Stomach Bug that never leaves

[WhatCanItBe]

Around the beginning of August just after that very hot spell, I was eating some hamburger that probably was very rare.

I suddenly got this weird ‘tingling’ sensation that went from left to right at the top of my stomach, right near my ribs. Uh-oh I thought. It was not a pain, but a bubbling sensation.

That night I had a mild feverish feeling and had nightmares. For the next three weeks I had the most foul ‘chemical’ smelling softened stools that did not even smell like they came out of a human, stomach cramps in the mid to lower intestine and even a three day bout with throbbing sciatica which finally went away.

Once the ‘bug’ traveled through to the lower stomach I thought it was gone but then it seemed to settle back in the upper stomach, causing much distress when I did not eat.

I experienced a serious gnawing sensation way up high, as if something was gripping my stomach where it attached to my esophagus, and even imagined that things were crawling up my throat! I had flatulence, and it felt like I had been kicked in the stomach to the point of passing out at times. I was coughing and could not catch my breath.

Sometimes eating would help and I would feel OK, until the next attack.

I was put on Flagyl which I took for 8 days.
On the third day of the Flagyl, the stranglehold on my alimentary canal was released and I don’t have that anymore but it still feels like I have ‘something’ in there.

Now that I am off the Flagyl I still have the dull headache, dark circles, exhaustion and ‘tingling’ in the belly, which aches when I do not eat.  My tongue seems a yellowish-green no matter how much I try to clean it.

About three hours after eating I get terrible stomach distress and weakeness and feel like I will faint. I am very tired and not ‘myself’.

WHAT DO I HAVE and why won’t it go away?

A stool sample tested negative for eColi, Salmonella, Shigella, and bleeding but the Giardia test is not back yet.

What else could I have gotten?

In the ER they said all else was well, no organ failures, no appendix or heart troubles or anything. They gave me pepcid for the 'upset stomach' but I think that is just covering up symptoms of something else.

[WhatCanItBe]

Whole stomach is tingling, feel like I was kicked in the gut, and as  if I took too many aspirins, and feels like I am bleeding internally.

Still pale, feel ill and eyes are blackened, sweating, weak.
Visit to the ER produced no major results.

How long is considered reasonable for stomach distress to go on after being treated for Giardia with Flagyl? Why do test results take so long for this? I still do not have the results.

[KarenZ]

I'm very sorry that you are so sick. It sounds scarry. Just to clarify, did you go to the ER, but not to the office of a gastroenterologist. Usually test results come back quickly in a hospital setting, but some tests are more specialized so they take longer to analyze.

If you haven't received a consult for a local GI doctor I encourage you to get an appt quickly....provided you aren't already connected.

It's clear that 'something' has happened to you to cause these strange symptoms. Did the doctor suggest tests such as an upper endoscopy or a barium swallow?

Hang in there and keep pressing for further workups if what has been done so far doesn't yield results.

Best of luck.

[WhatCanItBe]

After an emergency visit to the ER, I was told I had nothing wrong and that I had stomach irritation but this seems like more, as if I have a virus or something that is in my upper GI and will not go away.

They gave me Pepcid but I woke up a bit nauseous and still in distress this morning so I called and asked to see the doctor again today.

I can't take much more of this.. never had stomach problems before!!!

This has gone on for almost 2 months now.

Can Flagyl do this to you???

[WhatCanItBe]

I forgot to mention that the Giardia test came back negative but I really think that is what I had from the foul, inhuman smelling stool.

However, I feel just as sick now as I did before...even though stools SEEM normal, are light colored, I go at least once a day.

I have been eating like a horse too.

I have no specific pain, just that pressure in the upper GI, headache, slight nausea, drinking tea to help me right now.

[star queen]

Bile, made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, gives stool it's color.  Normal color ranges from a mustard yellow to a dark brown.  Light color or white stools indicate a lack of bile getting into the bowel.  This is usually a gallbladder problem, but in some cases it can mean a liver or pancreas problem.  Get this checked out as soon as possible, as it can be very serious.  A CT or MRI will be needed to view the pancreas, but a simple ultrasound of the liver and gallbladder can be done to check this out.  Hope this helps

[WhatCanItBe]

I have been to the ER and they tested all that and it was all negative as well as stool samples for bacterials...the giardia test was null also even tho I really think that is what I had that the Flagyl killed. The pain was intensive..

