Well folks, seems that I have befallen victim to those pesky, germ-filled flying insects, called mosquitoes. :eek2:
I have been suffering with excruciatingly painful & neck stiffness for about a month now. It seem to have begun about 3 days after I went for my flu shot so I just thought I was having a reaction to the shot, even though I never had an adverse reaction before.
However, the flu-like symptoms continued, headache, joint pain, loss of appetite, inertia, and just wanting to nap all the time! And the pain & stiffness in the neck area, getting worse & worse with each passing day. The pain would radiate to both sides of the neck, down to my shoulders and up towards my head. At times, I would get spasms on both sides of the neck similar to charley horses. Sometimes it was so painful & stiff, I could not even drive.
I kept thinking that perhaps my PC was causing neck strain and/or that my sinuses were infected. I continued to baby it by using heat & cold, staying off the laptop but nothing worked!
Finally, one day I just couldn’t stand it any longer & made an appointment w/a chiropractor & a Ear, Nose & Throat doctor to see if I could find relief. X-rays were taken, lab work, ct scan of sinus cavities & everything came back okay. No allergies, no sinus infections, nothing sinister. There was some osteopena that showed up in the neck X-rays but it wasn’t anything significant. Chiropractor gave me 3 treatments and then suggested that I go see the PCP & have him run further blood tests and check for infections. She was concerned that there may something else going on.
Last week of September, I went to my PCP and described my symptoms. I told him to make sure & check for the West Nile virus in particular because we live in a rural, farm area near irrigation canals, the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. And too, when we irrigate our pecan orchard, sometimes the water will sit in the field for days until it is absorbed by the soil.
Anyway, yesterday I went to get the results from my doctor and just as I expected, I tested positive for a strain of the West Nile virus. I was lucky to have the milder version and not the more severe full-blown strain that could have been life threatening!
I was Rx’d “Tamiflu” for 5 days and then get my blood rechecked as soon as I’m done w/the meds.
I feel like I have been dodging the bullet throughout this year. :frown2: I sure hope things start to settle down now. I’ve had enough!
I have been suffering with excruciatingly painful & neck stiffness for about a month now. It seem to have begun about 3 days after I went for my flu shot so I just thought I was having a reaction to the shot, even though I never had an adverse reaction before.
However, the flu-like symptoms continued, headache, joint pain, loss of appetite, inertia, and just wanting to nap all the time! And the pain & stiffness in the neck area, getting worse & worse with each passing day. The pain would radiate to both sides of the neck, down to my shoulders and up towards my head. At times, I would get spasms on both sides of the neck similar to charley horses. Sometimes it was so painful & stiff, I could not even drive.
I kept thinking that perhaps my PC was causing neck strain and/or that my sinuses were infected. I continued to baby it by using heat & cold, staying off the laptop but nothing worked!
Finally, one day I just couldn’t stand it any longer & made an appointment w/a chiropractor & a Ear, Nose & Throat doctor to see if I could find relief. X-rays were taken, lab work, ct scan of sinus cavities & everything came back okay. No allergies, no sinus infections, nothing sinister. There was some osteopena that showed up in the neck X-rays but it wasn’t anything significant. Chiropractor gave me 3 treatments and then suggested that I go see the PCP & have him run further blood tests and check for infections. She was concerned that there may something else going on.
Last week of September, I went to my PCP and described my symptoms. I told him to make sure & check for the West Nile virus in particular because we live in a rural, farm area near irrigation canals, the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes. And too, when we irrigate our pecan orchard, sometimes the water will sit in the field for days until it is absorbed by the soil.
Anyway, yesterday I went to get the results from my doctor and just as I expected, I tested positive for a strain of the West Nile virus. I was lucky to have the milder version and not the more severe full-blown strain that could have been life threatening!
I was Rx’d “Tamiflu” for 5 days and then get my blood rechecked as soon as I’m done w/the meds.
I feel like I have been dodging the bullet throughout this year. :frown2: I sure hope things start to settle down now. I’ve had enough!
