Epstein Barr Virus
 

Anyone dealt with this and how did you get over it ?

Our 11 year old came back from holiday with the worst virus I've seen on any of our 4 kids. In fact we took him to the Childrens hospital fearing he had meningococcal, as he was so incredibly listless and in pain. Takes a lot for us to take a kid to the Childrens .... normally only for broken limbs.

Still not sure what he has got 1 week later, but still very listless and in pain and the Doctor at the Childrens said it probably was EBV. Which is basically Glandular fever I think.

Is this one of these things that has to run it's course, or is there something you can do to make the child feel better ?

I've never seen a kid knocked out so bad by a virus. Certainly not one of ours.

Sunday today, so it's either back to the hospital... or we will take him to a non bulk billing doctor tomorrow and see if they can take the time to make an accurate and firm diagnosis.

So if anyone has had EBV can you let me know how long it took to get over it ?

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Yea, i had it a few years ago. What you mean by pain? I was just extremely tired all the time

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Sons got abdominable pain with this and vomiting. So we are not sure if the Doctor was correct.

We queried appendicitis at the time as well.

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Did the doctor take a blood test to confirm EBV?

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Keep him well hydrated(not easy but VERY important) and if yer not happy take him to yer local emergency dept and DONT leave until you are happy.

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Not yet, that was a hospital visit at 1.30am on Tuesday....we were waiting for the symptoms to die down but they havent.... so we will be doing the blood test thing tomorrow.


Very different virus this one. It could be one of those Mossie Virus things. We are keeping him Hyrdrated, but it's hard work and he doesnt want to know.

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Hi Ozzieeagle

Sorry to hear about your son. I'm sure you've had a look yourself but a quick google brought up this:

Symptoms of Epstein-Barr Virus
The infection develops slowly with such mild symptoms that it may initially be indistinguishable from a cold or the flu. As the condition progresses the symptoms may include:

* A sore throat that lasts two weeks or more
* Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, and groin
* A persistent fever (usually about 102 degrees F)
* Fatigue
* Malaise (a vague feeling of discomfort)

//www.healthscout.com/ency/68/44/main.html

I'd definitely be looking at getting a second opinion. If your son's been vomiting all week then he's probably going to be dehydrated.

Hope he's ok soon :)

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

If it was appendicitis trust me you would know,the pain would be extreme,but well worth mentioning again if seeking medical attention.

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Taking him back to the Childrens, because of the Hydration issue.

Cannot repeat how unusual that is for us in our 27 years of parenting.... Broken bones only usually.

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Life is like that my friend.You really need to get on top of the hydration issue,important for all of us but esp kids:thumbup:

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Sorry, wrote a reply about the wrong virus, was confusing it with Guillain Barre syndrome which is very nasty.

Hope the poor lad gets a proper diagnosis and appropriate treatment asap! Make sure he rests even if he thinks he feels better. My son was told to keep off his bike for a long while after he had GF and not allowed to do his usual exercise.

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

The spleen can be involved in EBV infection, causing abdominal discomfort.

For some reason - I can't remember why - teenagers are much more affected than adults or infants.

Teens should abstain from contact sports for at least 3 months, due to the (low) risk of the spleen rupturing.

Pls keep us updated :)

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

He is on a drip down at the hospital at present, got seen straight away. Had some blood tests, apparently has an enlarged liver, and will probably be kept in overnight.

Still dont know exactly what is wrong with him.

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Wishing him a speedy recovery - before you know it he will be back on his feet and under yours!!!!!

Re: Epstein Barr Virus
 

Where did he go on holiday? Could be a vital clue as to what he's picked up - sorry I may have been watching too much of House on tv! Has he been in river water or had he had a cut that something could have got into? He could have picked up some bug that has given him a liver infection.

I know someone over here who picked up something on a trip (okay it was to India) and it was misdiagnosed here by the GP and the poor guy ended up very ill in hospital. Fortunately he recovered but only because he was in hospital and got proper tests but it was something to do with a water bourne virus or bugs in the water.

Glad to hear he's now in hospital and fingers crossed that he gets better soon.

KK