EBV Ab VCA IgG high

[krazikroat]

hi,
i already know i have hashimoto's - i have been on synthroid for about 2 yrs now. my doc did another blood test as i have been very fatigued as well and EBV Ab VCA IgG came back positive at 180 (normal range upto 120). what does that mean for me - i do not remember ever having mono or being in contact with someone who did? is there a way to lower these values? i have been taking many supplement that help with my energy levels, but i never thought i'd see this on my blood work. i am a 30 yr old female, very active, normally, running marathons, etc...
thank you!

[pipercub07]

Did your doc tell you that this is active EBV or mono?  Most people who have had mono usually don't even remember having mono, and 95% of people will come back with a positive EBV titer.  This could mean you currently have an active infection, but most often it means you had an infection in the past.  For the rest of your life, you will have a positive EBV Ab - this just means you had it at one time in your life.  Ask your doc if he/she thinks you have an active infection or whether this just points to an old infection.  It's kind of like a vaccine - once you're vaccinated against something, your body will build antibodies against it and this will always show up in your blood work.  For example, if you've been vaccinated against Hepatitis B, you'll have a high HepB Ab titer.

This was the case with me - I was feeling crappy and wanted a mono spot test and all the doc told me was that yes, I had mono in the past but my infection was not active.  I don't even remember when I would've had it since I also have SLE.  Strange stuff, but nothing to be too concerned about - consider yourself in good company with the rest of the world  :)

[krazikroat]

my doc left me a message that i must have been exposed to it in the recent past, but it does not look like an acute infection, and it can cause fatigue that i have been having. i thought i had a cfs for a while. so, the treatment she said was symptomatic, and i already started much of my supplements - glutamine, carnitine, strong b complex, probiotic, coq10, i plan on adding b3 (nadh), plus all the regular stuff (a,d,c, good mv, omega, ca+mg+zn). it does make me feel somewhat better. they said it would take several weeks before i really feel better.
since i am a runner, that is probably not very unusual. i just never had any classical mono symptoms. i have been training hard for 7 months and the last month i was feeling like i overtrained - once you overtrain, your immune system weakens and you could have been exposed to it, easily, maybe even on the race day with 30,000+ other people.

[PlateletGal]

Hi krazikroat,

I have CFS and understand how you feel. Please feel free to check out my community, which I created for people who may have CFS and/or fibro. On the website I list physicians and centers around the world who know how to diagnose and treat this condition. I also have various treatment plans from the experts posted and the latest reseach on these conditions posted.  It sounds like you are taking many of the supplements that I was taking for awhile. I buy my vitamin B  in liquid form because the drops absorb easier and I also use the powered magnesium, instead of the capsules.

http://groups.msn.com/Neuro-ImmuneSupport

[PlateletGal]

P.S. --- do you have any other symptoms than the fatigue ?

[krazikroat]

yes i do. actually i did before i started the supplements. headaches that are kind of like sinus headaches, brainfog, inability to concentrate, or focus. i couldnt work. or drive. weight gain of 10-15 lbs due to my thyroid. fatigue was by far the worst. i also had a psoriasis, mainly on my scalp. but knees and elbows were affected as well.
thank you for the advice. i am also taking emergenC that has additional mg and b vit, and that seems to help as well...

[PlateletGal]

I would definitely consider talking to your physician about CFIDS. The only problem with getting your diagnosis though, is the insurance companies. (if you need disability later on or your insurance changes and you have a "pre-existing" condition)