Past EBV

[cheerigirl]

Good morning.  I have felt extremely fatigued and general malaise for several years now.  I have had my thyroid tested a number of times and it always comes back normal.  A couple of years ago my PCP tested me for EBV.  The titer for past exposure came back fairly high but I was told that it didn't mean anything other than I'd had been exposed to EBV previously.

I happened to read a short article about this, but still remained confused if this could be the cause of the problems I'm having (which every doctor has told me is nothing -- and I'm sure that they all think I'm a hypochondriac at this point).

I am tired all day even when I get a full 8-9 hours of sleep.  I have muscle aches with no injury and no medical cause (x-rays, exam, mri, etc.), joint pain with no swelling or known cause.  I have extremely dry hair/skin, constipation, memory issues (and sometimes even forget what I'm saying when I'm speaking!).

I would love to have more energy and enjoy my life, but I tend to take the easy road cause I'm just too tired to do too much.

Is it possible to have lingering issues with a past exposure?  My docs say no -- I'm unclear why they test for it if it doesn't mean anything.

I see a comment on here about possible taking iodine for help...anyone else have any improvement with this?

The article I read was about taking B12 shots for EBV -- any thoughts on this?

Any education you can give me on this would be greatly appreciated.  Also, is there a better doctor to see than my PCP with help figuring out what is causing my symptoms (have seen an endo, but not thyroid).  I did have a low cortisol level, but again didn't feel it was significant -- any relation to EBV?

Thanks so much for your help!

[PlateletGal]

I agree with anca77. Hypothyroidism is common in CFS (AKA: ME. post viral syndrome, chronic EBV) patients. Your physician should check your thyroid and consider ordering a "T3 Reverse" if your standard thyroid tests are normal :



T3 REVERSE -- "The mix of treatments needed varies from patient to patient. There are some abnormalities that are common. For instance, close to 100% of individuals with these syndromes have low thyroid. This is, however, usually not picked up on the standard blood tests because the TSH is not elevated in these individuals due to pituitary dysfunction. Many of these individuals will also have high levels of the anti-thyroid reverse T3, which is usually not measured on standard blood tests. In addition, the majority of individuals can also have a thyroid receptor resistance that is not detected on the blood tests. Consequently, thyroid treatment, especially with timed release T3, is effective for many patients. T4 preparations (inactive thyroid) such as Synthroid and Levoxyl do not work well for these conditions."




Kent Holtorf, M.D.  --- link to article: http://www.immunesupport.com/fibromyalgia-treatment.htm

[anca77]

You should check again your thyroid. What was your last TSH?
Some of the symptoms you specify are also related to hypothyroid. I have both, EBV and Hypothyroid and once I started the thyroid medication some of the symptoms disappeared.

[PlateletGal]

cheerigirl


I hope that you will join us in the fibro / CFS community. I am the Community Leader in the forum and have information posted in our Health Pages about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

It certainly sounds like you could have CFS and I can tell you that a low cortisol level is often seen in CFS patients. But it is important to have numerous tests done before getting a CFS diagnosis.



A CFS diagnosis should be considered in patients who present with six months or more of unexplained fatigue accompanied by other characteristic symptoms. These symptoms include:

cognitive dysfunction, including impaired memory or concentration
postexertional malaise lasting more than 24 hours (exhaustion and increased symptoms) following physical or mental exercise
unrefreshing sleep
joint pain (without redness or swelling)
persistent muscle pain
headaches of a new type or severity
tender cervical or axillary lymph nodes
sore throat
Other Common Symptoms

In addition to the eight primary defining symptoms of CFS, a number of other symptoms have been reported by some CFS patients. The frequency of occurrence of these symptoms varies among patients. These symptoms include:

irritable bowel, abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or bloating
chills and night sweats
brain fog
chest pain
shortness of breath
chronic cough
visual disturbances (blurring, sensitivity to light, eye pain or dry eyes)
allergies or sensitivities to foods, alcohol, odors, chemicals, medications or noise
difficulty maintaining upright position (orthostatic instability, irregular heartbeat, dizziness, balance problems or fainting)
psychological problems (depression, irritability, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks)
jaw pain
weight loss or gain



http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/cfssymptomsHCP.htm