EBV - who's been tested for / had?

Quix, your comments about EBV and MS association are very interesting....

Wondering how many people here have been tested for and have had EBV.

My EBV antibodies are high showing past infection...... though I don't recall getting sick from EBV.....

Sally

[oncetri]

I've been tested for EBV.  I tested positive for Igg, indicating past infection, but don't ever recall having mono, or being that sick, except for when I had a cyst burst inside me.  The explanation I got, was that some cases of mono are not severe enough to be noticed, but could just be a period of extreme fatigue, almost undistinguishable from overly tired.  I don't know how much I buy that explanation, but I can only tell you what I've been told.

I also know that most of the population tests positivie for past infections.  I keep getting this one ordered every time I go to my PCP for another symptom, specifically throat problems, but she keeps ordering only IgM, and I've never tested positive for a recent infection.  I don't know what else to say about that.

[Jazzyfizzle]

Hi Sally,

I have tested highly positive for acute, conval., chronic and old. All stages except 'susceptible'.

Jazzy

[LATW]

Hello,
I was just recently tested. I had a bad case of Mono when I was 18. I am now 44. I tested positive for EBV, but not active EBV.

L

[Want to feel well!!!]

My EBV titers are very high and I am currently being treated to try to bring them down.  My neuro believes that EVB is causing my rediculous fatigue.

Wanna

[LATW]

How high are your titers? I had mine done recently and it was high also. But I am not sure if it was unusually high or not.

L

[6-paq]

Not tested and have no idea if I was ever infected.  Never had any symptoms.

[Want to feel well!!!]

My last EBV titers (AB VCA, IGG) were over 1800.  

Wanna
  

[LATW]

That is high!  Mine is 780.  The values for high on the test I took was 22 or above. So I got an abnormal score. But the doctor expected that.  
It is all interesting to me. I feel like I been trying to piece together this puzzle for many years. Theres a lot more to my health history I have not shared here. I feel like a possible dx of something, MS or whatever, will help me close this mystery and move on.

L

[Want to feel well!!!]

When I was at my last nuero visit, he said that if I said I felt "tired" he had no doubt that I was very tired.  He said my immune system was very supressed.  That expalined a lot, but not everything.

Wanna


  

[LATW]

Hopefully he is not going to put all of your symptoms onto the high EBV titer. That is one of the issues I have been dealing with. A couple of the doctors I have seen want to place the blame for everything I am dealing with on EBV. Including my Optic Neuritis.  It is not a good thing.  

L

[T-lynn]

I have been tested for the EBV(came back positve) ,before the DX of MS.

Now at 41 test results are coming back for mono,because of chronic fatigue,go figure.But have not had any swollen lymph nodes,sore throat or cold.

Just had second set of blood work done,waiting results.

[Want to feel well!!!]

No my neuro said the high EBV titers explain the fatigue and why, when I catch a cold, I immediately get bronchitis or pneumonia.  I have been that way for years and he said the EBV titers must have been high for a long time.

As for the right side weakness, numbness, tingling, hip pain, that seems to be all caused by problems in my back.  I read my radiologist report from my L-spine and C-spine MRI’s and my back x-rays and I have many disc issues in the neck and lower back, along with bi-lateral spondylolisthesis.

I guess being an athlete I ignored all the aches and pains for so many years, assuming they were due to my activities.  Now it has caught up with me.  I see my neuro on the 27th and then I will see what he plans to do to fix me.

The good news is there were no lesions noted on the MRI’s!  So rather than all my symptoms being cause by one thing, they are caused by at least three…and they are all, what I feel, all fixable to some degree.  Yahoo!

Wanna

[Momzilla]

Interesting.

I have been having the oddest symptoms now.  I am exhausted and fatigued at the slightest exertion.  I posted the other day about carrying s couple of stacks of journals (couldn't have weighed 7 lbs) about 40 steps - flat surface- in my office.   It took me 45 minutes to recover.   I was out of breath for that long.  Now, all it takes is a trip up my stairs at home to flatten me. I told my neuro about it and now he is suspecting my problem is viral.  He wants my PCP to run all sorts of blood work, first and foremost a mono test, which I believe is EBV, right?  

Quix and I are thinking he may be thinking CIDP perhaps or a variant.  Hmmmm....

Hope everyone is feeling well!

Zilla*

[Momzilla]

Yahoo!

Zilla*

[Want to feel well!!!]

Thanks!!!!!

Mono is the active Epstein-Barr virus (EBV IgM).  The way I understand it, the reactived antibodies (EBV IgG) is basically your body fighting against something that isn't really there, which is quite the quandary for one's body.

You should definitely have your EBV titers checked, as well as other tests.  Haven’t you had your EBV checked yet?

Wanna

[Momzilla]

I really didn't mean to blow off your great news, was literally out of the chair waddling away yesterday!  That is fantastic, Wanna!  

I had cervical spine surgery a couple of years ago, and it was FABULOUS!  Changed my life immensely!  I was able to become active again and lost 50 lbs!  I hadn't even realized how much pain I had been in, and how it had so affected my life.  Perhaps you will have some sort of surgical or other plan that will do the same.  I'm so happy for you!

I had the absolutely best surgeon in Michigan and my cervical spine is so beautiful!  Sexy!  We call it bionic!  Good luck!

As for me, I'm not sure if I've had my EBV titers checked.  My internist moved his practice to Florida.  I loved him!  (Not loved, loved!) I never really paid that much attention to my blood work, to tell you the truth.  I do know that I once had speckled ANA pattern, 1:80 titer.  I know that's odd.  But my regular ANA has been normal since, so they have said it was a false positive or something.  

I will see my internist's partner Monday to do some more blood work.  I hope he is amenable to working with my new neuro (different hospitals).  I don't know why he wouldn't be.  I just felt so spoiled by my old (young, pliable!) internist.  Hopefully I can get the mono/EBV tests Monday and whatever else my neuro wants and the two can talk.  

Like I said, I'm glad you've gotten some answers, Wanna!  Take care!  Stick around!

Zilla*