I am now on Pepcid and Prevacid and am told that most likely the Flagyl destroyed my stomach flora which was already gnawed through by the Giardia and that I would have to eat bland and take these meds for a while to get the stomach back on track.

I sure hope this is true. If not, I will then ask to be tested for H Pylori, which is about the only other thing I WASN'T tested for.

I am having a CT scan on Monday, but don't know how effective that will be since I will REFUSE to drink the liquid... I cannot take iodine and will not keep the barium down if that's the alternative.

I am trying to find a specialist who will do endoscopy. It sounds horrid but I had it done before and at least you aren't asked to swallow anything foreign. (which I truly believe is what got me in this condition in the first place - undercooked meat!)

I am really so sick of this as I've never had one problem with my stomach or anything else, before and it's not easy to tolerate.

[WhatCanItBe]

What a hellacious morning with the nausea. Every morning, that upper left under the rib brings me to  my knees with the sickness.

God help me, what could I have? I am in a cold sweat.

[WhatCanItBe]

I am convinced I have Giardia, lodged in the upper stomach and resistant to Flagyl.

Doctors are so slow to act. They are not aggressive. They are not the ones in pain.

I am ready to take a gun to my head!

[WhatCanItBe]

You all are not going to believe this. I am seeing a new gastro person today and see what he thinks. Hopefully he will listen to my long story. I truly think my miraculous spontaneous 'cure' last night was due to the fact that I had a HERPETIC INTESTINAL VIRUS.

Yes I have had trouble with the coldsore virus in the past, on the face, years ago when I worked in a very stressful job as a schoolteacher and during the 'change' but no where else in the body and never had shingles or any genital illness. Had not had a coldsore for a very long time except one strange incident this past fall.

What scares me is that this HSV can show up anyplace in the body. As I said, I recently had a bad lip sore that would not go away. One of the clues of this stomach sickness being related was the pain in my cheekbone and the tingling in the belly that signalled the start of it. I remember it distinctly even though it was the first of August....I remember where I was standing when it happened.

Unless you think I was miraculously cured by those praying for me, you would have to realize that viruses tend to leave the body as quickly as they start. This started with tingling and ended just as quickly, last night, with tingling, all down the side of my ribs and then the leg. All gastritis SEEMS to be gone. (I don't want to jinx it) I still have a little sensation in my cheekbone which worries me so I am going to see this doctor this afternoon.

I don't care what he says, I NOW KNOW WHAT I HAD. I must slow down my frenetic pace and learn to relax to keep the HSV from showing up as this was the scariest place it could ever show up! I knew I had never had a problem with my stomach before. I am Italian and eat a wonderful diet. I have never had a stomach ache like that in my life. I can eat anything. I knew it was unusual. I had never even HEARD of gastritis, and if I did, thought it meant passing gas (which is normal and not painful)

I am going to write up a scholarly article about it. It makes sense. It follows all the other incidents I've had which ended with a massive itching or tingling episode then suddenly left the body; chickenpox, unusual lip sore of 6 months ago, and now this. All related.

Stomach is just about 100% normal and happened literally OVERNIGHT. Only a virus would act that way after hurting me for 8 weeks. I am sitting here drinking coffee and wondering if the stress of working so hard and an emotional upset, even though I am not outwardly upset, brought this virus out in me.

Yesterday a friend brought some food to the door. I could feel myself getting better as we spoke. I ask you again, miracle from God, or spontaneous withdrawal of the HSV virus? My left cheek still has a slight tingling sensation in it but the headache is gone, the eye ache and black circles are gone, and that horrid feeling that my stomach had for 8 weeks, is gone...

[WhatCanItBe]

If anyone wants the complete story, please email me at:

HSV1 (at) nhlibertycalendar (dot) org

[yoshi]

You can go to a good GP and tell your story of the raw hamburger,he will understand .
There is an organism ,the name just escaped me,found in undercook lamb and beef and people who have AIDS whose immune system is impaired came down with this disease called toxoplasmosis??
H Pylori can be tested in GP office with a breath test,but I think you may have something worse than H Pylori.
Check it out .
Italian eats a lot of garlic,garlic kills bacteria.

[rthomas003]

its all in your head, just stop worrieng about it for the love of god. people sometimes have chemical like "inhuman "smelling poo, it happens, you probably ate some bad hamburger and got siock but your making it last becuae youve convinced yourself you have some weird rare stomach disorder, your fine just shut up.

