Matt_C
Senior Member
- Messages
- 128
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
This is my first post and i'll be keeping a record of my progress on antivirals here.
I'll start by giving a little history. I first began noticing something wasn't right when I was about 19 years old. It started out as insomnia and some other subtle neurological problems but for the most part, nothing was really wrong. I just had trouble getting to sleep. Around age 23 I became stricken with a severe bout of some kind of gastro illness where I was bloating severely and started having trouble digesting food. Things settled down but from then on I had some sensitivities to different foods, as well as subtle bloating etc. My insomnia became chronic and I began waking early as well as having trouble getting to sleep by around age 25. I would get around five hours of broken sleep a night.
At its worst, closer to age 30, I was getting 3-5 hours of broken sleep. By age 30 my overall health was very poor and I was developing full blow chronic fatigue syndrome, or what appears now to be a post-viral fatigue syndrome. I had constant low level cold/flu symptoms, chronic gastrointestinal problems, swollen and painful lymph nodes, muscle and joint pain and fatigue, weight loss, cognitive dysfunction and worsening brain fog. I developed full-blown chronic fatigue syndrome around age 31 and I was unable to get out of bed. I had to withdraw from university and stop working. I was very, very sick. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a doctor who was willing to think very much and most simply shrugged their shoulders after running standard blood tests that appeared normal. Using Dr Lerner's EIPS scale retrospectively (Energy Index Point Score - http://www.investinme.org/Documents/PDFdocuments/EIPS.pdf), I was functioning at about a 1-2.
Around age 31, six years ago, I began a treatment protocol called the Marshall Protocol. I saw some improvements in a number of areas early on. My gastrointestinal symptoms eased significantly and I developed an appetite again for the first time in a long while and which gave me enough evidence to continue. Over the following six years I experienced significant improvement in my health, however was still dealing with chronic tiredness, chronic sleep problems, and cognitive dysfunction. I estimate that I had achieved about a 5 on the EIPS scale as I was able to work a 35 hour week job consisting of 10 hour shifts four days per week, but with difficulty. I still barely had a social life as I was tired and just wanted to rest outside of work. I decided to take leave on medical grounds from my job around May 2013 in order to focus on my recovery and try and rebuild a social life because I couldn't do both.
I decided to see a doctor in Melbourne in September this year who prescribes this protocol and who has a broader approach to chronic illness. He suggested I try Valtrex at around 500mg a day, then move up to 1500mg daily. I started and noticed an increase in symptoms - more fatigue, some headaches, etc. I recognised this as herx. I did some research and came across this and other forums including Dr Lerner's protocol and made another appointment with my doctor. He was excited to read of Dr Lerner's work and immediately increased my dose of Valtrex to 4000mg a day as per the protocol, and over the last month I have seen perhaps the biggest and most significant shift in my symptoms since I became sick. I have energy for most of the day, I feel lucid and alert, and I generally feel good. I have gone from a 5 on the EIPS to a 7. My sleep is still broken but other than that and some mild lingering cognitive problems, I feel quite well. So it seems this is what I needed to do all along. It's still early days but my improvements have held up consistently since starting Valtrex. I'm 37 years old now, and for the first time since age 18, I am starting to feel normal and well. I hope this continues!
Years ago I was told I had positive IgG titers for EBV. I haven't had this tested recently but will do so. I also had blood tests for HCMV which were negative, and HHV6 which I showed a positive IgG level, so an indication that i've had this in the past. They didn't report the titer levels but I plan to have all the recommended blood tests done and will ensure I get the titer levels. However, based on the positive results and my symptoms, I believe this virus to be part of the problem and i'm going to go ahead and order some valganciclovir. I will start as soon as it gets here, obviously under the close supervision of my doc (he already wrote me a prescription).
Looking back, I can very clearly recall when I picked up these viruses. They are the ones that cause glandular fever, and I was about 19 years old - right before I developed the insomnia that has plagued me for the last 18 years. I was sick with some kind of viral illness and it dragged on for perhaps six months.
Perhaps my combination of the Marshall Protocol with the antiviral protocol will make things different for me? The Marshall Protocol works by restoring immune system function, so I have reason to be hopeful. I experienced significant symptom remission before starting the antivirals, so i'm not in the same situation as most other people. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in any case.
