EBV/HHV-6 reactivation

Posted by ridge91 @ridge91, Jun 19 3:33pm

Hi there,

Long hauler for 5 years. I recently learned I have reactivation of EBV and HHV-6. I cannot get into Leo Galland until October. In the meantime, a local Dr. wanted me to take Acyclovir along with a supplement protocol.

Does anyone have any information about how to best treat these reactivations? I believe they are at the root (from a damaged T cell from covid) of my symptoms and micro clots.

Thank you in advance:-)

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

When I first got sick in June of 2022, I had a lot of bloodwork/labs done. They showed that EBV was reactivated, but no one picked up on that but me! Crazy right? Now the medical community and researchers are aware of this. Find a doctor who is up to date on the research. I believe it is at the root as well as inflammation. My cytokines were also high and I had a reactivation of Parvo (another weird one). Google EBV and Long COVID. There is research. I never knew I even had EBV, which causes mono. I remember people in high school that had it, but I never knew I did. I read that one can have it without having any symptoms. Good luck and keep us posted please.

REPLY
@diverdown1

When I first got sick in June of 2022, I had a lot of bloodwork/labs done. They showed that EBV was reactivated, but no one picked up on that but me! Crazy right? Now the medical community and researchers are aware of this. Find a doctor who is up to date on the research. I believe it is at the root as well as inflammation. My cytokines were also high and I had a reactivation of Parvo (another weird one). Google EBV and Long COVID. There is research. I never knew I even had EBV, which causes mono. I remember people in high school that had it, but I never knew I did. I read that one can have it without having any symptoms. Good luck and keep us posted please.

Jump to this post

Yeah, I remember back in the early 90s when I was furiously researching Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at a university library since I had come down with it. One popular theory was that it was re-activated Epstein Barr virus. Some people liked to call it "chronic epstein barr".
(Personally, I just went with the then current moniker of "yuppie flu", lol).
I actually cross-examined a visiting UK doctor who gave a lecture at the time who was big on that theory, and pointed out that numerous studies did not bear that theory out as a cause of the syndrome.
As I think I've described here before, my pet theory is that this syndrome--and I think that CFS and LC are likely the same, or at least strongly related--causes re/activation of any number of formerly encountered viruses or even maladies. This would also account for the highly varied symptoms that people have from it.
The challenge for doctors and researchers, then, is distinguishing cause from effect.
Ahh...some three decades later, the mystery persists...

REPLY
@diverdown1

When I first got sick in June of 2022, I had a lot of bloodwork/labs done. They showed that EBV was reactivated, but no one picked up on that but me! Crazy right? Now the medical community and researchers are aware of this. Find a doctor who is up to date on the research. I believe it is at the root as well as inflammation. My cytokines were also high and I had a reactivation of Parvo (another weird one). Google EBV and Long COVID. There is research. I never knew I even had EBV, which causes mono. I remember people in high school that had it, but I never knew I did. I read that one can have it without having any symptoms. Good luck and keep us posted please.

Jump to this post

Did you find a treatment that helped put the virus back into dormant state?

REPLY
@sandguy

Yeah, I remember back in the early 90s when I was furiously researching Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at a university library since I had come down with it. One popular theory was that it was re-activated Epstein Barr virus. Some people liked to call it "chronic epstein barr".
(Personally, I just went with the then current moniker of "yuppie flu", lol).
I actually cross-examined a visiting UK doctor who gave a lecture at the time who was big on that theory, and pointed out that numerous studies did not bear that theory out as a cause of the syndrome.
As I think I've described here before, my pet theory is that this syndrome--and I think that CFS and LC are likely the same, or at least strongly related--causes re/activation of any number of formerly encountered viruses or even maladies. This would also account for the highly varied symptoms that people have from it.
The challenge for doctors and researchers, then, is distinguishing cause from effect.
Ahh...some three decades later, the mystery persists...

Jump to this post

I agree with your theory. I believe that EBV reactivation definitely correlates with LC. I have seen and hear too many people say it and read several research studies that correlate EBV with autoimmune diseases. I also believe that inflammation is at the root of many. I know that before I got Covid (twice) my life was extremely stressful. I got sober on 12/16/17. So I had years of trauma and I know that trauma and the stress response of adrenaline and cortisol are not good for the body. Adrenal fatigue may also be related. I had no idea, at the age of 47 (when I got sober) how to navigate the world, but was involved in AA and trauma therapy. I used to run and exercise to alleviate stress. So, my father was dying ( I had met his wife, twice and it was a terrible situation) but I stayed there for 10 days and was his "hospice nurse" essentially. I watched him take his last breaths. My partner of 28 years chose not to stop drinking and I had taken him to the ER 6 times due to cirrhosis, varicose veins in his esophagus, pancreatitis, and alcoholic hepatitis. Watching him kill himself was horrific. He was a wonderful, smart person and but alcohol killed him. I found him dead 12/18/23. There are many things I look back on before I got sick in 2022 with LC, 3 months AFTER I had Covid 19 the second time. I truly believe that my immune system was compromised due to stress. I was a person that NEVER got sick, never had a flu shot, never got the flu and now, this has been devastating. I tell myself, every morning, when I feel terrible (some days are not as bad as others) that I will take my medication (Vyvanse, Gabapetin and Cybalta with a 8-10 ounce glass of water mixed with Emergen-C) that I will be able to feel better in an hour or so, and I do except for some fatigue, tinnitus and brain fog. However, by the end of the day, I am completely spent. All this to say, the body, mind and brain (I believe there is a difference in the brain and the mind) are connected. I still have stress responses, triggers and my body goes into survival mode (cortisol, adrenaline) and I am working with my trauma therapist to become aware of this and to try and remember that I am not "running from a tiger." Also, journaling to figure out the thought and trigger of the response, and get down to that survival skill I learned (probably very young and in my addiction). Baby steps.

I have probably said more than you wanted to know. Having said all of that, I believe that your theory is possible and I also believe that there are other factors that apply as well. Thank you and if you run across any research studies or anything that, after reading my post, might apply, please post or send to me. I want to know as much as I can about this. It has turned my life upside down...but I am 7 1/2 years sober and have not had to take a drink over it. (insert profanity here LOL).

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@ridge91

Did you find a treatment that helped put the virus back into dormant state?

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I have not but I am taking medication to treat some symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, etc. They only work for a couple of hours during the day, allowing me to function better, but I always wake up with fatigue and post-exertion malaise. I am grateful for the days, when I do not feel "poisoned" which I attribute to the PEM and inflammation.

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