It helps in this world if you know how to Google the right question.

At first, when I started my quest to fight what I thought originally was Mononucelosis, I only posed the search engine queries that would take me to conventional Western medicine sites on my iMac or iPad or iPhone. (Yup, I’m an Apple guy…)

And I learned quite a bit. I’m glad I at least investigated what “modern medicine” had to say about EBV, the dreaded and debilitating Epstein-Barr Virus that I THOUGHT I’d contracted back in September of 2016 — apparently by taking into my mouth even a tiny little bit of saliva from someone who was still contagious but probably didn’t know it.

However.  

After a year of only knowing what Western medicine could tell me,

I was still sick and miserable.

Finally, when doing one of my desperate acts of trying to feel better by going out to actually play 9 holes of golf, I swung too vigorously and re-injured my lower back, which sent me for badly needed prolotherapy to…

 D.O. Mary Harrow of Colorado Springs, Colorado  

and her Center For Vital Health.

 Her specialty is treating any old nagging sports

or work injuries involving muscles and ligaments.

More details on that later in another blog.  But right after receiving my prolotherapy treatment, I complained to Dr. Harrow about what I thought was my ongoing Mono struggle and asked if she knew anything at all that could help me. (After all, she is a D.O.)

Casually stating that Mono was chronic, as if there were no other versions of the disease to be hoped for, she did mention two things that might offer some help. She made it clear she wasn’t prescribing anything, because “treating Mono” can be really iffy-tricky.

Nevertheless, she wrote down for me…

Instructions on how to get from a nearby pharmacy

a 15-week pack of megadose D3 (cost $10). 

And…

she let her assistant sell me two things

from her own available stock:

1. Klaire Labs Ther-Biotic Complete

A 25-Billion+ Multi-Species Probiotic Supplement

$60 (about a dollar a day)

– and – 

2. Blue Ice Cinnamon Tingle Fermented Cod Liver Oil,

A Natural Source of Omega 3, 6, 7, and 9 Fatty Acids.

$40…and how long will it last?

I wish I could say that I’ve gotten all healed from what I thought was Mono by taking these expensive supplements.

All I can say is, they’ve helped a little.

I did learn from my father, when his 85-year-old memory finally served him, that he himself had years ago been diagnosed with a severe Vitamin D deficiency and had been prescribed a “professional regimen” of the supplement to recover. He takes 5,000 IU’s a day regularly now.

So there was reason to believe the powerful Ortho Molecular Products Vitamin D3 50,000 IU capsules would eventually make a radical difference in my Mono symptoms. I don’t eat much dairy or other foods with Vitamin D3 and don’t get all that much sunshine since I work indoors.

Well, here’s what’s actually happened. After taking only one weekly capsule, I did feel a rush of energy. And 12 weeks into my 15-week treatment, I regularly feel an energetic surge on the day I take my Vitamin D3 megadose.

But the seemingly inescapable symptoms of feverish headache, body aches, and fatigue were — until four weeks ago — still with me way too often (though the depression had finally lifted!) .

A few exceptions of “normal feelings” occurred here and there after plenty of rest and good diet and little exercise. If I violated any of these principles, though, I relapsed, so to speak.

But then…

One day I decided I hadn’t searched enough.

And I Googled the question:

“How do I fight Chronic Mononucleosis?”

Whoa!

Suddenly, I was facing a plethora of resources.

There were videos galore from both professionals and regular individuals, with lots of recommended homeopathic herbal treatments, etc.

Next time, I’ll tell you what I sank my money into…and let you know how things are going!

It’s horribly dreaded.

It’s pathetically debilitating.

I’ve got the retrovirus infection called simply Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. 

(Updated: March 2, 2020 … I had originally thought my illness was a prolonged cased of the flu. Then I thought it had to be Mono…even Chronic Mononucleosis. But my Nutritionist at Lifetime Fitness asked me a few questions — had a gotten a sore throat or swollen lymph glands, the answers both being no! — and I was told I had something just as difficult to bear…CFS. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.)

Back in late September of 2016 — before I ever gave a new start to this blog called Grand Vitality in my personal “Quest for Zest in Body, Soul, and Wallet” — I somehow contracted a retroviral infection at the age of 60.

