Leukemia vs Mononucleosis

What a week it has been. For those of you that knew from my previous postings, my daughter Ashley had been sick with fever for days. Monday, she breaks out in a rash and her face is so puffy so I take her down to our doctor. She has blood work done and her white blood count is extremely low and besides that the Doctor could not figure out what is going on with her so he sends us 2 hours away to Charlottesville to the hospital there. Again, more blood work taken, etc. I spent the night with her. That afternoon, one of the Doctor's there comes in to tell us it is either Leukemia or Mono. I chewed off my fake fingernails at that point. Later on, same Doctor came in to tell us that the ugly "C" word has been ruled out and she just has the Mono.
It really has been a rough week, but Ashley was discharged yesterday afternoon and looked refreshed again. Her levels are where they need to be again and the rash is gone. I am still worried some because even though her white blood count is up again, her boyfriend sounds like he has alittle cold. I told him he needs to go to the Doctor's, but I am not sure if he will or not.
Anyhow, got to get everything back into order today...cleaning, nursing Ashley back to health, exercising. I think I will buy some more hair dye for my hair as well. I am sure I have more gray now...maybe some fell out too.
:eek:
Charlotte~~
 
Hi Charlotte,

I am so happy to hear that your daughter is ok. One of the hardest things in the world is to watch out children suffer. Dont forget to nurse youself back I am sure this has taken quite a toll on you.
 
Hi Mary.

Yeah, my body is probably wondering what I am doing with it. I did PLB and PUB on Monday. Got no sleep Monday night and woke up to a bag of potatoe chips in the room and drank some water. I did not want to leave Ashley to go to the cafeteria so I felt faint until my husband came in with food...cheeseburger and side salad. I got to get back into the routine again today.
Have a great day!
Charlotte~~
 
I'm am so happy to hear that the leukemia was ruled out. You have really been put through the ringer this week. As a mother myself, I can't imagine the agony you have been through waiting for news this week. I hope Ashley gets well soon. Take care of yourself as well!
Lisa

Edited; perhaps it's wringer instead? Oh well, I can't spell anymore.
 
I am glad to hear your daughter is going to be okay. I hope you will find some "normal" again soon.

I had mono when I was 14. It took me a good month to get ovet it. I slept the first two weeks, literally. I barely woke up to eat. I woke up 10 lbs lighter and very weak.

Praying that you both get your strength back soon. :)
 
Thank God she doesn't have Leukemia! I had the mono 2 yrs ago. I didn't get a rash but I was so tired and slept all day for a week. I also found out I was 6 weeks pregnant because my DH was so worried he made me to go with him to the ER. Make sure your daughter doesn't move around too much because it can cause her spleen to rupture. The ER doc said wait 2 weeks before doing any activites so your spleen can get back to normal.

Also, take a good care of yourself, too! Being a mom is very hard at times especially if you don't know what's wrong with your child.

You went to the UVA hospital? I used to live in Charlottesville. It's a GREAT hospital. Tell your daughter I hope she feels better soon. ANd YES, tell the boyfriend to go get checked out because mono is very contagious when you share germs although I don't know how I got mine.
 
Charlotte
Thankfully your daughter has the lesser of two evils. Make sure you get enough rest, nutrition, water and exercise so you can be a good care giver to you DD. Blessings to you both!
Judy
AKA "Likes2bfit"
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Lisa- thanks so much for your kind words. Your sweet! We appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Renee- yes, please keep us in prayer. We can never get enough of prayer, ever! Ashley doesn't seem to be very tired, but complained of feeling achy some so I guess it can be different for everyone. Her appetite is o.k. at best. I am really trying to get her to eat more as she is already underweight like me. So I am sure I will be a nag to her at times as I was told she needs to eat more protein.
God Bless!

ZT127- Hey there! Thanks for being with me on this as I know you mentioned about the menigitis you suffered thru on the past posting. It is always so nice to know that there are special people out there, like yourself that care!
Yes, we were told that Ashley does have to avoid sports for about a month because of her spleen..I never knew that her spleen would become enlarged because of the Mono.
Now that I am confident that Ashley will be fine, I can pick myself up again, but I have to push myself, ever so gracefully into a intense workout so I don't feel like I got too behind.
The UVA hospital was such a good one. Everyone there is so incredibly nice and very informative.
Take Care Z...nice to hear from you again.
 
Charlotte,

Oh my! I bet you were twisted in knots.

I'm sorry she's sick but glad it's the "M" and not the "C". I'll keep you in my thoughts.
 
Why do doctors even drop the C word until they have more of a reason to do it? I think cancer is almost everyones greatest fear, and to have to worry that a child might have it would be almost unbareable. My heart goes out to you, that wait and see time must have been an eternity.

I had mono as a teenager. My story pretty much parallels what others have said here. One really good thing came out my bought with mono,however. I was so weak after having it, it motivated me to start working out. I started running and have pretty much incorperated exercise in my life ever since. I waited a few weeks until my doctor said my spleen had gone down then started by walking and running around the block. Within 6 months I ran my first 10k.

I am so glad it is just mono. The only way this can be said is when you put it in perspective with the other diagnosis. Take care! Hope your daughter has a full and quick recovery!!!

Hopefull
 
No problem. If you need to talk, you can always email me! Take care of yourself and your daughter. Have a nice day! :)
 
Hi,

Glad to hear your daughter is feeling better. I'm puzzled to the lab work and results. There are diffinitive tests for Mono that would give the Doc. a positive or negative. Why he questioned Leukemia bothers me. The fact your daughter had a fever and is achy and not tierd is troublesome too.

As long as she is getting better I would follow the doctors orders.
In the beginning of Mono sometimes the test can be negative. If she worsens I would get a second opinion. As well as another Mono test and if that is negative I would get an Epstein Barrr virus test.

Just my 2cents.
 
Wow, Charlotte, I am so sorry to hear you've all been through such a rough time. A few of my friends have had mono and they say you are just so exhausted you can't even get off the couch for weeks.

Doctors are awful, sometimes, I think. "Leukemia or mono." That's like saying, "Well, you may have cancer, or maybe you have the flu," don't you think?? Totally unnecessary on his part (note that I assume it was a man, lol.)

Anyway, hope things are getting better!

Marie
 

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