I have a fever for the first time in over two years!

[Gingergrrl]

I have a fever for the first time in over two years and don't know what to make of this and am open to any and all interpretations. For the last few days I've been feeling extra sick more similar to a flu or mono type feeling. I've had alternating chills/hot, nausea and diarrhea (sorry for TMI ), muscle pain, and just felt very feverish. It is what I call the "Sickly fatigue" which had been eliminated for me thanks to Famvir but for whatever reason is now back. I was supposed to start Valcyte but have NOT started it yet so this is not a factor.

I'd stopped checking my temperature a long time ago b/c I have not had a fever in over two years. My temp runs around 97 degrees and even as low as 96. I rarely reach 98 degrees and never 98.7. But today I felt so feverish and sick that I finally checked it and it was 99.2 which is a true fever for me! No one in my household is sick so I did not catch anything from them. This is the sickest I have felt in a very long time.

I got very used to the autonomic issues (tachycardia, low blood pressure, shortness of breath, angina type spasms and the inability to create energy and constant PEM.) But I had forgotten what it feels like to have this sickly feeling on top of it and it SUCKS .

Is the fact that I now have a fever after two years a good sign that my immune system is kicking back in or a bad sign (or neither?) I am still taking 1.5 grams of Famvir per day. I briefly tried to increase it to 2 grams a day (per my doctor) but had a bad reaction so we lowered it back down. But I never stopped it so I don't see how this could be the causal factor.

The only other factor is that I tried Mestinon for one day at 1/8 tablet (to try to raise my BP and help the autonomic issues.) I had an allergic/cholinergic reaction so we stopped it and I never took a second dose. This was three days ago and it seems unlikely to be related IMO.

Has this happened to anyone before (no fever for two years and suddenly get a fever!) What does it mean? Even though I may get overwhelmed by the responses, I really want to hear them. Thanks in advance to everyone .

 

[jeff_w]

The fever means your immune system is working to rid your body of what it perceives is an infection.

Speaking from my own experience, I've had several breakthroughs in healing. Many of those were preceded by a fever and feeling sicker for a few days. Hopefully that's what's going on here.

 

[Vic]

The fever means your immune system is working to rid your body of what it perceives is an infection.

Speaking from my own experience, I've had several breakthroughs in healing. Many of those were preceded by a fever and feeling sicker for a few days. Hopefully that's what's going on here.

I concur. Rest.

 

[SOC]

The fever means your immune system is working to rid your body of what it perceives is an infection.

Speaking from my own experience, I've had several breakthroughs in healing. Many of those were preceded by a fever and feeling sicker for a few days. Hopefully that's what's going on here.

Ditto.

If I got to vote, I'd vote you consider this a positive sign.

Get lots of rest and fluids because your body seems to be going after something. It's quite possible that this is an infection you've had for a while and your body is only now able to mount an effective immune response.

 

[Gingergrrl]

@jeff_w @SOC and @Vic thank you and I am hoping and praying you guys are right. It is just so strange b/c I have not starting Valcyte yet so why would my immune system suddenly be kicking in after two years?!!!

Also, should I take Tylenol or something to fight the fever or is it better to keep it going so it will keep fighting?

I have not been resting much the last few days but did today b/c I felt so sick. I am drinking Vitalyte, Ginger ale, and bullion (soup) at the same time to try to get more fluids.

 

[SOC]

@jeff_w @SOC and @Vic thank you and I am hoping and praying you guys are right. It is just so strange b/c I have not starting Valcyte yet so why would my immune system suddenly be kicking in after two years?!!!

Maybe the Famvir is getting EBV under control and now your immune system has more ability to go after other infections...?

Also, should I take Tylenol or something to fight the fever or is it better to keep it going so it will keep fighting?

I never know with that one. I'd guess that as long as the fever is not excessive or extremely burdensome, it's best to not reduce the fever since the reason for a fever is to fight the infection. Dangerously high fevers are another matter, of course.

I have not been resting much the last few days but did today b/c I felt so sick. I am drinking Vitalyte, Ginger ale, and bullion (soup) at the same time to try to get more fluids.

My suggestion is to give your body the best chance to fight whatever it is after. That means LOTS of rest. Go to bed for a few days. Your family will survive that long. Good job with the fluids. Your body needs them even more if you're fighting an infection. In my experience, doing as much as possible to allow my body to fight (extreme rest, lots of sleep, lots of fluids) was best in the long run because I recovered faster than if I tried to stay out of bed or semi-functional. Better a week in bed than months of dragging along feeling flu-ish and rotten.

 

[Sidereal]

A good sign IMO.

