EBV

[geraldinemoore29]

My husband who is 63 has been recently diagnosed with epstein barr.  Isn't he a little old to have EBV?  Is this a chronic condition?  Could it cause cancer due to his age?  He is so tired and his muscles burn when he moves.  He cannot get up off the couch to go to the bathroom.

[darlingcher]

What is ebv? I think i have it :(

[9DodgeFan]

I'm going to disagree about this being mono.  As sporque said, the vast majority of people have acquired EBV by age 30; I would think it highly unlikely your husband has avoided it for 63 years!  What is more likely is that this is a re-activation of EBV.  Re-activations can have many of the same symptoms as mono, and unfortunately, sometimes it takes the body quite a while to fight it off (over a year in my case).  Have there been any stressors, sicknesses, or other events recently in your husband's life that may have brought this on?  Depending on the severity, you may want to send him to a doctor, if you haven't already.  Chances are they really won't be able to prescribe much for him, other than rest; antibiotics won't really do anything against a virus.  Also, you may want to have an EBV titers test done.  If you do, feel free to let us know how things went; I would be curious to hear his numbers on the EBV titer test.  God bless!

[clidec]

put him on a monolaurin supplement and a reishi mushroom supplement..both will help fight the virus and are over the counter at most health stores or online at swanson

[sporque]

EBV isn't really a diagnosis, it's a virus.  Pretty much everybody has this virus by the time they are 30.  In that case, everyone is diagnosed with EBV.  However, what your husband is experiencing is probably mononucleosis, which is how some people react to the the EBV virus.  Mono can have a prolonged course in older adults. Symptoms can last for 6 months to 1 year.  Please tell your husband not to worry, because it is NOT a life long condition.  It's chronic in that it lasts so long, not in that it lasts forever.  Mine lasted at least 6 months, so I can relate..But know I'm am mono free!