Ebstein Barr virus

Ebstein Barr is the virus that causes mononucleosis. Once you've had mono, the Ebstien Barr virus remains in your system for the rest of your life. Mono has many symptoms, but the most known is the extreme exhaustion. Normally, people catch the virus between the ages of 10-35 and it lasts for 1-2 months. A year ago, my daughter was diagnosed wtih Mononucleosis and shortly after Chicken Pox. They are both part of the herpes virus. I've spent a great deal of time on the internet researching, because there is no cure besides rest. Having mono alone compromises your immune system; with chicken pox on top of that, my daughter's immune system was highly compromised.

A ten year old going to school every day to the jungle of germs is not the ideal situation for her immune system. For the past year, she's continued to catch everything going around the school and was recently diagnosed with active mononucleosis again. I didn't realize you could have it more than once, but from my reading, I have come to understand that once the immune system drops below the threshhold to keep Ebstein Barr in control in your cells, you will again have active mononucleosis. There is a blood test that reveals the levels of Ebstein Barr to show that it is active.

As a parent, there is nothing worse than seeing your child suffer and not know how to "fix" it. I am amazed at all that she has been able to do and her determination to keep going. The internet is such a wonderful tool for us to have at our disposal, because with a little time, you can research any subject. I have found that we are not alone with the battle against this virus and for such a long time period. The tough part is that I've also found that others are just as frustrated as we have been to find a cure. The common theme I've found is that most of us have turned to natural medicine practices to get relief. We do seem to have found something that is helping .... last night, I had a child with more bounce in her step and more color in her cheeks!

Spending a year running back and forth to doctors and having someone ill for so long takes its toll on the whole family, but I believe we are emerging on the other side of this!