Posts by wanderingjackal18

Maria Fisher46 said:What does the differential blood count look like? You really ought to get a complete blood count, CRP, liver function test, ALP, bilirubin, LDH, CK, and those other standard biochemical panels... and honestly, a serum protein electrophoresis wouldn't hurt either. Once you have those results in hand, you should take them straight to an infectious disease specialist, and then, depending on what they find, maybe follow up with an immunologist...

Based on what’s been described, we could be looking at infectious mononucleosis syndrome—though it doesn't necessarily have to be caused by Epstein-Barr Virus—but we're missing crucial details regarding any findings in the throat, lymph nodes, liver, or spleen... plus, there's always the possibility of other diagnoses falling within the spectrum of autoimmune diseases.

The symptoms have been dragging on for quite some time now, which isn't exactly typical for the usual course of mono... So, given that you're also showing objective signs like a fever, I really think it's high time a hospital specialist takes a serious look at what's going on with you.

I haven't had a differential blood count done yet. Generally speaking, everything feels pretty sluggish and uncertain... My liver function test came back normal (that was done over at the county infectious disease clinic). When this all first started, I asked for a referral to see an ENT, but I was turned down with this explanation that I couldn't see an ENT because of a viral infection—which is ridiculous, considering I get tonsillitis constantly and my tonsils end up looking like something out of a horror movie... After a month of this supposed "virus," I asked to be referred to a virologist, because it just didn't feel right for a virus to last this long, and I figured if it *is* a virus, I need a specialist... But again, I was brushed off and just sent to the infectious disease department with a general referral. Then, this past Friday, this intense pain flared up right behind my right ear—about two centimeters behind the earlobe—and it just won't let up, no matter how much Ibuprofen I take alongside Advil or how much Voltaren I rub on my neck... Since the fever still hasn't broken, I'm actually getting ready to head to the ER at the infectious disease unit right now. This whole situation just doesn't make sense anymore. Thanks anyway 😉 btw, I also deal with rheumatoid arthritis and have cysts on my thyroid, but they keep insisting those aren't the cause of my current issues... 🤔

Maria Fisher46 said:Diagnosing mononucleosis is primarily a clinical process... you look at the symptoms first. Serology is used to try and pin down the specific culprit behind the mono, which is usually one of two viruses. If your symptoms align with what we call mono—though you haven't actually listed them here—then we can rule out CMV, or cytomegalovirus. As for the other possibility, Epstein-Barr Virus, the serology results can be a bit ambiguous... namely, an isolated finding of EBV VCA IgG can show up whether you're dealing with a past infection or something brand new. However, given that the EBV EA IgG came back negative, there’s a higher probability that this is just a leftover from a previous infection rather than something acute. This might mean the diagnosis of mononucleosis is questionable, or perhaps it's being caused by some other agent entirely, though there remains a slim chance it really is EBV-induced mono. So, if there are enough clinical indicators, one could run new serology after a few weeks have passed, or perhaps move toward other methods of proving an acute EBV infection, like a blood PCR test.

But honestly, looking at this serology report alone, nothing is entirely clear...

First off, thanks for the response 🙂 It all started back in late November. I got home from work feeling absolutely terrible, checked my temperature, and it was 101.6°F... for the next ten days, I was stuck in bed with a fever hovering anywhere from 102.8°F to 103.8°F, all while dealing with this constant sore throat. To give you some context, my primary care doctor works at a university clinic, so the doctors rotate constantly—I’ve seen about ten different ones. Initially, they all just brushed it off as a standard viral infection... stay in bed, bring the fever down, drink plenty of fluids. But when a week went by and I wasn't any better, Dr. Klapproth stepped in. Even after seeing him, things didn't improve—my temperature wouldn't budge below 102.0°F—so he prescribed Azithromycin. For a whole month, they just kept dragging me along under the guise that "it's just a virus." I begged to be referred to a specialist because my condition was just... it was exhausting. The fatigue, the throat pain, the headaches, the sheer weakness... it was overwhelming. When even Zithromax failed to do anything, they finally sent me to infectious disease, but they gave me the wrong referral (through Aetna). The doctor at the infectious disease clinic examined me and laid out exactly which tests should be done—tests that my GP had completely ignored, dismissing my physical suffering as nothing more than my own "subjective opinion." During my next follow-up, I saw a new doctor for the first time, explained the whole saga from the beginning, and she examined me and immediately suspected mononucleosis. She sent me for both serology and a standard CBC, and told me to track my temperature three times a day and log it. Usually, I feel okay in the morning, but by noon, the fever starts climbing until it hits about 100.0°F. The problem is, once I hit 99.0°F, everything starts aching—my arms, my legs—and this crushing fatigue takes over even if I haven't moved an inch. I am perpetually exhausted and sleepy, and my throat still hurts... My blood work showed: WBC 13.2 (ref range 3.4-9.7), platelets 472 (ref range 158-424), MCV 82.4 (ref range 83.0-97.2), MCH 27.1 (ref range 27.4-33.9)... everything else seemed fine, though they didn't bother checking my CRP.

Could someone please help me make sense of these serology results? My doctor is out of the office all week, so I'm left staring at these numbers...
EBV VCA IgM neg.
EBV VCA IgG positive 166.0 U/ml CLIA ref. values pos >=20 neg<20
EBV EA IgG neg.
EBNA IgG neg.
CMV IgM neg.
CMV IgG positive 83.7 U/ml CLIA ref. values pos >=14 neg <12

Does this mean I actually have mononucleosis or am I just chasing shadows?

Why is there absolutely zero response from any of the admins?

Do we really not even deserve a simple answer?

Good grief, we had our own dedicated space right here... we weren't bothering anyone... everyone was welcome to join the conversation...
Would you honestly prefer it if we just shut down all the threads and let the trolls run wild instead?😕

Sure, the discussion had its ups and downs... but that’s exactly why we felt such a connection to that thread...
That space belongs on this US forum because that's where the community lived... and it's the only place where it actually served its purpose...

A complete disaster...
..to see a moderator actually posting a comment like this

👎