My husband has had heachaches for about 6 weeks and is experiencing muscle ache and flu like . He now feels slightly better but the headaches persist and he is always running a fever off and on. He sometimes feels sluggish and loses train of thought. They did a spinal tap and CT scan and MRI and everything is negative. He does work construction (waste water lines) and we did go to Cabo St Lucas in May. Don't know if anything is relevant to his sympthoms. He doc said that it probably is something viral. At this point he sleeps a lot and he is always lethargic and dazed. Any suggestions or guidance... please

I don't know where you live but by me it sounds like west nile (mosquetto born disease) but since he worked in a waste water line I would get him tested for parasites and tropical disease

Thank you for your thoughts on this mystery illness. They thought ofwest nile as well as menegitis, and valley fever and that all came back negative. Today they took blood for culture. My husbands fever was 102.3 today and he has slept a 6 hour nap today. He finally woke up and has the chills but no fever. I can't believe this is persisting. I am afraid to hear what may come back. I have a feeling that it has something to do with the waste water line he is installing. We live in Arizona. I appreciate any other thoughts...

Did they check for parisites. It would not show up unless they were looking. Did the docs know where he was?

We totally forgot the went on a cruise which stopped off in Cabo St Lucas. He did eat shrimp and chips and salsa and he hung out at the beach. It almost seems unlikely since we all ate from the same plate and why would the parasite affect only him. But I am sure that it is possible. The doc did the culture yesterday since he was told to have it done once his fever started again. Then, he was sent home to wait for the results. Since then - he has been in bed for a total of 17 hours and experienced a fevers as high as 103. These fevers have been this way - on & off for 3 weeks. I am thinking of admitting him to a Mayo hospital instead of the small city one that we have been in and out of Three times with no diagnosis. Do you know I can search for Paraistes and sympthoms for some good answers?

http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/docs/waterborne_Aug07.pdf

Typhoid fever

My first thought was some sort of tropical disease with the fever and chills. Apparently the hospital he is going to does not know any tropical diseases. Cabo San Lucas is tropical enough for him to have ingested some sort of parasite or his working with waste could have contaminated him. You never know where someone in the community had visisted or what diseases they have and waste water can contain quite a lot of nasty germs and viruses. He could have had the germ enter his lungs through water droplets. More medical investigation by the hospital is in order to figure out just what disease your husband has. Being that incapacited does not sound good.

Would suggest you move him to the other hospital as they probably have more resources available to them to properly figure out his disease.

My husband has had heachaches for about 6 weeks and is experiencing muscle ache and flu like . He now feels slightly better but the headaches persist and he is always running a fever off and on. He sometimes feels sluggish and loses train of thought. They did a spinal tap and CT scan and MRI and everything is negative. He does work construction (waste water lines) and we did go to Cabo St Lucas in May. Don't know if anything is relevant to his sympthoms. He doc said that it probably is something viral. At this point he sleeps alot and he is always lethargic and dazed. Any suggestions or guidance...please

Aseptic Meningitis:

Differential includes,


BACTERIA
Listeria - food borne
Lyme - rash? Arthritis? Not right geographic area
Tuberculosis - should be eliminated with spinal tap
Rocky Mountain spotted fever - rash?
Syphillis - should have been eliminated with spinal tap
Q fever

FUNGAL
Histoplasmosis
Coccidio - from SW US ?
Candida
Aspergilosis

VIRAL
Herpes - MRI should indicate
HIV
Enterovirus
Alphavirus
West nile
Rabies - would have gotten worse

With the exception of HIV and Herpes, most viral therapy is supportive - there are no specific antivirals

PARASITIC
Tania solium - bad pork?
N fowleri - v bad, would see some CT MRI results
Acanthamoeba - see above
Round worms - systemic symptoms

His third day at a great hospital and still no results that show the problem. Sounds like hepatitis but that did not come back + or - as of yet. They are going to take a biopsy of the liver and a bone scrap. Now... what would that possibly show.. Still all a mystery and with everything (which I honestly don't know what "everything" consists of) states negative. Malaria for one is - . Also anything related to a spinal tap because that was all negative as well. Hhhuumm.

Brain, liver, bone marrow involvement would suggest a systemic disease like fungal [ histoplamosis ] or tumor related [? Leukemia ]. Cytology, for tumor cells, could have been sent from the spinal tap. Malaria is not hard to diagnose - blood smear, so doubt.

I hope it remains unknown / idiopathic and he makes a full recovery.

Since he works with waste water I wonder if this has been considered... Legionellosis (Legionnaires' Disease and Pontiac Fever)

What about Undulating Fever(Brucellosis)... it seems to fit all his symptoms.

There is a cure that is lengthly.