When she was 16 years old, Stephanie Williams started feeling
unusually tired and achy. A couple of weeks later, she developed
a very sore throat. Because her mother knew that mononucleosis
was making the rounds at the high school, she decided it was
time for Stephanie to see the doctor. Stephanie was indeed
diagnosed with mono, and because of the illness, she missed a
month of school, slept a lot and did whatever she could to
relieve her discomfort. She wasn't able to return to full
physical activity for another two months. When is it Mono?
Stephanie's experience with the mononucleosis virus is quite
typical. It generally starts slowly, like a cold or the flu, but
goes on to involve the throat and tonsils far more than any
routine illness. Lymph nodes, or ‘glands’, in the neck become
visibly enlarged and a high fever is common, as is extreme
fatigue. Teens and young adults are at highest risk for
contracting this disease. "Mono is passed through close personal
contact," explains Andrea McCoy, M.D., director