A Question about EBV

Hi,
I;m hoping maybe Dr Belle or Dr Kelly can answer a question for me about the Epstein-Barr Virus.
I have had mono in the past and I think I may have it again. I have been sick all week with what I thought was the flu but I am feeling so tired and run down and I know thats a sign of mono. I don’t know if I should go see my primary care doc because its a virus and they can’t really do anything for it. But since I play football maybe I should because of the possibility of my liver and/or spleen getting enlarged and it takes quite a while to get over the mono.
Sorry if this doesn’t sound very coherent I am on Nyquil and it really makes me woooozy. I already went through one bottle and am on my second since Tuesday.
Thank you
Cathy

Hi Cathy,
You need to find out find out if you have mono if you are planning on playing a contact sport. An enlarged spleen could rupture more easily if you are hit or fell. Your primary care doc could make the diagnosis for you so you would know for sure. If not, the differential diagnosis for feeling fatigued is pretty long with some serious stuff and some not-so-serious stuff. If you are really feeling more than just a simple viral URI (upper respiratory infection)you should see your primary care doc to get things checked out before they get worse.
Natalie

Hi Cathy,





First of all, I’m sorry to hear that you are not feeling well. Dr. Belle describes well the concerns one should have concerning the splenomegaly (enlarged spleen) that can occur with symptomatic mono. And, she is right to advise further testing to properly diagnose. I practiced family practice for a number of years and do not recall encountering a second episode of acute active mono in a patient. I did however encounter cases of chicken pox occurring twice in a few patients (not counting shingles). Of course, the varicella vaccine is now in wide usage. You certainly will remain a lifelong carrier of the EB virus and reactivation is presumably possible but I’m not sure how likely that translates into symptomatic mononucleosis. Since I never claim to know about everything, I’d be curious to find out the percentage of second reactivations that produce symptomatic mono. I found a summary of mono on this website. I hope this helps and that you start to feel better soon! Check out the info http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/ebv.htm





hey, if anyone can add more info, please post back, especially those who are more in the medical world than I am right now.

Thank you both for the response
I went to the doctor today and he pretty much said it was a virus but not mono. He checked my liver and spleen and neither one was enlarged. Which I am glad so once I get to feeling better I can play football.
I won’t be going to practice this Saturday though. At least it isn’t anythng too serious