[WhatCanItBe]

I have looked up the symptoms of Toxplasmosis and that's more like the flu.

Mine is just stomach related. I have never had a problem with my stomach before this.

I was on an all-protein diet for over a year so I could have caused my stomach to become weakened from that. Thus when I caught a 'bug' I could not shake it off.

I have been feeling better, eating massive amounts of oatmeal and other roughage and now will take Metamucil 3 times per day. Protein seems undigestible. My cousin said she mysteriously had this for 6 months and then took Metamucil for 3 weeks and it finally went away.

I still have strange upset stomach symptoms I can't explain (buzzing, throbbing) and have been to a new gastro doctor who will do an endocsopy just to allay my fears of 'worms' or anything like that.

Mine started like a mild stomach bug. The nurse at the doctor's office told me these things are 'hard to get rid of' which wasn't encouraging. I would at least like to be tested for HPylori and have the endoscopy.

For the insensitive rude person who posted above me, this is not a pain that is all in your head as I also had a mild fever the first night I had it in August of 2006. It is now October and I've had quite enough of this.
I don't accept just living like this, otherwise I would have to be house bound. The pain was so bad my BP went up to 170/120 and I was rushed to the ER. So I doubt it's all in my head. I am a pretty relaxed, and previously very healthy and active person.

Doctor gave me Levsin for the attacks, but frankly I'm not a pill taker and Valium works as well. To me, throwing Levsin at the problem is just to bear the symptoms and not solving the problem.

[WhatCanItBe]

OH and by the way I HAVE been eating tons of garlic...sometimes I can tolerate it and sometimes I can't. I also am eating lots of roughage. I can't tolerate protein right now, which is interesting because that is ALL I used to eat for about a year while on a diet...

Perhaps my stomach could not handle that, since I was used to a good Mediterranean diet all my life (Italian)

I did have a CT scan although it was a 'dry' one and the new gastro person says just take the Levsin and see if that helps. No response on the CT scan --- they are SOOOO slow to get back to you with tests...

An antispasmodic like Levsin or Bentyl is not going to help an infection though.

I do feel better than I did, but surely there must be a better and faster way to clear up this infection that massive doses of oatmeal and Metamucil! (YUCK)

[Life Is Good]

May 2006 I went to the doctor because of indigestion and excessive gas.  I think the doctor thought I was nuts.  She said I was stressed and to take OTC Prilosec.  I didn't want to treat symptoms, I wanted to know what was causing the syptoms (symptoms) so I didn't take the med.  

Month later, went back with same symptoms, only worse and now a had major digestive problems, substernal burning, and reflux type symptoms.  Doc still says ulcer symptoms, tells me to take Prilosec and gallbladder ultrasound is scheduled as well as an endoscopy.  Gallbladder looked fine, endoscopy showed mild gastritis and negative for H. Pylori and negative for stomach cancer.  Doc says he thinks it's stress and I should try Prilosec.  

Took three Rolaids for the first time in my life and ended up in bed the next day with major stomach pain.  Few days later, try the Prilosec, same problem.  Doc prsecribes Aciphex, same problem.  

Gave up on Doc and suffered through another month.  Finally told them, "I DON'T HAVE ULCERS! LOOK FOR SOMETHING ELSE."  They finally did a stool test which was positive for Giardia.  Took Flagyl for 13 days!!!  

Yellow tongue showed up couple weeks later as well as other lovely yeast problems as a result of all those antibiotics.  You'll need to take a prescription antifungal lozenge for 10 days.  This same day, I noticed tingling on my stomach, hands and face.  

I continue to have strange stomach spasms which feel like worms crawling in my stomach.  I have extreme indigestion.  I now eat a small meal every few hours because I feel sick and have such stomach distress when it is empty.  The tingling drives me crazy.  I've read that a side effect of Flagyl is nerve damage that can cause tingling of the extremities.  Mine comes and goes so I don't believe this is my problem.  

Doc prescribed Bentyl over a month ago.  Again, I haven't taken it because I want to know what's causing the symptoms.  I don't want to mask them.  

The past six months have been very difficult.  I'm a health conscious person.  Go to the gym 3 times a week for a Spin class. I'm not excessive, but I've always felt good about my health and weight.

All the blood and stool tests the Doc calls for show nothing is wrong.  Something is definitely wrong, but what?  

