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Help! I have been ill for the past 3 months.

Posted , 4 users are following.

lisa06301
lisa06301

After having a flu virus 3 months ago, I am still extremely fatigued with achy joints.  My GP did blood work, and my blood cell counts and thyroid came up normal.  Sorry for the drama, but I literally feel like I am dying.  Can anyone recommend anything that can help me feel better?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • jackie00198
    jackie00198 lisa06301

    Posted

    Wow! I could have written your exact post. I got a virus, then it morphed into extreme fatigue. One day at work, I felt so ill I thought I was going to die. My GP did bloodwork that came back negative. He told me I just needed a vacation. So I went to a UCLA specialist, who diagnosed me with CFS. I'm not saying you have CFS. But if you can, you might want to see an ME/CFS specialist so you can gain clarity. In my case, the specialist put me on 40 mg of Doxepin, which helped enormously. Then on and on with me pushing too hard and relapsing. So in addition to seeing a specialist, take it very easy. Don't push yourself. Try to eat healthfully. Avoid caffeine, including chocolate, and sugar. The goal is to give your body every chance to heal itself.
    • lisa06301
      lisa06301 jackie00198

      Posted

      Oops! I replied to myself by accident - please see above post.
  • lisa06301
    lisa06301

    Posted

    Thanks Jackie.  I have an appt. with a Homeopathic MD next week.  If he can't fix this, I think I will try to find a specialist.  Can you give me the nam of the doc at UCLA?  Just out of curiosity, have you ever had mono?  I think I may have had it as a teen.  I didn't see a doctor at that time, but I couldn't lift my head off the pillow for weeks, got ANUG (severe gingivitis, and when I did return to school I couldn't study and had always had my dead on the desk.  So, long story short, I think it was mono.
    • jackie00198
      jackie00198 lisa06301

      Posted

      Yep, I had mono, which was diagnosed when I was in my early 20s. I don't think a correlation has been established between Epstein-Barr and CFS, but I could be wrong. I think that a lot of people have the E-B virus in their blood and do not go on to develop CFS. Right now, the name of that UCLA doctor escapes me. I saw him several years ago. I'll post the name when I remember it. However, he was a "one-trick pony." He was great at diagnosing my CFS, and had only one treatment: 40 mg of Doxepin. After that...nothing. If you live in the Los Angeles area, you might want to consider Dr. John Chia, in Torrance. From all my research, he seems to be the no. 1 doctor for ME/CFS in the L.A. area. Problem is, he has a 6-month waiting period. He only sees people with CFS, which tells you how prevalent this illness is.
    • lisa06301
      lisa06301 jackie00198

      Posted

      Thanks Jackie, I live in Reno, but I am willing to make the trip to Torrence if necessary.  I think I will try to get on his schedule, but I really hope that this doesn't drag on for another 6 months.  I am so frustrated sad
    • jackie00198
      jackie00198 lisa06301

      Posted

      Lisa: One of the most renowned CFS doctors practices in Nevada--I forget which city. His name is Dr. Daniel Peterson. You can Google him for info. He was one of the original physicians who treated a major CFS outbreak in Incline Village, Nevada. He is a super-doctor, and well worth seeing. If somehow that doesn't pan out, and you don't want to wait for Dr. Chia, you can try the UCLA Center for East West medicine, which treats ME/CFS. Some other well-known doctors in the states are Dr. Paul Cheney in North Carolina, Dr. Charles Lapp, also in that part of the world, and Dr. Nancy Klimas in Florida. 
    • Fidd
      Fidd jackie00198

      Posted

      I'm afraid that homeopathy is unlikely to be helpful. A lot of people are amking money from patients with unfounded claims, so it is best to try to be cautious with whose advice you follow. If I were you, and had only been ill for three months, I think that I would prioritise relaxing and doing what my body felt like doing. Often our bodies can be better at healing than our doctors can, especially when our doctors are working from such a poor evidence base. About 50% of the people in your position do go on to naturally recover, and I think that doctor's can oftne make things worse with inaccurate advice.
    • Fidd
      Fidd jackie00198

      Posted

      Sorry - add on to above: Your odds of naturally are currently between 50% and 90% (assuming that the research in this area is reliable) - sorry for being unduly pessimisstic!
    • lisa06301
      lisa06301 jackie00198

      Posted

      Thank you Jackie,

      Yes, I saw that Dr. Peterson is back in Incline Village which is only about 30 minutes from me.  I will definitely call for an appt. with him.

    • lisa06301
      lisa06301 Fidd

      Posted

      Thanks Fidd,

      I know that a lot of homeopathy that I have had in the past has not worked for me, but there is one doc in town that has helped me in the past with fatigue viruses.  I'm hoping that what I have is a fatigue virus & that he can treat it.  I have thought about just letting it run its course and just resting, but I just get so frustrated with the fatigue.  I want my life back.

  • sunwyn66141
    sunwyn66141 lisa06301

    Posted

    Hi Lisa,

    Sorry to hear about your problems. I know the feeling well.  

    I was diagnosed 3 years ago with IBM, then more tests showed that maybe I don't have it after all.  The latest diagnosis is CFS but I don't think I have it.  

    The neurologist actually said "well, it has to be CFS because we've ruled out everything else." Then he sent me to another doctor who ordered a test for Lyme disease!

    You might ask for a Lyme disease test, it's just a little jab for the blood.

    Good luck,

    Sunny

    • lisa06301
      lisa06301 sunwyn66141

      Posted

      Thank you Sunny,

      Did you test positive for Lyme disease?  I certainly have the symptoms for that, but I don't believe that I have had a tick bite.  It would be a test worth getting.

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