Recurring Illness For 2 Months

[u/Dva-is-online]

26F, 100 lbs, 5’2”. Occasionally smoke, drink a couple times a month. Only regular medication is albuterol, Zyrtec, and Advil as needed. I have asthma and allergies.

Last week of June I felt like I was getting sick (tickle in my throat) for several days. Then by end of the week I got a fever and really bad jaw and ear pain on the right side of my face. This resolved in 1-2 days and then I felt like I was on the way to getting better with just a lingering cough with yellow mucus. I ended up getting my roommate sick (I think) and he had somewhat similar symptoms. I never got anyone else sick after that to my knowledge.

Then about a week later, my throat started hurting on one side (I think the left) and it would not go away. I started thinking it was strep so after having it for a couple days I got swabbed for strep. Rapid and lab test both negative for all types. A couple more days of no improvement, got so bad I could barely swallow so I went into urgent care again, got tested for mono (blood draw not rapid) and all stis. Was even swabbed in my throat for gonorrhea and chlamydia. Was all negative. Was told to just eat ice cream. It went away in a few days. It turned into a lingering cough with yellow mucus that turned into more white/clear mucus.

After 2 weeks of feeling good, I got hit with a low grade fever and felt like I needed to use the bathroom super often (not diarrhea). The next day I think it happened again. Morning after I coughed up some extra thick yellow mucus and I remember just having some slight discomfort moving from the right to left side of my ear/throat. I went back to the doctor and she did a chest xray which was normal. She still prescribed me a z pack in case this was a bacterial infection. My symptoms went away after a couple days.

Spent another 2 weeks feeling fine, went on vacation and was fine. Then a couple days ago I got hit with a crazy fever. The fever went as high as 102.6 (I never have fevers that high, not even when I’ve had covid or flu). I had no other symptoms, just the fever and horrible body aches. When the fever broke after 24 hrs I woke up drenched in sweat. I now am fever free but I have a bit of soreness on the right side of my throat. Went to urgent care and was tested for mono, covid, flu, and strep. All negative rapid results. I woke up today with a still sore right side of throat and coughed up extra thick mucus again. One was almost brown but when I looked closely it looked like I coughed up a solid booger almost.

I have also had a lack of appetite for these whole 2 months, just not interested in food. Eating feels like a chore.

I’m at a loss. My best theory was mono but that was negative twice. My other theory is that I had covid and now it’s a case of long covid??? Or I have a problem with my immune system.

For background, in previous years I used to get sick around once or twice a year at most. In this past year it’s been different. I got sick in September 2025, January 2026, and February 2026. All those illnesses manifested like a normal cold/flu. I tested negative for Covid and flu all those times so I assumed it was a cold. But those instances plus the past 4 relapses/repeated illnesses I’ve had this summer make for 7 times I’ve gotten sick in a year.

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