Parvovirus B19?

[Batmanfan1]

I have had several health problems for the last 6 months. They started after long term antibiotics and being on Lortab for 2+ weeks. I have a pressure like feeling on the right side of my head, tension headaches, extreme fatigue, numbness & tingling in arms and legs, memory loss, fuzzy headed, muscle cramps/knots in my neck & shoulder, but only on the right side, sore throat with white chunks only on the right side too. I have been to 2 Docs and have had 16 blood tests done. The only thing of interest was an antibody to Parvovirus B19, which means that I have recently been infected with it. I read that symptoms could last a few months and some are close to what I have. Has anyone else had this? I'm really losing this fight, please help.

[fudd]

B19 usually is associated with a fever, weakness, and a very characteristic "slapped faced" rash (literally - it looks like you got slapped in each cheek). Antibody to B19 could mean that it was a recent infection, but not necessarily. You need to find out if the titer was for IgG or IgM. If you have IgG to B19, it means it is a distant infection (more than a few months) and you will test positive for B19 IgG for a long time (upwards of ten years). If you have IgM to B19, it means that it is indeed a recent infection and your symptoms may very well be from this virus. Your IgM test only stays positive for a month or two, after which you will become IgM negative and IgG positive. I know it sounds confusing, but think of IgM as short term antibody and IgG as long term.

By the way, there's nothing to worry about with B19 unless you are pregnant (at which point your MD probably would have referred you to OB, since this is a very serious infection in pregnant women).

[Batmanfan1]

Thanks for the reply! I've read that adults don't get the rash from B19, It was from a medical book, so I think it is true. I'm not sure if they found IgG or IgM, but I think it must be the IgM or they wouldn't have mentioned it. I'm just trying to find the source of my troubles, as I'm unsure how it all began. I think I was sick ( from B19?) and became stressed out and ended up with anxiety problems, but I wanted to see if anyone else has had something similar happen. Thanks again for the reply!