Hey guys. I got sick with mono and I couldn’t lift. I’m at the stage in the sickness where I’m not even really having cold symptoms, just a highish temprature, and fatigue. Do you think it’s ok for me to lift twice a week and without destroying myself? I need some physical activity, I’m going insane.
Brood over what you can do when you recover. I’d rest.
Im someone who got chronic fatigue from mono and chickenpox 8 years ago and still have affects from it, I am on antivirals permanently now which has been a big help, but if i had my time again I wouldnt Have done anything the first 3 months or so other then a casual walk with lots of resting and sleeping. Not everyone who gets mono gets chronic fatigue syndrome, but its said that 5-10% can go onto to develop cfs. Be careful, not many docs have a clue about it and treatment is extremely limited, best to try to avoid it in the first place. Take it easy , its something you cant push yourself through, trust me i tried a few times and landed on my date, lol. Its not hard to get into training after 3 months off, its better then not being able to train.
cheers!!
good luck
That fucking sucks man…
Sorry to hear.
LOL, yes you can say that. Its trivialized alot by the medical community but it is fucked. Its like having a real bad head cold with aches and pains and a bad case of insomnia for years. Its a very up and down condition. I still tried to train when I could but it was very different to how a 'normal person would train. Most sessions would be just one exercise and my favourite allrounder most bang for its buck without killing me was overhead squats. I would just do a couple of sets of 5 reps with the bar and that was a work out. Pre chronic fatigue i was an oly lifter and could overhead squat 90kg/200lb, so your ego takes a battering thats for sure. I would train maybe twice a week, but depending on how i felt, sometimes i couldnt train for a few weeks. Cardio training i found worsened my condition, even short walking programs, irregular walks were ok, i think weight training being anaerobic some how doesnt stress the system as much and is easier for someone with cfs to recover from.During this time i conserved my energy to keep working part time to support my wife and kids.
I just hope when people read this that they understand its a real condition, not a psychosomatic disorder or that someone is lazy or depressed, which is how alot of docs look at you. But like most things you have to looked after yourself and do alot of your own research, find a good doc to help manage your symptoms. Its classed as a syndrome because they cant find a specific diagnostic abnormality, not that there isnt abnormalities. My lymphocyte (immune cells) were up and down all the time, most docs got know idea on how to read them, just like how guys are finding docs cant read there hormone profiles for their HRT, another example on making sure your well informed as you cant rely on your doc.
Ive woffled abit here, hope i havent been too negative, but if anyone else is struggling with what they think is chronic fatigue after an infection, i would be happy to give and take some suggestions. I will add though, in 8 years I have got myself from functioning at about 60% to about 90%plus range, so now back working fulltime and back into training almost full steam, although with a finger on the pulse so i dont ‘crash’ again.
cheers!!
My girlfriend can finally fit her hands around my arm now. This is not ok.
I got mono a little over four years ago, during my first term of grad school. I was carrying a full-time grad-student load, working simultaneously on a teacher’s certificate (separate program), and (not during the first/worst phase of the disease, but not long after that, while I was still feeling some of its effects) working 20-25 hours a week to help pay the bills my student loans didn’t cover.
After feeling like hell for a few weeks, I went into student health, where I was misdiagnosed as having the flu. Pulling lots of all-nighters, missing meals, and generally treating myself like shit at this time.
A few weeks later, when I could barely function – my joints were killing me, I had a constant, low-grade fever, near-constant headaches, yellow eyes, zero energy – and I knew I had more than just the worst flu I’d ever experienced, I went back. Was fortunate to see a real doc this time.
Ran some tests – when they came back, he told me I had just about the worst case of mono they’d ever seen. My CPK (?) counts were off the charts, my spleen was double its normal size (I could feel it like a ripe eggplant under my abs), I was down from ~190 lbs. to just over 150, and my tonsils swelled so bad I was on a liquid diet for a week.
Long story short, I ended up making myself really sick and missing a month of school. When I got back, I was still really weak and easily tired. Rather than dropping my registration for the term, which would’ve made sense, I worked like hell to catch up in half my classes and took incompletes in the rest (which I made up on top of a full load next term).
