Tracking my efforts to beat Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), aka CFIDS, aka CFS

Tracking my efforts to beat Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), aka CFIDS, aka CFS

Thursday, December 21, 2017

My EBV dilemma

I will return to discussing SIBO in my next post because there have been more developments for me in the last two days.  But in the meantime, I have no idea what to do about treating Epstein Bar Virus, if at all.  I rarely post questions to the ME message boards because I try to be respectful of the fact that everyone there is sick--often much worse than me--and has limited energy resources.  In this case, however, I was dying for more opinions so I posted the question below on Phoenix Rising.  I'm re-posting it here too:

I'm at a complete loss whether to treat chronic EBV, and I have two doctors recommending different things. I don't know which one to believe, so I'm hoping PR will have some opinions.  If you make it through this long explanation, thank you!

Background:  Since getting ME in 2011, I've always had positive IgG tests for EBV, with titers that are perhaps considered equivocal for possible reactivation.  I've been on an off antivirals such as Famvir, Acyclovir and Valacyclovir since 2011 and never noticed much of a difference in how I felt.  The drugs never made a difference in the antibody levels either.

Over the past 12 months, however, I have also had 5 tests that were positive IgM for EBV.  This got my attention more than the IgG because it's more suggestive of an active re-infection as opposed to relying on interpretation of IgG results.  Now I have two doctors giving me opposite interpretations and both seem logical.  I don't know who to believe and whether to focus on treating EBV.

Doctor 1:  She is an integrative medicine doctor who doesn't necessarily focus on ME, but treats many patients with Lyme, mold sensitives, MCS, etc.  While she has been useful for treating hypothyroid and a few other treatments, her judgment and medical knowledge can seem questionable. A couple of times she has suggested treatments that have no basis in science and seem to be almost quackery.  

She is the one who's been ordering the repeated EBV IgM tests and she, at my suggestion, put me on the doctor Lerner antiviral protocol a couple/few months ago.  This protocol involves high doses of Valacylovir: 1 gram, 3x/day.

Doctor 2:  Doctor 2 is known as one of the better infectious disease specialists in my area, but she is very much from the traditional school of medicine.  Although she is a former partner of the famous Dr. Chia, she doesn't know the first thing about ME.  She took one look at the repeated IgM+ results and said they are false positive. (This was consistent with my original understanding of how IgM antibodies work--that they are only present during the first 3-14 days of an infection.)  She said she didn't need further convincing, but if it would help convince me, she would order a PCR test for EBV.  I accepted. The PCR test was negative.

At first I thought the negative PCR test settled the issue once and for all: I don't have active EBV.  But then Doctor 1 said those results don't mean anything -- or rather that they just mean the virus isn't in that one sample of blood, but the virus could be in other parts of the body. 

Dr. Chia, by the way, also thinks the IgM test results are false positive.  It's two doctors with good reputations against one who is, in my opinion, questionable.  But then again, why me (why us)?  I would bet a normal healthy person wouldn't keep triggering positive IgM results.  

I can't decide who's right.  Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

[Edit:  There are some very insightful responses in the Phoenix Rising thread.]

3 comments:

  1. How high are your EBV IGG titers? Higher than 1:160??
    I've done a lot of research on this as well and even healthy people seem to have at times high titers due to internal/external stress. It's amazing how low the level of knowledge is around Immunology and Infectious Diseases when you speak with so many general doctors.
    If you have not experienced noticeable and marked gains in health from being on those antivirals, stop taking them. They're highly toxic and tax your body (especially the kidneys) in other ways.
    Negative PCR also doesn't mean much since unless there's a raging active infection brewing, the PCR won't pickup EBV DNA replication in blood.

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    1. Thanks Anon. That's what I'm thinking too.

      One EBV IgG test was 1:160 and another was 1:40. I know there were others but I don't have the results in front of me right now.

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    2. That is NOT that high at all! Keep in mind there's a high level of variability on the titer amounts based on many variables (including diet, stress, etc.) There was even a study done to show a surprising intra-day changes in those titers not to mention the different labs/assays and the handling of it all. One of the greatest challenges for all afflicted with a chronic illness without a proven therapy is not to incur more damage with medications. Please use extra caution on all pharmaceuticals in this area. Antivirals and immune modulators are the big guns and take a toll on organs (not something people whose bodies are already taxed with extra oxidative stress should do lightly).

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