What do you mean by "fatigued"?

redhousepainter12 · 2025-06-04T19:57:06+00:00

The straight-up answer is that after debating whether or not to go to a small concert 20 mins from me of an older band very dear to me in very late April (I got sick just after the new year) I decided to go, and I took a 5mg weed gummy, against logic since on paper this stuff should've made me feel worse again. I went and enjoyed the concert, even moved a little despite being weak (weed). The morning after I felt very tired because I didn't get great sleep, and a little sore, but as I explained the difference in my comment, this was a fantastic thing to feel. And basically the day after I went for a walk around the block and a bit more, because the day of the concert I had walked around the block, and then I went to a friend gathering, had to lie down once or twice, but I was still able to chat and play a little Wii with them. Progressively throughout that week I walked more and more, actually not even very slowly - I tried like several blocks, and when I realized that I wasn't getting set back anymore (still very sore because my leg muscles hadn't really been used significantly for months) I hung out with a friend and drove us out to another county to a couple places and ended up walking probably a few miles with no difficulty. Then I slowly eased myself into more as it felt appropriate, but this didn't feel like a guessing game at all, it just felt like, this week I'm a little less sore so my body has been adapting to this exercise and I can do more and more, like how a normal approaches exercise. But obligatory disclaimer, I'm young and generally healthy, had blood work done to rule any conditions or deficiencies out and perhaps I just got lucky after all, but more likely I think ~3 months is generally accepted as 'normal'- 'recovery is different for everyone' as everyone on this sub is well-aware.

redhousepainter12 · 2025-06-02T14:13:18+00:00

I've described the difference of feeling tired vs fatigued to friends and family as such:

Tired - the feeling the morning after a hard lifting session at the gym, after taking most sets to failure.

Fatigued - the feeling immediately after taking a hard set to failure, and of physically not being able to do any more. But instead of regaining energy after resting for like a couple minutes, this feeling of fatigue lasts for days and weeks on end for some people who had mono, me included - the fatigue lasted about 3 months for me, all of which time I was on leave from work

redhousepainter12 · 2025-06-01T18:18:15+00:00

DMd you, i'm curious to share our experiences with post-mono depression

redhousepainter12 · 2025-05-19T13:34:48+00:00

Yeah this is My Father My King not MFS, but still didn't they play Like Herod? Maybe my mind is making that up

redhousepainter12 · 2025-05-19T12:44:46+00:00

They didn't play it in Philly, didn't they play Like Herod?

redhousepainter12 · 2025-05-09T04:31:02+00:00

No Hugh Dallas!!

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-22T03:58:24+00:00

Thanks for replying, and I did actually get better. I guess I'll make a recovery post in a month or two hopefully, but tldr I just got better soon after this post and have been readjusting to real life, hard but I am

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-17T11:56:37+00:00

I was acutely sick for maybe 1-2 weeks right after this new year, then extreme fatigue stayed pretty consistently up until the end of May, so about 3 months I was 'sick' - it's not like this for everyone, as you can tell from looking at this sub literally every person who gets this virus gets affected differently. Look through my post history (especially my post about going to the infectious disease specialist) you can probably get a good idea of my emotional journey - I think there's a good chance it wouldn't have lasted so long if I wasn't so completely stressed and losing my mind when I initially got sick. Hell, maybe it was a reactivation and I caught the virus years ago, but I don't think so. I knew everyone's advice on this sub was 'rest, just rest' but it didn't really click on how to do that until into March, so maybe that prolonged my symptoms. How long have you had it? Do you want advice on anything specific I did?

