I was recently diagnosed with a rare and somewhat mysterious skin rash called erythema annulare centrifugum (EAC) after being misdiagnosed with ringworm for years.
I’ve been feeling very under the weather physically for the past few years and had various tests but no answers. My main problems are chronic fatigue, night sweats and hot flushes, muscle aches and this horrible rash. I also have endometriosis. Negative for menopause (and too young), negative for thyroid disorders, ANA antibodies, coeliac and vitamin deficiency (although take iron, vitamin d and b complex in the hope it will help).
I noticed one of the possible triggers for EAC is the Epstein-Barr virus. I had quite severe glandular fever 15 years ago, when I was 17. I was pretty much unconscious for weeks, couldn’t keep my eyes open for more than a few minutes and looked like a skeleton. I’m not sure how I managed really as I was living alone with a friend dropping things off from time to time. I just remember freezing bowls of juice and trying to get to the freezer to eat a few spoonfuls in my moments of lucidity. It took me months to recover and regain weight. I caught the flu a few months later which set me back. I was a shadow of myself for a long time.
I hadn’t really thought about it again until reading about EAC. I’m wondering if anyone else who had glandular fever has also experienced these sorts of symptoms years later? I’ve had bouts of fatigue and flu-like symptoms since (especially during periods of stress) but not as severe and prolonged as what I’m experiencing at the moment. I just want to feel normal.