Chronic Epstein Barr? CFS? New to this...

[Gemmma]

Over the last 5 months I have been getting sick and not able to determine the cause. It all started with a bad UTI infection followed by bouts of a flu-like sickness with the main symptom being overwhelming exhaustion. This comes and goes, but for about 2.5 out of the 5 months I have felt awful. TOday my doctor said he thinks it is Epstein Barr possible moving into CFS. HE prescribed Adderral for me and tomorrow I will take it for the first time. I am scared because I want to make this go away ASAP and I know that if this moves into CFS this could be a VERY bad thing. I'm also going to see a natural doctor next Saturday to see how she can help me treat this. Have some of you had the chronic EB and got rid of it? Isn't there anything I can do to make this go away???

[ott70]

Along with olive leaf, oil of oregano is supposed to be good anti-viral stuff also. It can be purchased in a tincture or in capsules/gelcaps. I currently take both with the oregano oil in a herbal blend that is supposed to fight mycoplasmas.

http://www.homeremediesweb.com/oil_of_oregano_health_benefits.php
http://www.drhoffman.com/page.cfm/126

L-Lysine is also supposed to be good against herpes viruses which is what EBV is.
http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=910

[PlateletGal]

Since antivirals can suppress your immune system, you may want to consider asking your physician about taking supplements to boost your immune system. Some considerations (all have been recommended to me by my physicians, except the Transfer Factor... but that is recommended by many CFS experts):

~ olive leaft extract   (it is very cheap too!)

~ Host Defense

~ Transfer Factor (check it out on Pro Health)

[Gemmma]

It did help but i hate the rebound effects and nausea. I'm thinking of trying the one that starts with a "P" instead..Today i have no fatigue but i feel like i'm coming down with a cold or something. Dunno if it's the mono or something else....

[PlateletGal]

I'm so happy to hear that the Adderall is helping you with the fatigue !

[Gemmma]

Thanks everyone...I tried the Adderall for the first time today and it did get rid of the fatigue but man is that stuff strong. I only took 10mg. I think it is about out of my system for the day. I don't like feeling drugged and weird so I will read about all the things you suggested!

[PlateletGal]

I am thrilled to hear that you have a physician who isn't afraid to diagnose and treat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome .

ott70 gave you some good advice. We are both on the same treatment (I switched low-dose antibiotics to Jernigan's.... Jernigan's covers viruses and bacteria and although it is natural, it is working for me). The formulas are inexpensive, last long and there is no prescription needed. These formulas aren't set out to help your symptoms, they are going to to target the pathogens in your body that are making you ill. Dr. Jernigan successfully treated his own lyme disease with his formulas !

You should also consider taking supplements. You may want to ask your physician about these supplements:

Omega 3 fatty acids
COQ10
ACTYL Carnitine
B Complex
Magnesium

And here is a link to our Health Pages in the fibro/CFS forum. I list various treatments (including Jernigan's) for CFS. I also list tests to help diagnose CFS (supposedly we will have a blood test that can make the diagnosis in a year !) And I list the latest research on CFS:

http://www.medhelp.org/health_pages/list?cid=39

I hope you will consider joining the fibro/CFS forum. We have a terrific group and you'll have lots of support !

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/44

[ott70]

I would suggest checking out Jernigan's natural formulas. They are created by a pair of doctors (husband and wife) and I have found their remedies to be effective for my bout of EBV as well as some other possible co-infections I had going on (mycoplasmas). I recommend Microbojen (www.juntra.com). Bear in mind, it's a long process to start feeling well again but this stuff is fairly potent to the crud in our body, in my opinion. And it's a cheaper alternative than seeing a bunch of specialists who may never be able to tell you exactly what ails you. Just a suggestion and something that you can investigate for a natural cure. Plateletgal or I can offer a little more advice about Jernigan's if it's something that perks your interest.

Low dose Naltrexone (LDN) is something else that may be worth Googling. I just had my homeopathic MD give me some samples and it's a possible interesting solution for autoimmune sufferers. It appears fairly benign and might be something to give your body a boost.

[ginak]

Hello and welcome to the forum! I too have EBV that started after a bad virus. I have been dealing with this for the last 6 months. My symptoms are mostly neurological and to this day, I have seen a total of 13 specialists. Consider yourself lucky if you at least have a physician who acknowledged this disease and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Trust me, most don't. My neurologist ran this test after working me up for MS. Most of my symptoms are neurological in nature. There are many here who have this dreadful disease. Plateletgal is our leader and I am sure that she will be happy to share some information with you. I too want this to be gone so that I can go on with my life. Please take care of yourself!

Regina