Pushed myself really hard again and made myself sick again. Missed some more school. Got some bad grades. It was two years before I felt like I could really push myself in training again without feeling bad on a fundamental level (not sure how to describe it other than it was very different than feeling I couldn’t push because of an injury, which I’ve also experienced).
Not saying your case is like mine was, but I have a hard time moderating myself. Just about every time I’ve had a substantial injury (and this one time that I was really sick) I’ve come back too early/pushed too hard, and just about every time I’ve ended up losing more time/productivity than I would’ve if I’d spent a month eating jello and drinking soymilk, watching Oprah, and generally letting myself be a pussy and recover. Of course, I have no problem telling other people to take it easy…
Doc also told me, btw, that I was very lucky not to have ruptured my spleen doing some of the numbskull things I’d been doing at the time – like trying to train or play pick-up ball with the neighborhood kids (can relate to the stir-craziness caused by lack of physical activity).
Believe it or not, I even got laid semi-regularly during this time… I was with a pretty girl (who helped nurse me back to health), and just because I was half-dead didn’t mean I didn’t still have certain appetites. But I digress. The point is to not sabotage yourself long-term for short-term gains.
My training was set back, my health was set back – even schooling was a wash at best, since I lost as much in productivity/grades/dropped classes as I gained by killing myself to catch up those first two terms. And pretty (clingy, sexy, possessive, amazing ass, vindictive) Florence Nightingale?
That episode was the start of a long and dysfunctional relationship with lots of amazing sex that I still remember but WASN’T WORTH IT. DAMMIT, PENIS! DO YOU HEAR ME?! IT WASN’T WORTH IT! (SOB)
The moral of the story is: Don’t get mono. If you do, act sensibly.
EDIT: My CPK counts were off the charts in an earlier, unrelated instance involving severe triceps damage induced by dogged stupidity… There was something they measured that was similarly extreme when the doc told me I had “about the worst case we’ve ever seen” of mono, but I don’t know if CPK was it or not.
I know that CPK counts become elevated w/muscle damage, but I’m no medico and that’s about all I know… Hence the (?) above – “CPK” just stuck in my head.
I got mono last year. I lost a ton of weight. Don’t try to lift dude. Your spleen will get fucked up (as Modok said). It’s gonna suck for a long time, but there are foods that you can eat to spare muscle. I ate a lot of cream of wheat and alot of protein shakes. Maybe try chorizo and eggs mixed together if it doesnt hurt too much to swallow. Good luck.
I’m just getting over mono myself. I did not have it nearly as bad as some in this thread. I only took about a week and half off the gym and lost around 8 pounds due to the sore throat and lack of appetite that come with mono.
Its been around 5 weeks since my symptoms started and I feel fine now. My strength in the gym is not back to what it was pre mono, but I did not lose a substantial amount of strength. Make sure to take it easy though rupturing your spleen is not something you want to do.
Be careful not to train with “spleen rupturing” intensity. In your case, it could really happen. Avoid contact sports for 3 months.
At first, I though u wanted help with your new toy
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I don’t even have symptoms besides fatigue anymore, and that isn’t even so bad now.
All I’ve done is eat, sleep, and have sex since I got sick. And I’m really needing something else to occupy my time.
That sounds good mate. Majority of people get over it within 6 weeks. I think everyone just wants you to be aware of what could happen. As far as occupy your time, what else is there besides eat, sleep and have sex, your living the dream, enjoy!!!
While the symptoms of mono may be gone, the swelling of the spleen and potential for it to pop is still there for some time afterwards. I got over mono in five days. I was not okay to lift for almost a month. I assure you, it is way easier to recover from not lifting than it is to recover from needing a new spleen. This is not a sack up and be tough moment. This is a be smart moment.
You guys realize I’m talking about benching plates for a few sets of 10, squatting with 135-185 to stay flexible, and curling and doing laterals, and lat pulldowns with lighter weights… Nothing heavy exactly, just moving around a bit.