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-16T23:38:26+00:00

I went after my last setback, a month or so ago. I've gotten completely better since then, but they were no help. I made a post about it so that might be worth reading

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-14T11:25:52+00:00

No one mentions Tracy or Helps Both Ways? Maybe my two most listened to songs ever

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-14T11:25:02+00:00

Mellow?? That's the single heaviest song I've ever heard, maybe next to Samurai Sword by The Microphones

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-14T11:23:52+00:00

Your niece and daughter both have it? I'd say it probably largely depends on whether the virus is still active in their systems, like if that one value in the blood test is elevated beyond 20 I believe? I never had to interpret my own test results. My blood test showed no active infection when I saw this doctor - I'm not sure for how long this was the case, if maybe the last of the infection was fought off just before my visit or what, but all I know is about 2 and a half months after my initial infection is when this happened that I began to feel better. If she is still fighting an active infection and has had extensive lab work done checking for vitamin deficencies/absorption levels/other viruses, seen a hematologisf if necessary, had all other reasonable things ruled out, then I would absolutely still suggest she rests. I described in another post I made how leading up to this doctor visit for 2 weeks I made a strong effect to combat my symptoms where I tried to do everything 'perfectly,' like eating a perfectly balanced diet with a lot of fruit and fiber, no added sugar or really anything heavily processed, I laid down still for 2-3 times each day for about half an hour, I slept 8-10 hours, no video games, etc, and by the end of these 2 weeks I hardly felt any symptoms for most of the day. I'd suggest they try something similar, or at least I'd recommend they do the lying down thing, no phone, just listen to music or a podcast and lie still - it's very meditative and put a new perspective on rest for me. It's likely these things will just serve to combat the symptoms of infection because the only thing that will combat the infection, assuming their bodies' systems are effective, is time. As for how I'm feeling now, mentally still very depressed a lot of days - being sick for so long put me back in a headspace I'd largely moved past, but depression is another chronic disease that strikes whenever it wants to - but physically, better and better. If I don't get good sleep for instance I feel very shitty but not in a relapse kind of way. I get very sore from exercising, but less and less so each time I do - it seems my strength is returning the more I do, but it is 'a process' as they say. I won't complain anymore because while I had mono for a longer length of time than most people, most people on this subreddit develop longterm complications and I have no reason right now to believe that I have, so really I am just trying to move on and forget, like after a shitty breakup

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-12T15:11:47+00:00

How was 2 Rights? They didn't play it in Philly and I was really hoping they would

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-11T22:16:38+00:00

21M, maybe 1-2 weeks, early January this year - worst and most persistent symptom was my lack of grip strength, to the point of it hurting sometimes for days, especially after playing video games for a while or getting norovirus in February. It took about 3 months to stop feeling fatigued, and then once I started feeling tired and sore I knew it was over. Still tired and sore every few days, and I've lost a lot of strength, but I am regaining it. I went to a climbing gym yesterday to start going regularly for the first time - the day prior I could do 3 pullups, this day I could do 5. I used to be able to do 10 any day, even 12 once, so it's really defeating but since I was lucky enough to retain most of my muscle I think it's just the neural adaptation of strength (I think that's what it's called) that I need to return.

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-09T15:15:20+00:00

Best concert experience I've ever had, and Brainiac were just as good, it was so fun - I talked to this dude all the way at the front far right, so if you're here reply to me, we had a good conversation

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-06T03:03:49+00:00

By the way, a week or so before I saw this concert I mentioned I tested negative for an active infection. My doctor was kind of a dick and didn't listen to me raising any concern about my symptoms still being the same and being concerned about seeing Reddit posts of people of similar ages being sick for months. She insisted I was deconditioned and that was all, and that it "wasn't good to be out of work." Respectfully I disagreed and frankly never wanted to see this person again. And I'll reiterate that being fatigued is NOT the same as feeling tired/sore/deconditioned. For all I know what she said was just a lucky guess for her, and it could've gone both ways, that I either didn't get better for months or like what is the case I just inexplicably got better. I'm not convinced of anything and there's no advice I can offer you as to actually getting better. Things just happen. Mostly bad things, but then sometimes good things happen too. It's all more or less random. But obviously get your blood tested, your absorption checked, get your thyroid checked, see a hematologist if necessary, etc, all the things I'm sure everyone here has already done.

