I was just diagnosed with EBV. Does anyone else have this virus. I really don't know much about it. I would appreciate any info!!
see ya, Sunnie

Hi Sunnie,
Epstein- barr virus Another definition is Mononucleosis...It is frequently referred to the Kissing Fever. It is a infection that causes severe fatique..benefical herbs are Astragalus for your immune system olive leaf- natural antibiotic...these are very benefical for treating this virus..
Be sure to get plenty of rest do not consume caffine, fried foods, sugar.. Eat high protein foods..
Please be sure to talk with your doc. first as certain meds and natural remedies can interfere with each other... Hope you get well soon!!!
Sincerely

alot of people with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have had EBV. Something to keep in mind

Sunnie,
This virus is of the herpes family and can cause mononucleosis. There is an abundance of information on the web. Just type it in and take your pick. Many of the sites offer a more simple, layman's description and yet they are quite thorough with the info.
It's actually very common and tons of information is available for you to browse through or read in detail.
Your doctor should have some info on it for you too. He/she may also direct you to some of the websites with the most accurate information.
Hugs to you.

I hac Chronic Fatigue Syndrome when I was 18 and it was AWFUL. One minute I was fine and the next I felt like I needed to take a nap immediately. I slept a lot during that time. My father is a doctor and told me at the time that it was transmitted sexually...not by kissing. You will have to look this up on WEBMD which is a great sources of information

More info:
Epstein-Barr virus, frequently referred to as EBV, is a member of the herpesvirus family and one of the most common human viruses. The virus occurs worldwide, and most people become infected with EBV sometime during their lives. In the United States, as many as 95% of adults between 35 and 40 years of age have been infected. Infants become susceptible to EBV as soon as maternal antibody protection (present at birth) disappears. Many children become infected with EBV, and these infections usually cause no symptoms or are indistinguishable from the other mild, brief illnesses of childhood. In the United States and in other developed countries, many persons are not infected with EBV in their childhood years. When infection with EBV occurs during adolescence or young adulthood, it causes infectious mononucleosis 35% to 50% of the time.

Symptoms of infectious mononucleosis are fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph glands. Sometimes, a swollen spleen or liver involvement may develop. Heart problems or involvement of the central nervous system occurs only rarely, and infectious mononucleosis is almost never fatal. There are no known associations between active EBV infection and problems during pregnancy, such as miscarriages or birth defects. Although the symptoms of infectious mononucleosis usually resolve in 1 or 2 months, EBV remains dormant or latent in a few cells in the throat and blood for the rest of the person's life. Periodically, the virus can reactivate and is commonly found in the saliva of infected persons. This reactivation usually occurs without symptoms of illness.

EBV also establishes a lifelong dormant infection in some cells of the body's immune system. A late event in a very few carriers of this virus is the emergence of Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma, two rare cancers that are not normally found in the United States. EBV appears to play an important role in these malignancies, but is probably not the sole cause of disease.

Most individuals exposed to people with infectious mononucleosis have previously been infected with EBV and are not at risk for infectious mononucleosis. In addition, transmission of EBV requires intimate contact with the saliva (found in the mouth) of an infected person. Transmission of this virus through the air or blood does not normally occur. The incubation period, or the time from infection to appearance of symptoms, ranges from 4 to 6 weeks. Persons with infectious mononucleosis may be able to spread the infection to others for a period of weeks. However, no special precautions or isolation procedures are recommended, since the virus is also found frequently in the saliva of healthy people. In fact, many healthy people can carry and spread the virus intermittently for life. These people are usually the primary reservoir for person-to-person transmission. For this reason, transmission of the virus is almost impossible to prevent.

Why are people scaring the crap out of this person with posts about rare cancers, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia, and that EBV is sexually transmitted??????

Yes, some people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome have high levels of EBV. I am/was one of these people. I became severely ill and then it was found that my EBV titers were very, very high. It was once believed that EBV was the cause of CFS.

The truth is that no one knows what causes CFS or FM. No single cause has been found. Having EBV does not mean that you'll develop CFS or FM.

There is a medical theory that I think has a lot of weight, which says that people whose immune systems have gone wonky, like with CFS, seem to have viral reactivation. And that means EBV, HPV, or any of those viruses.

Sexual contact is NOT the only way to get EBV. That is completely wrong. Kissing, coughing, sneezing, sharing a drinking glass...can all be a way to get EBV. Most people have had exposure to EBV by a certain age and tests of their titer levels would show it. Just not everyone has noticeable symptoms.

