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Post viral strange symptoms

Posted , 7 users are following.

markus674
markus674

Hi all,

I had what I believe was some sort of viral infection almost 4 weeks ago now, and I am still suffering from odd symptoms now which do not seem to be going away.

It started with a strange cold sensation on the side of my head, almost like it was in my inner ear, and it was more intense when I was in a cold environment. I was waking up with night sweats and getting randomly hot mostly in the evenings, particularly around my neck and face. I also seemed to be particularly sensitive to light, noticing pink blotches in my vision and long-lasting afterimages after looking at something bright. It then developed into a horrible sore throat and nausea, more classic cold-like symptoms, which went away after a few days. A few days later I was left with various other symptoms which have mostly been persistent for 3-4 weeks now:

light-sensitivity

tiredness

insomnia

weakness in arms and legs

back pain

aches in arms and legs (which has largely worn off now)

shaky vision - when I look at vertical/horizontal lines (e.g. door frame) they seem to shudder

shortness of breath

stomach upset

occasional mild nausea

Do these symptoms sound familiar to others? I know a lot of people have been suffering with this for much longer, and for me it has only been around 3-4 weeks, but it is really getting me down as I have had to put my life on hold. I suffer from health anxiety so I have been very stressed and going back and forth to doctors, so I'm sure this isn't helping my recovery. I've had various tests (blood tests, MRI scan) which have shown up nothing, so I'm no longer concerned that it is anything serious but I just want to get back to my normal self again. Is it unusual to still be feeling like this after what felt like a fairly mild infection?

 

0 likes, 30 replies

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  • jackie00198
    jackie00198 markus674

    Posted

    Hi,Markus. A very high percentage of people have onset of ME/CFS due to a virus or bacterial infection, often along with stress. So the best advice I could give you is to find some way to de-stress, be it meditation, listening to music, deep breathing, doing yoga if you're able--whatever it takes. Four weeks is a very short time to start worrying about a disease like ME/CFS. But to minimize your chances of having the virus evolve into this disease, get plenty of rest, and whatever you do, don't push yourself. Just being tired does not indicate ME/CFS, but extreme fatigue might indicate ME/CFS. In addition to post-exertional fatigue. At this point, though, you might just be recovering from the virus and need more time to get over it.
    • erika_007
      erika_007 jackie00198

      Posted

      Yes, totally agreed with Jackie! Rest, don't push yourself, listen to your body! Hopefully you do not have ME/CFS.
    • GeorgiaS
      GeorgiaS jackie00198

      Posted

      You're right to alleviate worry and I don't know about you, when I got illl I knew it was serioua right away, not only did I keep having to go to sleep in the day time but my best friend said I looked like I'd suddenly aged and another friend said I looked like a ghost. 

      Hopefully that's not the case with Marcus but I do think he's right to ask and to learn as much as possible because I was in the dark for so long.

  • erika_007
    erika_007 markus674

    Posted

    I am sorry to hear that you are dealing with this.. First, ruled out any medical condition with your doctor, like all of us did! Exams, blood tests, MRIs, Cat scans, cardiologist, neurologist etc etc etc. Me personally after going through all this and no hope, I decided to go the Natural way, like Holistic/Homeophaty or Chinese medicine! For me Chinese herbs are helping me a lot and I can say that I do feel like myself again. Hope you find the help you need...take care!
    • seth18379
      seth18379 erika_007

      Posted

      Hey Erika,

      Just curious, how long did you have symptoms? How long before they resolved?

      Thnks!

    • erika_007
      erika_007 seth18379

      Posted

      Well everything went down last year but before that I notice that I couldn't keep up with my workouts! I used to do boot camp classes 3 times per week but stop them when I notice that they will leave me so exhausted, for two to three days. (I don't drink coffee or tea). I have always had issues with my digestion so I decided to try "probiotics" worst mistake of my life. It was back in Feb of last year, they messed me up completely got so so sick ended up in the hospital 3 times, had insomnia, palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea, lost a lot of weight, diarrhea, I really thought I was dying☹️. Had every test done, and all came back fine! MRI, cat sca you name it. My doctor gave me Clonazepan and 30mg of some sleeping pills, REFUSED to used them and honestly I don't know how I did it but survived and after three months I was feeling better! My parents helped me a lot. But then around Sept I notice that I was getting so tired and exhausted if I didn't get to sleep by 8pm. I wasn't functioning well during the day, had to start drinking green tea to be able to function at work ( I never drank caffeine in my life). Something was going on so here we go again with my doctor, again more tests, stopped working out completely and everything came back normal! I mention CFS and he seemed clueless! I just started my Chinese herbs last month and they are helping me a lot, exhaustion is gone! But I still have to take things really slow.
  • markus674
    markus674

    Posted

    Update - I seem to have almost relapsed over the past few days. I was starting to feel better to a degree but then the early symptoms of actually feeling ill have come back - nausea, light headed, weaker again, more sensitive to light, cold wet feeling in inner ear, fluid build up causing 'robotic' sounds again. Is it normal to 'relapse' like this sometimes during recovery from something viral?
    • seth18379
      seth18379 markus674

      Posted

      Hey Markus,

      Again, although I haven't technically confirmed my diagnosis, I subjectively can tell you that I definitely have relapsed.

      There was a period of about 10 days in February when I had almost 100% resolution of all my symptoms. I was doing some remote snowshoeing in the San Juan Mountains for a few days and everything just sort of resolved. And it remained resolved for 10 days and then most of the symptoms kind of came back.

      You'll have bad days and good days. Today I feel ALMOST normal. Most days I feel somewhere in between almost normal and very out of it.

      I attribute some of it to less anxiety but my symptoms seem to be actually getting better too.

      One thing I've noticed that has pushed me away from CFS and towards other diagnoses is the exercise thing. Early on it seemed the day after exercise I was a mess, but lately exercise has been the only thing that gives me any respite from the brain fog and fatigue.

      During and for several hours after an intense biking or climbing session I feel 99% normal. The fatigue comes back the next day, but not necessarily worse.

      Just my experience.

    • jackie00198
      jackie00198 markus674

      Posted

      Relapsing is the norm for ME/CFS. Sometimes you can trace it to something you did; sometimes not.
  • seth18379
    seth18379 markus674

    Posted

    Question for those of you who have had tinnitus and or the feeling of fullness/need to pop your ears as one of your problems :

    Is this stuff unilateral for you guys and consistant on one side, or is it both, and does it alternate between ears?

    Thanks

    Seth

    • markus674
      markus674 seth18379

      Posted

      I do have some mild tinnitus, which is mainly in my left ear but a bit in my right ear as well. I don't really notice it too much during the day but more so at night when I'm trying to sleep. I've found it really helpful to play relaxing sounds when I go to bed, such as rain/thunder sounds. It's not only relaxing but also helps to block out the ringing in my ear.
    • Beverley_01
      Beverley_01 seth18379

      Posted

      Hi Seth,

      one side- on my right. Friend also with cfs/me mainly on her left. Occasionally i'll get a little in my left too but, for a few minutes at most. Worst for me wass where it was actually louder than a crowded shopping centre around christmas time!

      Beverley 

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