CMV reactivation

[dkorts1]

Hello
I have contracted CMV a year ago and after 4-5 months of symptoms ( headaches,fatigue,muscle pains and twitches ) the symptoms gradually resolved ..
However this winter they came back- I was ill for a week ( a common cold or flu ) and immediately after that was over , CMV symptoms came back.. it seems that my immune system was weakened and the latent CMV became active once again
I am frustrated- if this is going to be a sequel of what I experienced last year (and it is , for a month now) my life will become quite different.. my question is- did anyone here experience CMV reactivations .. what can I expect from this herpesvirus?
thanks

[dkorts1]

my CBC is normal... ESR was slightly elevated (but just slightly) , crp is under 0.5 ...
ALT was 43 ( 37 the upper limit ) but that was 3 weeks ago.. AST was within the normal range... I checked for toxoplasmosis (since I have a cat) and that is negative too...
there is one thing left.. Lyme Disease but where I live this is quite uncommon disease and I do not think these are the symptoms..

[dkorts1]

thank you ..
all the other tests for common viruses came back negative (HIV, herpes viruses, EBV (past infection when I was 18) .. today I met a nice doctor who told me she had 2-3 patients in the last year with reactivated CMV and hardly anyone believed her since it is not common...
Unfortunately I am one of the uncommon cases and I am worried .. I hope this will not get worse.. I need a lot of bed rest otherwise I feel really fatigued and dizzy, yesterday I tried to go to work but ended up with a terrible headache and I could hardly get out of bed the whole afternoon and evening.. on the other hand I couldn't fall asleep either...
this think whatever it is is causing me a lot of trouble and the fact it is not something common is making it just more difficult to deal with

[S. Kaul, MD]

Hi there!

Well, without knowing the relevant clinical details, it would be difficult to comment specifically on the situation. In immunocompetent individuals, CMV infection is usually asymptomatic or presents with mild flu like symptoms, reactivation again is uncommon in them. Depending on your immune status, the previous and the current symptoms may or may not be related to CMV. It would be best to discuss the situation and the suggested management plan in detail with your treating doctor.
Hope this is helpful.

Take care!