I've considered Candidiasis but haven't even mentioned to my doctor because they'd probably laugh and say there is no such thing, I've wondered if I have another parasite infection that the doctor has not detected.  The sypmtoms bother me all the time but every few days I have a severe attack where everything seems to be multiplied.  

I know what you're going through.    

[PeteMan]

In april 2006 I ate an undercooked hamburger at a friends cookout and experienced the worse illness of my life.  I was previously quite fit and active running about 8 miles each week.  The doctors were completely baffled and the illness was completely debilitating for months.  Symptoms included dry heaves and nausea almost every day, horrible malaise, and fatigue.  My initial diagnosis (after a month) was Giardia.

Finally I found my comprehensive metabolic panel showed elevated ALT/AST which suggests some type of infection in the liver.  Another test called salmonella agglutinins (from Quest or Mayo) showed strong evidence my illness was Salmonella Typhi which causes Typhoid!  Many will say this test is flawed, but the research of Dr. Levine (U of MD) in the American Jour. of Tropical Medicine shows very few false positives for this test in the US.  Notably I never traveled outside of the US in the past year.  My workup included negative tests for almost everything else imaginable.

Antibiotics helped a bit, but mostly I felt like I would die for months.  Finally after 5-6 months the symptoms have started to abate.  I'm still not completely well, but I'm gaining a little more strength every few weeks.

Hang in there.  Ask to see your comprehensive metabolic panel.  It may show something the Dr. hasn't told you!  A few Dr.'s told me it was "in my head" but I doubt I can mentally raise my liver tests over a few weeks!

[WhatCanItBe]

This is for Life and Pete:

You both said you had positives for Giardia.

I now find out that my test for that was not valid because it was only ONE test. I have recently sent more samples, taken at intervals, which is the PROPER way, to a different lab and should find out shortly if anything showed up. The lab claims to test for 400 things.

I have read that Giardia can do these things:

-Cause illness even after cured - such as certain food intolerances and irritated stomach
-Not be totally cured by one round of meds
-And you could have had something else with it in the same infected food

I have had blood, urine, ultrasounds all negative. EKG fine.
I've not had a fever lately, but I do sweats/chills from time to time.
I *seem* to be getting better, but I hate to even SAY that because I fear just when I think it's gone, it's back!

So, I will let you know if I find out anymore.
What about another treatment for Giardia since you both DID get positives on that?

[WhatCanItBe]

Another thing Giardia loves is BILE. So you might need more meds to get the buggers out of your BILE DUCT. That might explain your liver tests?

I am not sure I understand those tests and what they show.

[WhatCanItBe]

If you tried to reach me at the address above, I deleted it and so just use the username Jane instead. I did that to foil spammers.

I had two good days but today I am back with that flu-like feeling, and general malaise, sore kidneys and black circles!!!!

[Life Is Good]

I started eating oatmeal the next morning after reading your entry about that.  I've eaten a lot of oatmeal since then.  My stomach is still a total mess.  I really am convinced I still have some type of parasite.  

My initial diagnosis for Giardia was based on one stool antigen test.  The Flagyl definitely relieved some of the syptoms (symptoms) associated with the Giardia such as the substernal burning but I never regained healthy digestion.  Since then I've had four negative Giardia tests taken at various times.  I've also had negative Ova/Parasite tests but I don't know what this looks for.  You mentioned a test you had done that looks for over 400 types of parasites.  I need to find out what they've actually looked for.  

I've started thinking I would have to live with Irritable Bowel Syndrome for the rest of my life and I've been trying to find some healthy alternatives, such as L-Glutamine to build up my gut and flaxseed oil to soothe a bit.  This hasn't helped.  

I gave in and took the Bentyl.  Amazingly, the tingling sensation went away but my stomach pain worsened, terrible headache, fatigue, so I stopped after 3 days.  

The Doc is baffled.  She's now running tests on my pancreas.  I pray to God that He gives them the wisdom to find out what is wrong.  They obviously can not rely on their own wisdom.  

[Life Is Good]

Can antibiotics alter the make-up of a parasite making it difficult to detect?  My symptoms cause me to believe that I still have a parasite or maybe I still have Giardia but it continues to show up negative for some reason.  I just don't know.

[Life Is Good]

Isn't it so awesome when you have a good day.  When I read your entry about having two good days, I was a bit envious.  I use to have good days and bad days.  I no longer have one whole good day.  I now have good hours or a good 5 minutes.  I cherish those good moments.  I just wish they could last longer.  

