I got mono from a gym…

Kathryn Lanute
Aug 22, 2017 · 5 min read

I got mono from a gym 3 years ago…now I have IC, EPI, and other “hard to pronounce” chronic illnesses.

Me (right) looking totally normal on the outside with my #1 supporter — April 2017

You know how when you go to a gym, and they recommend you wiping down the equipment before and after each use? (yeah, way too much effort for me too) Well, in case you didn’t know, gym weights carry 362 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. If I didn’t have the stubborn mindset I did in college, you know, the one people still have today about being invincible and how nothing absurd and unexplained could happen to them, my health would probably be completely different.

I got mono from my college gym. (yes, it is possible to get mono in other ways then kissing) The end of my sophomore year at school, I was really trying to kick it into gear and lose a few pounds. I was always athletic growing up, but being a girl at a very liberal arts college where judgments and opinionated views were all around, I was becoming very aware of my still apparent “freshman 15”. So, I went to the gym almost every day. At this point though, I would run about a mile, lift a few weights, and then go eat back my weight in the caf. (I was very unaware of how to actually benefit from working out, something I learned how to do very soon after I became sick)

A whole month went by until I started feeling ill enough to go to my doctor. It started with feeling foggy, as if I wasn’t completely “all there”. At first the doctor thought it was a sinus infection, classic first diagnosis of mono. But when my throat started to become badly irritated and my energy seemed to disappear all together, I went back. They did that little finger prick for blood and gave me a pretty sparkly silver band-aid while I waited for the result. While we waited, he checked out my throat to see why it was so irritated. Turns out my tonsils were swollen and covered in puss, AKA tonsillitis. Right after he told me that, the nurse came back into the room. “Well, you’ve got mono.” This was July of 2014.

Ok great, mono. Tons of my friends have had it. Yeah I also have tonsillitis, but no swelling some prednisone couldn’t fix right? “One week of bed rest, prednisone for the swollen tonsils, other than that all you can do is rest.” Ok great! One week in bed binge watching Bob’s Burgers on Netflix didn’t sound too bad to me.

Me (white tank) at college before getting mono — May 2013

I lost 10 pounds that week. I couldn’t eat. I could barely sip water. I was lucky if I could finish 1 whole applesauce cup in a day. But I eventually got better. The tiring effects of the mono lasted about 6 months, but it passed. Unfortunately for me, during that week something happened to my digestive and immune system that I would never recover from.

This story is just the beginning. Before mono, I was a food connoisseur. I lived to eat. I cherished every bite of cheese, every crunch of french banquettes, every slice of cannoli cake…I could and did eat everything. I had energy all the time. I had confidence through the roof. After mono, I had to learn to how live life without any of that. I had to learn confidence. I had to learn my body all over again. And I am still learning.

Last week, over 3 years since mono, I got diagnosed with another illness. You see, life for me is truly one day at a time. I don’t have anything life threatening right now (thank god) but every day is different. I will cover more details about my life between mono and now in most posts to come, but it is a story that I think should be heard. I am only 22. I was 19 when I got mono. I look very normal on the outside, but on the inside my body is in a constant war. Starks vs Lannisters times 100. I am now allergic to dairy, eggs, gluten, corn, oats. I have Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency (EPI- just diagnosed), Interstitial Cystitis (IC), Fibromyalgia, Rectocele, IBS, and a few more illnesses that I have to live with. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety but my body cannot handle the medications for it, so I am on my own for managing it. The only medicines I take are birth control and Enzyme Replacement Therapy, which will be for the rest of my life so that my pancreas can digest foods. I have had surgery, colonoscopy's, bladder installation injections, weekly allergy shots, and enough blood drawn to fill a gallon. (and still every time they can’t seem to find my veins on the first needle prick)

Me (peace sign) 2 weeks after mono — July 2014

Whether I like it or not, I can be classified as “sick”, but it will never define me. I am only 22. I feel like I am mid to late 60’s. My body is weak, but determined. It has been 3 years and I am still coming to terms with my body. I can’t workout the way most people can, and I certainly can’t eat how they do. How do I eat and workout? I will show you in my posts. Maybe by reading this, it will encourage you to live a little bit harder. Eat that piece of cheese. Be aware of your body and listen to it. Know that there are ways to deal with pain and illnesses naturally, for those like me who cannot always take medications. I will show you how I eat healthy; my body lacks the enzymes to digest fats and sugars properly so I will show you how I manage it. Life truly is a great balancing act. I had to learn it the hard way, but it is true. It can be painful, but no one should ever feel alone with their pains, physical and mental. I have a long journey ahead, but I will never stop moving forward. I will show you what has helped me, maybe it will help you or someone you know as well. I am not a doctor, just a “sick” kid who is determined to make the best out of every day, with or without pain.

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