 

[NK17]

@Gingergrrl I can only hope that this fever is the prelude to a positive change.

I would let the fever run its course and follow everybody's advice to rest and stay well hydrated.

 

[Ruthie24]

Sorry you're feeling so poorly. Hope it resolves soon.

We were taught in school that you should not medicate a fever until it hits at least 101 since the fever is there to activate the immune system. Since you tend to run low anyway, you might need to adjust for that.

Hang in there!

 

[Gingergrrl]

I don't know if taking Valcyte and Famvir at the same time would be good.

@Vic This is per the advice of my doctor after thorough viral testing and they are fine to take together.

Thank you to everyone for all of your feedback and my fever is already lower (upper 98 degrees) on it's own. Which is normal for anyone else but still a slight fever for me. I will do my damndest (is that a word?) to drink more but it is so hard to truly rest when you have a family and dog. I don't feel the need to take anything for the fever itself but would love to take something for the muscle pain.

We are also about to start mold remediation work on our condo (we rent, not own so are at the mercy of the owners.) Before anyone says anything, my ME/CFS is from mono/EBV which pre-dates me living here and the mold is tiny from a prior air conditioner leak that we fixed in the summer. It is dry and no current leak.

We had big problems in the summer and I had to move out for a month and was not present for the work. Current air testing does not pick up this residual issue. I am mentioning it just b/c I want it taken care of so I can be home to rest and get back to baseline so I can begin Valcyte. I am in awe of people who can lie in bed and rest the entire day and I constantly have things that stop me from doing this.

 

[Vic]

@Vic
I will do my damndest (is that a word?) to drink more but it is so hard to truly rest when you have a family and dog. I don't feel the need to take anything for the fever itself but would love to take something for the muscle pain.

I am in awe of people who can lie in bed and rest the entire day and I constantly have things that stop me from doing this.

Sorry to hear about your other concerns. Sometimes it does seem good to be up and about, as it can have an effect of keeping you at least somewhat conditioned. But I'm curious, can you describe your muscle pain for me? I'm guessing it travels. Where does it bother you the most? What does it FEEL like?

 

[Tunguska]

The same thing happened to me not long ago. I got my first real fever in... I don't even know how long anymore. 98.8. I was kind of excited but it floored me to the point I thought I was going to die one night (honestly, I just laid there hoping I would). The usual garlic, lemon, NAC couldn't make a dent. It took 1.5 weeks just to begin to subside. There was something going around.

 

[drob31]

I noticed that when I had a fever, my white blood cell count tripled, at least while I had it. So it seems this reaction would suggest your immune system works. There is just something throwing everything off.

 

[MeSci]

What I've been able to determine is happening is your body is in the midst of a structural shift. Your musculoskeletal system is trying to decide whether it is going to collapse more or re-expand/align, possibly in your hips (SI joint), core (stomach), chest, shoulder, neck, and/or jaw/teeth, wherever you feel the pain/discomfort. Besides taking in fluids you need to make yourself eat as much good food as you can. It's a very resource-intensive process. I just started going through one two Saturdays ago on the 17th and have achieved a number of significant improvements.

You can try stretching the aches. It helps fix things long-term but you will probably notice your flu/mono-like symptoms getting worse for a while, except probably the chills. Muscle twitches or fasciculations that most with CFS experience are a good sign. They are muscle releases as your body attempts to re-expand. Follow them. Assist them.

It's interesting you're taking Famvir. I don't know if taking Valcyte and Famvir at the same time would be good. I hear either of them by themselves are dangerous drugs. Don't take tylenol. Expand your chest and breath. Feel out your breathing muscles, feel where you're restricted and push through it, gently. Most importantly, keep your body mobile. Twist and wriggle and writhe, or else resting in a position too long will cause your connective tissue to stiffen, i.e., collapse. If you get intense stomach pain, feel it with your hands and try to find tight muscles to release.

Recap: Eat/drink well. Breath good air if you can (get out of carpeted/dusty rooms). Stay warm. Keep mobile and stretch some. If you suddenly have "chills" it is possible to get past it by stretching out your body, particularly chest/shoulders/core. Palpate for tight stomach muscles (or muscles anywhere else).

We're not supposed to give direct medical advice here.

But my understanding is that the body needs to focus as much of its energy as possible on fighting the infection, if there is one.

Overloading an already-delicate digestive system is not a good idea. It sounds to me as though @Gingergrrl is doing sensible things re eating and drinking.

