Mono? West Nile? None of the above?

November 8, 2014 1:44 AM

I have mono-ish symptoms, but I'm not sure that it's mono. Details inside.

A month ago I developed a sore throat with fatigue. It felt like I was getting a cold, but I never developed any of the respiratory symptoms of a cold. I've been moderately to very fatigued since then, with extremely swollen glands. The last few days I've had tingling in my fingers, sore muscles, and moderately bad joint pain. I had a blood test for mono, and it came back negative. In fact my blood work was fine except for a slightly elevated liver enzyme.

I still suspect it's mono, given the symptoms I have. But I don't know what to think about the mono test.

Thoughts? Thanks!

posted by persona au gratin to Health & Fitness (12 answers total)

Can you ask for a second mono test? When I had mono, my first test came back negative; but when I returned to the doctor a week later because I still felt awful, she ordered a second test and it came back positive.
posted by neushoorn at 1:56 AM on November 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

Sounds a bit like Lyme disease to me. Might be worth getting the blood test for that or other tick-borne diseases.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:46 AM on November 8, 2014 [4 favorites]

The fatigue you experience with mono is a quantum leap up from the fatigue you feel with other illnesses like colds and the flu. I used to joke about mono saying I had it my entire life until I actually got it. Now I don't joke about it.

The acute phase usually comes with an extremely painful sore throat that closely resembles strep throat.
posted by srboisvert at 6:29 AM on November 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

I've had mono a couple of times (recurrent. Boo) and it was pretty rough. One time I felt so sick that all I felt like doing was cry. Another time I slept for 18 hours a day for about two weeks. So, look after yourself and hopefully you recover quickly, no matter what it is.

Did you ask your doctor whether there was anything else worth testing for? Herpes zoster, maybe?
posted by kinddieserzeit at 6:38 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Mono fatigue is debilitating. I slept 22 hours a day and *crawled* from my bed to the bathroom to pee once a day.
posted by DarlingBri at 8:58 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

I had a spleen infection - not mono- that had the same symptoms as mono. The doctor was able to diagnose in 30 seconds by feeling my spleen through my belly and finding it enlarged. Could this be what is going on for you?
posted by Toddles at 9:01 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Echoing lyme disease. My friend has it and it pretty much started exactly as you describe. It's also a bitch to diagnose unless you saw the actual tick. The earlier you start treatment the better, so it couldn't hurt to get a test.
posted by aclevername at 9:47 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

This isn't a question you can get an answer to over the internet, because the symptoms you have are so nonspecific (meaning they are common to many different medical problems). See your doctor again.

The mono test is about 70-80% sensitive, which means that only 70-80% of people who have mono will get a positive test (it's about 100% specific, so if you have a positive test, it's unlikely that it is a false positive). However, what's more important than identifying whether or not it is mono would be to figure out what it is if it's NOT mono - because there is no treatment for mono. but there may be for other illnesses.
posted by treehorn+bunny at 11:55 AM on November 8, 2014 [2 favorites]

However I can tell you regarding the answers above, it's not herpes zoster (shingles). If it were, you'd have a rash (to pre-empt any arguers, please note the poster has been having symptoms for a month already).
posted by treehorn+bunny at 11:56 AM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

+1 to checking again for mono. I, too, was negative on my first test.

My throat wasn't particularly sore, btw.
posted by Quisp Lover at 12:10 PM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, all. I'll get the West Nile and Lyme tests today, and if they're negative, I'll get another mono test. No rash. My cold fatigues are generally pretty severe, and this is slightly worse.
posted by persona au gratin at 12:43 PM on November 8, 2014

I've definitely had a viral infection that was for all intents and purposes mono, but not actually mono. Get re-tested of course, and for the other things. Also look into other deficiencies (low iron can do a wide range of symptoms). But you may not find an answer, and if it's a different virus, the treatment will be about the same, so I wouldn't worry too much about the label.
posted by sarahkeebs at 3:00 PM on November 8, 2014 [1 favorite]