I had ear aches, dizziness, and feeling of fullness, with some tightening in my throat that lasted all summer. After many tests with an ear, nose and throat doc that all turned up normal, he did a mono test and gee whiz, I had an acute case of mono. They also did a spinal tap and discovered that there were traces of St. Louis encephalitis viras from a mosquito bite probably from months before, perhaps lowering my immune system. So that is perhaps why I picked up the mono. I'm 54 years old and a teacher. I am not able to work due to ongoing symptoms and fatigue. For the past month I have had extreme problems swallowing, and the ear pain continues. Does anyone know how long the ear and swallowing thing could last (no let-up for almost 4 months on the ears and a month on the swallowing). Could there possibly be something else going on that is a complication of the mono? They just tell me to rest, drink fluids, and take something to manage the pain!? Thanks