Ever hear of Xifaxan?  That's the latest med they want to try.  The thought is that my bowel is not working properly and I have a back up of bacteria which is causing the gas, fluttering, pain, etc...  This antibiotic does not absorb into the bloodstream but stays and works only in the gut.  

I really hate taking meds.  The Bentyl, for instance, I feel lousy for 3 days while I'm on it and then I feel lousy for another 2 days as I wait for it to work itself out of my system.  I feel like such a guinea pig!

[WhatCanItBe]

Life -

When I told the gastro doc that I had contracted an ordinary stomach bug that blossomed into this 'overnight', he told me "sometimes you get a virus and then it takes on a life of its own and gives you IBS".

Phooey!

I did not buy this explanation. The Flagyl did kill something but not sure what.
Giardia is hard to find so I could have had that along with some thing else, or I could just be suffering from the effects of the Giardia which I hear last a while even after it's cured.

He gave me meds and a list of foods to avoid. Prevacid, Pepcid, Levsin and Bentyl I refused to take because the first three did nothing, except the two P's gave me indigestion!

I then went ahead and ate everything on the list he told me to avoid since these are good anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-parasitic foods (cinnamon in my oatmeal, cloves, ginger, garlic, hot peppers and lots of roughage...) I actually feel better for this (even tho I reek of garlic, LOL)

I started drinking black coffee again and even at hamburg although this time well cooked and mixed with a ton of garlic and some tomato sauce made with plenty of EVOO.

I am still getting severe hunger pains and pinching sensation under the ribs and my ribcage hurts both in front and back.
The lab that tested me won't let me see the results and neither would the doctor. He said all were 'negative'. However, sometimes the microscopic parasites, even when in abundance, are not considered to be causing the problem. (For example my cousin was Dxed with Crypto and yet they gave her no anti-biotics for it!)

On the 21st Nov I will see a GP and I will:

1- demand to see my actual test results
2 - have a test for HPylori, the ulcer bug, which I don't think was in that other test
3 - tell her she'd better start exploring the anti-biotic that will help me or I'm going to put a gun to my head because I've never had a stomach ache/headache in my life, let alone for 4 months like this

I am also going to have a colonscopy and upper endoscopy in January and I will ask that they take a biopsy of where it still hurts up top.

Yes, the nausea and kicked in the belly feeling isn't as bad. But I still know I am 'sick' and don't feel right.

Bowel movements are regular, and bulky and the right color.
But I still have 'something' and am confined to home until I am sure I won't have an attack while out.

I am not sure if oatmeal or Metamucil will help you -- you just have to experiment like I did. Maybe I am feeling better in general and therefore I can eat most anything now. I never thought this was related to food --- just that if your stomach is hurting from something else, eating in general is going to hurt! Right?

Drinking water can hurt if you are already in pain! D'uh. I tried to get the doctor to see this logic. He doesn't buy into the parasitic idea, but did at least not belittle me.

But like I said, I still have to demand to see the actual test numbers, which the lab will not show me! What a crock.
I hope you feel better Life......it's no fun always having a stomach ache and I never could understand how people could live like that...never thought I'd end up like this... :-(

[WhatCanItBe]

These are the things that can come back high on tests, but which doctors often refuse to treat because they don't feel they are the cause of your symptoms:

Microscopic parasitic infections that are often found to have caused Crohn’s, colitis,  and unspecified ‘IBS’ are:

Blastocystis hominis
Endolimax nana
Cryptosporidiuin parvum
Entamoeba histolytica
Entamoeba coli
Entamoeba hartmanni
Giardia lamblia
Chilomastix mesnili
Cyclospora cayetanensis

(H Pylori is not a parasite but a bacterial that can cause ulcers)

[Life Is Good]

Thanks for that list.  I know my test did not cover Crytosporidium Parvum.  I received a copy of my reports because I plan to see a Nutritionist.  Fortunately they copied and mailed them no questions asked.  I have 0% hope that the Nutritionist will say much I haven't already read about but I'm hoping she'll have some input on the meds the docs are prescribing.  The latest is some low dose of antidepressant.  I guess they've found it helpful in desensitizing the nerve endings of the gut to help relieve pain.  At this point I'm not taking any prescribed meds and will be very slow to do consider any of this.  

