Glandular Fever Recovery

milese

I'm currently getting over glandular fever, got first symptoms around 6 weeks ago, was then pretty ill for 3 weeks, and have spent the rest of the time getting over it.

Have been feeling increasinly normal, and have been able to do increasingly more. I'm on a phased return to work / and working from home, but still get out of breath if I go up the stairs too quickly etc.

I've not thought about getting back on the bike yet, and wouldn't until I'm back at work properly, but has anyone experience of how to go about it?

I know that doing too much (and I'm talking going to the shops / out for lunch) can come back and bite you so I'm a bit concerned what the affects of cycling may do.

Is it just a case of starting very slowly and seeing how I respond and building it up from there?

Any ideas on the time frame to be able to start some training? Will it affect my racing season next year (lack of winter training aside).

ozzy1000_0

Milese wrote:

I'm currently getting over glandular fever, got first symptoms around 6 weeks ago, was then pretty ill for 3 weeks, and have spent the rest of the time getting over it.

Have been feeling increasinly normal, and have been able to do increasingly more. I'm on a phased return to work / and working from home, but still get out of breath if I go up the stairs too quickly etc.

I've not thought about getting back on the bike yet, and wouldn't until I'm back at work properly, but has anyone experience of how to go about it?

I know that doing too much (and I'm talking going to the shops / out for lunch) can come back and bite you so I'm a bit concerned what the affects of cycling may do.

Is it just a case of starting very slowly and seeing how I respond and building it up from there?

Any ideas on the time frame to be able to start some training? Will it affect my racing season next year (lack of winter training aside).

I'm no medical expert or 'owt... but I had this as a kid and its serious.... I would take it very easy and get over it properly. It took me months to get over it.. also I had a friend (38yrs old) get glandular fever last year, he was still looking pale and tired 4-6months later...

I don't mean to sound depressing, but i think its important to pace things really gently, you don't want to end up with a chronic fatigue situation where you're never quite getting better... think of it as recovering from overtraining... your body has just been strectched by a big illness...

I would stick with walking for the moment, use fatigue as a guide, when you start to feel that walking is managable, then extend those or think about very short easy spins on the bike, but if you feel destoyed with tiredness then rest.... giving a time frame is hard, people recover from these things differently.

this migth not be the best advice and someone might burn me for saying this; but I reckon D-Ribose is an awesome supplement for fatigue/recovery, I wack a teaspoon of it in my recovery drink after very hard efforts and it seems to perk me up... it also has some clinical evidence to support it in the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome.. plus it tastes nice

good luck, O

spinndrift

I'm recovering from glandular fever too. I had flu the last week or so of October then was really struggling on the bike with really bad nausea on any hard climbs but generally feeling okay if a little tired. Two weeks ago I get flu again then headache nd sore teeth and a trip to the doc diagnosed a sinus infection and the doc was also concerned over my tiredness and the size of my glands so did blood tests and I was diagnosed with glandular fever.

I made it revolution on Saturday buts its taken until today (Thursday) to get over it.

I'm meant to be doing Paris to Blackpool in June and on the basis that I can feel my strength and fitness fading away I'm starting to worry that it will be a no goer now.

ozzy1000

spinndrift wrote:

I'm recovering from glandular fever too. I had flu the last week or so of October then was really struggling on the bike with really bad nausea on any hard climbs but generally feeling okay if a little tired. Two weeks ago I get flu again then headache nd sore teeth and a trip to the doc diagnosed a sinus infection and the doc was also concerned over my tiredness and the size of my glands so did blood tests and I was diagnosed with glandular fever.

I made it revolution on Saturday buts its taken until today (Thursday) to get over it.

I'm meant to be doing Paris to Blackpool in June and on the basis that I can feel my strength and fitness fading away I'm starting to worry that it will be a no goer now.

Sorry to hear this.... I know i'm the king of supplements but maybe try getting on this for abit;

http://www.neovite.com/

it can't hurt and for the periods i've taken it i've never been ill... (ussually i'm very prone to colds etc).

spinndrift

Thanks for that Ozzy - I had read article on it before but think its worth a try so ordered some.

Back to the docs tomorrow but had a really few days and feel so tired all the time and my legs are aching.

ozzy1000_0

spinndrift wrote:

Thanks for that Ozzy - I had read article on it before but think its worth a try so ordered some.

Back to the docs tomorrow but had a really few days and feel so tired all the time and my legs are aching.

colostrum is expensive, but its worth a go. its tastes a bit rank (kind of like sucking an udder!... I'd imagine.... not that i've ever done it...) so its worth getting some chocolate nesquik or other milkshake mix. it has some fat in it and tends to lump unless its blended... the lumps are gross, so i allways stick it in the blender, I get a pint glass, 1/3 milk, 1/3 water, and 1 tablespoon of colostrum. once in the morning and once in the evening. personally i would whack some cheap protien powder in there aswell but i guess if you're not training much thats not really nessercary....

also, are you taking a decent multi-vit and getting at least 5 a day?? i work with GP's and some have said the 5 a day thing is very conservative, but the guidlines say '5' because it would be too much to ask the british publice to eat more .... really its should be 7+ a day or somthing like that?...

sfichele

Good luck and I hope you get over it.

I had glandular fever once - the symptoms persisted for 10 years

spinndrift

Well I'm feeling brighter today so going to walk up to the village for a paper in the morning.

Colostrum arrived today so shall experience the joys of sucking an udder tomorrow.

milese

Sorry to hear you've got it too Spinndrift. Did you have any liver problems identified?

Its nasty. I'm getting better but it is very slow, much slower than I would have ever believed. I seem to be ok so long as I get enough sleep, but struggle to sleep if I spend all day resting.

I've read a bit about it and have read that the B vitamins are likely to be depleated (cant remember whether cause or effect), but some even give them as an injection in extreme GF cases. As such I've been whacking in around 1000% of RDA of them. A vit supplement that includes zinc is also recommended.

Had this recommended to me: http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/ ... sp?pid=510, which backs up the vitamin b case.

I'm currently taking
Vit C
Multivitamin
Tesco B active (lots of vit B's and zinc) x 2
Cod liver oil x 2
Glucosamine
Ginko
Ginseng
echinacea
bio-strath

Also started having a smoothie for breakfast, which generally consists of banana, apple, pear, stick of celery, half a carrot, maybe some pineapple or melon if we've got any, some porriage oats, half a cup of green tea, milk. 5 a day before I've left the house, followed by another few items of fruit during the day with 2 or 3 veg with tea.

It may / may not help but the placebo affect is probably stronger than most supplements.

I plan on increasing my activity gradually and walking more. Once I'm ok with a couple of long walks I'll get back on the bike, just gentle at first with a HR monitor keeping HR as low as possible. Some good advice I recieved suggested increasing my time on the bike by no more than 10% week on week, with a bit of a rest at week 4.

I've also put on a stone (well, was a stone 3 weeks ago, dread to think now). Its hard controlling your weight whilst delibrately resting, eating comes very naturally to me.

spinndrift

Well I have certainly turned the corner now - managed two days on the run without sleeping during the day but my appetite has also returned so need to curb that.

Looking at starting some training in a weeks time starting with low HR rides until the new year when I'll start building for Tower to Tower in June.

davidof

I had it in my early thirties around the same time of year. I had a full 9 days off work in two bouts: 4 days then 5 days, but I was being paid by the day at the time so had to work to pay the rent. By the late spring I was cycling again and I spent the summer cycling in France but was still a shadow of myself. Was about ok by August so about 5 months to get fully over it.