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
You guys realize I’m talking about benching plates for a few sets of 10, squatting with 135-185 to stay flexible, and curling and doing laterals, and lat pulldowns with lighter weights… Nothing heavy exactly, just moving around a bit.[/quote]
While my case was not the same as yours, my doctor listed some things that I wasn’t supposed to be doing that you never expect, but would still be “risky”. This list included walking up a long flight of stairs, yelling, and having sex. So, checking with your doctor might be a good choice.
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
You guys realize I’m talking about benching plates for a few sets of 10, squatting with 135-185 to stay flexible, and curling and doing laterals, and lat pulldowns with lighter weights… Nothing heavy exactly, just moving around a bit.[/quote]
Dude,
While I think the majority of medicos are clueless when it comes to training, and while I think that total rest is rarely a good idea or as conducive to getting over an injury as people think it is, to me it makes sense, in this case, to listen to your doc and vag out for a few weeks. I have no idea how likely your spleen is or is not to rupture in any given activity. You might be able to walk into the gym tomorrow and work up to a max single squat without even feeling a twinge. That you have the energy and desire to train suggests you’re alot better off than I was when I had mono. But then you might, however much the odds are against it, unrack 185 and set off a bile bomb in your guts. If there’s doubt, why take the chance?
Your arms are smaller. You feel like a pussy. I get it. You can keep writing on here 'til you get the advice you want or you can make a decision for yourself given what you know now: There’s a risk of hurting yourself – no one here can predict exactly how severe it would be in your case. I had horrible, horrible mono and (when I was able to move around) did more and worse than you’re talking about – I never ruptured my spleen, and that sucker was swollen taut. Did I ever come close? I don’t know. Did I prolong my recovery? Yes. Did I take some stupid risks? Hell yes.
It sucks to be on the bench, but it seems to me that you’re talking about a relatively short stay there with a relatively clear risk/benefit ratio. You’ll regain strength/mass faster than you think. Read a good book. Take some walks with your gf. If it bugs you, ask your doc about some exercises (or run some by him) you can do (I’m guessing nothing with the potential for a lot of intra-abdominal pressure).
Good luck with your recovery and staying sane meanwhile. I’m sure your gf will understand about your arms.
[quote]Feist wrote:
[quote]zephead4747 wrote:
You guys realize I’m talking about benching plates for a few sets of 10, squatting with 135-185 to stay flexible, and curling and doing laterals, and lat pulldowns with lighter weights… Nothing heavy exactly, just moving around a bit.[/quote]
Dude,
While I think the majority of medicos are clueless when it comes to training, and while I think that total rest is rarely a good idea or as conducive to getting over an injury as people think it is, to me it makes sense, in this case, to listen to your doc and vag out for a few weeks. I have no idea how likely your spleen is or is not to rupture in any given activity. You might be able to walk into the gym tomorrow and work up to a max single squat without even feeling a twinge. That you have the energy and desire to train suggests you’re alot better off than I was when I had mono. But then you might, however much the odds are against it, unrack 185 and set off a bile bomb in your guts. If there’s doubt, why take the chance?
Your arms are smaller. You feel like a pussy. I get it. You can keep writing on here 'til you get the advice you want or you can make a decision for yourself given what you know now: There’s a risk of hurting yourself – no one here can predict exactly how severe it would be in your case. I had horrible, horrible mono and (when I was able to move around) did more and worse than you’re talking about – I never ruptured my spleen, and that sucker was swollen taut. Did I ever come close? I don’t know. Did I prolong my recovery? Yes. Did I take some stupid risks? Hell yes.
It sucks to be on the bench, but it seems to me that you’re talking about a relatively short stay there with a relatively clear risk/benefit ratio. You’ll regain strength/mass faster than you think. Read a good book. Take some walks with your gf. If it bugs you, ask your doc about some exercises (or run some by him) you can do (I’m guessing nothing with the potential for a lot of intra-abdominal pressure).
Good luck with your recovery and staying sane meanwhile. I’m sure your gf will understand about your arms.
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This is probably what I needed to hear. Thanks dude. One of my friends wants to start training, and showing him the ropes gives me a reason to at least be there. And even if I can’t lift, teaching him definitely helps me stay sane. he doesn’t even realize that teaching him is therapy for me.