Parasites Anyone?

[Claire]

I would like to have input on the subject of parasites - large and small.

What you have had. What tests were given. Doctor ordered or not?

Symptom? Treatment? Effects of treatment? Were you retested?

In other words, please tell me your wormy story. Thanks Claire

[Guest cassidy]

I found a doctor who is an MD and also works with supplements and alternative medicine. After hearing my symptoms she recommended a 3 day stool test by www.doctorsdata.com. The test came back saying that I had no good bacteria, a bad bacteria, an amoeba and candida. My doctors has me on two antibiotics for the bad bacteria and amoeba (how gross!) and probiotics. After that I will start on something for the candida. She also has me on a low sugar/low carb diet.

The test was very expensive, but covered my insurance (I called first to confirm).

I'm glad I found all of this out, but I've only been on antibiotics for 2 days, so I really don't feel any different yet. I am glad that these antibiotics aren't making me feel sicker.

She said after 4 months (when the candida treatment should be finished) I can repeat part of the test to make sure everything is gone.

[kabowman]

My GI tested for parasites, among other things, and nothing for me.

[RoseNNJ]

They found H Pylori during my Biopsy. I was on 3 different meds for up to a month. I don't want to know what they looked like!

[jkmunchkin]

I self diagnosed myself with H Pylori a couple years before I was diagnosed with celiac. I basically looked up my symptoms online, went to my doctor and told him to test me for H Pylori. The blood tests confirmed I had it and then a GI did a endoscopy to double check and was then treated for H Pylori. To bad the retarded GI who did my endoscopy wasn't smart enough to put 2 and 2 together that I went to him telling him I've had stomach problems pretty consistantly for about 8 years, noted there was something wrong with my small intestine and just shrugged it off. I'd never heard of celiac, so I just figured well he doesn't seem concerned, I guess I'm just meant to be sick. Fast forward to 2 years later, my first cousin was diagnosed with celiac and all of a sudden the last 10 years made sense.

All of that said, the treatment for the H Pylori, was well awful!! It was one of the most miserable weeks of my life. I took 3 different types of pills (4 pills total, 2x a day. But the pills gave me the worst side effects of my life. I couldn't even put food near my lips, or I would be in the bathroom. I eventually took an Immodium which the doctor told me I could take 1. This made it worse, because now it was a crap shoot (no pun intended) if I would be constipated or have DH. One minute it was 1 then the other. I wore a back brace for 4 years, 23 hours a day, slept in it and all... never once complained. This was miserable!!! I literally started crying at my desk at work. After a week my body revolted from the pills and I broke out in hives from neck to toe. That was the end of the pills for me. There was 1 my doctor had me continue to take for a couple weeks, and the combination was enough to kill the bacteria. THANK G-D!!!! I wouldn't wish this treatment on my worst enemy. (Well maybe my worst enemy - lol)!!

[jerseyangel]

In the late 80', I was diagnosed with giardia by my family doctor at the time. I have no idea how I contracted it. My symptoms (kind of hard to remember now) were white stool, cramping, fever, nausea. She put me on Metronidazole, and it cleared up pretty quickly. When they told me it was a parasite, I was grossed out

[loraleena]

comon stool test are useless for this. You need to have stool tests done by alternative labs like Great Smokies.