Sickly Tsikitas goes mono a mono with mono

By Paul Tsikitas
Collegian Editor
March 22, 2006

Senior year is an important time in any student’s life. My senior year was rolling along fine, until my body was stricken with mononucleosis, commonly known as mono. I have been missing in action for over a month now, and am finally somewhat over the illness—I’m well enough to return to classes, yet not well enough to feel 100 percent right as rain. I need to let you know what mono is all about. We’ve heard that it makes you sleepy and prevents you from living life the way you want to, but this guide is coming from a survivor who wants to pass on this information in hopes that you’ll never get it.

Mono has been the worst sick experience ever. Commonly passed along in high schools and colleges, mono takes away your will to live. Factually speaking, it’s caused by the EB virus, which brings along a hefty punch of debilitating symptoms, including fever, sore throat, headaches, white patches on your throat, swollen glands in your neck, exhaustion and loss of appetite. For me, the worst part was the sore throat. At nighttime, my throat would swell so much that when I coughed, much gagging would ensue. Yes, this sounds gross. Try having this for a month.

I didn’t know this, but mono can be found in your system before you see any symptoms. When those symptoms come along, then it’s time to gear up to be stuck inside your house. Like someone with any contagious virus, you are quarantined. You have to be overprotective of everything as to not spread it throughout your domicile. Since I had trouble sleeping, fatigue was at an all-time high. I haven’t slept for a full night in about five weeks.

It’s also very hard to keep up with schoolwork, as your attention span suffers when you’re feeling terrible. Over the past month, I’ve missed many classes but tried my best to turn everything in. My professors have been extremely understanding of
how this illness has knocked me out. Since I’m a senior, I was worried about finishing in time for graduation. Thanks to my professors’ concern for my well-being, I no longer need to fret. Even my internship was incredibly understanding about me missing time.

As for doing things to occupy yourself, I suggest rocking out tons of movies, getting out old video games and trying to keep your mind constantly stimulated. Since I’m better, I’ve realized that mono isn’t over when the symptoms go away. Although I
have been writing (blogging with boring subjects that no one but me really care about) and reading (mostly keeping up with Dr. Seydow’s Contemporary Fiction class), the other muscles in my body have succumbed to some atrophy due to inactivity. Much like The Bride in Kill Bill, I had to focus on my muscles and joints for them to work properly (although I didn’t have to sit in the back seat of Buck’s truck and wiggle my big toe). Be prepared to feel like a newborn child once you are able to leave the house. To relieve the cabin fever, I went outside this weekend when I was feeling somewhat better and found myself in sensory overload mode. I tried driving, and even that seemed scary. It was like I forgot how. Mono also makes you lose a lot of weight—I shed over 10 pounds during this month.

Mono’s not like the flu, where you feel terrible for a few days. Friends on campus have told me that mono is going around, so be extremely careful with sharing drinks, food and even loving embraces. I’m not trying to scare you like our government with its Y2K-esque avian flu scheme; I just want to warn all students that mono is no laughing matter. Upon returning to the social pipeline, you will feel fatigued and may still have some symptoms. Be careful when doing certain activities, and be prepared for a month of exhaustion paired with an inability to complete simple tasks. If you see me around campus, you will get a full glimpse of how it might affect you. I’m going to have a hard time walking between the Communication Center and Main Campus. Maybe I’ll try and hitch a ride with Bro. Gerry and Sid MacLeod.

tsikitp1@lasalle.edu