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nameless faceless sufferer
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/23/2012 10:02PM - in reply to Sagarin Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Sagarin,
As someone who has suffered from CFIDS/ME for 28 years now (since age 16), I am very sorry for you. Like I am for anyone who suffers from this terrible illness. I had no idea.

I have always said (since 18 yrs old) that the only way progress will ever be made is when doctors get sick with the disease, because other doctors will be less prone to dismiss their woes as depression. Also, they have knowledge about what to check for and what not to, and what kinds of things it could possibly be. Having doctors and researchers have their kids or spouses having ME will never be enough motivation to develop treatment. It is hard to watch someone wither away and miss out on life, but when you have spent 30 years going to school only to get so sick that you can't take work and can't take care of your family and you have no life, that is when you get the motivation to solve something.

It sounds like you are very knowledgeable about CFS, I should email you sometime and get some tips from you.
doesn't make any sense
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/23/2012 10:29PM - in reply to nameless faceless sufferer Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

nameless faceless sufferer wrote:

It sounds like you are very knowledgeable about CFS, I should email you sometime and get some tips from you.


Why would you want to get CFS?
littlechica911
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/23/2012 10:43PM - in reply to doesn't make any sense Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
I don't believe CFS is a real disease. It's simply psychosomatic.
Sagarin
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/24/2012 3:49PM - in reply to nameless faceless sufferer Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
My condolences to you as well. Everything you've written is absolutely true, but many nurses and doctors are starting to go down. Oncologist Dr. Snyderman developed CFS and then cancer 40 years later, beginning his odyssey into the world of retroviruses and anti-retroviral treatment. I've gotten much better with the help of a brilliant doctor who isn't in infectious disease, oncology, endocrinology, or cardiology who would be scoffed at on these boards for his unorthodox treatment, much of it not "peer-reviewed." I've also sought treatment from abroad. But I am about 70% of my former self on my best day. Jamie-Decker Jones' blog is insightful as well as she tirelessly pursues a cause and pushes political buttons, only because she's gotten some relief from the malady through self-treatment after many doctors almost put the nail in her coffin.

I studied microbiology, immunology, and genetics myself as an undergrad and was afflicted as I was getting ready to apply to med school. But I didn't totally go down until several years later as I progressively made the illness worse. My now wife caught it from me, but thank God she recovered her life within four years. Amazing how I could telepathically give it to her no? I would be happy to contact you if you would be so kind as to leave your email or a rarely used email account here.
J.R.
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/24/2012 8:09PM - in reply to littlechica911 Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

littlechica911 wrote:

I don't believe CFS is a real disease. It's simply psychosomatic.


With tinges of medicasomatic and hypochondria.
nameless faceless sufferer
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/24/2012 8:52PM - in reply to Sagarin Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
IT is moodybiker1@cs.com. Contact me at your convenience. Thank You.
Doctor in the house
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/24/2012 9:10PM - in reply to Doctor in the house? Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Well... Test came back as negative for Lyme's Disease. Still waiting on tests they did for mono.
fisky
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/24/2012 9:52PM - in reply to Doctor in the house Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

Doctor in the house wrote:

Well... Test came back as negative for Lyme's Disease. Still waiting on tests they did for mono.


Earlier, I mentioned ehrlichiosis, another tick borne disease like Lyme's disease. Your doctor did not test for ehrlichiosis because the growing the culture from the blood sample takes about two weeks. You could not have gotten test results back for ehrlichiosis that quickly.

Everyone keeps saying mono... perhaps because is sounds so innocuous, but the test is really for Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) and mono is only one manifestation of EBV. The symptoms of EBV vary widely and it can be acute (a one-time occurrence) or chronic.

Chronic EBV can be nasty. Chronic EBV is linked to chronic fatigue syndrome, for example. I have chronic EBV, but for me, it's pretty mild. It plays havoc with my training and I have many of the symptoms of your wife, but as I said, it's not as severe. My doc thinks I've probably had it for years.
Simpler suggestion
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/24/2012 11:45PM - in reply to littlechica911 Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Op,

How is her diet? Particularly, is she getting at least 1.5-2x the recommended daily value of each of the electrolytes? How many grams of protein per day? Which proteins exactly?

Inadequate electrolytes can lead to heart flutters and other muscular problems. Inadequate protein will ruin your immune system, your repair and recovery system, and will screw up hormone balance and hormone production. Many of her symptoms sound like they could be a diet problem.
Mercury :-)
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 1:42AM - in reply to Doctor in the house Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Does she have amalgam fillings ? The mercury in it can make you sick like hell!!

I was deadly sick after going to the dentist several times 3 years ago ( it all started after a dental cleaning, one little piece of amalgam broke off)... chronic fever ( on and off)/ constant pain/bad sleeping/ bad memory/ constantly tired/ sleeping more than 14 hours a day/started to get allergic to several things and more .....

Was also running with very bad recovery or none at all !
No lyme disease/ no lupus/ nothing wrong in my blood results/ every single test from lyme diseas to auto-immune was negative !

Doctors said: fibro/chronic fatigue!
Ended up almost killing the doctors because I couldn't accept it! ( have seen enough of them for at least another 10 years! ( they said I was crazy!!)

