2008 Woodie Awards
Mononucleosis common among college students
By Kim Dishler
Rocket Editor-in-Chief
Issue date: 4/1/05 Section: Opinion
Well, I have about five weeks before I graduate and I can now say that I have experienced everything a college student usually experiences. These experiences range from the very good to the very bad, and my latest is on the bad side. That is because after feeling sick for three weeks it was finally confirmed that I have "mono."
Mono, or infectious mononucleosis, is a viral infection found most commonly in those ages 10 to 35, with its peak incidence occurring in teens and twenty-somethings. Freshmen probably hear a lot about it when they first arrive on campus because living in residence halls can increase your susceptibility to getting the disease.
But I do not live in a dorm, I live in an apartment. I thought I was in the clear, but apparently I was wrong. It started like any other common cold, with coughing, sneezing, congestion and a general "blah" feeling. I couldn't eat and I was tired all the time. So finally I went to the doctor over Easter break and I was informed I should get some blood work done. Now, I've been lucky enough not to ever have blood drawn before so I was not happy about this.
Finally on Wednesday I received the phone call from the doctor's office - I had tested positive. I suppose that sounds worse than it is, like I have a life-threatening illness or something. But mono is bad enough.
Ever since coming to Slippery Rock I have discovered that naps are a nice option, but now they are nearly essential. I'm pretty much tired all the time and have no real energy to do anything. This is not good because all of my end-of-semester projects are going to be due and at this point I don't care.
So how do you get mono? You may know mono is also called the "kissing disease" because it is most often passed through saliva. Pretty sure I didn't get it from kissing anybody but you can also get it from drinking from the same glass or even being close to that person when they cough or sneeze. The incubation period, from the time you are infected to the time you show symptoms, can be 30 to 50 days so it may be hard to pin point where you picked it up.
Symptoms usually last from one to two months in infected individuals. Looks like I have something to look forward to in my final weeks at SRU. What can a person with mono do to get better? Well, nothing really, there are no medications. Get 10-12 hours of sleep a night, drink lots of fluids (but alcohol doesn't count, in fact, you should avoid it), avoid contact sports (a problem since I play hockey) and limit your activities.
Since mono is common among college students I'm sure I'm not the only one on campus suffering right now. I just hope I don't cause the suffering of anybody in the future by passing it along.
Mono, or infectious mononucleosis, is a viral infection found most commonly in those ages 10 to 35, with its peak incidence occurring in teens and twenty-somethings. Freshmen probably hear a lot about it when they first arrive on campus because living in residence halls can increase your susceptibility to getting the disease.
But I do not live in a dorm, I live in an apartment. I thought I was in the clear, but apparently I was wrong. It started like any other common cold, with coughing, sneezing, congestion and a general "blah" feeling. I couldn't eat and I was tired all the time. So finally I went to the doctor over Easter break and I was informed I should get some blood work done. Now, I've been lucky enough not to ever have blood drawn before so I was not happy about this.
Finally on Wednesday I received the phone call from the doctor's office - I had tested positive. I suppose that sounds worse than it is, like I have a life-threatening illness or something. But mono is bad enough.
Ever since coming to Slippery Rock I have discovered that naps are a nice option, but now they are nearly essential. I'm pretty much tired all the time and have no real energy to do anything. This is not good because all of my end-of-semester projects are going to be due and at this point I don't care.
So how do you get mono? You may know mono is also called the "kissing disease" because it is most often passed through saliva. Pretty sure I didn't get it from kissing anybody but you can also get it from drinking from the same glass or even being close to that person when they cough or sneeze. The incubation period, from the time you are infected to the time you show symptoms, can be 30 to 50 days so it may be hard to pin point where you picked it up.
Symptoms usually last from one to two months in infected individuals. Looks like I have something to look forward to in my final weeks at SRU. What can a person with mono do to get better? Well, nothing really, there are no medications. Get 10-12 hours of sleep a night, drink lots of fluids (but alcohol doesn't count, in fact, you should avoid it), avoid contact sports (a problem since I play hockey) and limit your activities.
Since mono is common among college students I'm sure I'm not the only one on campus suffering right now. I just hope I don't cause the suffering of anybody in the future by passing it along.