EBV is mononucleosis. So yes, you have mono. Take good care of yourself and get plenty of rest.

There are plenty of resources online to find natural remedies to help yourself get well. Of course, listen to your doctor, too!

Here's one from a reliable source to get you started:

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA52679

I don't go to places like WebMD anymore. That place scares the crap out of you, lol! Heck, they even made a joke about it on an episode of Sex and the City! One woman mentioned looking up information there and another said "oh no! Don't go there! No matter what your symptoms are, they'll tell you that you have cancer!"

My nephew was feeling unwell and he went there and decided that he had MS. He went with the "proof" to his doctor, and it turned out that for most of his young life he was very athletic and now he was married man with an office job. He didn't know what it felt like to be so out of condition, lol!

We shared a good laugh over that, but not before it was driven home what Dr. Fisher said on one of our sessions. We don't know what these illnesses really appear like in real life, so we can scare the crap out of ourselves trying to diagnose what's wrong with us!

Sometimes I think many of those larger medical sites rely on lots of traffic to stay open, so they operate on the same principle as the news: fear, death, and destruction sells ratings!

I hope you're feeling better very soon! Take care of yourself

Jeri

No one is trying to scare the crap out of anyone. If anything people were trying to be helpful. The infomation might not have been completely correct but we were trying to help not hurt. I don't thin anyone here wants to hurt anyone else in anyway. We are a community and we are all going through similar problems and ordeals. Just my opinion...

Thankyou Jackie and Jeri for all the info. I really do appreciate both of your responses.
Sunnie

I have struggled with Active Epstein Barr for well over 20 years. By active I mean that when measured by blood test the numbers are high. I have learned that stress feeds this non-currable illness like sugar to yeast and yet I have a tremendously stressful life. I have never been able to find a support group for people like me who struggle with this virus. I feel we are not fully understood and our situation differs from chronic fatigue because the source of the fatigue is not a mystery it is a virus. I am new to this community, I just got my box and feel that a supportive connection with others using the program and dealing with this illness would be a dream come true. In 20+ years I have learned a lot about the mechanics of my illness, I could just use encouraging support to manage it while I learn to master my anxiety and depression. I am so tired of going this alone. If an active group is happening, point me in the right direction. If not, anyone open to partnering up????

Sunnie,
I became sick in 2002 with symptoms of EBV and and a few other diseases. I went from one doc to another. One telling me it was EBV another saying it was CFS. I was scared and had no clue what it was, but felt like I was dying. I was extremely fatigued,terrible joint pain, low grade fever, headaches( not severe)and highly sensitive to sun and lights and a rash ( dry patch like) on my cheeks and bridge of nose. After worrying and settling to the fact that I had EBV I went to a infectious disease doc who told me it was an autoimmune disease. After two years of going to doc's I was finally diagnosed with LUPUS. It has a lot of the same symptoms so, please get tested for that if you haven't already. God bless and don't be scared it's just a change of life, not the end of it. You'll make it through either way, I did, it just takes time and adjustment.

Beth

Hi,

I was recently diagnosed with Chronic EBS after months of terrible fatigue, low grade fevers, joint pain, etc. I had mono as a child and things are starting to make sense now. I would also be interested in joining a support group, at least to find out what herbs/vitamins we can take to alleviate our symptoms!

Patti

I was diagnosed with EBV back in 1994. I went from doctor to doctor before one would actually say that I did have EBV. I went to a holistic doctor near my house and had IVs of vitamins and vitamin B12 shots. All the IV vitamins helped my immune system and eventually I felt better. But it still took six months before I really felt like myself. Hang in there and get lots of rest, too.

Hi
Wondering if anyone experiences throat pain or gland pain on the neck. I do and I wonder if that is a symptom. Also, does anyone take meds for anxiety and find they make your symptoms worse? Like feeling more tired or weight gain.
Thanks, Sunnie

I have EBV and not sure where or when I got it. About 14 years ago I became very sick with it. I wasn't kissing anyone either! I remember swimming for physical therapy and accidentally swallowing some pool water. That could have done it, I guess. You do need lots of rest and you do recover. Sometimes you can recover quite quickly with plenty of nurturing and rest and sometimes it takes longer. It took me quite awhile but I've seen others recover within a few months. The key is a lot of rest and relaxation and lots of sleep. A lot of people feel like sleeping a lot when they have this type of mono but I couldn't sleep with it.

It just goes to show we are all different.

About 80% of the population has been infected with the virus so you are not alone.