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There seem to be many PWC here on the forum who do not have CFS specialists treating them. I have a CFS doctor and she periodically runs a variety of lab tests on me - EBV; HHV6; NKC count. Years ago she ran many other tests on me but I think she just retests me for things that were abnormal in the beginning and anything new that comes out. Also, the numbers I get seem to correlate with the state of my health. When I am in "remission" my viral load is lower and my NKC's are higher. To clarify, when I say I am in "remission" it would be more accurate to say when I am NOT crashing. I have never felt better than 80% and that was only after weeks of radiation for a brain tumor. Generally I guess I am at about 50 -60% of what I remember as normal.
I was thinking about getting the test for XMRV and so I looked around the VIP Dx site. There is a lot of information on the site.
The VIP DX Brochure http://www.vipdx.com/physician_resources/our_brochure/ explains CFS and includes a thorough explanation of all the tests that are offered at VIP Dx and how they are relative to CFS.
The VIP Dx Price List http://www.vipdx.com/physician_resources/price_list/ offers individual tests as well as CFS packages.
If you have a friendly doctor perhaps it would be worth printing the brochure and price list and showing them to your doctor. I also noticed that if you have Medicare they will bill Medicare first if you sign a statement that you will pay if Medicare does not pay.
Many people here on the forum are in the horrible position of having no medical tests backing them up in their belief that they have CFS and their doctors are unwilling to diagnose them. This might be a way of leaning on a doctor to get a diagnosis. I know that when I was diagnosed my doctor wrote me a letter that listed all the symptoms I had and how they were diagnostic of CFS. Then she listed my viral loads, NKC count, low HGH, Hashimotos etc. and said all were associated with the diagnosis of CFS. I just thought I would post these links in case anyone wanted to give it a try.
Good luck!
srmny
I was thinking about getting the test for XMRV and so I looked around the VIP Dx site. There is a lot of information on the site.
The VIP DX Brochure http://www.vipdx.com/physician_resources/our_brochure/ explains CFS and includes a thorough explanation of all the tests that are offered at VIP Dx and how they are relative to CFS.
The VIP Dx Price List http://www.vipdx.com/physician_resources/price_list/ offers individual tests as well as CFS packages.
If you have a friendly doctor perhaps it would be worth printing the brochure and price list and showing them to your doctor. I also noticed that if you have Medicare they will bill Medicare first if you sign a statement that you will pay if Medicare does not pay.
Many people here on the forum are in the horrible position of having no medical tests backing them up in their belief that they have CFS and their doctors are unwilling to diagnose them. This might be a way of leaning on a doctor to get a diagnosis. I know that when I was diagnosed my doctor wrote me a letter that listed all the symptoms I had and how they were diagnostic of CFS. Then she listed my viral loads, NKC count, low HGH, Hashimotos etc. and said all were associated with the diagnosis of CFS. I just thought I would post these links in case anyone wanted to give it a try.
Good luck!
srmny