Thread: Ross River Fever

Originally Posted by jx2mad

Anyone on here diagnosed with this? I was diagnosed about 20 years ago and it disappeared. About 6 years ago I got a severe flareup which is still ongoing today. Was told by the Drs that it could not be RRF. as the antibodies developed after the initial attack would prevent this from happening. My morning ritual is 2 Panadine Forte and Prednisone. This gets me through the day...just. Jim

Pocket Rocket was originally diagnosed with Ross River because she had the antibodies in her blood. She was eventually diagnosed with fibromyalgia and they said they didn't know when she had had Ross River.

Maybe go see a rheumatologist.

Sorry to hear you're having to go through this. Sometimes what presents like RRV can actually be chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. With chronic fatigue there is more fatigue than pain and the opposite with fibro.

When I was dx I was told to go home and exercise.... a bit hard when you can't walk from one end of the house to the other... but in time with diet and lifestyle management you can get to a kind of 'normal' where you can do stuff just not in the way you used to.

A low carb paleo diet helps to reduce inflammation and working out what the food triggers are...

I had it in 2002.
No repeats, however was told by the Dr at the time that those who suffer repeat symptoms particularly the joint pain, are often prone to Arthritis later in life.

My father, and his and I assume further back had osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. I am just about 71 and have this supposedly polymyalgia rheumatica, a fore runner of arthritis. However the specialist says that PMR should go away after 2 years or so. Since he has now been treating me for 6 years he admits that he has no idea what is wrong. I have elevated inflammation but PET scans cannot pick up any source. I keep telling him that it is RRF, but he won't come at that. The treatment is the same anyway. So I live on pain relief and prednisone just to function. It seems I am in for the long haul. Jim

Originally Posted by jx2mad

My father, and his and I assume further back had osteo and rheumatoid arthritis. I am just about 71 and have this supposedly polymyalgia rheumatica, a fore runner of arthritis. However the specialist says that PMR should go away after 2 years or so. Since he has now been treating me for 6 years he admits that he has no idea what is wrong. I have elevated inflammation but PET scans cannot pick up any source. I keep telling him that it is RRF, but he won't come at that. The treatment is the same anyway. So I live on pain relief and prednisone just to function. It seems I am in for the long haul. Jim

Hi Jim, it seems like you've been fully investigated.

I was fortunate enough to find a very helpful (and I believe competent) rheumatologist who seemed to have sufficient handle on my situation to be able to turn some of my problems around (more than once) and yet I know people who haven't benefited to the same degree.

All medicine seems to be an experiment as we are all different and I guess most doctors have to try alternatives - I am not deriding doctors here, just pointing out that they must at times be hard pressed to recommend a useful treatment.

Prednisone can be very helpful I know but I have also picked up on the thinking that it is best to get you off it, if possible, sooner rather than later due to the permanent changes it can make.

Second opinion advice can be helpful and while my bloke is up here in the bush I can only hope that additional expertise may help. If you think it may help I would obviously be happy to PM or call you with his details if it is of any use. - Laurie

My BIL got it in the Solomon Islands about 30 years ago and is still crook and being treated for chronic fatigue. He manages it, but it never goes away. The most annoying thing is when ignorant people carry on as if he is just putting it on. They literally have no idea they are talking total bollocks.

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There is a Pharmaceutical co. in Aus who is running a trial of a new product which supposedly removes the RRF from the body after taking the stuff for 2 weeks. I tried to get on the trial but missed out. In a parallel case, my wife has chronic fatigue for about 21 years. I have seen her barely able to get out of bed for weeks and the treatment is mainly supplement stuff at exorbitant prices honed by trial and error. Our monthl spend on medications is around $800. and on the pension this hurts. But we smile and carry on

been there done that 20 odd years ago and am now getting the arthritis that follows it.. tho i had other issues that caused the onset of arthritis as well.

hope it goes well for you...