Friday was a terrible day.  I felt like someone kicked me in the gut all night long.  My insides felt bruised and raw.  I could barely move or cough.  The next day I was much better.  Again, I'm never without symptoms anymore and that's what really scary.  I seem to be getting worse rather than better.  My chest and neck itch, the back of my hands and cheeks tingle, I've really got some bizarre stuff going on and I don't know if it's related.  

They plan to do one more Giardia stool test.  The better test, I've heard from a microbiologist, is the one that initially diagnosed me which is a stool antigen test.  I don't understand the different testing procedures.  I'm also currently having my pancreas levels checked.  

After this, if the tests remain negative, I will begin to look more closely at Irrtitable Bowel Syndrome.  I checked out some sites and it's very depressing what I read because it appears that between the Giardia and the Flagyl I may deal with IBS the rest of my life.


But as my screen name says...LIFE IS GOOD!  

[Life Is Good]

By the way, you're really starting to sound like a doctor with the medical terms and information you know.  In fact, you know a lot more about this than any of the doctors I've been to!

[PeteMan]

For clarity, I never had a positive Giardia EIA test.  The diagnosis was empirical.  In fact, I had a half dozen negative Giardia tests, negative o&p, and negative cultures.

The doctor ALSO told me my blood tests were normal, but they were not.  They clearly showed elevated ALT and AST on the comprehensive metabolic panel multiple times.

Keep in mind I was incredibly ill for 6 months and I am still recovering.  Hang in there.  Here are suggestions to ask your GP about:

-Blood Tests:  Comprehensive Metabolic Panel with ALT & AST, Epstien-Barr Virus (Sometimes mono presents in a odd GI manner, it's worth a shot), Salmonella Agglutinins (aka Widal)

-A consultation with an infectious disease specialist.

In my case most tests were basically normal except ALT, AST, and Salmonella Aggultinins.  Notably, white counts and ESR are often completely normal with Typhoid and a few other rare ones.  Your GP will likely contradict this when trying to convince you to avoid the infectious disease specialist, but it's worth a shot since the scholarly literature documents this fact.

I also had an EGD and colonoscopy.  These were normal and the procedure is quite easy.  Really the coloscopy preparation drink is the only unpleasant part.  I also had normal ultrasound, CT, and enterography.  

This may be an unusual infection or a nasty virus, but based on my experience I do not think this is in your head.  I do think you should see the labs yourself and you should seek personal support from anyone close to you.  Your recovery is likely to be slow like mine has been.  But if all of the usual illnesses are ruled out, it's incredibly likely you'll be feeling better in several months.  Also, don't expect recovery to be continuous progress.  Mine got better and worse many times.  Sometimes it followed a 5-7 day cycle.

[WhatCanItBe]

To Life:

I am astonished that you also had the tingling pain in your cheek. Could we have a herpetic infection? The symptoms are quite bizarre aren't they?

Also there is no such disease as 'IBS'. That is just a collection of symptoms for which there is no diagnosis. I do not accept it as a diagnosis. I had a virus that never went away. I have some sort of INFECTION.

I am feeling almost 90% cured and how did I do it? All natural. Everything the doc said NOT to eat, I ate, in abundance...and it worked. I have been making pastas and such with loads of basil, thyme, cayenne pepper, pepper, and tomato sauce with LOADS of garlic chunks.
I have been drinking ginger/lemon tea with ground up cloves. I mix at least 2 tsp of cinnamon into my oatmeal and applesauce and yogurt mix daily. The doctor looked at me like I was nuts when I told him what I have been eating but you know what? This has helped cure me when nothing he did for me has. I have been killing whatever it was that got 'stuck' in my stomach. I am not feeling the kicked sensation anymore, just a little soreness around the ribs.

As for you Pete, I am not sure I understand the terminology of what you are telling me about the tests and levels and such. Can you please explain a bit more?

All my tests came back negative except for on a scale of 0-4 I had 1 mucus and 2 bacteria. So there is SOMETHING in there irritating me. People do not get irritated for no good reason.

Thanks.

[WhatCanItBe]

OH yeah it was LIFE who had the positive Giardia test, not Pete.

I had the same reaction to the Flagyl -- my test could have missed the infection but the Flagyl did kill something.

I heard that in adults, the Giardia often messes up your stomach for a long while afterward and you need to heal it gradually.

[Life Is Good]

I am so glad to hear that you are feeling much better.  I'm going to try some of the things you mentioned.  The oatmeal worked really well for me once I really gave it a chance.  I've lost so much weight this past week because I'm getting to the point that I hate to even see food.  

