I've had a fever of 99.2-100.5F on and off since July, for the last couple of weeks the fever has been a bit higher. Never under 99.2. I feel really tired all the time and sometimes have pain in my lower left back and upper left abdomen. Most mornings I wake up with a headache.
Ive been to an infectious disease specialist who says "something is definitely wrong" but she can't seem to find out what. I've had CBC, lyme, Mono, HIV, and other tick born disease tests all of which have come back negative. I'm starting to get incredibly frustrated.
Does anyone have any ideas?/feel this way?
Help!
99 and 100 aren't really fever...have you had any temperatures higher than that? Any other symptoms such as night sweats or weight loss? I know many patients say that "Well that's a fever for me," but it doesn't really work that way. When we talk about fever of unknown origin, by definition it must be greater than or equal to 38.3C (that's about 101F), it must have gone on for more than 3 weeks and initial investigations have not proven any obvious source.
Infectious diseases physicians often see these types of cases in their clinic. You always want to rule out an occult infection (tuberculosis outside the lung, an intraabdominal abscess and endocarditis) and also an occult malignancy like lymphoma. Did you have any CT scans of your abdomen and/or chest?
Unfortunately, up to 30% of people who present with an FUO don't get a specific diagnosis; however, the nice thing about this is that they are the ones who tend to get better spontaneously without any treatment.
PS I should also mention that many docs forget to look in to their patients' mouths when they present with FUO. Have you had problems with your teeth? Have you gotten an echocardiogram to rule out endocarditis? (infection of a heart valve)
Thanks for your reply. Yes the fever has been over 101 on occasion.. In fact, today it's around 100.8. The doctor also said that my spleen appears to be swollen.
I got a call from the DR that said I did in fact have mono? This is odd to me because I was tested for that the second time around and heard nothing back.
I've had no CT scans, but have had several chest X-rays.
Is it common for mono to last for months? I've been this sick since June and its currently November. (approx 5 months)...
My CBC and sed rates are all normal. Could this still be some type of malignancy? or should I trust the Mono diagnosis and hope for the best?