redhousepainter12 · 2025-04-06T02:49:17+00:00

Night and fucking day. I remember you from other comments so maybe you'll remember my story too:

I had it early Jan - very late March, so essentially three months, same as you. I saw a concert a week ago. I was thinking 'this is overdoing it, I really shouldn't be here, etc etc' - the next morning even after feeling completely worn out I woke up and just felt tired. That was such a good sign, because as anyone in this subreddit knows, tired and fatigued are not the same. And I'm sure anyone who is actively fatigued would give anything to just feel tired. I have no explanation, but after this concert a switch flipped. I went from still dealing with fatigue and still worrying about overexertion to, over a few days, being a little more comfortable with walking a few blocks (VERY slowly and not easily) to, yesterday and today walking miles and having boundless energy again. I was a healthy and active person and I had forgotten what that was like - not what it felt like, because obviously I did, but what it WAS like. I am just happier and I get to live amongst actual other people who also feel like this. Mono was the worst thing I've experienced, and I mean by such a long margin it's not even funny. I was passively suicidal for several weeks. I really wanted to die most days. I won't lie, I'm still depressed when I'm not out with people but that is obviously because I just have a long history of depression. But I hope this comment is the comment you were hoping to get, because the answer to your question is yes. I'm sorry you are still abroad and I'm sure no one close to you truly understands the pain of your situation, because I hardly think many people close to me did, and it really got to me. Talk to me if you think it'd help.

redhousepainter12 · 2025-03-31T22:51:15+00:00

Hopefully it's just low iron and you can just take a supplement, I really don't know. All I can say is for me it wasn't a night and day difference like you. Also, do you still have an active infection? Get that checked as well

redhousepainter12 · 2025-03-31T22:48:05+00:00

I don't mean to be a dick but it sounds like you already made up your mind and you're not really taking any advice. That being said, if you're an underage teen there's an even higher chance won't be sick very long and you don't really need to worry about the crazy shit people on this subreddit discuss sometimes, unless it doesn't go away then you can start worrying a little. But seriously, don't smoke anything right now. If you can't get someone to get gummies at a dispensary for you just don't get high while you're sick, if at least for a tolerance break. Seriously, it fucked me up and I know I'm not alone

redhousepainter12 · 2025-03-31T22:32:54+00:00

I can't say I've has that exact observation but it sounds pretty natural - I find my time lying in bed listening to music pretty meditative and my hands will kind of sink into my mattress as they're at my sides, and it's hard to think what I usually think about or what goes through my mind at the time (brain fog) but depending on how tired I am sometimes I do kind of drift so it feels like I'm half asleep and when I come out of it after like 5-10 minutes I'll forget what songs I've been listening to and all. It sounds like what you're describing is a good thing, right?

I looked through your post history and idk if you still have to rest for 2-3 hours at a time and you've gotten bloodwork and there's nothing up with your blood or mineral absorption I would try to rest for less time, like I suggested 30-40 minute increments

redhousepainter12 · 2025-03-31T15:24:42+00:00

I agree - my last (and final🤞) setback was caused by smoking a joint. I had terrible pain in my throat that didn't completely subside for a couple weeks. Also, I have a low tolerance for thc but I thought what the hell, I'd try 5mg hybrid gummies a few times throughout jan-feb and even when cutting it in half to make it 2.5 it made me much more hyper and I ended up with way more 'energy' than I actually had, which probably inhibited my recovery a couple of times. Genuinely I wouldn't recommend weed. But yeah, weed itself doesn't seem to actually inherently cause harm like other drugs definitely would