I realize IBS is not a disease but a syndrome that they don't really know much about.  I have all the symptoms: stomach pain, gas, bloating, spastic colon, lactose intolerance.... the list goes on.  The people that tell their stories of living with IBS is so depressing!  I appreciate what you said about how it can take time to recover from Giardia.  I really hope it will just take time but some day I'll be better.  

I went to nutritionist which turned out to be a "quack".  I was hoping she'd give me some suggestions on what to eat/not eat.  Maybe recommend some supplements.  Instead, she told me to take a full body digital picture (in my clothes) and send it along with $300.00 to some guy in Vegas.  He would break it down to binary digits which would diagnose my problem.  Then he'd make some patch embedded with a computer chip that would emit energy frequencies and after a few months of wearing this I'd be "cured".  What a waste of $35.00!!

My tingling happens as soon as my stomach begins to flare up.  I almost think it's an allergic reaction of some type because I also itch around my neck and chest area when it happens.  The tingling is not constant as it once was.  It seems to come and go depending on what is going on with my gut.  I know this makes no sense since the cheeks would be controlled by the brain and the hands would seem to be something wrong with the spine.  I don't know but that seems to have become the least bothersome of my symptoms.  Anyway, my next test will be a colonoscopy.  

Sorry for length of this.  Thanks for listening.  Thanks for your ideas, input, feedback.  I really do appreciate it.  

[WhatCanItBe]

Life,

I can say that after exactly 4 long months my stomach finally feels normal for the last 4 days and (dare I say it)  'it' is gone.

The stress that has accompanied this illness has been tremendous.

I am going to list all the foods I ate to attack this, which mostly were on the list of 'avoids' that the gastro doc gave me. He looked at me like I was nuts when I told him I did just the opposite of what he told me to do. After all, I had to go on the premise that I had acquired something foreign in my stomach, whether it be viral, bacterial, or protozoan and that if I wasn't going to get antibiotics I would have to go the natural route to kill it. All the Prevacid, Pepsid, Pepto Bismal, Bentyl, Levsin and Nexium in the world did nothing to help this because most of the time I did not have acid indigestion, but a feeling that I was hit with a baseball bat squarely in the abdomen.

Those things just made me feel worse.

I have one more problem that I hope is just temporary. I woke up with a sore red spot on the top of my head this morning, where I seem to be missing a patch of hair! I have long dark luxurious hair and this alarmed me terribly! Could I from stress of this illness have pulled it out during the night? After all I have been in extreme pain almost every day for 4 months...and worried sick because they did not tell me what I had.....good grief. Or, maybe because I could not eat/digest protein for four months and had to give up my fish-rich diet? I have started to eat eggs again....but I am missing my sardines and salmon and steaks.

Anyway, here is what I used to 'attack' the 'thing' in my belly, in light of having had 400 tests for every parasite and bug including HPylori, come back negative:

I tried to take plain Metamucil with applejuice daily but that became a chore and I gave up on it. But it also helped so if you can do it, that's good.

- Ginger/lemon tea with ground cloves in it on an empty stomach first thing in the am, and last thing at night.

- Oatmeal, chunky applesauce and vanilla yogurt (the kind with the cultures) laced with two tablespoons of cinnamon three times per day. This was like apple pie.

- Meals of pasta made by cooking it in bouillion, and seasoned with basil, thyme, hot pepper, pepper, sea salt and olive oil (EV), mixed with baby peas.

- Meals of pasta made with tomato sauce laced with two cups of chopped garlic, some hot pepper, basil and plenty of EVOO.

- Lots of carrots - canned have the most Vitamin A, and drink the juice - it was the first thing I had when I decided to attack this with food. I thought, Vit. A is for repair of irritated skin, so why not? I found the juice soothing.

- Fresh squeezed OJ.

Of course go slow on this, because you may not have what I had and even though these are all harmless normal foods and herbs and spices, you may react to them differently. And watch your salt if you have to.

Drink plenty of water and applejuice....write to me and let me know what happens...

I stayed away from rice because it's binding, although I did not have that problem once the intial 3 weeks of the illness had past. In fact, every description I read about IBS said you must have 2 of the 3 symptoms and I did not....I had JUST the belly ache.

I'm having the colonoscopy and endoscopy just for good measure in January, and if that turns out negative I will proclaim that I healed myself without the doctor.