I will keep posting my progress on this thread.
I'll start by giving a little history. I first began noticing something wasn't right when I was about 19 years old. It started out as insomnia and some other subtle neurological problems but for the most part, nothing was really wrong. I just had trouble getting to sleep. Around age 23 I became stricken with a severe bout of some kind of gastro illness where I was bloating severely and started having trouble digesting food. Things settled down but from then on I had some sensitivities to different foods, as well as subtle bloating etc. My insomnia became chronic and I began waking early as well as having trouble getting to sleep by around age 25. I would get around five hours of broken sleep a night.
At its worst, closer to age 30, I was getting 3-5 hours of broken sleep. By age 30 my overall health was very poor and I was developing full blow chronic fatigue syndrome, or what appears now to be a post-viral fatigue syndrome. I had constant low level cold/flu symptoms, chronic gastrointestinal problems, swollen and painful lymph nodes, muscle and joint pain and fatigue, weight loss, cognitive dysfunction and worsening brain fog. I developed full-blown chronic fatigue syndrome around age 31 and I was unable to get out of bed. I had to withdraw from university and stop working. I was very, very sick. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a doctor who was willing to think very much and most simply shrugged their shoulders after running standard blood tests that appeared normal. Using Dr Lerner's EIPS scale retrospectively (Energy Index Point Score - http://www.investinme.org/Documents/PDFdocuments/EIPS.pdf), I was functioning at about a 1-2.
Around age 31, six years ago, I began a treatment protocol called the Marshall Protocol. I saw some improvements in a number of areas early on. My gastrointestinal symptoms eased significantly and I developed an appetite again for the first time in a long while and which gave me enough evidence to continue. Over the following six years I experienced significant improvement in my health, however was still dealing with chronic tiredness, chronic sleep problems, and cognitive dysfunction. I estimate that I had achieved about a 5 on the EIPS scale as I was able to work a 35 hour week job consisting of 10 hour shifts four days per week, but with difficulty. I still barely had a social life as I was tired and just wanted to rest outside of work. I decided to take leave on medical grounds from my job around May 2013 in order to focus on my recovery and try and rebuild a social life because I couldn't do both.
I decided to see a doctor in Melbourne in September this year who prescribes this protocol and who has a broader approach to chronic illness. He suggested I try Valtrex at around 500mg a day, then move up to 1500mg daily. I started and noticed an increase in symptoms - more fatigue, some headaches, etc. I recognised this as herx. I did some research and came across this and other forums including Dr Lerner's protocol and made another appointment with my doctor. He was excited to read of Dr Lerner's work and immediately increased my dose of Valtrex to 4000mg a day as per the protocol, and over the last month I have seen perhaps the biggest and most significant shift in my symptoms since I became sick. I have energy for most of the day, I feel lucid and alert, and I generally feel good. I have gone from a 5 on the EIPS to a 7. My sleep is still broken but other than that and some mild lingering cognitive problems, I feel quite well. So it seems this is what I needed to do all along. It's still early days but my improvements have held up consistently since starting Valtrex. I'm 37 years old now, and for the first time since age 18, I am starting to feel normal and well. I hope this continues!
Years ago I was told I had positive IgG titers for EBV. I haven't had this tested recently but will do so. I also had blood tests for HCMV which were negative, and HHV6 which I showed a positive IgG level, so an indication that i've had this in the past. They didn't report the titer levels but I plan to have all the recommended blood tests done and will ensure I get the titer levels. However, based on the positive results and my symptoms, I believe this virus to be part of the problem and i'm going to go ahead and order some valganciclovir. I will start as soon as it gets here, obviously under the close supervision of my doc (he already wrote me a prescription).
Looking back, I can very clearly recall when I picked up these viruses. They are the ones that cause glandular fever, and I was about 19 years old - right before I developed the insomnia that has plagued me for the last 18 years. I was sick with some kind of viral illness and it dragged on for perhaps six months.
Perhaps my combination of the Marshall Protocol with the antiviral protocol will make things different for me? The Marshall Protocol works by restoring immune system function, so I have reason to be hopeful. I experienced significant symptom remission before starting the antivirals, so i'm not in the same situation as most other people. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in any case.
I will keep posting my progress on this thread.
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