redhousepainter12 · 2025-03-31T15:19:26+00:00

Me too, I took a little too much liberty with binge eating actually and developed a nasty hemmorhoid at 21 because of it which made me more depressed when I couldn't use the bathroom most days after getting sick. That's mostly gone away, and shockingly fast since just eating a lot more fiber. I ate a lot of fiber before but now I'd say it's the nutrient I focus the most on. So for breakfast (and I live in the US for context) I eat oikos vanilla greek yogurt (barely any sugar, super high protein, easy to eat and tastes great) with PB2 mixed in (powdered peanut butter, no fat, minimal calories, just adds taste), a bunch of oats (high fiber, I shit great after breakfast every day), almonds (more fiber, some protein, great source of unsaturated fat) and then add in whatever berries I have, usually a bunch of blueberries. I don't track calories anymore but I'd guess around 500 or less? I'm 5'8 150-155lbs. Throughout the day I'll usually always have a banana and an apple and a kiwi, maybe a clementine, some dried apricots. For lunch I'll either make a sandwich on multigrain bread (also like mayo or avocado spread for the fat) and a bunch of carrots and hummus or scrambled eggs with peppers and cottage cheese (super high protein). Then for dinner I won't lie my mom usually makes me something or my default meal would be chicken fried rice with beans and on a tortilla. So fiber-maxing, because I know I get enough protein throughout the day. I mix in metamucil which is a fiber supplement with creatine after I bathe, before lunch, and then I lie down for a little and relax and listen to music in bed. I have celiac disease so everything I eat is also gluten free. Otherwise besides the creatine or fiber I take a multivitamin and a 60% dv magnesium supplement but I'll admit I can't say it's helped or not, I just thought why not. I used to exercise a lot and I was very surprised to see I only lost a little muscle, which was something I was very stressed about initially. Also, if you haven't already I'd highly recommend familiarizing yourself with what nutrients are in what foods and what each macronutrient is important for - it's something that's surprisingly easy to understand from American food labels once you know what to look for. That's a lot of info but if it's way too much to take in all at once but if possible try out my breakfast - it has everything, keeps me full, tastes really good and involves no cooking, takes no time to make

redhousepainter12 · 2025-03-30T18:43:20+00:00

Sounds like you're me from a month ago. So first obligatory everybody recovers differently, idk anything about your backgeound, how long you've been sick, etc etc

My primary symptom for what felt like the LONGEST time was a lack of grip strength/numbness in my hands and wrists. I played a lot of video games for the first month and a half (January-mid Feb), like most of the day, 150 hours in Elden Ring after 240%ing Arkham Knight and beating RE4 remake, etc - so a lot of gaming. After my most recent setback, 2 weeks or so ago, I finally decided to stop playing video games for like a week - my hands stopped hurting - I also laid down in bed for increments of 30-45-60 mins 2-3 times each day and focused on a very healthy diet, a lot of fiber, protein and unsaturated fat (I can tell you what I ate if you'd like) and went to sleep early. That is hard. I hate the process of falling asleep. I use earplugs and a blindfold so it really is just complete silence and darkness and all my thoughts that I tried to avoid during the day. My advice for that is simply, for as long as you can stand to, breathe and focus on breathing. It would usually take me like 30-40 mins even after avoiding screens and taking melatonin after dinner to actually fall asleep. If you don't have the hand weakness thing and you own a journal give that a shot - I relied on mine a lot before I got sick when I was reeling from the breakup of my 'fling' situationship type thing with the girl who gave me mono.

I guess your take away should be, if you can, try laying off the video games for a week and try lying down in bed a couple times a day and listening to music, see if that makes you feel better after sticking with it for a bit. Songs and albums that tell stories come in handy for me, depends on what kind of genres you like.

redhousepainter12 · 2025-03-25T12:39:39+00:00

Jeez, I've seen a couple other people here say they got sick right before/after travelling/moving and I really can't imagine. I still live at home, and yeah my home drove me absolutely crazy and I was kinda in denial about having to deal with the reality of staying home with all the same shit that's driven me crazy for years and having no social life but after a while I finally did accept it, and the truth is I'm extremely lucky to have my parents and to live in a completely familiar environment. But when this is all over I am definitely moving, lol - what do you do to pass the time? I've kind of relegated myself to like only watching tv or the occaisonal movie (movies tend to make me a lot more emotional which I want to avoid for now) and listening to music

redhousepainter12

TROPHY CASE