(New here.) Sweating/enlarged liver and spleen, etc

[hunter1899]

First of all, what an amazing board. Not only are so many folks here extremely intelligent and knowledgeable, but everyone seems so caring and eager to help.

My story started December 28th 2019. I had chills and extreme fatigue and night sweats. Spleen and liver had a dull ache too. A couple months later got tested for EBV and it came back positive (after one negative test). My liver enzymes were high, but ultrasound of abdomen was normal. Seemed like after about 6 weeks I pretty much shook it. I was back to my old self, working outside around the house, building things, playing with my then 6 month old.

I was still tired. I get up at 5:00am for work (which never bothered me before) and work a ten hour day, so i figured getting used to that again would be the final step. Well I was building on my shed outside one day in April and sweating a decent amount. Felt fine though until that night. I had pains in my lower abdomen and a sickly nauseous sort of tired. Maybe a touch of brain fog too.

I figured it would go away, but it didn't. Doc said abdomen pain was probably spasms, gave me medicine and it worked, but every evening I'd still get the sickly/nauseous tired feeling and the brain fog and the spleen and liver would have that swollen dull pain. Some depression and anxiety too which I'd never had before. I was still working outside, but nothing insanely strenuous. I took another EBV test and my IGG went up a 100 points to 500. IGM normal.

I tried high dose IV Vitamin C and I can't say it didn't help at all, but only maybe 20% improvement. So hard to say though.

Since then and for the past couple months I've had mostly good days with some not so good. Sure I'm tired more than I was before, but we also have a newborn (plus the 15 month old) so sleep isn't great anyway. But still I knew I wasn't 100% and the bad days sucked (the depression and anxiety was killer), so I started taking Valtrex thinking I could knockout whatever remained of the EBV. But I began to realize more and more that my worst days of the sickly/nauseous tired feeling and the brain fog and the spleen and liver swelling happened only after sweating! Sometimes it seemed like just sitting outside on the porch and not doing anything but being in the heat would make my spleen and liver swell the next day and make me tired and depressed and anxious.

Then, after just two weeks of taking it I did a phone consult with a Functional Medicine Doctor. I
told him how awful I feel after sweating and he immediately asked if I'd been exposed to mold (i had several times over the past several years, flooded houses, leaky roofs, etc). He explained that the EBV might have let the mold take over. So I did the urine test and it came back positive for Ochratoxin (reading was 10.44).

So I'm taking clay and charcoal and glutathione and sweating out the toxins for the mold and hoping that's behind everything since it gives me target to shoot at. That was just last week so no telling yet. I was feeling kinda good though. I weedeated and cut the grass, being sure to shower and take my charcoal right after to catch any toxins (if that even makes sense) and it seemed to work. I didn't feel bad. So being dumb as I am, I then decided to pressure wash my porch which took about two hours. Sweat like crazy and exerted myself more than I have since April. Felt like CRAP the next day with bad depression, anxiety, brain fog, sickly nausea, and swollen spleen and liver. Also my skin felt a little hot. Felt a little better the day after.

So there's the big story of my 2020 so far. I've read folks on here who have a far worse situation and have had it for far longer so I don't mean to complain. And to be completely honest, sometimes this board gives me hope and other times it makes it all seem hopeless. But I can't lie, I'm better than I was before. I just don't know when I've reached the point that is as good as I'm going to get and I have no clue if sweating is helping me over all (even if it makes me feel terrible) or hurting me. I sure as heck don't want to get worse. I'm also not sure if the feeling bad after pressure washing was because I was herxing from the sweat or from just overexerting myself with the activity.

Thanks again for an amazing forum and for any info or insight you can provide. I'm praying for y'all.

TLDR: EBV in December 2019. Since then get fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, and swollen spleen and liver every time I sweat. Tested positive for Ochratoxin.

 

[hunter1899]

Forgot to mention one symptom and don't see a way to edit the post: I get odd pains on the inside of my leg either thighs or calves. Both legs at the exact same spot on either leg. Very isolated. Is this what they call ice pick pain?

 

[hunter1899]

One more thing: While I'm working outside and sweating I feel GREAT.

 

[Tammy]

Welcome to PR. Quick question, are you still on the Valtrex?

 

[hunter1899]

I’m not. I guess I put all my eggs in the mold basket some it sounded like it lined up so well. More than anything I guess it just sounds like my liver isn’t detoxing me like it should I guess??

Why do you ask? Did you try the valtrex?

 

[EddieB]

Hi there,
Your symptoms seem pretty mild compared to mine, but your days sound like the good days I used to have.
When able, I was out working and sweating and it felt good. It’s the times where I did too much that would get me. So it’s great that you have energy and can work, but you don’t want to overdo. Even if yours is a milder/newer illness, you’re fighting a battle that could take months or years to clear out.

I have high EBV IgG and suspect HSV and/or zoster. Ive tested negative for molds, even though I know I’ve had exposure. I’m being encouraged to take valtrex but hasn’t gone well so far. Are you still taking it?

 

[hunter1899]

Hi there,
Your symptoms seem pretty mild compared to mine, but your days sound like the good days I used to have.
When able, I was out working and sweating and it felt good. It’s the times where I did too much that would get me. So it’s great that you have energy and can work, but you don’t want to overdo. Even if yours is a milder/newer illness, you’re fighting a battle that could take months or years to clear out.

I have high EBV IgG and suspect HSV and/or zoster. Ive tested negative for molds, even though I know I’ve had exposure. I’m being encouraged to take valtrex but hasn’t gone well so far. Are you still taking it?

So I have to ask you what to you attribute to your condition getting worse. To be honest that's scary as hell to hear if your good days aren't as good as they once were.

Sorry to hear you're going through this mess too. The mold urine test (if that's what you did) is odd to me. If our bodies suck at getting rid of the toxins you'd think no one would expect a big number to show up on a urine test. It's all being held onto inside the body. But what do I know. Another in a long line of mysteries about this illness.

Why has the Valtrex not gone well so far? Herx? Side effects? Or just not effective yet? How long have you been on it?

 

[EddieB]

So I have to ask you what to you attribute to your condition getting worse

That’s a good question. My best answer, at times when the virus (assuming it is a virus) reactivates, it drags us down.

The mold urine test (if that's what you did)

I did blood tests.

Why has the Valtrex not gone well so far?

My worst symptom of all is a chest/throat pain that is or acts like acid reflux. I’m beginning to suspect it’s viral, and if so, antivirals are the answer.
The valtrex set it off and hurt me bad. I’m waiting a few days to try it again,