Day 10

I know it's been awhile, but I'm still here! Some days I've had to wonder if my illness is all in my head. All I had was my subjective information to give to my doctors and the ruling out of many other illnesses with many tests.

I went to my second visit to my new doctor specializing in CFS/FM yesterday, and went over all of the blood test results. There are some IGG tests done to test your immune system's reaction to certain viruses. Many people are exposed to viruses throughtout life, and may have some initial illness from them, but then the virus becomes latent. (inactive) For a person with a healthy immune system, these do not cause any issues later in life. My blood tests show that I was exposed to Herpes Virus 6 (an airborn virus) and Epstein Barr Virus and they are active in my body. While no one knows yet what exactly the relationship is between CFS and these types of viruses, having them reactivated is very common in these people. My doctor has prescribed a supplement called Lauricidin which according to many tests is proven to kill these viruses. My doctor says he starts with this treatment because many patients do well with it, and the viruses do not become immune to it over time. If that doesn't work, I will be on an antiviral treatment. I wasn't shocked by the news. While it's not good to hear I have viruses I'm fighting, finally getting some answers to my questions is a relief. It is also a relief to know I am in good hands with my doctor, and I have confidence in his ability to treat me. Some good news, one of the lab tests tested my immune response. My doctor told me most patients coming in to see him have an immune response 10-20% of what it is supposed to be. Mine is at 60% of what it should be. Hooray for my immune system!

I also had thyroid tests done too. While my T4 level is normal, my body's ability to transform T4 into T3 is not what it should be, so I will be taking supplemental T3. The doctor says that will really help with my fatigue.

Last week I had a urine test sent to a lab for heavy metal toxicity. I won't know the results until my next appointment in May. Heavy metals toxicity is often common in those with CFS. (and people without CFS!)

Maybe some of you recall my mention of stress management as part of the treatment. It involves journaling about stressful things in your life and seeing a CBT. (Cognitive Behavioral Therapist) I can start journaling, but the CBT will have to wait until I can afford it. While stress is not a cause of CFS, it is considered a part of it. They found many people with CFS were type A people who had to go, go go, all of the time. Yes, I was one of them! A Cognitive Behavioral Therapist can help you to identify the reasons for that kind of drive, and help you find ways to change that behavior. Interesting stuff!

I hope your having a good week.

Until some other time...

Linda