After removing all the dental fillings and replacing them... It took me almost 2 years of recovery but now I am running again ( not as fast as before but I am happy I can do some training again! )
Did a complete Detox and even today I can still feel some problems ( specially after and interval-training)
Mercury :-)
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 1:51AM - in reply to Mercury :-) Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
forgot to tell: my glands were swollen all the time, I went 10 times to the doctor in less than 4 months with "doctors explanation": an atypical throat infection??? live with it ... took a bucket of antibiotics, nothing helped !

Well hope it helps and hope you find a doctor who believes you ...
gasdfgfsdasd
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 4:12AM - in reply to Mercury :-) Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
so much quackary in this thread
off the leash
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 6:04AM - in reply to gasdfgfsdasd Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

gasdfgfsdasd wrote:

so much quackary in this thread


And yet... real doctors have been useless.
Flagpole
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 8:04AM - in reply to Doctor in the house? Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Not sure why she's thinking Fibromyalgia is wrong. She's got all the symptoms of that (which are varied).

Until someone comes up with something better, I say Fibromyalgia is it. She's at the right age for that to start too.

The GOOD thing about it is that it is ONLY a pain syndrome. The body sustains no damage.

She can TRY Vitamin D3 (has to be D3) supplements to see if that will help, but then there are medicines. Lyrica is the newest of the group, but her doctor may want to try Gabapentin or Cymbalta. They may also give her sleep medication.

I really think Fibromyalgia is it.


Doctor in the house? wrote:

We've been dealing with three years of crazy physical aliments. Most doctors giving her the run around. One says Fibromyalgia. She's thinking that's wrong.

Starting in 2009 she found herself not recovering from long runs. These were once a week 90 min runs at 12:00 pace. Nothing crazy.

Late 2009-early 2010 her collar bone started hurting. Swollen, painful and cracking. Xrays showed nothing unusual. Possible arthritis was explanation. This was serious pain, not uncomfortable pain. Could barely move or sleep.

Spring of 2011, she continued to try and exercise, but found energy and recovery difficult. 15 minutes into a run she tripped on sidewalk. Didn't have energy to put hands out. She landed on her head getting concussion.

She is at the end of her wits. She is now suffering from all over body pain (scalp, arms, legs in addition to collar bone...). Skin hurts to the touch. Can handle a light massage. Glands under arms swollen. Her ears are always hurting as if she had an ear infection. Tests show nothing. Her throat hurts, glands swollen. Negative test results. Still very tired and sore. Out of breath walking up stairs.

She's 49 years old. She's gone from 5'7" 128 to 198. Food intake has remained stable, but is reasonable and healthy. Obviously some weight gain expected, but appears out of sync with food intake.

Any thoughts as to what it could be?
Flagpole
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 8:06AM - in reply to voiceofreason Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

voiceofreason wrote:

This sounds like classic lymes disease. Go to web md and look it up. Swollen glands, fatigue, heart palpitations, skin sensitivity...don't let the absence of a rash throw you or her not remembering being bit.


Yeah, Lyme disease could be it too.
Flagpole
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 8:17AM - in reply to Towson exile Reply | Return to Index | Report Post

Towson exile wrote:

Crohn's? It's different than celiac and can certainly cause fatigue and weight gain


Crohn's usually causes weight LOSS, not gain. Also, she would have intestinal distress of some sort.
off the leash
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 8:42AM - in reply to Flagpole Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Ha, Flag, you'd make a great doctor. It's ONLY pain.
Sagarin
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 9:01AM - in reply to Flagpole Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Fibromyalgia can be a manifestation of or overlapping with ME/CFS. Chronic remitting/relapsing EBV can generally be managed with Valtrex and adequate rest, though Wormwood and artesunate are very effective if taken properly. If you keep pushing though, you risk real harm. On artesunate:

http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/47/6/804.full

The post about mercury is absolutely correct. Mercury can be lethal and wreak havoc in the body via Fenton chemistry and it blocks glutathione peroxidase. The real quackery on here is coming from the docs who haven't a clue about managing chronic disease and just want to pedal drugs to see if they work. Be very careful with LLMDs. Read Jamie Decker-Jones' blog on lyme docs and read about on Terry Wahls curing her own MS.

nameless faceless sufferer, I will get a hold of you when I can, probably after Memorial Day. I'll keep wearing the tinfoil hat until then. It's served me well in the allopathic maze. Thanks.
Sagarin
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 9:14AM - in reply to Flagpole Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Not sure about the age comment either. A lot of, people, particularly women, get it much earlier. My sister developed it at 25, though I think she has ME/CFS. Hormonal changes can definitely evoke illness though too, especially if a virus with a gluccorticoid receptor in its promoter region is involved.
Please Come Again
RE: Help my girlfriend solve medical mystery 5/25/2012 9:21AM - in reply to Sagarin Reply | Return to Index | Report Post
Talk about taking drugs they don't need and being taken advantage of - aren't you advocating taking dangerous retroviral drugs despite no evidence that CFS is caused by a virus?


Sagarin wrote:

The real quackery on here is coming from the docs who haven't a clue about managing chronic disease and just want to pedal drugs to see if they work. Be very careful with LLMDs. Read Jamie Decker-Jones' blog on lyme docs and read about on Terry Wahls curing her own MS.

nameless faceless sufferer, I will get a hold of you when I can, probably after Memorial Day. I'll keep wearing the tinfoil hat until then. It's served me well in the allopathic maze. Thanks.
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