Me and Glandular Fever

First of all, if you have arrived at this blog without first having read the blog 'How to Recover From Glandular Fever' (http://richelectron.blogspot.com/2008/04/overcoming-glandular-fever.html), please go there first. I hope that you will be blessed by the inspiring words included in that blog.

Having read the above-mentioned blog, the one thing that stood out to me as being the single-most important tool for overcoming glandular fever was a positive mental attitude. If you are a Christian, faith and prayer will naturally come first; if you are not, focusing on getting better will most likely help beyond all else.

I was diagnosed with glandular fever in September 2011 after a specialist ear nose and throat doctor decided it was time for a blood test. I had been to my local GP three or four times between May and September 2011 with what initially appeared to be tonsillitis. On each visit to the GP, I was given a prescription for penicillin and told to come back if my tonsils didn't improve.

My last visit to the GP left me rather frustrated, as I was informed that there was nothing further that the doctors could do to help (if penicillin is unable to fight off an infection, the GP will argue that the infection is viral and therefore nothing can be done). However, at no point had my GP requested that I have a blood test. Had I known then what I know now, I would have requested one much sooner! And that is my first piece of advice - get a blood test as soon as possible if you have any problems with your throat and/or tonsils.

I was fortunate enough to have private medical insurance through work and was able to request a referral to a specialist; if you do not have private medical insurance it will be down to you to ensure that your GP does the right thing and order a blood test.

I received a letter from the specialist doctor roughly a week after my blood test advising me that I had glandular fever. I spoke to the specialist over the phone to confirm the diagnosis and to ensure that I fully understood what the next steps were to be.

During the call, the doctor advised me that my blood tests showed a count of 600 in respect of the Epstein Barr virus. Apparently the normal count is 5, so my blood count was 120 times that of the normal amount of the virus that should be found. I don't know whether that is particularly high or not, although when I was advised as to the blood count it certainly seemed high to me!

The doctor also informed me that, the first time that it appeared as though I had tonsillitis, which was in May 2011, it was actually glandular fever. This was a real light-bulb moment for me; suddenly all of the difficulties I had faced during May to September 2011 made sense!

The problem was, I had been fighting glandular fever physically for the best part of five months.

During my teenage years I played a lot of football and cricket, I went snowboarding regularly without any physical concerns or fatigue. I was used to being fit and, if I did become unwell, I was normally fine within a few days.

But not this time. The glandular fever had put my body under such stress that I couldn't manage getting to work and back without feeling completely wiped out. But as I believed that it was only tonsillitis, I kept on going, ignoring the fatigue.

The increased levels of stress within my body, caused by the glandular fever, began to take its toll on my mental ability to cope with day to day tasks. I went through what I can only describe as a minor breakdown - I even told my wife that, if I were to be taken to a mental institution, I didn't want any drugs. And I meant every word of it, I was that afraid of what was going on.

I managed to bring my mental state back under control soon after, but I knew I was weak and I knew that I could not cope with any stress, physical or mental. Of course, I did not know that I was suffering with glandular fever at the time, so I believed that I just simply couldn't cope with work and life anymore.

That for me was really tough to try and digest. I had always been so driven in both my personal life and with my career. I always took on challenges and had never feared failure. But now, I couldn't do anything outside of my comfort zone; even things within my comfort zone were difficult.

When I finally received the news that I had glandular fever, I was relieved. Finally I knew what was wrong with me and could explain all of my previous issues. However, despite knowing what was wrong, I didn't start to get any better. In fact, I got worse.

Having been advised by the specialist doctor that there simply was no treatment for glandular fever, and that it could take up to a year to recover, I began to explore other remedies. I was also signed off work for just over two weeks, so I could begin my recovery.

I set out below what I tried - I am simply sharing my experience with you and am in no way making a recommendation to you; please ensure that you seek independent advice if you consider using any of the remedies set out below.

The first thing was changing my diet. I didn't drink or smoke, so that bit was easy, but I did eat far too much chocolate. That bit wasn't so easy! But I managed to cut out the unhealthy foods in my diet.

Secondly, I increased my water intake. I did this slowly, increasing from maybe two glasses of water to around eight glasses of water a day, and ensured that my salt intake stayed in proportion to the extra water.

I then focused on natural remedies. I began by taking six tablespoons of colloidal silver (in a large glass of water) three times a day (for a seven day period), one vitamin C tablet (1000mg) three times a day (ongoing), and ensured that every time I showered, I alternated between hot and cold water at least three to four times.

The colloidal silver didn't seem to work, so I moved on to virgin coconut oil. I ate a teaspoon of the coconut oil three times a day, and rubbed the coconut oil directly on my throat (the skin outside, of course!). I also took 15 drops of echinacea in a small amount of water three times a day.

I was also advised to take raw garlic. My wife mixed some raw garlic with olive oil and spread it on toast. Raw garlic seriously burns! Well, it burned my tongue pretty good, and it was definitely not a pleasant experience. Rather interestingly, the right side of my tongue swelled up soon after eating the garlic. It remained like that for a few days. NHS Direct suggested that it was a mild allergic reaction to the raw garlic. Thankfully it wasn't a serious reaction! But here is my second piece of advice - be very, very careful about what you take to try and recover from glandular fever. Always do your research and never take anyone's word for it - be confident before you do anything.  

And this is where I have got to. I have not yet recovered, but by sharing my experience I am hoping to do two things:

1. Help others experiencing the same problems understand that they are not alone; and
2. Create a more positive mental attitude to overcoming glandular fever

I will add to this blog when possible and, by the grace of God, maybe soon I'll have some great recovery news to share!