This thread discusses the Content article: Doctors skip blood tests, often misdiagnose West Nile virus

First they suspected meningitis, but I've been through several spinal taps before, and didn't want another one, especially since I doubted it as I was not at all sensitive to light.
Next best guess? West Nile Virus. C'mon! I called the Health Department, and was told there were no cases from Springville, and I had to have a blood test to know for sure.
What would a blood test get me?
1) An accurate diagnosis
2) The Health Department could claim one from Springville
3) A test my insurance wouldn't pay
I've been sick for a month now, but can't afford to figure out what it is...if it was meningitis, I wouldn't be here. If it is West Nile, it's not the bad strain, or I'd be dead, so I just keep living, headache, stiff neck, and very cranky. Pain sucks.

in '06. They sent me home twice from the emergency roomo until my wife started screaming at them to admit me. Funny thing was that the doctor felt I should be admitted (even called me at home) but the hospital said it was just the flu. I was in the hospital for 4 days and they just gave me pain killers and cold packs for my 104.9 fever. It was a week later after I got homoe that the CDC called me to tell me I had west nile. Supprised the doctor as well.

I was so sick I even had riggers. Had they not finally admitted me I think I would have died.

Failure to diagnose makes even less sense now that a reasonably reliable treatment exists.

GenoMed, a genomics-based Disease Management company, has had encouraging results treating West Nile virus encephalitis since 2003.

We’ve had 82% treatment success rate in people (23 of 28 improved), 75% in horses (6 of 8 survived), and 50% in birds (6 of 12 survived). Our first 8 human WNV patients were published in a peer-reviewed medical journal in 2004 (1). This is sufficient for our treatment to officially exist in both the medical and legal senses, regardless of what the CDC does (or doesn’t) say.

We’ve seen that the earlier the treatment is begun, the better the outcome, so public education is absolutely critical—literally, the difference between life and death.

Anybody who wants to download our WNV trial protocol can do so for free at any time by clicking on the "West Nile trial" link on our company’s homepage at www.genomed.com.

Dave Moskowitz MD
CEO & Chief Medical Officer
GenoMed, Inc. (Ticker symbol GMED on OTC Pink Sheets)
www.genomed.com
“The public health companyâ„¢â€ť

1. Moskowitz DW, Johnson FE. The central role of angiotensin I-converting enzyme in vertebrate pathophysiology. Curr Top Med Chem. 2004;4(13):1433-54. PMID: 15379656 (For PDF file, click on paper #6 at: http://www.genomed.com/index.cfm?action=investor&drill=publications)

It's scary that so many people (even I have known several) who have been diagnosed with a case of WNV and they were not tested by the doctor. My son was so sick, he was forced to stay home from work for over three months. He could hardly get out of bed, all he did was sleep. He too had the same symptoms as this guy...flu like symptoms but not during flu season... super high fever, severe headache, fatigue, no appetite... When you tell someone about it, it seems everyone knows someone who has been "diagnosed" this way. What's the matter with doctors today???? Because there is no cure or treatment for WNV, patients are told to just go home and wait it out. Sometimes the symptoms got so bad that we didn't know whether to take him to the ER or not. When we did take him to the ER, they said "well these things take time and there's nothing we can do, just take him home keep an eye on him and if you're concerened, contact your doctor on Monday" Now that he's better, I wonder if he really did even have WNV or something else, like this guy has. I would like to know how many other people are in the same situation. I wish this family well!

Momberg wrote:
This thread discusses the Content article: Doctors skip blood tests, often misdiagnose West Nile virus

First they suspected meningitis, but I've been through several spinal taps before, and didn't want another one, especially since I doubted it as I was not at all sensitive to light.
Next best guess? West Nile Virus. C'mon! I called the Health Department, and was told there were no cases from Springville, and I had to have a blood test to know for sure.
What would a blood test get me?
1) An accurate diagnosis
2) The Health Department could claim one from Springville
3) A test my insurance wouldn't pay
I've been sick for a month now, but can't afford to figure out what it is...if it was meningitis, I wouldn't be here. If it is West Nile, it's not the bad strain, or I'd be dead, so I just keep living, headache, stiff neck, and very cranky. Pain sucks.

I assume you have no insurance. Have you thought to look at medicare/caid to see if you qualify so you can go to a normal doctor and not an overworked ER physician?