Son with MONO two months in a row?

[Cherie762]

HI my middle son age 17 had a bout of mono the begining of July,,after three trips to drs finally got a diagnosis, they thought pharangitis and broncitis at first....he was treated with a Z pack, prednisone and tylenol 3, felt better after 2 or 2.5 weeks...then now as of three days ago his same symptoms occured fever up to 104,,it comes n goes but never less than 100 unless on tylenol or motrin

Dr yesterday did not draw blood but put Brandon on exact same meds...my sons immune system seems so weak, he has lost about 10 lbs and hes a thin boy anyways..he looks very pale and I notice his nail beds are slightly bluish purple which tells me perhpaps 02 is a bit low.

Im thinkig maybe he needs tonsils out?

last time he had mono his spleen was double in size that is dangerous  thy did a liver enzyme test which came back fine

here is the weird thing his WBC was low...mono is a viral infection viral makes WBC high...I did some readingand his symptoms
sweats, chills, photosensitivity, body aches, swollen lymph nodes. inconsistant fever, throat swollen with tonsils enlarged and white spots.....Im wondering if this could be Non Hodgkins disease...

any thoughts or advice please

ty

Cherie

[Bridget A. Hewitt, RN]

Hi and thanks for using the forum.

Mono typically has an incubation period of 4-8 weeks, but the swollen lymph nodes and enlarged spleen can last a few weeks beyond that.  The antibiotics don't treat the mono (it is a virus), but mono is sometimes accompanied by a secondary infection such as strep throat or a tonsilitis.  This is probably what the Z-pack is for.  The steroids are to ease some of the swelling.  It is possible that your son has a step infection or a tonsilitis again.  You don't say how low his WBC count was, but I would discuss your concerns with his pediatrician and ask him/her about this specifically.  Sometimes as kids start to feel better they start doing more than they really should.  Is it possible that your son took on too much and wore himself down?  I think you have raised some valid questions, and they are best answered by your sons doctor who can look at the entire picture.  I hope this info helps.

Bridget

[Cherie762]

Thank you for the advice and info...I do think he has/had a secondary infection Dr said looked like strep that was negative though so most likely tonsilitis.  I do need to get him to a ent....hes not thrilled w the idea but he obly has insurance for another years so its important to get a opinion on that