How I Discovered I Have Epstein-Barr Virus

How I Discovered I Have Epstein-Barr Virus

I know that I’ve alluded to a few different ongoing health issues I’ve had related to exhaustion and thyroid issues, and after almost three and a half years I finally have some answers to whats been going on in my body. Today I’m sharing how I discovered I have Epstein-Barr Virus and what that means to my overall health. 

After almost three and a half years I finally have some answers to what’s been going on in my body.

I had my first miscarriage almost four years ago. A few months after that experience I was having a hard time focusing, had gained weight and felt really run down. At first everyone, my friends, family and doctor, told me to relax and give my body the time it needed to heal. But after six months of still not feeling like myself I knew something else was going on.

It was then that I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which means my body wasn’t producing enough thyroid hormone.

At first it was a relief, that something was actually going on and I wasn’t making it up, but nothing I did actually improved the way I felt.

I switched to a gluten-free diet, ate foods to support my thyroid, cut back on the hours I was working, started taking a bunch of new supplements and herbs, stopped doing high intensity workouts and cut back on social events so I could get to bed earlier.

After a year of doing it without medication I still felt exhausted and run down even after getting eight hours of sleep.

It was then that I started taking thyroid medication.

At the same time, I had another miscarriage.

I gained more weight, felt even more exhausted and many of the thyroid medications I tried made me feel worse, until I found one that seemed to help, for a little bit.

It was extremely frustrating, not only was I devastated that I still wasn’t a mom, my body just couldn’t bounce back. I was watching people in my life physically and emotionally heal and go on to have healthy pregnancies and I had to drag myself out of bed some days.

Over time, I could get to a place that felt good emotionally, but physically I didn’t like the way I felt most days. I knew that I wasn’t depressed, but I felt pretty low. I usually don’t complain (not too often) yet I found myself complaining about everything to anyone who’d listen. I spent most of my weekends on the couch because I was too tired to do anything after working all week…. I was really boring!

Then I was diagnosed with Hashimotos last December, an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks your thyroid.

Again, I was devastated.

After everything that had already happened, I just couldn’t believe it. At the same time my new intern who was also diagnosed with autoimmune issues introduced me to Epstein-Barr Virus and the Medical Medium. I started digging through all his books and blogs and everything he was saying made so much sense to how I was feeling.

I know this is a long story, but I wanted you to have all the information just in case you keep getting told you have many different things going on in your body which don’t add up.

So flash forward to this past April when I started getting vertigo.

I was getting so dizzy that I would become ill and be in my bed or the couch for days. I couldn’t keep anything down and it happened at the worst of times! I was part of a women’s retreat and was leading the lunch portion and had to run to the bathroom, I was teaching a workshop and had to run outside after to throw up. I got sick in the Whole Food’s parking lot… it was pretty gross.

I then took off an entire week off and went to every single doctor I could get into.

I knew that something was going on and I wasn’t going to stop until I figured it out. I know that I’m lucky, I have good health insurance and the ability to cancel clients if I need to. It makes me grateful for my health, but also even more understanding of all the people who are suffering and need more medical support. One of the main reasons I’m sharing this with you today is to help you not feel alone and hopefully seek out people that can support you.

So after all this (and tons of blood work) I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). The infectious disease doctor shared with me that 98% of the entire population has this virus from age three on.

EPV is part of the herpes virus the same one as mono, chicken pox and shingles and is usually dormant in our body. When we are under stress, get a bad cold or the flu it can flare up and this is what he believes was the cause behind my miscarriages and the thyroid diagnosis.

Since it’s a virus, it can’t be treated with medication. I’m working with both the infectious disease doctor and my naturopath to try and get this virus back into a dormant state with anti-viral supplements and immune boosters.

It’s been almost two months since I started this protocol.

I’m feeling so much better, not 100% but I’m now able to go for a walk without feeling like I need a nap, I’m refreshed after an eight-hour night’s sleep, and my attitude is more positive.

I’ve been more social and seeing friends that I haven’t spent time with for a while. Thank goodness, I can focus more during the day and I have more motivation, although my husband is amazed as to how I’ve been able to continue with my business even though I wasn’t feeling like myself. April and May were tough months!

I go back for more blood work in August and if my numbers are going down it’s a good sign that the virus is going back into a dormant state. If everything looks good then I’m hoping for a green light to start trying to have a baby.

What I’ve learned along the way is that I don’t know everything, (I mean who does?), but I do know when something doesn’t feel right in my body. Doctors are smart, but they don’t know how you feel so you must always continue to push to be heard and seen. A lesson I learn repeatedly.

It can take a long time to find the root cause behind why you don’t feel like yourself. I gave up a few times and took time off… it was exhausting. I’m grateful for the resources in my life that helped me along the day and I’m hopeful that things are looking up!

It’s never easy to stand up to a doctor, many of them made me cry, made me feel like I was doing something wrong, that I was imagining my exhaustion. I knew deep down that something was off. I knew that I deserved an answer, and fired a lot of people along my health journey until I found my team of support who have been incredible and so helpful.

If your doctor doesn’t seem to be listening to you, it’s important to remember that they work for you, you pay them!

As a side note, there were many other things going on in my body. My hearing was affected as well as some body pain, but that would have made this post even longer so if you have any questions please reach out anytime!

I will keep you all updated on the progress of my health. If anything resonated with you I encourage you to find a doctor that can help you along the way.

Some pics… 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*It is essential to work with a nutritionist and a functional medicine doctor because I am sharing general information that is not intended to be medical advice. This information is only given for informational purposes. *