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Unidentified viral infection with heart and brain symptoms
This is a bit of a long description so bear with me…
I will preface this with that fact that I developed an alcohol habit over the last 3 years or so, drinking gradually more and more until earlier this year at the height of the problem I was having ¼ – 1/3 liter of liquor 5-6 nights a week. Other than hangovers and high blood pressure (for which doc prescribed hydrochlorothiozide – 25 mg) there were no obvious health issues. After it became apparent that I could not sleep without the help of alcohol, I decided to quit. It took a couple tries, but I did quit. Other than insomnia and anxiety lasting a few days there were no other withdrawl symptoms. I felt really good for awhile.
2 weeks later I got sick.
It started with a feeling like acid reflux, paired with a feeling of abdominal uneasiness, as if I had eaten something that didn’t agree with me. Urine became very dark. The acid reflux feeling went away after a couple of days while urine was dark for about 2-3 weeks before it cleared up. During this time I also experienced nausea, upset stomach (with NO vomiting or diarrhea), loss of appetite, and aches around my liver and kidneys. I went to the doctor, who guessed that it was a viral infection and it will eventually pass. Symptoms persisted for about 6 weeks, though the aches and pains dissipated giving way to a general uneasiness in my upper abdomen.
I thought it was finally going away but one night I had a panic attack that woke me out of a deep sleep. My heart was racing, my body began to sweat while feeling cold and tingly, and I became very afraid. This lasted about 20 minutes. Soon after that I began feeling random tingles at the top and back of my head along with persistent “brain fog”, where it was difficult to concentrate, recall certain things, come up with the right words in conversation, fully experience emotions, etc. where daily life felt similar to a dream. It became difficult to mentally connect to reality, but I still functioned normally enough so that anyone who knows me didn’t see a huge change. This feeling sort of ebbs and flows; some days are better than others, and I can even feel drastic changes throughout the course of a single day.
I did see my primary physician and a gastro specialist. Initial labs returned liver enzymes of over 900 at the beginning but decreased with time. Other than that they agreed that it was most likely unidentified viral hepatitis, though tests for hep A, B and C were all negative as well as Epstein-Barr.
About 2 ½ months into this illness all abnormal feelings seemed to leave the other areas of my abdomen and concentrate around my heart. It felt like a random sharp ache in my heart, sometimes lasting seconds and sometimes lasting up to hours at a time. Brain fog accompanied this as well.
I finally went to the ER, worried about permanent heart damage but nothing abnormal showed up in chest xrays, enzymes or EKG (other than elevated heart rate of 102). ER labs also returned normal liver enzymes.
After my ER visit I began to feel much better despite not receiving any actual treatment. I felt almost normal, with slight brain fog being the only remaining symptom. After about 10 days of minimal symptoms, the heart pain came back, and severe brain fog. I even had another panic episode last night. It’s worth mentioning that over the last few months I did have the occasional “relapse” in drinking. There was probably about 8 or 9 days during this whole experience where I would have several drinks in a single day. I found it odd that some days after drinking I felt ok, and some days it seemed to make everything worse. I really don’t know how drinking affects the illness.
This illness has been plaguing me for 4 months, and I am weary, worried, and frustrated. Doctors are no help. If anyone here can give me any insight into what can possibly be happening, I would be incredibly grateful. I have researched just about every possibility to no avail. Nothing seems to match my symptoms exactly.
I will preface this with that fact that I developed an alcohol habit over the last 3 years or so, drinking gradually more and more until earlier this year at the height of the problem I was having ¼ – 1/3 liter of liquor 5-6 nights a week. Other than hangovers and high blood pressure (for which doc prescribed hydrochlorothiozide – 25 mg) there were no obvious health issues. After it became apparent that I could not sleep without the help of alcohol, I decided to quit. It took a couple tries, but I did quit. Other than insomnia and anxiety lasting a few days there were no other withdrawl symptoms. I felt really good for awhile.
2 weeks later I got sick.
It started with a feeling like acid reflux, paired with a feeling of abdominal uneasiness, as if I had eaten something that didn’t agree with me. Urine became very dark. The acid reflux feeling went away after a couple of days while urine was dark for about 2-3 weeks before it cleared up. During this time I also experienced nausea, upset stomach (with NO vomiting or diarrhea), loss of appetite, and aches around my liver and kidneys. I went to the doctor, who guessed that it was a viral infection and it will eventually pass. Symptoms persisted for about 6 weeks, though the aches and pains dissipated giving way to a general uneasiness in my upper abdomen.
I thought it was finally going away but one night I had a panic attack that woke me out of a deep sleep. My heart was racing, my body began to sweat while feeling cold and tingly, and I became very afraid. This lasted about 20 minutes. Soon after that I began feeling random tingles at the top and back of my head along with persistent “brain fog”, where it was difficult to concentrate, recall certain things, come up with the right words in conversation, fully experience emotions, etc. where daily life felt similar to a dream. It became difficult to mentally connect to reality, but I still functioned normally enough so that anyone who knows me didn’t see a huge change. This feeling sort of ebbs and flows; some days are better than others, and I can even feel drastic changes throughout the course of a single day.
