Results.........dun, dun, dun........

Some results are in, more to come. Don't worry, I'm not contagious.

So, I tested positive for the Epstein-Barr virus (mono (cronic mono), but not full blown, if that makes sense), Herpesvirus 6, and also CMV. And we all know that I'm dealing with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) along with fibromyalgia like symptoms. I'm really glad I kept searching for a doctor that would keep searching. I think to many people give in to the pain meds and then their main issue continues to go unnoticed until it wrecks havoc on their body, and they end up with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, strokes, etc, etc.

The herpes 6 virus is a virus that everyone has in them, but some poeple are genetically pre-disposed to have a higher viral load of it in their system. It usually only shows up in childhood as rashes, swollen glands when stressed, lower immune function, frecuent infections (strep, ear) etc. Then, whether is timming or stress that triggers it, for some reason it shows intself later in life (from what I've read it's usually in the 20's or 30's) For whatever reason now (probably due to stress) it has reared it's ugly head full blown into my life. The symptoms include Chronic Fatigue Syndrom, fibromyalgia, lowered immune system, and other infections. Because this infection had been in me for a long time, a whole 28 years, it has already effected and done some damage to my kidneys (stage 2) and heart. Which I'm working on now that I'm aware of the root of it.

The next step.........this week I'm taking some natural goodness stuff to boost my immune system, then next week I'll start an antibiotic to get this stuff out of my system. It may take awhile since it can hide out in bone marrow, etc. I'm taking some immune system stuff first because my doctor doesn't want to put any more stress on my kidneys and heart by being on the antibiotic (which kills the bugs, but then the bugs dump out toxins). I've already done EKG's on my heart, but I'll be going in to a specialist to get an ultrasound done on my heart in the next few weeks. I also have a full 4 hour glucose test scheduled for Feb 10th. On a side note: my hernia is the least of my worries right now, I'll take care of it some other time.

Below is information from an article that talks about the correlation between CFS, ESV, and HHV-6. I'm going to post more as I find out more, for you guys, but also for me to have information I need, where I know where it is.

"Antibody Responses to Epstein-Barr Virus, Human Herpesvirus 6 and Human Herpesvirus 7 in Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

To test for an association between chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and infections with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) and human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7), antibodies to these viruses were tested in the serum from three groups of individuals: (1) 10 CFS patients with chronic fatigue beginning with a clinical pattern of acute infectious mononucleosis [IM; true chronic IM (CIM)]; (2) 10 CFS patients whose illness did not start with acute IM (non-CIM), and (3) healthy controls. High EBV antibody titers were demonstrated in most patients. Antibodies to ZEBRA, a product of the immediate early EBV gene BZLF1, were detected in the serum of CFS patients at a higher frequency than in healthy controls. Antibody titers to HHV-6 and HHV-7 were also higher in the patients with CFS than in the controls. These results are consistent with the view that CFS patients may have reactivations of EBV, HHV-6 and HHV-7."

Enjoy your day!

Thanks for reading.

PS: We're moved back into our house downtown, it's still for sale and we're going to do some more work on it to make it sellable.

A relaxing weekend in the woods........

This weekend we headed up to the Duckabush Cabin in the Olympic Mountains for some much needed R & R. I made the reservation a few months ago, and have been looking forward to it since. We didn't get stuck or snowed in this time, like we did at the Hamma Hamma Cabin last year.

Teh Duckabush cabin was built in 1907 and was the first ranger station/cabin in the Olympic National Forest. They had old historical pictures around the cabin. We did get a fresh dusting of snow on Saturday night and we woke up to a beautiful white wonderland, to add to the snow already on the ground. On Saturday we did a little 2 mile hike to Ranger's Hole, an old fishing spot the forest rangers use to go to. I was fine for the whole hike, but about an hour after we got back to the cabin, my body went into shutdown mode. Luckily I listened. So I just slept for about a half an hour, then I was functional again. Darm that chronic fatigue, I could barely keep my eyes open and it took me all of 60 seconds to fall asleep when I layed down, even with the kids yelling and shouting (with joy of course) playing their Rukus card game.

On sunday after we got back home I was able to paint one of the kids' rooms at the Cota house. Oh......... so the kids and I are moving back to the house in town in the next few weeks. I decided it's best to live there until it sells. I know, I'm spastic at times!

Well, Dr appointment tomorrow again with the natural path in Lacey, hope to have some good news soon.

take care, Heather

Does it really get worse before it gets better?

If so, then I'm going to get better soon.
So.......for the short version. I had to go to the emergency room at St. Peters Hospital in Olympia on Friday. In the morning I had some lower abdominal pain, but by the late morning it hurt to stand up straight at work, so I went in. Of course not after calling my doctor, and a few others to ask about symptoms and to see if I could avoid the emergency room and the fees that go along with it.
Anyways, like I was able to tell the doctors, I have a hernia. Actually I've had it for awhile, but it just wasn't very bad, so I just put it off. Well, I could no longer put it off. I must have aggravated it somehow, maybe that file cabinet I shouldn't have lifted. Oh well! The surgeon wasn't at the hospital on Friday so I have to schedule an appointment to get it take care of soon. Fun, fun! (sarcasm, there's really no other way to deal with it.)

On a good note....I went to the naturalpath Dr in Olympia last week and did a bunch of other tests for my fibro symptoms. He thinks he can find what else is going on and help me, yeah!!! I'm so excited! (not sarcasm)

Ok, back to the grind!

My reoccurring dream............

I keep having a dream that I find something that makes my pain go away, all away, not just to ease it or keep it at bay. In the dream I wake up and I jump around and then start crying because I don't hurt ANYWHERE and I'm sooooo happy ! And I just can't believe it. I get my life back to the way it was. No joint pain, no muscle pain, no fatigue, no worn out feeling. I have strong healthy muscles, I can move freely, I'm not distracted by the constant pain all over my body, I don't have lumps in my tissues, my fingers don't hurt to type or write, sounds don't amplify in my head, and my joints stop popping all the time, and I can stop all the vitamins I have to take. Ahhhhh! I get my pep back!

I'm still holding on to the hope that this dream can become a reality. I'm continuing to pray about it and seek answers. So far doctors have been useless and others who have fibromyalgia say that I can help it get better and deal with the pain better, but that it will never go away. Fooy!

Pressing on, Heather

We went snow shoeing and I didn't die!

......at least not on the trail. My body actually held up really well during the snowshoe trip at Hurricane Ridge this weekend, but by Saturday evening I was feeling it pretty good. Oh that wonderful Chronic Fatigue Syndrome!! I was wiped out, lost most mobility in my hands and arms (which is weird because I didn't use my arms), got chilled (even though I was hot all day long), and my muscles felt like I hiked 20 miles in the snow, uphill.

So with this fibro stuff my body doesn't know when to turn off the muscles, so two miles in the snow ends up feeling like twenty miles in the snow for me. Good thing I'm not a weeny! :) And I think it also has to do with my circulation, because after moving around and getting the blood flowing, it's like my body is trying to push out toxins, and they get all blocked up. Hence the reason why I need to keep moving every day.

Hailey and I ended up turning around sooner then the rest of the group, which was good, because then I maybe wouldn't have made it back to the lodge without help. And the rest of the group ended up snowshoeing about 4 miles. Will had a blast and didn't complain a bit. He's such a trooper!

Happy New Years to you all!!