Need Input--Posting Again

[worldtravel2014]

I posted before but didnt really get any responses. My symptoms have persisted and whatever I was infected with is causing what feels like brain inflammation bc I get these severe bouts of depression, fatigue, headaches all at the same time. Here is my previous post:

"Up until the end of this past May, I was very healthy. I was in extremely good shape, traveling, enjoying life, etc...this all changed after I met a girl and then after traveling in Central America.

The girl I met turned out to be have lupus and had a history of drug use. She said she had no stds and was healthy otherwise. After engaging in unprotected sex with her (we became bf and gf after dating), I began feeling sick, nothing serious, but just a general sense of unwellness and I began getting these weird head symptoms. It just so happened that I met her right before going on a backpacking trip to Central America.

So, after spending a month with this woman I left to Central America and spent a month there backpacking all around Costa Rica and Nicaragua (Corn Islands as well). Literally on my last day there, I began feeling very sick and ended up having a fever.

I returned to the states sick. I remained sick for a couple weeks. I had joint issues, night sweats, malaise, fevers, etc. After two weeks I began feeling somewhat better but during that two weeks I was in horrible shape.

Soon after feeling a bit better (I am now back from trip and getting over the bad sickness) the girl who I had met before the trip gave me an infection in my penis. I had horrible stinging and burning, swollen lymph nodes, and pimple like things all over my butt and thigh. I also had a rash on my scrotum and this area was sensitive and painful. She went to get tested for STDs and was positive for HSV1 and 2. I also went to get tested and had a positive IGM and all other STDs negative and urinalysis and all was normal.

11 weeks after getting the penis infection, I did an IGG hsv and was negative for both. I just recently did another IGG at 16 weeks and am waiting results (update, neg igg 16 weeks). I do not have any typical herpes symptoms but after the initial infection I did develop headaches, tingling nerve sensations in legs, and folliculitis on buttocks.

I also went to two doctors for the infection I seemed to have gotten from traveling and at first the only thing that popped up was elevated liver enzymes and it was suspected I had hepatitis but B and C were neg. I did not do any treatment. I then retested a little later and my eosinophils were elevated and kidney function off (high creatinine, high calcium, low egfr). All else looked ok and the doctor told me to come back in three months.

As of now, I have the following symptoms: severe depression, headaches and head pressure, weight loss, joints popping and cracking, malaise, fatigue, cognitive problems, twitches.spasms, waking up at night anxious...

I know some of how I am feeling has to do with the stress caused by all this. I am having to pay for most of my medical costs because of no insurance. I work 50 hours a week and so all this has been very stressful. Likewise, the girl who gave me that infection left me which also caused my to feel even worse.

Basically, I am at the end I feel like. Everyday has been a struggle. The head pressure, depression, headaches, joint cracking, malaise are really getting to me. The depression has been very bad lately to the point of being suicidal. Whatever my body was infected with coupled with all this stress has torn me down. I am in bad shape and need help."

Can anyone offer advice? Please dont say 'go visit your doctor". Perhaps an ID doc is a good idea but otherwise I have already seen two docs with little help. Idk where to go or what to do.

[mkh9]

Hi, I didn't see a previous post. I just saw this post and sorry it took a while. I was also at the doctor today. We are not doctors on here but I can try to advise you.

So, I am  a bit confused at what you said. Did you say that you were infected by a different girl when you came back with HSV? But that the other symptoms were from the Central America trip?  The HSV IgM comes up first and it can take up to 3 months for the IgG to show up. It is a little slower with HSV. Sorry you are going through all this. It sounds like you have a very stressful career as well. Aside from the person you were with it is possible you may have been infected with something from Central America. Were you bitten by any mosquitos or flys there? Did you walk on the sand or eat anything undercooked? Do you notice any marks or rashes on your skin? It is great that your STD tests came back negative other than HSV.  I am wondering also if you got bitten by a tick? Did you have any target rash? I think maybe you should get tested for Lyme disease. That is one thing that can cause brain/head problems. The Ixodes tick is small so a lot of people don't notice it. You don't also always get the target rash in about 30% of the time. Have you had a fever or swollen lymph nodes under the neck or anywhere? West Nile virus has some of these symptoms as well. Any rash at any time? You may want to talk to a counselor and/or get on meds for depression since you are so down even if it is caused by an illness.  Also, maybe something for anxiety. I am not big on meds for anxiety but due to your lack of time maybe. If you can try to get biofeedback breathing exercise training for the anxiety. Once you get the training, which only takes about 3 sessions. You could get the technician to put the exercise on a CD and you can listen to it on your MP3 or whatever device and practise once or twice a day for 10 minutes at a time. It really helped with my anxiety. It does take some practice to get the fight or flight response down.
mkh9

[worldtravel2014]

Anyone?