Experience With Parasites?

[mellowyellowmushroom]

I guess being gluten-ed to heck and back weakened my immune system--I'm full of parasites too.

Has anyone else gone through that? I was just thinking I felt better as I got through a few weeks free of all gluten, and then I started getting more GI symptoms and I've PARASITES.

What to do? Or I'd love just to hear if anyone else has gone through this. It's awful.

[jaknhk]

I guess being gluten-ed to heck and back weakened my immune system--I'm full of parasites too.

Has anyone else gone through that? I was just thinking I felt better as I got through a few weeks free of all gluten, and then I started getting more GI symptoms and I've PARASITES.

What to do? Or I'd love just to hear if anyone else has gone through this. It's awful.

Hi - curious as to how you were diagnosed with the parasites?

[mellowyellowmushroom]

Hi - curious as to how you were diagnosed with the parasites?

[ See my reply in DV's thread about candida, parasites, et al. ]

[mellowyellowmushroom]

I guess being gluten-ed to heck and back weakened my immune system--I'm full of parasites too.

Has anyone else gone through that? I was just thinking I felt better as I got through a few weeks free of all gluten, and then I started getting more GI symptoms and I've PARASITES.

What to do? Or I'd love just to hear if anyone else has gone through this. It's awful.

No one else? In the healing /detoxing process?

[LadyBugLuv]

Actually, I found out that I had a parasite before I found out about anything else...

I got tired of the run around from every doctor on the planet, and decided to go to a chiropractor who is certified in naturopathic medicine and applied kinesiology.

Not quite sure how it all works, but it does.

Somehow, he figured out I had a parasite. So I took something called Vermifuge (NASTY). Basically it was black walnut and clove. but it got rid of Filbert (what I called my parasite... you gotta have a sense of humor). After that ordeal, he decided I had system wide inflammation (I knew that one), so I was on an elimination diet and had to take nutrition shakes. I felt great. Best I had in a while. I also took a couple of detoxification supplements during this period of time. After 3 HUGE canisters of this shake, I was good to go. So I started eating normal again. And felt icky again. (I don't get horrible stomach pain, just bloating, gas, nausea, reflux, and minor discomfort, and I get irregular). I also had the headaches again, the joint pain, the foggy brain, and the fatigue. It all came back. That's when I decided it was food, and took a test, and found out I have a gluten and soy intolerance. I tested positive for antibodies against gluten, so he said for all purposes I could be diagnosed as celiac. I haven't decided if I want further testing, being that I've almost been gluten-free for about a month, and feel great. I have been on a parasite detox due to the "kill off toxins" of the parasite. but I think I'm almost done with that.

Either way, the detox helped a great deal, too.

I did read somewhere, that parasites like to hide out in damaged villi areas... I guess it makes them harder to find. when your body starts to heal, it makes it easier to find. It wasn't hard to get rid of my parasite, though. And that seemed to relieve some other issues I had, also.

Hope this was helpful

[mellowyellowmushroom]

Actually, I found out that I had a parasite before I found out about anything else...

I got tired of the run around from every doctor on the planet, and decided to go to a chiropractor who is certified in naturopathic medicine and applied kinesiology.

Not quite sure how it all works, but it does.

Somehow, he figured out I had a parasite. So I took something called Vermifuge (NASTY). Basically it was black walnut and clove. but it got rid of Filbert (what I called my parasite... you gotta have a sense of humor). After that ordeal, he decided I had system wide inflammation (I knew that one), so I was on an elimination diet and had to take nutrition shakes. I felt great. Best I had in a while. I also took a couple of detoxification supplements during this period of time. After 3 HUGE canisters of this shake, I was good to go. So I started eating normal again. And felt icky again. (I don't get horrible stomach pain, just bloating, gas, nausea, reflux, and minor discomfort, and I get irregular). I also had the headaches again, the joint pain, the foggy brain, and the fatigue. It all came back. That's when I decided it was food, and took a test, and found out I have a gluten and soy intolerance. I tested positive for antibodies against gluten, so he said for all purposes I could be diagnosed as celiac. I haven't decided if I want further testing, being that I've almost been gluten-free for about a month, and feel great. I have been on a parasite detox due to the "kill off toxins" of the parasite. but I think I'm almost done with that.

Either way, the detox helped a great deal, too.

I did read somewhere, that parasites like to hide out in damaged villi areas... I guess it makes them harder to find. when your body starts to heal, it makes it easier to find. It wasn't hard to get rid of my parasite, though. And that seemed to relieve some other issues I had, also.

Hope this was helpful

That was EXTRAORDINARILY helpful. Thanks! It parallels some of my experience, though I went the other way and had a ton of parasite stuff show up as I seemed to begin to heal.

How long did it take you? I've been starving because with parasites and celiac, I weighed barely 94 lbs at 5'7" a week or two ago. But I can't eat normally or a lot without pain...

[sharkmom]

I recently had a stool sample that detected roundworm & tapeworm. The thought nauseates me. I was put on a couple supplements to get rid of it. Did you get retested to know it was gone? Please don't say I'll poop it out because I think I'll faint. BTW, I've been taking supplements for 2 weeks, how long does it take to get rid of it?

[mftnchn]

I've absolutely had this experience. I first became aware this was a possibility for celiacs due to compromised gut. I tried some home remedies: a bunch of fresh garlic several times a day, and then two days of fasting and eating pineapple and pumpkin seeds. I saw enough to convince me I did have parasites.

I then did a month of herbal treatment (Humaworm). Actually often you can't see the parasites at all, they are either too small or get digested. I repeated this treatment a couple of times over a few months.

Then my doctor put me on the SCD (7/08) due to testing that showed I was unable to digest carbohydrates (damage to villi is likely the culprit). The first week on the diet I saw a very disgusting clump of parasites--sorry for the TMI. On the diet I continued to see some things off and on the first month.

So after 3-4 months I did another round of the herbal treatment mentioned above. Right at the end of that I saw my MD, and he said the first thing he wanted to do is test for parasites. He has found a new test that is much much more accurate than most of the available tests. He said in the USA testing for parasites is woefully poor. The test is the Metametrix Microbial Ecology panel. It tests for the parasites DNA. This test picked up one very nasty remaining parasite, strongyloides. I took two rounds of treatment with a prescription med, then retested. The nasty things were still there. So then I did two rounds of a stronger prescription med. I had die-off reactions with both meds, but especially the second one. My MD also had me treat for protozoa, since both of the tests showed an "unknown protozoan". I just finished that. It was rather rough.

This treatment seems to have made a rather profound difference with constipation. (SCD diet has also helped immensely). My MD said he thought that clearing this infection may clear the remainder of my GI symptoms. I'm hoping over the next few weeks to be able to tell how much it has helped.

I will have to retest in the next month or two to make sure I am rid of the strongyloides.

My personal conclusion is that this is an area all celiacs should address, especially those who remain somewhat symptomatic.