Starting to wonder - Immune Disorders Message Board

dazedandconfused10 · 05-25-2006, 03:05 PM

my story in a nutshell- grew up in smoking household, had multiple bouts of pneumonia and bronchitis each. Fx neck in car accident that caused me to be dx with fibro which I'm not sure what it is. Recently dx with asthma and less than a month later picked up something viral that the dr tested me for mono. Came back negative -whew husband would have freaked! Anyway he brought up the possiblity of immunity issues. I got this virus sunday, still have a 100F fever. I am tired alot and have anxiety issues but now I'm getting scared. My step son had this, same sort of thing lasted about 3 days, I'm on day 5 and not better. Could I have an immunity condition , are there some I should read about or others that involve your ability to recover. My husband is usually able to tough out getting sick, I really struggle. Im just not sure if I'm a wimp or if I should be researching this.

charleyhorse · 05-25-2006, 06:21 PM

Hi there .... I think its good that your dr is bringing up immunity issues. Most people, including many family doctors, don't realize that a primary immune deficiency can manifest itself at any age. People tend to think of the 'boy in the bubble' when we talk immune deficiency but there are many different types and different severity levels and some of them don't tend to get diagnosed until adulthood. There is a whole battery of tests that can pinpoint a problem if it exists. It takes a while to get a diagnosis but I think its worth taking your dr up on his suggestion. Your family dr can probably do the initial screening tests and if the results merit further investigation I would suggest asking for a consult with a clinical immunologist. Sometimes there is nothing alarming in the test results - there is quite a huge range of 'normal' out there and sometimes people at the low end of normal just struggle a lot more with immune issues. Keep us posted on what your dr says.
Barb

dazedandconfused10 · 05-25-2006, 08:39 PM

Thanks for the answer , my pcp recently left so I inherited his partner and to be honest none of them have put a lot of faith in me. I think I'll see how long this stupid virus lasts and then call the pulmonologist and see what he thinks. He was surprised I even had a low fever today. Thinnking about my life especially the past ten years, when I get sick I usually am exhausted and require a lot of rest. This is actually a sore point with my husband who toughs everything out. And I'm kind of amazed cause he really doesn't seem like he feels the same and everything lasts longer with me. I guess I'm wondering if there are types of immunity defiiciences people know of that I can research. I don't know if its where I live or medical profession nowadays but the more info I walk in with the better chance I have of getting accurate tx. Like when I saw the pulmonologist and had kept track of the cough for six months it really helped him narrow things down and he's been great!
Plus my hx of a c6 fx and possible fibromyalgia makes me wonder who can handle these pieces together. My pcp doesn't seem too. I don't seem to get everything but when I do, bam I am out! So if this sounds like anything to anyone I would really appreciate subjects to research. Believe me I know no-one can diagnose me. Im actually hopeing I can read and decide its not worth pursuing , this SCARES me. If anyone can help I'd greatly appreciate it.

charleyhorse · 05-27-2006, 11:44 AM

I always like to 'know the enemy' myself so I do spend a lot of time roaming around medical sites. I try to be careful with the information and not let it stress me out, but sometimes it is helpful to drs if you have some suggestions for them to consider. I joked with my dr about how much he must hate patients using the net to diagnose themselves and he said he actually prefers it to when patients just passively waited for him to come up with ideas. If you want to look into immune deficiency issues, try doing a search for Antibody Deficiency. That sums up a lot of the more common immune problems that can manifest themselves in adults. good luck
Barb