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i recently contracted mono and have some questions:)

sorry in advance for all the writing...

okay, i'm just going to list all my symptoms and everything i was experiencing before i found out i contracted mono. i'm sorry but this is a lot of background information....


-so between april 24th and april 30th 3 lymph nodes on the left side of my neck had become swollen and were causing me pain.

i also noticed that the couple of days prior to my lymph nodes becoming swollen, i had been extremely tired and my energy level was so low by the end of my school day which was very unusual for me considering the fact i didn't normally start feeling tired until 10 pm at the earliest.

-on april 29th and 30th a rash had appeared all over my legs that was in big patches and extremely itchy as well as smaller patches that appeared on my arms

-the night of april 30th i noticed i had pain when i was swallowing water so i looked at my throat in the mirror with a flashlight and saw that my tonsils were red and inflamed and there were white spots/patches on them. that immediately concerned me. also throughout that day i felt light headed/nauseous.

-on may 1st i had school and it was after lunch that i noticed my energy level was low and i felt light headed/nauseous like i did the day before. j went to the nurse and she called my mom and requested that i go get a strep test

so that day my mom and i made our way to the doctors to get a strep test. the nurse came in, took my temperature and did the whole blood pressure thing and then swabbed my throats to be tested for strep. the doctor came in while we waited for the strep test results and i let her know about all my symptoms and how long they had been occurring and she thought it was strep but also thought it could be strep since they have similar symptoms. she left (i'm guessing to go see the results) and when she came back she informed me that my strep test came back negative but they were going to send it into the lab and let it grow or whatever for a couple days and test it again. she also said that she wanted to have my get my blood drawn to check for mono.

fast forward to may 4th, the doctors called my mom and told us the swab for my strep test needed another day before they tested it for strep again and informed us that my blood test for mono came back positive. i was told to take it easy, get lots of rest, drink lots of water and fluids, make sure i'm washing my hands, no contact sports for 30 days (because my spleen is enlarged), no overexerting my self, and to make sure i don't share drinks with anyone or let anyone use my utensils. i was also informed that there is no cure for mono and i will have it for the rest of my life, they said if i take it seriously and get my rest and really take it easy, i could be cleared in 2-4 weeks. that same day (may 4th) my mom obviously informed the nurse i have mono and my doctor faxed a note to my high school for my p.e. class strictly saying i should only be walking for the rest of the year.

the nurse at my school also informed my teachers of what has happened incase i miss school more than i already have (due to being sick and being pulled out of my classes to finish state testing).

-may 5th the doctors called again and told us my strep test was positive, and called in the prescription for penicillin to treat the strep throat.

-also i know that loss of appetite is a symptom of mono and during the week i started showing symptoms and during the week i found out i had mono my appetite was not lessened, in fact i
my appetite was like the complete opposite. on may 7th i ate almost 24 cupcakes and i was still soooo hungry.

so now for the questions i have:)

-so the doctors say i can be cleared in 2-4 weeks if i take it seriously now, does that mean i will no longer be contagious after i'm cleared?

-i know once you've been infected with the virus you don't start showing symptoms until about 4-7 weeks after you been infected, and that 4-7 weeks is called the incubation period, are you contagious during the incubation period?

-since i was also positive for strep, i got my antibiotics and have been taking them since the 5th of may (today's the 10th) i noticed within a couple of days of taking the penicillin, the lymph node that was causing me the most pain and was the largest (it's the lymph node that usually gets a little bit swollen when you are sick) was no longer swollen anymore. i still have two small lymph nodes that are swollen but they've reduced in size. my tonsils are no longer inflamed and the white spots/patches are gone. i also don't feel fatigued anymore and my energy level seems to be back to normal. is there a possibility they could have misdiagnosed my mono or something?
-also i have a boyfriend and we kiss and make out all the time (well not now since i found out i have mono) but the week i started showing symptoms we were making out a lot because my mom told me my swollen lymph nodes were nothing and that it happens when you get sick, so yeah, my boyfriend and i made out a lot during those 4-7 weeks before i started showing symptoms and right now he's not showing symptoms except for fatigue and lack of energy. he called the doctors and they said he can't come get his blood tested until he stars showing symptoms which stresses me out cause he plays for our high school football team and for him football starts again at the end of may and i'm just really worried that his spleen is enlarged and he's going to get seriously hurt. i've told him about how i'm worried and he just says he's gonna be fine. any advice for how i can mentally deal with that?

oh and my mom went and got tested for mono as well because we shared utensils and drinks  during what would have been my incubation period. the test came back negative and the doctor said it could be dormant in her body and to come get tested again later if/when she starts showing symptoms.

thank you for reading my story, i appreciate it. i hope you can help me out with my questions and/or provide me with some advice:)
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Avatar universal
You are contagious during incubation period and will still be contagious after being cleared as the virus shed intermittently and remain in your body throughout your life.

IgM antibodies are typically detectable within 2-3 weeks of infection but may be detectable earlier in some people.  These antibodies will typically no longer be detectable 4-6 weeks after infection.

IgG antibodies will typically be detectable around 2-4 weeks after exposure and will remain detectable for the rest of a person's life.  In some people they may be detectable sooner.
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Most contagious during incubation and when symptoms are shown.
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