It seems I have turned the corner with what has now been diagnosed as mono. I am so glad to finally be feeling a little bit better. I stayed awake all day yesterday AND rode the trainer for 30 minutes! This was a huge accomplishment at this point.
I went back to the doctor today to discuss test results and without going into ridiculously boring and unnecessary detail, I am finishing up the acute phase of Infectious mononucleosis. I was seriously bummed when the doctor told me it was definitely mono. I have heard so many horror stories about how it is the worst thing ever and that I should just go ahead and not even plan on Collegiate Nationals this year. There is no way I would be ready. So naturally, I burst into tears as soon as the doctor left the room...
When he came back, we discussed what mono would mean for my training (and going back to school, I guess that is pretty important, too). My doctor explained to me what mono exactly entailed. Mono does have the reputation of hanging around for what seems to be forever, however, it depends on the person. The fever usually goes away after about 10 days, though the swollen glands and lymphnodes may take up to 4 weeks to heal (ugh).
Mono is also thought to bring along fatigue that can last up to a few months. This is the part that concerned me the most, Courtney's irrational thought process: I DON'T HAVE TIME TO BE TIRED. I am a collegiate triathlete with a job and sorority. I don't have time during the day without taking naps, now that I have mono I will HAVE to take naps. The doctor put me at ease when he told me that this "fatigue" is often attributed to a depression that occurs with mono and this "fatigue" is mental! He explained that people are very exhausted with mono during the acute phase (generally first 2 weeks) but then it will go away as you heal.
The other part that had me worried about mono is the enlarged spleen/liver issue. I have been told that contact sports are pretty much out of the question when it comes to mono. My doctor initially cleared me to run and swim as my body let me and that I could pretty much return to normal training. However, they cautioned me about riding outside with the risk of damaging my spleen or liver in the event of a bike crash. Initially I was okay with this because most of my interval/strength training this winter is done on the trainer, but then I got to thinking, 3 days of riding the trainer for 60-90 minutes at a time just seems dreadful. It is especially dreadful since I live in an area where the weather is fairly mild in the winter. Of course there are a few days when riding outside is out of the question, but when its beautiful and sunny and like 55 degrees, being on the trainer is sad. All that being said, it looks like I am in good shape! There was no swelling that he could palpate. Also good news, my liver and spleen are apparently in an awesome position that if they were to swell, it wouldn't cause too much of a problem because I have extra room in my rib cage? So even if they did swell, they would still be protected. You know, I was cursing my huge rib cage the other day because I couldn't fit into a dress I really wanted (don't even want to go there right now) but now I guess it isn't so bad! The doctor cleared me to ride outside, but just be careful. The only way I would really be in trouble is if I ended up jabbing the handle bars exactly up into my rib cage and spleen, but if the crash were that bad, it would be the least of my concerns.
So, as I sit here concluding this post and getting ready to watch Greys (yay). I just have to remember to be so thankful and gracious for everyday. Mono is such a benign issue when it comes to health. Rarely do people die from mono and I know I will be perfectly back to normal in, at the most, 6 months. I really can't complain. There are so many people who have it so much worse than me. I am lucky I am in good physical condition that my body can fight off infections like this. The worst case scenario from this, I just take extra good care of myself for the next few months: getting enough sleep, drinking water, eating right, and studying. I know that once I get it in my head that I will make it through this, I will! Don't worry, I will be at the start for Collegiate Nationals in a few months in the best shape of my life.
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might."
Ecclesiastes 9:10
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001617/
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