LymeNet Flash: Connection Between Lyme and Epstein Barr?

This is topic Connection Between Lyme and Epstein Barr? in forum Medical Questions at LymeNet Flash.

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Posted by GenaD (Member # 11988) on :

A good friend of mine has been dealing with mono for a long time now. She also has vomiting fits every couple of weeks.

Before this, she dealt with depression and anxiety for years and tried many meds that didn't work.

Now she is being treated for mono, but isn't really improving. She is also getting excruciating headaches. I'm starting to wonder if Lyme is the culprit, since she did grow up in an endemic area, but of course to me most things look like Lyme these days!

Any ideas?

Gena

Posted by bunnyfluff (Member # 14117) on :

Mono (EBV) was a huge problem for me before I was Dx'd with Lyme. I of course, had gotten the fibromyalgia, then CFS Dx long before Lyme. My EBV was active for 2 yrs straight. My spleen hurt so much I could hardly eat (except ice cream [Big Grin]

). I could always tell when my EBV was high (sometimes 2500+) by the swelling of my spleen.

So, I say yes......Lyme can CERTAINLY be the culprit there!! It was for me!

Bunny

Posted by Alv (Member # 15192) on :

that is exactly what happened to me before lyme became active

the sme thing for my son

The pediatritian --said is EBV --that is making him sick --little I knew that Lyme was behind it .

Posted by Roxxxy (Member # 15297) on :

My son's spleen was so large, the doctor told him to be careful skateboarding & such (no worries, he could barely do it for 10 minutes without burning out of energy) because he didnt' want to injure or rupture it. [Eek!]

Roxy

Posted by luluhaslyme (Member # 13201) on :

Hi there. Whenever my daughter has a Lyme flare, her mono symptoms present... her EBV numbers have never leveled off in the past 4 years... UGH!

Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :

My first severe "Lyme attack" was a bout of "MONO" when I was 17. Things have never been the same since. Was not dxd with Lyme until about 32 yrs later.... but had it all along.

Posted by Tif (Member # 12701) on :

This is also how my dx came about......went through the CFS and Fibro route also

Posted by laura j (Member # 14257) on :

I was dx w/high EBV levels (over 2000) also before getting dx w/Mycoplasma and then finally Lyme.

Posted by Blackstone (Member # 9453) on :

Same here, I'm afraid. I got "normal teenage" mono that I never quite got over - it wasn't until a few years of searching that I ended up getting diagnosed with lyme. Before that, it was chronic fatigue syndrome.

Strangely enough I never had "hardcore" mono - no swelling of the spleen, no abnormal blood tests, no splitting of the tongue or swelling of glands... just fatigue. My current EBV titers are on par with someone who has "gotten over" mono, but not an active flareup. In other words, they're as low as can be expected (Once you've gotten mono, there will always be some immune response even if its not active)

I lack a lot of the "typical" lyme symptoms (besides fatigue, pain, brain fog) as well.

Posted by ElaineC (Member # 9857) on :

This is also how it started with me......and then came the CFS,Fibro dx......and eventually a decade later the Lyme dx.....Still have alot of Mono flares.

Posted by GenaD (Member # 11988) on :

Ok, I think my friend BETTER GET A LYME TEST!

Thanks everyone! [Smile]

Posted by trish4 (Member # 14156) on :

I think that the reason us "lymies" have such high ebv is because our immune system is suppressed from lyme and cant fight these viruses. Ive heard that 99% of people are exposed to EBV and other viruses but when you have Lyme it is hard to fight it off. (Mine was around 2500 last time I had it checked)

Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :

Lyme disease causes normally dormant viruses to become active, as in the case of EBV, HHV6 Etc. It's very common. Once you treat the Lyme disease and you destroy the sources of bacterial infection, the viruses go back to normal (dormant) on their own.
Some people need to co-treat with Valtrex, but for the most part, the viruses go away once the Lyme and co-infections are under control.

Posted by christinelyme2 (Member # 15028) on :

Does anyone know what meds are good to treat for

co-infections? [confused]

Any info. would be

great [Smile]

Posted by bettyg (Member # 6147) on :

my story is the same as tutus; but i was 21 and misdx for 34 yrs.

Posted by breezywings (Member # 9222) on :

My story is the same as Lymetutu and BettyG. I went undiagnosed for decades.