Yep, me again. Mononucleosis ?

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by SahmTam, Feb 18, 2010.

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  1. SahmTam

    SahmTam Tammy

    Has anyone else had mono-- and had success with antivirals? I saw on another thread that mono is a herpes virus. Never knew that, but the light bulb went on b/c I had it in college- and a year later I started having issues with my hearing. No tinnitus or vertigo or anything back then- all that I noticed was that voices sounded garbled over the phone in one ear (and darn I wish I could recall if it was my right ear- I just can't remember, though. At the time it seemed rather insignificant). I went to the doc and got an intern who put a tuning fork to me ear and said I was imagining things (nice!- good thing he met my 19yo self and not my 35yo self lol).

    Anyway, I am really thinking viral now. Hmm. This could be significant, right?
     
  2. luckyswife

    luckyswife New Member

    I agree,it could be significant.I never thought of mono.I had it when I was a kid,about 10 years old.I remember being very,very, sick.My mother had a priest come and pray for me I was so sick.Never even thought about the viral link.
     
  3. Jordan

    Jordan New Member

    Hi SahmTam,

    I believe that June (a member of this forum) had mono at one point. I am sure she will be along to explain more, but she did take antivirals and had success with them.

    Chicken pox is another herpes-related virus that most people have had. Once you get the chicken pox, it always remains dormant somewhere in the system and can manifest as shingles (or herpes of the inner ear) later in life. I am sure other people can explain this better as I am still learning about these issues myself.
     
  4. egross

    egross New Member

    I had mono ten years ago. But then again I've had chicken pox, herpes, measles, mumps, and maybe more I can't think of right now. I wonder if there is a problem/difficulty for doctors to prescribe antivirals to someone like me who has had so many. You probably would need to know which virus is causing the problem, I would think? Do antivial medication cover any and all viruses?
     
  5. Jordan

    Jordan New Member

    Egross,
    I do not think it is a problem. Herpes-related viruses are typically treated with acyclovir (some people take valtrex or famvir). They will not be able to "see" the virus in your inner ear, so they will prescribe based on the assumption it is a herpes virus. But you need a doctor to prescribe the right dosage because taking antivirals for Meniere's is not like treating other conditions. The dosages are higher and are taken for a longer time.
     
  6. June-

    June- New Member

    I did. I had a very severe cmv mono (both EpsteinBarr and CMV are herpes viruses) 10 months before I got the cochlear hydrops. I was 59 when I got the mono and had a severe case of it perhaps because of my age. I was just feeling back to my normal endurance level a few months before I got slammed with the hearing distortion which was first diagnosed as 'early Menieres' and subsequently as 'cochlear hydrops'. Nothing the dr's came up with helped at all for 9 months. Then based on Caribbean's and others' posts and some encouragement from my family dr who had treated me for the mono and always suspected it was involved, I tried acyclovir. BINGO! Within a week I had improvement in my hearing which continued to improve for a month, 2 steps forward and 1 step back but no doubt about which way things were going. I later had set backs in allergy season and have taken allergy treatment as well as a 3 month course of famvir. I now have a borderline audiogram, huge improvement in the distortion area and my life back.

    I think it is very worth your while to find a dr who is willing to work with you on this. THe recommendation I was given was try it for a month and if ANY improvement, continue for 2 additional months. Good Luck! I hope this helps you like it did me.

    What Jordan said about the dosage and duration. Also, remember that just like your body may take months to heal from mono, your ear may take a while to heal. Don't expect that your recovery will be limited to what you experience the first week or month.
     
  7. egross

    egross New Member

    Does the antiviral medicine treat, improve, or eliminate all the symptoms of MM: tinnitus, aural fullness, vertigo, dizziness, etc.?
     
  8. Jordan

    Jordan New Member

    June, this is so important. I was reading about Labyrinthitis recently (a virus of the inner ear that is similar to Meniere's but often goes away on its own), and the author of the article mentioned that one might experience symptoms for up to two years even though the virus has stopped its activity. It is the same with Meniere's. You might suppress the virus early on but continue to experience "twinges" for several months. This does not necessarily mean the virus is coming back - it is simply part of the healing process, and you will continue to heal over time. Although I don't actually know what the virus looks like, I often think of it like a gash/wound that needs sufficient time to heal.

    Egross,
    In my husband's case, he has been taking acyclovir for about six months now and no longer has any of these symptoms. He had Meniere's for about nine months before he began treatment. My understanding is that the sooner you start antivirals, the better. People who have had Meniere's for a longer time may have more damage to contend with. Caribbean (another member of this forum) had Meniere's for at least 20 years before he started acyclovir, but he was also helped by the medication and even got some of his hearing back recently. I believe he takes the medication every year to keep his symptoms at bay, but it is probably better to ask him directly.

    In the meantime, here is a thread containing lots of relevant information:

    http://www.menieres.org/forum/index.php/topic,23217.0.html
     
  9. Jordan

    Jordan New Member

    I don't mean to be misleading with this statement.

    With a herpes-related virus, there is always the possibility of it becoming active again at some point in the future. This is why, once the virus is successfully suppressed with antivirals, many people take a "maintenance" dose of acyclovir or even L-Lysine...to help keep the virus at bay.
     
  10. SahmTam

    SahmTam Tammy

    Thank you all so much for this info. I have also had chicken pox- never thought of that as being connected, either!

    What I have decided is to talk to my neuro about a higher dose of SERC for a month. If it helps, great. If not- on to antivirals (if he prescribes them. If not I WILL find someone who will ;-)). Try that for a few months. Then- we'll see. I'm trying not to think about ALL of the options at once b/c it's too overwhelming right now. So, just focusing on trying these 2 for now!

    Thanks!!!!
     

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