[Mommy K]

We went for our children's well visits and during the physical for our youngest son, the doctor noticed some spots on his throat. They did some tests and he tested positive for mono.

The Dr. said that he did not have to be treated, as it may be latent, because he has no symptoms. What symptoms does mono have? I asked the Dr. he said low fever, and lethargy. Does anyone know anything about mono? I aslo asked if it was contagious and the Dr. said-don't worry about it.

My other question is how often does a 3 year old go for well visits? I bring my older kids once a year-is this how often a 3 year old goes? I seem to remember bringing my sons more often, but the Dr. said once a year.

I like that the Dr. is not an alarmist, and pracitices alot of homeopathic treatments for things-such as chicken soup for a cold, insead of right away giving antibiotics etc. but maybe in this case he's being a little too laid back?
Thank You!

[DPline]

From age 2 forward, my kids only went once a year for well child checkups.

[JustBarbara]

Yes, from two on it's an annual event. I thought this was a bit odd at first because in DS's first year we were there almost on a monthly basis with one thing or another but he turned 3 in March and we haven't needed to go to the ped. No, mono is not going to be contagious for a young kid and if the ped says no treatment is necessary I'd go with that. If it were contagious the ped would probably have put a mask on your child and whisked you in and out and away from other patients and staff. In most cases with colds, sleep and plenty of liquids usually do the trick and, of course, time. If they have a fever then maybe tylenol or motrin but I tend to undermedicate, if you know what I mean. Even for myself I hate to take meds unless really necessary. Good luck

[sheababy]

I got mono last year and was really worried DD would get it. The ped said not too worry even if DD got it, symptoms would be so mild (or non existent) that we wouldn't even know she had it.

I would be more worried about you getting it. I guess the older you are the worse it is. I had what was like untreatable strep throat for 10 days (could barely swallow) and was just exhausted for 3 months.

If your DS isn't showing any symptoms now chances are he won't.

[abensonslaton]

I'm a nurse and this time they got once a year than around 7 or so every two years each ped is different. Please you don't want to give your kids antibotics unless they need it a lot of virsus, colds, etc don't need antibotics just time, fluids, and rest. You are setting up your child for MRSA at an early age. MRSA is multiple resistanst staph aureus. So when they truly get sick they will have nothing to give you kid or adult kid. Sounds like your doctor is doing the right thing and at least he checked the spots and knew what it was and not just glance over it.
Ange

[Gabri]

Mono is very mild in kids--both my boys had it. I would also be more worried about you getting mono. Both my husband and I got mono from our son (he came home from Guatemala with it). I've been sick well over a year and am still sick with it... my husband was over it in a couple of weeks. (Typical...). It's actually harder to catch mono than you would think, but be careful not to share spoons, etc. Also, if you've already had mono, you're not likely to catch it again. (There's some controversy about whether or not you can reactivate mono, but most of the specialists I've talked to don't think it's possible.) For my kids it was just like a mild cold.

[sak9645]

Mono is a saliva borne disease. It used to be called the "kissing disease", because some people got it through French kissing; however, it can be acquired by using another person's straw to drink a sip of Coke, taking a bite of someone's candy bar, eating with silverware that hasn't been cleaned really thoroughly in a restaurant or home, etc.

Because mono is transmitted through saliva, it is very easy for both adults and children to catch it. It is probably a lot more common than we realize, since it often goes undiagnosed. Since the normal symptoms are fatigue, sore throat, low fever, loss of appetite, etc., most people who catch a mild case simply assume that they've got a cold/flu that's lasting a bit longer than usual, or that they have been working too hard. Also, the simple "mono spot" test can be unreliable, yet the more complicated test that confirms a case is rarely ordered.

While the "conventional wisdom" is that kids get a mild case and adults get a more severe one, I'm here to tell you that BOTH adults and kids can have either manifestation. My daughter got mono at age nine and it was seven months of Hell for her. In the beginning, she slept 16 hours a day, on some days. Later, she still needed far more sleep than usual, dragged herself through normal activities, looked haggard, and didn't have the enthusiasm for playdates and parties that she used to have. But the doctor said that we were lucky, since some kids wind up with chronic fatigue syndrome, and others become clinically depressed.

There's no cure for mono. Antibiotics should never be used. Aside from the issue of developing resistance, and the fact that they are ineffective against viruses, certain antibiotics may trigger an allergic response in the presence of mono. My daughter's pediatrician was terribly worried that, because she had been given amoxicillin for strep right before she was diagnosed definitively, she might break out in a very severe rash; luckily, she didn't.

Symptoms can be treated as they occur. As an example, if a person feels achy or has a slight fever, a little Tylenol may help. Becca's pediatrician said that the teens in his practice often find energy drinks like Red Bull helpful in dealing with the lethargy, but Becca, herself, found them nauseating; she preferred China Oolong tea, with its caffeine. (I have to say that I agree with Becca about the Red Bull; it's so nasty that even our DOG wouldn't drink it.)

Because Becca was in the fifth percentile for weight and a very picky eater, I was really afraid that the mono would seriously compromise her nutritional status. As a result, I began serving her one Ensure Plus per day. She loved the vanilla, which reminded her of the Pediasure I'd given her when she was a toddler, and actually GAINED ten pounds, to the astonishment of the pediatrician.

Because mono is transmitted only via saliva, and because so many people in the population have already been exposed to mono, there is no problem with allowing a person with the virus to pursue normal activities if he/she has the strength.

Our pediatrician said that no harm would come from "pushing" Becca to go to school as much as possible. There were days where she went to school for some or all of the day, came home, went directly to bed, got up in the middle of the night and did homework, and then got up to go to school.

She was really determined to keep up with her class and, surprisingly, her grades didn't fall much at all, even at her very demanding private school. Her standardized test scores were slightly below what was expected, mainly because she had a hard time focusing for a half day of intense effort.

It is believed that you cannot catch mono more than once. There is some evidence, however, that, once you've had it, the virus remains dormant in your body for the rest of your life! This would mean that you can shed virus in your saliva from time to time, potentially infecting others, even if you had mono 50 years ago and were sharing a soda with your grandchild.

Other than practicing normal hygiene, there's really no way to prevent mono. And once you've got it, the disease will simply have to run its course. The good news is that most cases are not severe, and that even the more severe cases tend to resolve with time.

Sharon

[Mommy K]

thanks everyone & wow this was very insightful!!