DH has been sick for over two weeks now. He's a workaholic so I know he is ill when he doesn't go in to the office. In the past two weeks he's been to work 3.5 days. He's been to the doctor twice and plans to go tomorrow but in the meantime I figured I'd ask here and see what MM thinks.
It started with fever, chills, total lack of energy (like to the point he couldn't drive or function without me), dehydration, total body muscle aches, lack of appetite. He went to the ER/quick care center and was diagnosed with the flu. He started to feel better after about 4 days, then the second round of symptoms started.
With round 2, DH had shortness of breath and lack of energy/appetite. Again, it was to the point that he couldn't drive or function without me. I took him back to the doctor and he was given an inhaler (he has asthma but it hasn't bothered him for years) and albuterol with orders to do breathing treatments with a nebulizer. The chest xray was clear--no broncitis. He was better in about 2 days to the point that he could return to work but didn't last entire days.
After he returned to work he had extreme migraine tension headache that forced him to come home.
Now 2 weeks later he is able to get out and about but he still complains of lack of appetite, a constant uneasy stomach, and the worst symptom of all--lack of energy/fatigue. I think if he could he'd sleep all day and still have no trouble sleeping at night, he's just super tired. He still has a fever of about 101, but it comes and goes. He said it comes really fast and goes really fast.
So what do you think? I've googled and can't come up with much. At the second doctor's visit the doctor seemed convinced the flu was almost better. Now we aren't sure what is going on.
Post by hannamaren on Nov 25, 2012 21:35:07 GMT -5
Sounds like a bad flu that had worse symptoms due to the underlying asthma. Hope he clears up soon. The headaches could be sinus related or just flu related or due to lack of caffeine that he is used to, etc
Mono was my guess too but nothing I've read about mono says anything about the flu like symptoms.
My son was sick with a bad cough, runny nose and congestion so bad that it started coming out of his eyes, but he seems better now. I was sick with what felt like a bad cold but I took a z-pack and feel great now. My daughter hasn't had anything, knock on wood. I figured if it was flu or mono we'd all have it. DS and I got the flu shot the day DH was diagnosed. We had an appointment to get it the first week of December but we hustled when we saw how bad DH was.
Giardia sounds interesting, I had never heard of it. But he doesn't have vomiting, bloating or diarrhea.
Looks like there is Valley Fever in our area. I had never heard of that either. He's going to ask for a blood test tomorrow if the doctor doesn't recommend it, so I guess that will help get to the bottom of this.
The more I read, the more I think it's just the flu and it isn't going away. The symptoms for the flu are exacly what he's experiencing. The thing that gets me is the extreme fatigue. He said he doesn't even feel like he has the energy to swing a golf club. I thought it would be a cold day in hell before I ever heard him say that.
Is he allowing himself to really rest and recover? It might be a long flu, and he might be relapsing if he isn't taking it easy enough for long enough.
The flu really can last for 2 weeks, but at this point I'd definitely be seeking a second opinion.
The only thing that comes to mind that hasn't been mentioned is Lyme disease.
Dumb question, but isn't Lyme disease transmitted by ticks? We don't have fleas or ticks where we live and he hasn't been outside of our city for over 5 months.
The flu really can last for 2 weeks, but at this point I'd definitely be seeking a second opinion.
The only thing that comes to mind that hasn't been mentioned is Lyme disease.
Dumb question, but isn't Lyme disease transmitted by ticks? We don't have fleas or ticks where we live and he hasn't been outside of our city for over 5 months.
It is, so scratch that off the list! I have just always heard that Lyme disease is really easily overlooked/misdiagnosed because its early symptoms are flulike. (A friend of a friend had undiagnosed Lyme disease for 3 or 4 years... insane.) It is mostly in the northeast though so if that's not your area it's unlikely.
Is he allowing himself to really rest and recover? It might be a long flu, and he might be relapsing if he isn't taking it easy enough for long enough.
This is what I think could be causing the recurrence. He thinks he's better so he goes back to work and goes back to handling the kids and then he's back in bed the next day. I wish he'd just sit in bed for a few days to shake it.
I'm guessing the flu or mono. When I had mono in college I initially thought I had strep throat. The first doctor I saw about 2 days after flu-like symptoms started claimed I had a sinus infection. Then I flat out couldn't get out of bed the next day (Sunday) and my mom drove me to the doctor on Monday and my regular doctor took one look at me and knew immediately I had mono. By then I was having trouble breathing, but it was because my throat was so swollen.
You can get a mono diagnosis with a quick blood test, so it might not hurt to ask for one.
I will definitely tell him to ask for a blood test. From what I've read about mono, there are a lot of throat symptoms involved--swollen throat/lymph nodes, sore throat, etc. He said his throat is fine. I hope it isn't mono, I know it's highly contagious.
Thank you. I'm actually kinda hoping it's the flu. I'm also hoping he'll just relax the next few days. He has a trip across the country planned for Thursday.
When I had mono, fatigue was my #1 symptom. I also had throat and eye problems, but just felt generally more flu-like (dx after being sick for over 3 weeks). No one else in the family caught it, and no one I knew had it either.
You can look up the current prevalence of the flu in your state here. If you're in a solid state, the chances are pretty good that it's the flu. www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/usmap.htm
This sounds exactly like my experience with mono, down to the first and second round of symptoms. I had no appetite the entire time, and the fatigue lasted about 6 weeks. The whole thing started with what felt like strep throat, but when the cultures came back negative for it, the college doc checked my spleen (it was solid as a rock it was so swollen) sent me for blood tests which is how it was diagnosed.
I'd put money on him having mono, not that I'd want to win a bet for that! The good news is that if it is mono, he'll feel better in a week or 2.
I'm just curious but have the docs checked his labs. They can always run a rapid flu, spot mono, and Complete blood count. From the symptoms you are describing I think he may very well have had the flu but I also believe he may be anemic. Asthmatics are almost always chronically anemic. When you have too few red blood cells, your body has a hard time oxygenating the vital organs. Therefore, your lungs have to work harder to get that oxygen where it needs to go. Over time, an asthmatic's blood will become hemoconcentrated, meaning dehydrated to concentrate the red blood cells within the veins and arteries. This puts the patient at a greater risk of developing worse symptoms with any infection. Rehydration is a temporary fix, but iron supplements are most often prescribed to help the bone marrow reproduce more red blood cells. If the other rapid tests ae negative, I would request a complete blood count and a Lyme antigen study. Hope this helps.
I had mono that I thought was just strep throat at first. I was so very exhausted and run down. Truly, I hope it is the flu and he gets rested up to get past it. Get well Mr. Vegas.
vegas, I have what sounds like the exact same thing as your H. I am on day 29. It basically felt like I got the flu twice. Now I have shortness of breath and cough for like a week. No pneumonia on my chest xray. I took Zithromax starting 7 days ago and still not better.