Doctors - What is the 'particular sickness' that Ben Saarel has had but refuses to name?

It's really none of your business if he chooses not to disclose it. all the nobodies can speculate cuz they can't walk the walk, so they may as well talk the talk. Losers. Saarel is a better human being than any of the posters on this thread with their 18min 5k PR they brag about.

Lookatmenow wrote:

It's really none of your business if he chooses not to disclose it. all the nobodies can speculate cuz they can't walk the walk, so they may as well talk the talk. Losers. Saarel is a better human being than any of the posters on this thread with their 18min 5k PR they brag about.

Including you.

Charlie Sheen syndrome.

MD Phan wrote:

And of course- the ever present thyroid disorder could be playing into things-- thus his unwillingness to disclose it.

This ^. Just got over a bout of hyperthyroid brought on by respiratory infection. Took 4 months before thyroid levels stabilized. Completely knocked me out.

I bet it was heartbreak that got him.

Banned from Holliday Inns,

There are 2 mono tests, a Monospot and EBV serology. Monospot can be falsely negative early on, so if Monospot negative but still suspect, EBV serology performed. EBV IGM must be positive for current symptoms to be attributed to Mono. It is completely NOT standard of care to tell someone they have Mono if both of these tests are negative or not done. On serology testing, If EBV IgG positive but IGM negative then the patient's Mono could have been anytime in the distant past. If both positive then this would be the reason for fatigue/poor performance over past few months. If only IGM positive then the patient has newly acquired Mono and life will suck for the next few months.

Holy crap his symptoms were so vague. How could anyone surmise what he has based off of that?

There have got to be hundreds of bacterial or viral infections that it could be. Combined with the possibility of various low vitamin/mineral levels that are caused by the infection.

Or is it the type of thing when some deficiency is caused by an under-active or or-active hormone producing, vitamin producing part of the body.

Hell, even effects of gluten with celiac disease is considered an illness.

one poster said he wouldn't go pro in running. why not? how many Americans have two top ten finishes in xc after two years, plus a 4:02 mile in high school with an incredible kick? When he has the time to concentrate on his running and get plenty of sleep, he is going to be a monster.

Hep.

jjjjjjj wrote:

one poster said he wouldn't go pro in running. why not? how many Americans have two top ten finishes in xc after two years, plus a 4:02 mile in high school with an incredible kick? When he has the time to concentrate on his running and get plenty of sleep, he is going to be a monster.

Financially, pro runner would not be the best route.

"recorded an impressive 3.99 grade point average as an engineering physics major"

High altitude priapism.

Its really hard.

Bob Schul country wrote:

Low ferritin levels.

You come back from mono quickly. Low ferritin takes months

You are completely wrong. Mono takes a long time to come back from, whereas ferritin levels can be raised relatively quickly depending on the type of treatment.

Bob Schul country wrote:

Low ferritin levels.

You come back from mono quickly. Low ferritin takes months

Have you ever had mono?

My money is on low iron.

I got mono in college, they MADE me do NO running or exercise for 4 months because they were concerned due to an enlarged spleen. So it is not mono because he would not have been able to come back from that in a few weeks.

Low iron or ferritin, you can go on a pill and get back in a couple of weeks to training normally.

Saarel has celiacs, but i have no idea if that could actually be relevant to his illness.

Mr. Spock wrote:

This ^. Just got over a bout of hyperthyroid brought on by respiratory infection. Took 4 months before thyroid levels stabilized. Completely knocked me out.

you don't "get over a bout" of hypothyroidism. that is like saying you got over a bout of diabetes.

Daniel A. Gore, Esq. wrote:

Sounds like hantavirus. Probably tangled with some rodents on a run in the hills.

hoka one 2 wrote:

Saarel has celiacs, but i have no idea if that could actually be relevant to his illness.

If he actually has Celiac and isn't eating properly, there are a lot of deficiencies that could be occurring, including iron.

And Iron takes more than a "few" weeks to bring back up. You have to start low with your dosage so you aren't pooping every hour. Then it still takes at least a month to bring your serum level from dangerously low, to normal.

ncaa fan wrote:

Any ideas as to what this could be?

http://www.runnersworld.com/college/colorado-heads-to-nationals-on-the-verge-of-a-third-consecutive-title

Running Times wrote:

But from the Rocky Mountain Shootout in early October until the week before Pac-12s, he struggled in workouts because of an illness he declined to name.

“I got a particular sickness that takes a long time to come back from,” he said. “It’s just one of those things where you go into workouts not feeling good, feeling tired.”

MONO-

Needs to quit Mackin' it up with his lady.

Put your girl on ice until after nationals.

runnerbro wrote:

Ben Saarel is extremely smart. he is an engineering major and a top tier D! athlete which is hard enough to manage time wise but he knows that he isnt going to be going pro in running so school should be his focus and as a result he gets sick frequently. My bet is Mono but again not sure why CU is keeping it a mystery.

why do people on letsrun always assume various people are geniuses? how does anyone here know how smart saarel is? don't say it's because of his major or high school grades, unless you know his exact test scores. don't say it's because it's been reported that he studies a lot and doesn't sleep much. that doesn't sound very smart to me! hard worker doesn't mean he's smart.

also, you say he "knows that he isnt going to be going pro in running". the kid defintiely has the talent to go pro, as he's clearly demonstrated by running very well in his first NCAA XC season. he also ran a 4:00ish mile in high school and I think 8:40s for 2mi.