Sick for years with parasite?

[ill13632]

Thanks for your help!  I travelled to Indonesia and soon became sick with an infection, migraine, fever, diarrhea, nausea and was treated with cipro.  1 month after returning to the US I began to have chronic fatigue, sleep apnea, asthma, wheezing and the fatigue has persisted for over a year.  I had high blood sugar but it has been normal now for a few weeks on medication.  I had an IGE that was about 145 and low IGG subset 3, high WBC.
I took one dose of pinx and magnesium citrate and now the diarrhea has stopped and I am getting normal hard stools but I'm still tired.  I still have bright red blood and pain/itching.  My stool test, colonoscopy, endoscopy last year were negative.  Thanks very much!

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Hello again,

A couple of follow-up responses to your posts.

1. Blood tests (serology - antibody tests) for schistosomiasis cannot differentiate between past or current infection. So, the blood tests for schistosomiasis are not reliable to determine if treatment has been successful.

2. There are many reasons why blood can appear in the urine. Your healthcare provider can provide details regarding possible explanations and recommendations for follow-up.

3. The "mysterious" end to the bright red blood after taking an anti-helminth medication is not proof or "evidence" of the presence of a helminth infection.

4. Regarding your question about the safety of taking albendazole (800 mg each day) for 2 weeks, this is a question for your physician. However, there are certain helminth infections for which albendazole (800 mg) is recommended for up to 28 days. And, taking medications like albendazole should only be at the recommendation of a healthcare provider.

5. Have you been tested for anemia (low red blood cells)? Anemia is a common cause of fatigue.

6. You mentioned that you use a breathing machine at night for your sleep apnea. How many hours to you use the machine each night? Have you had your machine tested to make sure that it is functioning properly? Inadequately treated sleep apnea is another common cause of sleep apnea.

7. What have your healthcare providers told you about the cause of "low cortisol"? What is the exact level? When was it tested (date, time of day) and what kind of test was performed?

8. Have you had blood tests to evaluate your levels of Vitamin D (25-hydroxy vitamin D is the correct test), Vitamin B12, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH)?

9. Have you had an physical examination for hemorrhoids? Hemorrhoids are a common cause of rectal bleeding (and anal itching).

~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

[Philip D Parks, MD, MPH, MOccH, FACOEM]

Hello,

In order to confirm that you have no ova and paraisites in your stool, it is recommended that you have more than one (usually three) negative test.

If you continue to have bright red blood in your stool, you should see your personal physician or healthcare provider to be evaluated for hemorrhoids and potentially have a repeat colonoscopy.

Also, how old are you? Male or female? Do you have any other chronic health/medical conditions [such as anemia, diabetes, obesity, etc.?

You stated in your posting that you have "pain". Where is the pain? What makes it better/worse? What type of pain is it (sharp, dull, etc)? When do you have pain (constant, intermittent, occasionally)?

~ Dr. Parks

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice. The information presented in this posting is for patients’ education only. As always, I encourage you to see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

[ill13632]

they sent my urine to a lab but only found blood.  I haven't been able to get a blood parasite test

[ill13632]

I also have blood in my urine.  do I have Schistosomiasis?  it is just terrible to be tired and be ignored by all of my doctors

[ill13632]

I took two doses of OTC pin-x and magnesium citrate and my diarrhea stopped and I had harder normal stools
then I took 2 doses of mebenadzole 100mg in 2 days and the bright red blood from my stool bleeding also stopped mysteriously
isn't this evidence that I have a thelimitic infection

[ill13632]

Dear Dr. Parks,
someone else in my family in the house is probably infected with a worm
is this the cause of my chronic fatigue and low cortisol?  

[ill13632]

I also had a liver level of 92 for my AST/ALT
today I made a tea from a lot of cloves and cranberries and felt nauseous after drinking it.  I'm in my early 30s and don't know why I have this terrible chronic fatigue.  thanks so much!!!

[ill13632]

while in Indonesia I was eating the street food and some sushi

[ill13632]

I took vitamin D and started cardio exercising but am still tired even after waking up.  I use a machine to breathe for my sleep apnea.

[ill13632]

Dear Dr. Parks,
Thanks so much for the help!  I've taken vitamins, B12, iron and nothing helps my chronic fatigue and daytime sleepiness.  I had a positive toxoplasmosis titer at about 35.  I have asthma, low RBC, perhaps prediabetes and am about 30 pounds overweight.  I have sharp rectal pain/bleeding during bowel movements and other times.  I've tried HC cream before that seems to help a little.  Is Albendazole the best treatment for worms?  Is it safe to take at 800mg/day for 2 weeks?
Thanks!!!