Wow...I didn't know it could be this bad, seriously. Don't despair though, some of these stories sound like probably the worst that mono can do. I got it MUCH lighter. I came down with it at the beginning of undergrad (surprise, surprise), and it kept me down and fatigued for about a week or so. The only reason I went to the doc was that I looked in the back of my throat coincidentally while brushing my tongue (I'm very meticulous about oral hygiene) and saw alarming white blotches on my tonsils (one of the key diagnostic signs of mono). Of course back then I had no idea what that meant (strep or something?) and decided to get it checked out. A fingerprick later I was told I had it.
Aside from feeling drained and out of it for a week or so and a mild sore throat for a few days, that was all I got. The worst part of it was that I had to lay off working out strenuously for like 2 months. Working out, especially heavy lifting like bench press, squatting, etc. and high impact activity like running can rupture your spleen (which is enlarged in almost everyone with mono), which is potentially fatal if untreated, so take it easy! If you feel any major upper abdomen pain, that's an emergency, get it checked out. Just drink lots of fluids, rest and take it easy, lay off of booze, limit physical activity and hopefully you will follow my easy course and be alright with school and stuff.
Also try to not take any antibiotics for a few months, if you can help it. Some ABX, notably amoxicillin can cause a nasty allergic reaction while you have active EBV infection...including full body rash, fever, and possibly itching and hives. After all mono is viral and requires no meds, but some people get concurrent opportunistic bacterial infections and need ABX to treat them, since EBV messes with your lymphocytes and makes you more prone and vulnerable to attack by other bugs while you have it. I have a friend who got a massive bacterial gum infection while he had mono (his gums were bloody and so swollen, he was biting on them with his molars with mouth at rest) and went to the dentist, who gave him amoxicillin. He started feeling better the next day but at the same time broke out into a horrible, itchy, red full body rash that lasted like 8 days. Sure, his mouth was cured, but everyone at school was wondering what the hell was wrong with him, thinking he had measles or rubella or something and was infectious!
