J-rap Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 We have a lot of odd health conditions in my family! This is dd1. When in 12th grade, she came down with mono, twice. I can't remember if the test was actually positive (they felt they caught it early), but they did feel she had all of the typical symptoms and it played out just like mono. She relapsed when she tried to become active (running, etc.) too soon, and then took it easy for the remainder of the year. For the past five years, she has lived and gone to school out of the country (and gotten married), and so I haven't had my finger on her pulse as consistently as I would if she were at home! She's in her last semester of college now, and just came down with shingles. Now here's the thing. Before she came down with shingles, she said she felt very lethargic again, like she did when she had mono. Only this isn't new. Usually sometime every year she has a cycle (usually lasting 2-3 months) when she is very lethargic, not hungry, and her hair is very brittle. It is during these periods where she often becomes sick -- maybe this is when her mono set in in high school, or maybe it never really was mono. Maybe it was the onset of this cyclical thing going on. Or maybe the mono set something else off. Anyway, it's been going on for about 6 years. She's now over the worst of the shingles, but the extreme lethargy is still there. Again, this is cyclical. When the cycle ends, she feels great, she runs everyday, etc. She is otherwise very healthy -- eats well, sleeps well, exercises, is happy, generally relaxed, etc. She does have some pretty severe allergies and asthma, but they've rarely been a problem in this other country, which is tropical. She's moving to the U.S. next month, so will be undergoing some tests. We do know that all the girls in our family have some form of PCOS. (This particular daughter rarely ovulates -- same as how I was, but I always felt great.) Also, I had a wonky thyroid in my 30's, so it could be that, though I thought she had her thyroid checked once and she seems kind of young for that. Any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 When my vitamin D is critically low I feel like I have mono all over again. My hair is less healthy too. So that would be one thing I'd put on the list to check. A history of mono is common in people with Chronic Farigue Syndrome. "Normal" thyroid levels vary by person, so testing for that with her previous numbers in hand to compare. Also be sure the doctor is using the newer number guidelines. Stress can do this too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted November 16, 2015 Author Share Posted November 16, 2015 When my vitamin D is critically low I feel like I have mono all over again. My hair is less healthy too. So that would be one thing I'd put on the list to check. A history of mono is common in people with Chronic Farigue Syndrome. "Normal" thyroid levels vary by person, so testing for that with her previous numbers in hand to compare. Also be sure the doctor is using the newer number guidelines. Stress can do this too. I thought about vitamin D, although she lives in such a sunshine-y climate, that I wouldn't think it would be a problem. But I guess it wouldn't hurt to supplement and have it checked. Does chronic fatigue syndrome go in cycles like that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 If you don't need a referral, I'd try to find an outside-the-box immunologist for a workup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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