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January 20, 2004 Send us your questions and comments Question * Not something to mess around with Dear Abjeez, First of all I want to wish you a happy new year and kudos to your columns, which I find by turn, touching, very informative and often hilariously entertaining. One thing that bothers me, however, while I appreciate your message of "safe sex", you seem to miss the point that condoms are not the answer to STDs. In fact, mono, the "kissing disease", is a pretty serious illness. I think this should be included as part of every parent's "Big Talk" with their teens. No sexual contact can be 100% safe. AA Abjee Fotti and Abjee Pari write: DearAA, The reason it affects young people is that often, people in high schools, colleges and the military share close quarters and possessions. Thus, it's not only the kissing disease, it can also be the "sharing coffee cups" diseases. Or even the "being near a coughing or sneezing person" disease. You are right in saying the symptoms are pretty serious. Feeling exhausted all the time is one of the more common symptoms of mono, but you may also experience swollen glands in your neck, armpits, or groin area. A sore throat, white patches on the back of the throat, tonsillitis, fever as high as 104 degrees F, sore muscles, sensitivity to light and loss of appetite. Fifty to 60 percent of people diagnosed with mononucleosis will develop an enlarged spleen, which is an organ in your body that helps to recycle old blood cells and clear bacteria from the body. Because of the enlarged spleen, athletic types will find it frustrating that they cannot engage in contact sports at the risk of rupturing the spleen. If you've been diagnosed with mono and feel a sharp pain on your left side, go to the emergency room or call 911 immediately. A few weeks or months on the sidelines because of mono can put a crimp in your style, but a ruptured spleen can be life-threatening and can put you out of commission permanently. Even worst news? There's no medicine that can make your symptoms better or make the infection go away more quickly. No antibiotics are active against the two viruses that cause mono. Thank you for pointing this out. Mono is not something to mess around with -- you'll want to make sure that you're under the care of a doctor because in rare cases, complications such as liver inflammation, anemia and swollen tonsils can make you feel a lot worse. Take care, * Send this page to your friends
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