A diagnosis

It just so happened that the specialist that I made an appointment to see was 1.2 miles from my house. People fly in from all over the country to see him. And I could walk to his office. Well, the old me could have at least. When I went to see Dr. Lerner (http://www.treatmentcenterforcfs.com)he did a host of tests including a physical examination, chest X-ray, electrocardiogram, complete blood count, urinalysis, serum aspartate and aminotransferases (AST, ALT), glucose, thyroid stimulating hormone, sodium, potassium, uric acid, alkaline phosphatase and creatinine measurement, 24-hour Holter monitor, electrocardiogram,EBV serum IgM viral capsid antibodies, EBV early antigen diffuse (EA) ELISA HCMV(V) IgG and IgM serum antibodies to viral capsid, strain 169 HCMV,HHV6 IgM and IgG serum. (This list is mostly for my documentation.)

To say the guy was thorough was an understatement. He spent hours with me, much of which was just listening to my story. He nodded and didn't act put off or surprised by any of what I shared. When he was done he said he was 95% certain I would be completely well within one year if I followed his instructions. Wow! Finally, a diagnosis! He said I had chronic fatigue symdrome caused by Epstein Barr. In addition to the blood and heart tests (flat t-waves) that would later confirm my condition, Dr. Lerner used the checklist of symptoms that Mayo clinic does:

Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff

Fatigue (me)
Loss of memory or concentration (me)
Sore throat (no)
Enlarged lymph nodes in your neck or armpits (me)
Unexplained muscle pain (me)
Pain that moves from one joint to another without swelling or redness (me)
Headache of a new type, pattern or severity (me)
Unrefreshing sleep (me)
Extreme exhaustion lasting more than 24 hours after physical or mental exercise (me)

As is news to so many people, this disease goes beyond the typical American's complaint of being tired. If I had a dollar for every time someone told me they knew just how I felt...

He put me on an antiviral medication called Valtrex. Valtrex is typically used to treat genital herpes (which I don't have) through a once a day dose. Through Dr.Lerner's research he has found that when patients are put on 4x the normal dose, Valtrex is able to battle prolonged Epstein Barr. The downside- the first 2-6 weeks my body would most likely go through Jarisch-Herxheimer response as my body tried to find a new equilibrium and the Valtrex attempted to fight the virus. This would be a positive sign that Valtrex was doing its job. And so my journey to wellness begins.