Tertiary Syphilis

[redpat]

Hello everyone i am a 40 year old male from Dublin Ireland i have being unwell since July 08.In february 1996 i experienced out of the blue an episode of sudden lightheadedness which came over me in waves i was very afraid but for some unknown reason to myself i did not go to the ER i ran to the nearest bar and drank alcohol,the next morning i felt dizzy and weird i went to my family doctor he checked me out and said it was a panic attack he gave me some Xanax i took one pill and felt totally spaced out the next morning i got up and felt i could not breathe through my nose and felt lilke i would pass out i called an ambulance and went to ER I felt my neck was weak also,in ER they ran all blood work and chest x ray and heart Ecg they said i was healthy over the next six months i visited more doctors and neurologists i had brain mri ct etc i was tested for hiv hepatitis diabetes etc i do not think i was tested for syphilis.At the end of 1996 i just started feeling better and i did not visit a doctor for 6 years and i went on to live normally and open a number of businesses,my only medical problem was recurrent boils mainly under my arms and inner thighs.In july 08 i noticed that i felt very tired every morning and it would take a good 45 mins before i felt like making any calls i also started having tinnitus in my left  ear also started noticing my memory was not as sharp and my hair was thinning more than normal male pattern baldness i went to a neurologist he admitted me to hospital and ran a multitude of tests bloods mri heart ultrasound abdomen ultrasound  EEG endocronolgy the works i was also tested for syphilis a specific test i was told and it was negative.I know in my heart that all my symptons are getting worse i think that my initial problem could have being acute syphilitic meningitis which i have researched is a rare cns occurence in primary syphilis and is also self limiting my csf was never tested in the ER in 1996 .It is just that i felt i had an acute illness in 1996 that i never had treated and i felt sick for 9 months and then i got better and had perfect health except for the skin boils for 12 years .My question is it it possible that i have untreated syphilis that was latent for 12 years and now is back as neurosyphilis,even though i was tested for syphilis in December 08 and it was negative could the specific syphilis test show a false negative? ps my sight is also getting worse

Pat


This discussion is related to few questons about syphilis,worried i have HIV.

[redpat]

Thank you Vance

[Vance2335]

Syphilis tests always shows antibodies, so your test would have picked up syphilis. I don't want to say that 100%, but from everything I have read it is true.

My advice is to keep following up with your Dr and if you are truly scared about syphilis ask your Dr some questions about it and see if a spinal tap might be the only way at this point to diagnosis syphilis if it is neuro.