullchime, you said, "If you did have it how would you really know besides the sore throat?"

The doctor who diagnosed my mono started out by giving me antibiotics for "strep throat." He said, "If this doesn't get better, it's probably mono."

If you were so sick like I was, I'm sure your doc would give you the blood test to diagnose mono.
So if you get severe throat infection, swollen glands, fever over 104, headache, body aches, see your doc.

Also, I had couple of boyfriends in the months before I got sick, so I figured that I caught mono from one of them.

Carol

My spleen almost ruptured, too.

Steph

I just wondered if there was anyone who had both simultaneously. That has to be a hell of a case coupled with Lyme on the immune system.
And I also agree with others saying after Mono I was never the same. It almost seems I never stopped gaining weight since then. That could be a jaded view but i dont know.

My Mono started with a strep throat and swollen tonsils and EXPLODED glands. Especially the one under the chin. I couldnt even chew or swallow right it was so swollen.
Oh well, lyme is worse.

I was diagnosed with:

thyroid disease (hashimotos) still tired,
Given t3, still tired,
tested for Epstein Barr still tired, (doc suspected Lyme and tested) started giving me antibiotics,
Sleep test woke up 233 times from pain,

Lyme test came back positive

When your immune system is so in the trash it is like "a pack of dogs--or coyotes!"

The Duck I had before this doc never tested anything but my thyroid (which was already diagnosed) and gave me speed and antidepressants.

Such is life! I'm glad I've got a good doc now!