[Life Is Good]

Many of the foods you mention are foods that are suppose to be good if you have IBS.  I found a very depressing but helpful website helpforibs.com that lists a lot of what you mentioned.  

My doctor told me there is nothing wrong with me.  My tests show nothing so there is nothing wrong with me.  Yes, I have some IBS symptoms but get over it.

IBS is so depressing to read about and I feel as if I have the worst case possible.  I react to everything I eat.  My struggle is every second of the day.  I hate to eat.  

Something triggered diarhhea last week and I had it for most of the week.  I haven't excercised in a couple weeks because I'm afraid to lose any more weight.  I'm so weak and I can't afford to lose any weight.  

It's so hard to think that I was perfectly healthy in February.  Busy as could be, loving life, enjoying my family and now I feel so down and depressed.  

I will try some of your suggestions and let you know how it goes.  I'm still trying to hang onto that thread of hope that it's just going to take time for my body to recover from the Giardia and treatment but I'm beginning to lose hope of that since it's been over 3 months.  Although I had Giardia for almost 5 months before they detected it.  

LIFE IS GOOD!!!

[WhatCanItBe]

Life,

I really think a virus disturbed the balance in my stomach. I had terrible flatulence throughout all of this for four long months.

The fact that you did have Giardia tells me that this could also be the residual effect of it. I have read where it damages the lining of your stomach and takes a while to regain balance.

Just keep treating yourself with healing foods, try to sleep well at night (I used a valium to knock me out when the pain was unbearable) and try not to be stressed by it. I thought I would never see the light.

I am now drinking coffee and eating steaks again...and have been pain/gas/nausea free for a full week now. I have to get back to my exercise routine and lose the 10 lbs I gained from all this inactivity and food therapy!

Praying for you!

[JeweledJockey]

I have a story of my own to tell

[JeweledJockey]

I have a parasite or a bug of my own that I would like to share and hopefully get some ideas. I have had this thing I will call it MyBug for years. I first noticed small worms in the toliet and thought they were from someone eles. After several times I realized oh my gosh they are from me! I think I have had them for like 7 years or more. I recently was on a medication that made me vomit and oh gosh for the first time I realized they were in my stomach as well as my bowls because again I saw them in the toliet after I was ill. I have that tingling sensation as well but did not associate it to MyBug until recently. It keeps me up at night but in my cash the tingling or crawling sensation starts high up kind of between my ribs and goes to my stomach. I really have no symptoms other then I know MyBug is there and this tingling thing which when it happens makes me hot so basically causes night sweats. I have had several stool test run and they can't find or see MyBug but on a recent test they found Blastocystis hominis which I am now on Flagl for which makes me really sick! MyBug is not Blastocystis hominis but the doc says he wants to cure this before moving on to MyBug which is for me worse. I have read every article I could find on bugs and worms and looked at a million pictures of them trying to find MyBug but so far nothing matches. Oh ya all the deworm medicine and nature stuff does not touch MyBug. It must be something really tough and I guess stomach acid does not kill it either! I wish I could post pictures here and could have someone take a look at them. I know its gross but I have fished MyBug out of the toliet and taken a picture of it or them I should say because it seems like there are two different looking MyBugs maybe male and female. Its scary because I have had it for so long, nothing seems to kill it and the doc can't find it!!!

[Manders00]

Have you gotten an answer? I had had a parasite in my stomach but it was found in a stool sample. It had made me feel bloated and bowl movements were nothing but liquid no solid stool. I had had

BLASTOCYSTIC HOMINIS

[Bambootoothpick]

rthomas003

10/14/06
its all in your head, just stop worrieng about it for the love of god. people sometimes have chemical like "inhuman "smelling poo, it happens, you probably ate some bad hamburger and got siock but your making it last becuae youve convinced yourself you have some weird rare stomach disorder, your fine just shut up.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This post was posted a year ago but I wanted to make a comment on it.  I think this guy is a young doctor.  This is very much what I think the attitude of doctors is.  Doctors are seen in society as "know it alls" when it comes to health issues, and the natural reaction of a "know it all" who doesn't have the answer is to become defensive and say it's just stress or it's nothing or it will settle on its own instead of being humble and taking it as a learning experience like 1 in 10 doctors do who actually learn throughout their career.  Being a doctor is a great life long responsibility.  Few rise to the challenge.

[tummytroubles01]

HAve you tested for clostridium defficile?