HANGOVER FROM HELL
Student, 22, rushed to hospital with ‘kissing disease’ that left her ‘gagging on her own saliva’
What is 'kissing disease' - signs and symptoms and when to get urgent medical help
A STUDENT claims she was hospitalised after contracting "kissing disease" from snogging a guy in a bar - saying it "ruined" her graduation.
Singleton Neve McRavey had been out clubbing with her friends earlier this month to celebrate finishing her degree.
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After meeting a random guy at the bar, the 22-year-old says the pair shared an innocent kiss on the dance floor and thought nothing of it.
It was only when she woke up the following morning with a sore throat that she realised something was wrong - but put it down to tonsillitis.
Neve said her symptoms worsened over the next 24 hours and when she began "gagging" on her own saliva, she opted to visit her GP who prescribed her antibiotics.
But when the medicine didn't work, the University of Strathclyde graduate went to hospital, where she was diagnosed with glandular fever and fitted with an IV to rehydrate her.
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Since snogging a stranger in a bar, Neve says she has been left almost bed bound and has struggled to leave the house.
I had a very high fever, swollen glands, I was sweating buckets and vomiting and I was so weak I couldn't really walk right
Neve McRavey
She even admitted contracting glandular fever "ruined" her graduation on Wednesday, June 26, as her symptoms stopped her from being able to celebrate with friends and family.
Neve, who has been single since March, is now warning other singletons to be cautious about who they kiss on nights out to ensure they don't face the same fate as her.
'SO MUCH REGRET'
Neve, from Glasgow in Scotland, said: "It's called kissing disease. When I heard this so much regret was going through my head.
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"I've been single since March. I've been going out every weekend with the girls, dancing and having fun.
"Occasionally I'd meet a guy at the bar and get chatting and have a kiss on the dance floor.
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"The first couple of weekends in June I was out celebrating handing in my dissertation. I got a 2.1 so was out celebrating all the hard work.
"On Sunday I woke up with a funny throat. I'm quite prone to tonsillitis so I just thought it was this at first.
"On Monday morning I woke up and I couldn't even swallow my own saliva and I was gagging on it.
"I was really ill so I went to the doctors and they thought it was tonsillitis so they gave my antibiotics."
It floored me and ruined one of the most special moments in my life, which was my graduation
Neve McRavey
But the visit to her GP failed to sort Neve out.
She said: "The antibiotics didn't work and I kept feeling worse.
"I had a very high fever, swollen glands, I was sweating buckets and vomiting and I was so weak I couldn't really walk right.
"I went back to the doctors a couple of times and they tried to give me more medication but nothing was working.
"I then went to the hospital and it turns out it was glandular fever."
GRADUATION 'RUINED'
Neve said: "When you're drunk and single you don't think anything of it [kissing a random person] and it's just a bit of fun."
But side effects from the graduate's brief kiss have lingered on for close to a month.
"It's been well over three weeks now and I've spent nearly a month of my life bed bound and at the hospital just because I kissed someone at a bar," Neve said.
Signs and symptoms of glandular fever
GLANDULAR fever - dubbed 'kissing disease' is a viral infection that mostly affects teenagers and young adults.
It gets better without treatment, but it can last for weeks and make you feel very ill.
Symptoms of glandular fever may include:
- High temperature
- Swollen glands, which may be in the neck, head, armpits, elbows, or groin
- Sore throat
- A rash, which may be harder to see on black or brown skin
- Headache
- Tiredness
You should see your GP if you have a very high temperature, a severely sore throat that's not getting better, swelling on either side of your neck or extreme tiredness.
Call NHS 111 if you have difficulty breathing or pain when swallowing.
But you should call 999 if you:
- Can't swallow, including your own spit (saliva)
- Have severe difficulty breathing – you're gasping, choking or not able to get words out
- Have severe stomach pain
"I didn't really get the graduation I wanted. All I could manage was to walk across the stage, take my photos and then go back to sleep.
"I had a lovely dinner booked with my family, and then me and my friends had tables booked out everywhere for a big night out."
According to the NHS, glandular fever is a viral infection that mostly affects teenagers and young adults which includes symptoms such as a sore throat and extreme tiredness.
The infection can get better without treatment but it can last for weeks and make you feel very ill.
Neve said due to her 'weak' immune system her body is struggling to fight the infection and it could take weeks for her to get better.
'TAKE RESPONSIBILITY'
The graduate is now advising other single people to take "personal responsibility" to not kiss people on nights out if they're not well themselves.
Neve, who graduated with an English literature and journalism degree, said: "I think as a young person it's part of our culture to go out and have a good night and sometimes part of that night includes kissing someone.
"It's glamorised in song lyrics to go out kiss boys and have fun. I was all about this and was a party girl.
"I think now after everything has happened I will be much more selective [with whom I kiss].
"I also feel that there is some personal responsibility too. With me being ill, I wouldn't kiss anybody for a long time but obviously the boy who kissed me knew they had been sick recently but didn't really care.
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"If that boy had glandular fever, he was probably sick for a week and did not think anything of it.
"But, because I have a weak immune system, it floored me and ruined one of the most special moments in my life, which was my graduation."
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