will i ever get relief? please help!!

[Dawn318]

I contracted the west nile virus not quite 4 yrs ago. I have these excruciating headaches sometimes everyday,sometimes none at all, still from it. i have gotten an mri it states that I have a small smudgy region of increased T2 intensity due to the west nile. It also says that the cerebellar tonsils are low positioned extending 8 mm below the foramen magnum???? Could that be causing my headaches, and memory loss? By the way I'M only 29yrs/F.

[challena]

PS: My memory was effected and is a lasting symptom WNV.  

[challena]

I had West Nile Virus. I woke up one day in  early Sept 2002 with swollen parotid glands and I looked like I had the mumps. I had a weird purple rash down the front of my body. I then had diarrhea and vomiting. I developed a high fever 102-104 degrees, weakness, severe headache, fatigue like I never experienced before or since, cold sweats--soaked sheets, lymph nodes throughout my body swelled, neck stiffness and I was hallucinating. These symptoms lasted like a week.  The doctors thought I had Mono, strep, mumps, syphillis, lymphoma, cancer, AIDS...but these were ruled out. Then I got worse. I developed photo-phobia--could not tolerate any light and I could feel my heart beat in nerves in the back of my eyeballs, low blood pressure and my blood work ups were abnormal. I was so weak I could barely walk and my spleen swelled.  I saw 12 doctors and the last one sent me to the ER as soon as he walked into the exam room.  I was suppose to have a spinal tap at the ER per an infectious disease doc consult but I was discharged on accident.  The next day I saw an infectious disease doc who took blood and tested me for everything.  I was off the chart for West Nile.  It took nearly 6 weeks before I was diagnosed and began to get better. Nearly 6 months before I was feeling reasonably normal.  I have scarring in my parotid glands and they remain large causing me to have stones develop in my salivary glands occasionally.  Other than that I am grateful I can still walk with no lasting serious effects.  BTW, I was more prone to WNV because I am diabetic and I live near a river but I was only 32 yo at the time.  I wish they would add a West Nile survivors community to this site.

[dr_simran]

Hello Dear,
Most people infected with the West Nile virus have no signs or symptoms .The common symptoms include skin rash ,headache, fever diarrhea ,nausea, vomiting ,backache ,muscle aches ,lack of appetite ,.swollen lymph glands .Usually these last for three to six days.Your headache and memory loss do not seem to be due to the virus.
In the normal individuals,the mean position of the tonsils is 1 mm above the foramen magnum with a range from 8 mm above the foramen magnum to 5 mm below
Descending cerebellar tonsillar herniation is a serious and common complication of intracranial mass lesions.You need to see a neurophysician  and get the diagnosis done as further delay may cause complications.
For more information refer http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/west-nile-virus/DS00438/DSECTION=tests%2Dand%2Ddiagnosishttp://www.ajnr.org/cgi/content/abstract/7/5/795 http://www.springerlink.com/content/eh4261yeb14tgdpn/
Best