Mononucleosis

Yes, Casey has the Kissing Disease. And it is AWFUL!!!! I have never seen Casey so sick. That is including when he had appendicitis. He keeps saying he'd rather have appendicitis. His throat is so sore that it takes every ounce of strength just to swallow his own spit. He's got a fever, sleeps the majority of the day and still looks exhausted, can barely talk, can't eat or drink much of anything without me forcing him too for a good 1/2 hour, has a stiff neck, swollen glands and lymph nodes, a head ache, and all around feels like death. So here's his story...
Casey has been sick for a couple of weeks with a cold. So when Casey started going to bed at 7:00 and 8:00 completely exhausted I didn't think anything of it. He usually goes to bed at 9:00, and Casey is ALWAYS tired anyway, so I didn't think anything of it. Well last week he had so much sinus pressure and neck pain and a 5 day migraine that nothing could help. (PS he went to work EVERY DAY!) so last thursday he goes to the doctor and they tell him he has a sinus infection (oh did I mention that? on top of mono he also has a sinus infection!!) So he starts taking some stuff for that and then Sunday night he woke up at about 12:30, when I went to bed, and didn't fall back asleep due to the pain in his throat and his inability to swallow. He woke me up at 4:30 telling me there was something wrong and he needed to go to the doctor. Now, Casey knows his body really well, when he says he has to go to the doctor, something is wrong. But, even though I knew something was wrong, I don't take kindly to being woken up and it took me til about 5:15 to get out of bed and put a bra on so I could take him to the ER. There were some pretty crazy lumps on the back of his neck that the doctor instantly diagnosed as mono but they ran the test just to be sure. The Bad News: There is nothing a doctor can do for mono except give you pain pills for your sore throat, No spit swapping for 6 weeks (yeah right.), and no contact sports or his spleen could rupture. The Good News: We know what's wrong with him.
Here's what I know about Mono:
Mono is generally caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Most people get infected with EBV at some point in there lives but it doesn't turn to Mono. EBV stays dormant in most people and flares up just enough to pass on to unsuspecting sick people. EBV is passed through saliva, tears, or mucus. So sharing drinks or utensils or kissing can cause infection. It's likely that I have dormant EBV in my body since they found traces when I was younger and Logan had Mono... so it's possible that I gave it to Casey, or really, anybody since Casey and I aren't exactly germ-a-phobic. The reason it turned to Mono is because Casey's body was in a state of stress from his appendix surgery. He's been sick on and off ever since, never completely healing. It could also be from his sinus infection medicine which weakens the immune system by killing off some of the good stuff in order to get rid of the bad. Mono lasts about 6 weeks and until he is feeling better he is contagious as well as at risk of a ruptured spleen if he decides to play contact sports (sorry Justin, no paintballing!).
Anyway, we're working on finding things he can get down his poor throat. broth, yogurt, water, juice, herbal tea, and apple sauce almost kill him; but it's all we've got for now. He's been snoring due to the sinus infection mixed with a throat swollen to twice it's normal size and so he'll snore and then won't be able to breath (like sleep apnea) and then jolt and continue on sleeping. needless to say, my sleep has also been affected. Last night the swelling in his throat went down a little and we both slept better than we have in about a week. Anyway, give him a little prayer and I'm sorry this is the longest blog post ever... forgive me.