Greetings.
In late November of 1990, I took ill, and was tested for Mono. The
doctor informed me that I didn't have Mono, but _did_ have CMV. I asked him
what it was, he told me to go look it up. He then went on vacation [to
Bermuda, I believe]. I looked it up, grasped the basic concept of it, and
spent 3 weeks sleeping, trying to eat jello, and taking Nuprin. After that
I felt pretty much better, and went on with life. The doctor returned from
his vacation, and asked me to come in for further blood tests. I [politely]
told him to pack sand. [I don't appreciate doctors who won't give me
information about illnesses, particularly the going-on-vacation ones].
Recently, I had a cold, and a friend of mine also had a cold. We
spend large amounts of time in each other's company, colds or not. She now
has some of the preliminary symptoms of a CMV infection - swollen lymph
nodes in her neck, extreme fatigue, high fever. She's getting tested
tomorrow. We are, as the song says, hoping for the best but expecting the
worst.
I have been told in recent days that CMV has a tendency to remain
in someone, latent or inactive, and reactivate if their immune system drops
or if the CMV is transferred into someone else's body. I've also been told
that I may not be immune to CMV, and may only have an inactive case of it.
Right now, as a 'CMV survivor' I have a good bit more general
knowledge of the critter than the average man on the street. However, I
don't know as much about it as the average expert. I'd like to learn more.
I'm very concerned as to what the current risk is, both to myself
and to those around me. I'd like to find out how it can be transmitted,
exactly how much damage it does to what, what triggers it, and what
secondary infections should be guarded against. I'd _especially_ like to
find out whether there's any way to zap it when it's inactive.
-Shag
--
Freedom belongs to only those without video screens for eyes and mouth.
- Queensryche