And I’ve been fighting it ever since. The following paragraphs are what I first wrote when I thought I had Mono…

Well, first off, how in the world did I catch this monster that’s part of the family of viruses called Epstein-Barr?! EBV, as you surely know, is commonly referred to as “the kissing disease.” How could I have gotten it…

..when I wasn’t kissing any ladies back then? I’ve been divorced for 20 years now and wasn’t dating at the time! I had my hunches. I could have inadvertently shared eating/drinking utensils with a contagious young relative at a family dinner who wasn’t showing symptoms — a scenario that’s quite possible, I’ve learned.

Or maybe when my young niece gave me a quick peck on the mouth to say goodbye at the end of some other family get-together — she’d been officially diagnosed with it but was “over it” — she unwittingly infected me, not aware she was still contagious for a year after seeing all her own symptoms disappear.

Whatever. I got it. And I wished I hadn’t.

I eventually researched and learned from one source that the longest recorded case of Mono lasted 18 months. But there are other articles online that say there is a possibility Mono can drag on and on, month after month after month…for who knows how long?

Then there is…chronic mononucleosis. In which case your symptoms never go away.

And there is its derivative — Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Yikes.

AND THAT'S WHAT I HAVE, AFTER ALL. 

ITS MEDICAL NAME IS MYALGIC ENCEPHALOMYELITIS.

I waited for months for my symptoms to go away. I wanted badly to be rid of the flu-like headaches and body aches and deep-seated fatigue in my bones and muscles. Even more, I wanted to be free of my EBV-induced depression. At times, I would have given anything just to feel an ounce of joy and real hope!

So I often felt desperate to hit the gym and pump iron again — and I did, here and there — just to get a burst of good adrenaline and endorphins. I even practiced golf on the driving range and chipping green, soaking up the sunshine and fresh air.

But it was almost impossible to do more than a little exercise at a time. Nothing more at the gym than a mere quick run-through. And I could never get through a full work day as a freelance writer.

The feeling of being totally alive for more than brief spurts, then, was gone. And for good, it seemed. I had to constantly take naps. I had to stay in bed at night for 12-14 hours. And when I woke, rather than feeling refreshed, I felt like I had just come down with the flu.

It was a battle just to get out of bed.

So….was this going to go on forever?

How to fight back?

I can’t cover it all today in this Part 1, but I will tell you what I did to at least launch my PERSONAL BATTLE AGAINST WHAT IS CALLED CFS – CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME...back when I still thought it was Mono.

1. I renewed my determination to steadily make and drink my own homemade kombucha. Though it’s an hour-long hassle to prepare every couple of weeks, I’ve felt too strongly (to ever quit doing it) the revitalizing effect of this near-miraculous immune system-building fermented treat that has all kinds of good stuff in it. Using a locally purchased, self-multiplying SCOBY — stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast — I made strawberry kombucha, ginger-lemon kombucha, and just plain ol’ lemon-and-sugar kombucha using organic black tea and organic sugar. Yum.
2. I also made home-made goat milk kefir. Same story as with the kombucha. I could definitely tell the difference in my vitality when I did or didn’t drink it. But I eventually had repercussions from the dairy — drainage, coughing — and had to stop.
3. More recently, I even purchased a refrigerated probiotic capsule supply from my D.O. here in Colorado, Mary Harrow. I knew I’d partly ruined my gut environment (where 70% or more of our immune system lives) from heavy antibiotic treatment in my youth and adult years past.  I needed all the good bacteria in my system I could get.
4. All along, from my local Whole Foods or Sprouts store I purchased cold fermented probiotic sauerkraut and kimchi . Love them both, though they’re a challenge to eat regularly because they are so full of “sour power.” I struggle often to remember to eat one of them with various meals, but it’s worth it to get the benefits of these excellent immune system builders loaded with probiotic strength.

With these four strategies…and lots of rest…                                                                 …slowly, slowly, I’ve made progress in feeling better.

But I’ve not returned yet to being able to work out vigorously. If I do more than a few reps on any weight resistance machine at LifeTime Fitness or even walk too vigorously on the road near my home, I relapse into bad flu-like symptoms within 24 hours.

So I’ve several times had to pay the price for my zeal by collapsing back into bed for a day or even two, missing life and work and everything else.

But thanks to the Maker of Heaven and Earth….!

That’s not the end of my story. I’ve recently made some discoveries. And I’m eager to tell you about them.

Maybe I can help you or someone you know. Read on to Part 2 of this blog!