Cpnhelp.org

Best way is to have him tested for the infection, through your family doctor, I would have thought. I had a chronic cough every winter for years: way before I married David, but with treatment it vanished and I wasn't even taking the abx for that.........Sarah 

Every winter for decades I, too, had a chronic "cold" and cough.  It was getting worse little by little and my "sinus thing" never left in the last twenty years.  It is all gone.  It is truly wonderful - no counstant cough, no lozenge during concerts to keep from coughing.  However, in the last couple of years before retiring I had to leave the stage because I couldn't stop coughing.Rica 

I had a chest Xray at ER when I had an active/positive CPN infection showing in my blood and nothing showed on the xray.

Hi!I get the impression here that the issue is that there is a parent that strongly believes that their son has an acute CPn infection; a belief that is soundly based.Whatever the weather, whether it is a sunny day or not, the possibility that this parent may be seen as some amateur and over-concerned neurotic that has some fixation on this rarely heard of infection called chlamydia pneumoniae, is a distinct possibility.SunnyDay will certainly have to go through the motions and present any evidence to the GP as a first step. I have no idea what this GP is like or how open to the possibility that an active CPn infection is the culprit responsible for causing the problems; hopefully, that suggestion would not be dismissed out of hand … but GPs do have a fine track record of being dismissive of words coming from the mouths of patients or parents. Am I right that this is what is concerning you, SunnyDay?Over in this part of the globe, some people resort to private testing from companies like InfectoLab. I have never been tested myself but I would guess that when trying to convince a doctor of this infection, positive blood test results will prove much more convincing to a sceptical doctor than relaying the fact your son seemed to have awful flu after taking NAC.Looking on the bright side: at least your son has a clued up parent and the possibility of a CPn infection will certainly be mentioned to his doctors.Good luck my friend. G.

Hi all. Thanks for your comments. Here's the story. I believe I have CPn ... fibromyalgia for last couple of years and then CFS for past 6 - 9 months. (I have always had a sense that i had an infection). I only recently discovered the link between CPN and fibro and then it dawned on me that my son and I probably have the same thing, but it manifests slightly differently in us. I believe he has CPn and here's why - He doesn't just get this cough in winter and it's not a cold. It has been there for 2 - 3 years non stop. It is not debilitating but it is obvious (unmistakable hacking cough in the lower part of chest). He gets chest fatigue and just can't "push" himself with exercise as you would expect of a 12 year old. He has brain fog - often. He cannot concentrate or focus well and it impacts on him at school. He has seen GP, ENT and other opinions and it has always been dismissed as asthma - or worse - a neurotic mother (which so insults me, as I am rational, educated, not an hysterical person and not at all a "helicopter" sort of parent). I do not believe he has asthma and those medications have never made any difference whatsoever. Full blood count tests show normal white cells, so they say "no infection" but i now of course realise CPn doesn't deliver abnormal white count because of intracellular nature of the bacteria and body doesn't identify it as something to fight off. His blood proteins are out of whack - outside normal range - notably they are exactly the same abnormality as my blood protein. (Unlike me, his iron load is normal. Mine was highly saturated - and for the record I do not have the genetic condition haemochromatosis). I think he has CPn because of his symptoms. So gave him NAC dose on Friday and on Saturday, he had massive flu like response. He is now on 100mg Doxy and a small dose of NAC each day. Has not started azithromycin because all recommendations here are to take it very slowly. He has been at home for 3 days now just resting and seems to have die off symptoms as expected - incredible fatigue, headaches, awful "flu", generalised pain and brain fog.Problem is, PCR came back negative but when lab called with result they said very apologetically they were not comfortable with test result and to go back for free of charge Elispot test. I will wait for that result next week. I just thought there may be other evidence we could gather - like chest xray to confirm diagnosis. I am a tiny bit reluctant to push ahead with 3 antibiotics (which i can easily access via family) unless i get some confirmation from some sort of test. It is a big responsibility and i am feeling a bit out on a limb. What other blood tests should I ask for which might help with confirmation or otherwise? Any other suggestions?Just to complete this story - I have been on antibiotics for 4+ weeks now (exactly per recommendations on this site) and i have had an outstanding improvement. Fibromyalgia pain GONE, brain fog GONE, energy levels massively improved. Feeling like I am recovering, not sick anymore. I must say though, I do feel awful today because just on my first pulse of flagyl, but i expected that. Opinions on this anyone? I also want to say how extremely grateful i am to you lovely people out there. This website is quite something. Thank you, thank you.

Sunnyday, look out for a PM from me......................Sarah

Sunny,i think you are in australia. the best way is to get CPN pathology done by healthscope pathology. (not any other lab, they are not as accurate). I have been tested a few different ways & the healthscope was the most definitive & accurate.Other evidence - you could go to a specialist Dr & have a vein scan done. the cpn live in the jugular vein & block it up . there is a Dr in australia who does this & would be happy to diagnose this for you.send me a personal message if you want more info. i can email some attachments which might make it a lot clearer!good luck, you are not insane :-)Mark

Hi!I may be wrong here and I may have got the wrong end of the stick but I sense that the worry here is that you have worries about applying a non-approved treatment to a minor. Doing this without even the nod of the man in the white coat.I am very heartened and glad to learn that you are able to obtain a prescription for doxycycline. I am glad that your son is now receiving doxy and has commenced this treatment.Some of the doctors there think that it may be just a bit of asthma. As a toddler, I grew up with asthma. I have a good sense of humour now but I could see nothing funny about not being able to breathe when I was a kid. I wish somebody had given me doxycycline then (though it wasn’t invented then).SunnyDay, I can certainly see the quandary that you face … but at the same time – staring you in the face – are the positive indicators that shout out to you.You may well be a neurotic mum. You will be a neurotic mum that saw through the bullshit and got the right treatment for her son. Will those professionals that call you names or whisper behind your back, have the guts and integrity to walk up to you when you are proven right to say that they were wrong? There is, of course, another way to prove your case: ignore your gut instinct and common sense; let your son be without treatment and then you can show them how ill he has become.Mums like you are few and far between. Most mums just have to accept that the doctor knows best. Mums that nod their heads like those little nodding dogs we once often used to see in the back of cars make good patients. When your son gets well, it will be thanks to you.Good luck. G.

Hello to those who have responded. Well, well, well - I was right. I knew it. Confirmation of CPN with Elispot test. Treament has started and will hopefully continue under the guidance of a good CPN/Lyme doctor who will see us in a week or so.