I did see my primary physician and a gastro specialist. Initial labs returned liver enzymes of over 900 at the beginning but decreased with time. Other than that they agreed that it was most likely unidentified viral hepatitis, though tests for hep A, B and C were all negative as well as Epstein-Barr.
About 2 ½ months into this illness all abnormal feelings seemed to leave the other areas of my abdomen and concentrate around my heart. It felt like a random sharp ache in my heart, sometimes lasting seconds and sometimes lasting up to hours at a time. Brain fog accompanied this as well.
I finally went to the ER, worried about permanent heart damage but nothing abnormal showed up in chest xrays, enzymes or EKG (other than elevated heart rate of 102). ER labs also returned normal liver enzymes.
After my ER visit I began to feel much better despite not receiving any actual treatment. I felt almost normal, with slight brain fog being the only remaining symptom. After about 10 days of minimal symptoms, the heart pain came back, and severe brain fog. I even had another panic episode last night. It’s worth mentioning that over the last few months I did have the occasional “relapse” in drinking. There was probably about 8 or 9 days during this whole experience where I would have several drinks in a single day. I found it odd that some days after drinking I felt ok, and some days it seemed to make everything worse. I really don’t know how drinking affects the illness.
This illness has been plaguing me for 4 months, and I am weary, worried, and frustrated. Doctors are no help. If anyone here can give me any insight into what can possibly be happening, I would be incredibly grateful. I have researched just about every possibility to no avail. Nothing seems to match my symptoms exactly.
Post acute withdrawal symptoms or PAWS for short. Symptoms can last up to two years. Symptoms come and go. Stress and multitasking can trigger symptoms. Eat well, exercise, try to destress (my fav way to do that is ASMR videos) and avoid doing more than one thing at a time.
1 Comments
You got some good suggestions from Red Star and SassieLassie.
I would add my 2 cents worth here.
Magnesium is a relaxing and tissue softening agent, which gets totally depleted by stress and alcohol use.
The same with B vitamins.
So please consider taking high quality
supplements for the above.
Look into transdermal magnesium oil,
L-threonate magnesium (oral) and high-potency B complex.
Seriously consider taking steps to tame any anxiety and stress issues, which may be significant underlying factors.
Yoga, meditation, EFT, binaural sounds,
ASMR, healthy diet, exercise, could make a world of difference!
Best wishes,
Niko
I would add my 2 cents worth here.
Magnesium is a relaxing and tissue softening agent, which gets totally depleted by stress and alcohol use.
The same with B vitamins.
So please consider taking high quality
supplements for the above.
Look into transdermal magnesium oil,
L-threonate magnesium (oral) and high-potency B complex.
Seriously consider taking steps to tame any anxiety and stress issues, which may be significant underlying factors.
Yoga, meditation, EFT, binaural sounds,
ASMR, healthy diet, exercise, could make a world of difference!
Best wishes,
Niko
Hello~You say you have been to many doctors, have you tried a Naturopath? They really dig deep into an issue and can sometimes come up with solutions that main-stream medicine hasn't even thought of.
Some reasons for your symptoms come to my mind such as Fibromyalgia, food/chemical allergies, environmental allergies, vitamin, mineral deficiencies, the yeast infection called "Candida", and even nerve impingement and misaligned vertebrae.
I would first start with a chiropractor, if you have misaligned vertebrae or pinched nerves, they can work on those and in some cases, that in itself is a big help in clearing up the issues you have described. After that, I would make an appointment to see a good Naturopath, bring a list of all your symptoms, in fact, you could even print what you wrote here and take it with you, he/she will no doubt run tests for vitamin, mineral deficiencies, test for all types of allergies, run tests for the candida yeast and also for gut absorption as delayed food absorption can cause issues as well. They may even do some acupuncture, there are certain "points" that when stimulated can help the body as well.
I hope you get relief soon. God bless you.
Some reasons for your symptoms come to my mind such as Fibromyalgia, food/chemical allergies, environmental allergies, vitamin, mineral deficiencies, the yeast infection called "Candida", and even nerve impingement and misaligned vertebrae.
I would first start with a chiropractor, if you have misaligned vertebrae or pinched nerves, they can work on those and in some cases, that in itself is a big help in clearing up the issues you have described. After that, I would make an appointment to see a good Naturopath, bring a list of all your symptoms, in fact, you could even print what you wrote here and take it with you, he/she will no doubt run tests for vitamin, mineral deficiencies, test for all types of allergies, run tests for the candida yeast and also for gut absorption as delayed food absorption can cause issues as well. They may even do some acupuncture, there are certain "points" that when stimulated can help the body as well.
I hope you get relief soon. God bless you.
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