I'm a college student and have had mono twice in the past two
years--december 08 and july 07. My main symptom was fatigue
and I still feel fatigued. I got tested for lyme disease and had a
positive ELISA with a negative western blot--only the IgM 41 was
positive. I'm wondering: Can lyme cause mono? And are there other
reasons that can cause the IgM 41 to be positive? In a young,
very healthy(I'm a competitive swimmer) individual, could the
main symptom of lyme just be fatigue? Any thoughts would be
greatly appreciated! Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
If you had a positive Elisa I would say you have
neuroborreliosis. Your immune system may be shut
off from the mono and the lyme and may require a
challenge of antibiotics to produce antibodies on
the WB. Yes fatique is common, but there are also
other clues you can find. Low body temp. stands
out as a lot of patients are at least a degree or
2 below normal. I would suggest a visit to a
LLMD for proper diagnosis and treatment. You may
be like a lot of lyme patients, find out you have
a lot more than just mono and lyme. You can
find one in your area by posting seeking a LLMD
in xxxx over in seeking forum. Prayers for a easy road.
Posted by ping (Member # 6974) on :
mallory,
Although Borrelia / Lyme infection doesn't cause Mono, it can cause immune system failure and allow infection and re-infection with all sorts of things. Sounds like you have more going on than just fatigue. Any muscle twitches, ringing in the ears... See Dr. B.'s screening questionnaire. Lots of stuff you might not have noticed.
To have a positive ELISA is very indicative of Lyme and you need to start treatment with an LLMD as soon as possible!
Posted by mallory (Member # 23364) on :
Thank you so much for your responses! My physician here at
college has given me a month of doxycycline 200mg a day for
lyme. She says that this is the treatment for lyme disease, but I
know that that can be controversial. Any thoughts? I have
noticed
that my body temperature is usually about 1-2 degrees below
normal; I've been tested for thyroid(all the t3s, t4s, antibodies,
etcetera) but everything was fine. The only other symptoms I
think I might have are ringing in the ears, some muscle twitches,
and blurry vision...but it's so hard to know for sure!
Does anyone have a rough estimate of when symptoms should
clear up with antibiotics?
Thanks sooo much!! This has been terribly difficult and
frustrating.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
quote:Originally posted by Pinelady: [QB] If you had a positive Elisa I would say you have borreliosis.
Absolutely!! If you had a Western Blot thru Igenex lab, more bands would likely show up. But a positive on the ELISA is something you can take to the bank!!! They are known for false NEGATIVES!!!
I've had Lyme since I was about 8 yrs old. Then when I was 17 I got "mono"... I'm sure now that the mono just came to the forefront because of my suppressed immune system.
Patients with "high" antibody titers against HHV-6 IgG ≥ 640, EBV VCA IgG ≥ 640 and detectable EA Ab at 1:160 or HHV-6 IgG ≥ 320 if EBV VCA IgG ≥ 1280 and has detectable EA Ab at 1:160 (measured by the average of a minimum of two time points obtained during screening at least 3 weeks apart).
Best, Timaca
Posted by joalo (Member # 12752) on :
Overwhelming fatigue has always been my worst symptom.
Please post in seeking a doctor to find a lyme literate medical doctor. Posted by Lymeorsomething (Member # 16359) on :
You sound like me, Mallory....except you're younger. I had mono 4 years ago and have never been right since, but it seems lyme was in the background. One opens a window for the other so-to-speak and then the fun begins
You seem young so I'd be reluctant to think it's mono (EBV) alone causing your issues. You may want to get a lyme-literate MD to run a western blot.
For suspected EBV, you could try lauricidan. Some people have luck with that. Others try prescription Valtrex (usually many months) to push the virus back into dormancy.
I have the same symptoms as you...fatigue, twitches mostly...some floaters...
Good luck. If you've had lyme a longtime (festering), doxy may not be enough that's why its advisable to rule things out with a lyme-oriented doc...
Let us know how things go.
Posted by Pinelady (Member # 18524) on :
Lyme and Mono are not something to take a wait and
see approach. As they have said you could have a
lot more and need a good LLMD to help. Most
patients have to take something to control yeast
and probiotics to keep the bowels in check. There
are also reports of patients who have very bad
damages due to the neuro effects of the combined
illness'. One was recently in Mexico for
treatment. Please seek a LLMD.
Posted by mallory (Member # 23364) on :
Thank you all very much for your posts! I am seeing a llmd over
Winter Break, unfortunately, it's very hard to try to see someone
here at college(I'm sort of in the middle of nowhere). Does
anyone know if doxycycline can cause insomnia as a side effect?
Should I post this question as a new post?
Posted by Lymeorsomething (Member # 16359) on :
Mallory, I think it does have that effect in some people. It could be the Doxy unless you're studying for finals and drinking a lot of coffee Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Will you be seeking a dr in OH or somewhere else??
Posted by Hoosiers51 (Member # 15759) on :
Syphilis can also cause the ELISA to be positive, since Lyme and syphilis are very similar bacteria. So if you have been sexually active, I would get tested for syphilis as well to rule it out.
If the syphilis test is negative, then you have exposure to Lyme, and your fatigue could be from Lyme disease.
Muscle twitching is a symptom of Lyme, so is ear-ringing. But you should still get the syphilis test to rule it out if sexually active, in my opinion.
Posted by mallory (Member # 23364) on :
Can EBV also cause the ELISA to be positive? Does the ELISA have a
high false positive rate? I don't have an "active"
case of mono but I have very high IgG levels for EBV. I'm actually
going to see an llmd when I am home for Winter Break...so not in
Ohio. Are there standard questions I should ask the llmd when I
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