Epstein Barr

[HopeSprings]

Curious how often this test is performed and what kind of results people get.

[Katybug]

Naomi,

I have never had EBV but I did have chicken pox which is another virus in the herpesvirus family.

Katie

[goodnuff77]

I didn't know I had this test done but was told that some point in my life I had mono. So I think they know that from this test. Maybe?

[songcanary]

I tested positive for past exposure, but my doctor said that many people do. It's not uncommon.

[HopeSprings]

Yes, testing positive for past exposure is normal - trying to figure out of if testing currently positive actually means anything.

[Hoosierfan]

When I was tested for mono in the fall of 2006, I had already been really sick for 4-5 months and they couldn't figure "it" out -- until my doc went back over my chart and said "gee, golly, we never tested for mono!" She tested me that day and it came back positive. Within two months, I was still feeling pretty crappy (hypotensive episodes in the morning, fatigue, headaches) so they tested again and I got "indicative of past infection" result. She said that it meant that my immune system was working on the virus and that I was technically in "recovery" mode. But, it took Effexor and Florinef to get my bp back up to normal ranges and give me some energy back.

[kmichaelson]

I tested positive for EBV reinfection about 6 months ago, and when I originally had mono in college it was pretty severe and I realize now that some of my symptoms began at that time (though I wasn't diagnosed until more than 10 years later).

[bellgirl]

My first symptoms of dysautonomia were a virus that misaligned my left eye, and left my right side with neuropathy for 5 years. Don't know what it was. I was tested for lyme, but I don't know about Epstein Barre. I will ask my neuro next week when I see him...I have had other herpes viruses though. These are all herpes viruses; herpes I, herpes II, chicken pox, mono, shingles, CMV, Roseola, etc.....

[HopeSprings]

For those testing positive for current infection, do you remember how this was measured? Was this determined by "early antigen" levels or something else? What did your Doctors recommend you do about it? Disregard if you answered in my other post about antivirals.

[targs66]

I ticked "tested positive for past infection" b/c my test was so long ago (1999) that I don't remember whether it was a past or current infection. I assume it was "past" b/c I don't recall any treatment for a current infection. I also had a pretty horrific case of mono when I was 18 (30 years ago!) and feel like that was when my cfs started (I seem to remember them saying that I had such elevated white blood cell count that they thought it could be leukemia - but I'm not sure if that makes any sense!). I was only out of school for two weeks, and never felt like I got completely over it.