A little over a year ago, I was stricken with a virus that literally kicked my butt for about six months, with every symptom or side effect associated with the sickness. I have never been sick like that nor for as long as I was.
Research shows that most people are not affected as badly as I was unless they have a compromised immune system. However, it is par for the course for me as I typically contract any sickness going around, and it usually manifests in a worse manner within my body.
The virus is called CMV (Cytomegalovirus). CMV is a genus of viruses in the order Herpesviruses, in the family Herpesviridae, in the subfamily Betaherpesvirinae. We humans and other primates are natural hosts to this butt-kicking virus.
Unfortunately, I am still feeling some residual effects, hence why I am researching how peptide treatments might be helpful. For one, if I can find some success with peptide shots healing the torn meniscus in my knees, I won’t have to have knee replacement surgery, and two, I will be able to engage in a more rigorous workout, including cardiovascular exercises to lose weight and address the other symptoms.
The symptoms below are believed to be connected as a post-viral syndrome rather than isolated complaints. Here are the residual effects I am currently experiencing:
- Vagal nerve dysfunction
- Posterior neck tightness and stiffness
- Anterior neck fullness
- Swallowing issues: feels like the drink went down “the wrong pipe”, then I start coughing, and it turns into the hiccups – hypersensitive cough-hiccup reflex
- Ear pain with a referral pattern consistent with neck muscle involvement
- Random dizzy spells
- Dizziness triggered by lateral eye movement only (eyes left, head still)
- Scalp sensitivity triggering lightheadedness
- Post-viral wheezing
- Easy winding/shortness of breath
- Heartburn without dietary triggers
- Several months of changed bowel consistency (Bristol #6)
- Upper right quadrant abdominal tenderness
- Back pain, lower right side near the kidney (painful to touch or laying on that side too long while sleeping)
According to WebMD, “Peptides are strings of molecules called amino acids, which are the “building blocks” of proteins. Peptides are basically short proteins that are about 2-100 amino acids long.
Peptide therapy is the use of peptides to change or improve how certain parts of your body work. For instance, some athletes use growth hormone-releasing peptides to help their body produce more growth hormone. This can help their bones and muscles recover after hard training and competing,”.
Peptide treatments offer genuine promise for addressing my lingering CMV symptoms — from knee repair to nerve recovery — and I’m cautiously optimistic about exploring them further.
*Note: All content within this article is meant for informational purposes only and is in no way a replacement for professional medical or psychological advice or support. Seek immediate and appropriate care from a healthcare professional should you or a trusted loved one deem it necessary.
What are the neurological symptoms of CMV?
Because I have had severe nerve pain since the inception of CMV in my body, and now issues with my vagus nerve, I wonder what other neurological symptoms are present and possible for someone with this virus.
Progressive neuropsychological symptoms, such as motor weakness, sensory deficits, and decreased memory, attention, and concentration, are characteristic of CMV infection and are often accompanied by:
- Cranial nerve deficits
- Ataxia (poor muscle control that causes clumsy movements. It can affect walking and balance, hand coordination, speech and swallowing, and eye movements)
- Hemiparesis(one-sided muscle weakness because of disruptions in your brain, spinal cord, or the nerves that connect to the affected muscles)
- Hemianopia (means a person loses half of their visual field in one or both eyes. In some cases, a person may only lose a quarter of their vision)
When I first had the virus, I had the following other symptoms and manifestations of the CMV virus:
- Severe ear pain
- Multiple (seven) cold sores at once (not normal for me)
- Rash
- Lethargy
- Body aches
- Swollen lymph nodes in my neck, armpits, and groin
- Nausea
- Blurry vision
- Yellow stool, diarrhea
- Weak arms and legs
- Tired easily
- Knees and elbows feel swollen and tender
- Cloudy thinking
- Bruising easily
- Feeling weak, lightheaded, dizzy
- Chronic bleeding sore in the nose
- Body aches
- Joint pain in the elbows and knees
- Swollen lymph nodes in the back of my head, tender scalp, elbows, biceps, and pads on my hands
- Random pains in my spleen
- Muscle pain and aches, primarily upon laying down to sleep at night – intense nerve pain persisted for one to three hours, impeding rest
(CMV can indeed cause significant nerve pain, often manifesting as a condition called “CMV polyradiculopathy,” which involves inflammation and damage to nerve roots, leading to symptoms like severe pain, numbness, weakness, etc.)
- Deep chest congestion, coughing, mucus, headaches, heavy breathing, sore lungs, wheezing, thick mucus
- Coughing so hard I must hold my stomach as it hurts, and I’m in pain under my ribs (it feels like I am being stabbed in my liver), sneezing, head and chest congestion
- The virus has manifested into tissue-invasive conditions such as pneumonitis and non-alcoholic hepatitis
(Pneumonitis (noo-moe-NIE-tis) generally refers to inflamed lung tissue not caused by an infection)
(Hepatitis means inflammation of the liver. Any damage or inflammation can impact its functioning. Symptoms of CMV hepatitis in adults and children include fever, pain in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen, jaundice, anemia)
- Ankle pain feels like shin splints
- Multiple sores on the roof of my mouth
Furthermore, in response to the enlarged liver and pneumonitis, the health care professionals gave me a steroid shot, another course of antibiotics, and a strong dose of oral steroids. Basically, the antibiotics were used to prevent the pneumonitis from turning into an infection.
Managing CMV
Maintaining a well-rounded approach to CMV management has been vital to my journey toward recovery. Alongside the interventions and remedies I’ve been using, I’ve decided to explore additional strategies to help mitigate symptoms and promote healing. Engaging in gentle exercise, such as yoga and stretching, helped increase my energy levels and alleviate muscle aches without overstraining my body.
Since there wasn’t much they could do for me besides manage the symptoms, I had to nurse myself back to good health with food and homeopathic remedies, with:
- Homemade, organic chicken soup
- Greek yogurt and dark red cherries
- Apples and organic peanut butter
- Detox and chamomile teas
- Water, water, and more water
- Water with electrolytes
- Lots of sleep
- Breathing treatments
- Vitamin C and multivitamins
- Nightly Epsom salt baths
- Nightly jetted tub baths
I have continued a lot of these practices because, as I mentioned above, I am still feeling the effects of the CMV, most notably the vagus nerve dysfunction and, more recently, my liver and my right kidney feel sore and hurt to touch.
Peptide treatments
In conclusion, peptide treatments offer genuine promise for addressing my lingering CMV symptoms — from knee repair to nerve recovery — and I’m cautiously optimistic about exploring them further.