Congratulations on your fever, @Gingergrrl! Hope it's a good sign. I tend to get excited when my temperature goes up, although when I had a fever a few months ago it accompanied weird and slightly-alarming symptoms that my neurologist deemed to be migraine, although I have no known history of them.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Thanks again to everyone and fever gone today. Well, it is still in the 98's which is a higher than normal temp for me but not technically a fever. I am still having the muscle pain in my neck, back, arms, even in my foot and not sure what is causing it. I am trying not to take anything for it in case it is a good thing to let the "fever" or pseudo fever run it's course? I will be drinking fluids and resting today but just wanted to post an update.

 

[SOC]

I am in awe of people who can lie in bed and rest the entire day and I constantly have things that stop me from doing this.

Well, once you've been sick for many years (and I hope this doesn't happen to you), you learn that nothing is more important than treating your body right if you ever want to get better. We all have things we want to do, or should do, but hard experience has taught us that pushing when we should rest just extends the length of time we are feeling particularly bad, reduces our ability to fight off anything new, and ultimately leads to a downward spiral.

It's not a luxury or a weakness, that we "can lie in bed and rest the entire day", it's a necessity. It requires incredible strength of will to rest (boring!) when there are so many things we want to do or "should" do. But it's that or spiral down to the point where you can't even carry on a conversation of any length with your family. What's better, to let someone else cook dinner for a week now, or leave them to do all the cooking for years without even your personal interaction and support 5 years from now? Invest a little now so you're not making a huge balloon payment later. Most of us had to learn this the hard way. I suggest you learn from our mistakes and save yourself a lot of misery.

 

[Vegas]

Having studied acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in nature, I recognize this compound you took: pyridostigmine. It will have very significant biological activity in humans. These compounds are some of nature's most potent natural insecticides. Accordingly, these edible plants have to be packaged in such a way that they do not harm the consumer. This example of evolutionary biology highlights the symbiosis between plants, animals, and the microbes that each shares. Pryidostigmine is derived from guar, which has been widely consumed by animals for millions of years. It is a macronutrient and a prebiotic, and these properties serve to inhibit the potential toxicity of the constituent chemicals in the plant. Your microbes play a role in the nitrogen cycle that initially benefits the plant and the greater rhizobiome, the galactose and mannose polysaccharides nurture the microbes, and these microorganisms in turn provide countless benefits to the host. This includes things like synthesizing acetate and acetylcholine. Selective pressures drive these processes.

So, I'm just saying, you took a prebiotic, which stimulated the microbial inhabitants and precipitated this immune response. The manifestation of an extra-intestinal inflammatory response takes a few days.

 

[Gingergrrl]

@SOC you are right and I apologize if it in any way sounded like I was saying staying in bed was a luxury. I just constantly have things that get in the way like going to a Dr appt or needing to get paperwork to my disability company or fighting to get a medication approved or needing to help my step daughter or feed my dog etc etc.

my husband literally does 80 or 90% of the work but things just get in the way like this mold remediation etc. I need to figure it out though b/c you are right and your story with Valcyte has truly been one of my main inspirations!

@Vegas I apologize but I was not able to understand what you wrote! Do you mean that the Mestinon caused a fever or my allergic reaction to the Mestinon caused a fever or neither? I do not grasp the scientific terms!

 

[MeSci]

Having studied acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in nature, I recognize this compound you took: pyridostigmine. It will have very significant biological activity in humans. These compounds are some of nature's most potent natural insecticides. Accordingly, these edible plants have to be packaged in such a way that they do not harm the consumer. This example of evolutionary biology highlights the symbiosis between plants, animals, and the microbes that each shares. Pryidostigmine is derived from guar, which has been widely consumed by animals for millions of years. It is a macronutrient and a prebiotic, and these properties serve to inhibit the potential toxicity of the constituent chemicals in the plant. Your microbes play a role in the nitrogen cycle that initially benefits the plant and the greater rhizobiome, the galactose and mannose polysaccharides nurture the microbes, and these microorganisms in turn provide countless benefits to the host. This includes things like synthesizing acetate and acetylcholine. Selective pressures drive these processes.

So, I'm just saying, you took a prebiotic, which stimulated the microbial inhabitants and precipitated this immune response. The manifestation of an extra-intestinal inflammatory response takes a few days.

This really surprises me. I studied OPs and carbamates years ago (pyridostigmine is one of the latter) ago and don't recall coming across any mention of the latter being found in nature.

Do you have a link to this info?

EDIT - I have done some searching and wonder whether you are thinking of physostigmine?

This highly-toxic compound is also mentioned here.

It would appear to be very far from a benign prebiotic!

 

[Jammy88]

Hooray for fever Definitely a good sign, as the other users already stated. Wishing you the best in your way to recovery. Blessings